ORE FEATURES
A biweekly publication of Ozark Rock Exchange
VOL 1: Issue 19, July 15, 2000
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Main: >> Start Page >> ORE Features Archives >> 2000 >> Sunstone | |
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ORE’S FEATURED GEMSTONE: Sunstone by Stephanie Pflumm As we are celebrating Grandfather Sun’s glory days, it seems appropriate to learn about a gemstone closely associated with his energies. The feldspar, Sunstone. At one angle, it appears to be a dull brown, white or reddish rock. A simple twist catches the Sun’s light & magically a glittering gem is shining in your hand. Sunstone, like all feldspar, is included with silicate acid & alumina. In addition, soda & lime are included, along with Hematite in the form of enclosed scales. The Hematite scales usually grow in a six sided shape, though sometimes the scales are more irregular. They are arranged in the Sunstone along the perfect cleavage, meaning how the stone is cut & polished has a significant impact on the brightness of the gem. It is these scales that catch the light & reflect the brilliant red sheen. The more dense the Hematite enclosures, the brighter the reflection & the more valuable the stone is. Until the early 1800’s, Sunstone was very rare & quite expensive. In 1831 it was discovered along the Selenga River in Siberia. Prior to discovering the major vein, local merchants & residents would collect Sunstone pebbles from the Selenga riverbed. Some fairly sizable deposits of Sunstone are found in Siberia, large enough to be carved into vases & bowls. Before the Siberian discovery, Sunstone was found in only one location, on Sattel Island in the White Sea. During the 1950’s Sunstone was found in Norway at Tvedestrand. Here the gemstone is embedded in a white Quartz with the finest specimens being located in the center, often surrounded by inferior Sunstone that is cut away. The Norwegian Sunstones are considered the most perfect in the world. In some mineral references Sunstone is labeled an Aventurine-Feldspar. This is because the Hematite enclosures are very similar to the Mica enclosures in Aventurine gemstones. Another stone that sometimes is confused with Sunstone is a man-made gem called Goldstone. This bright reflective material comes in every color & is created from a process using fiber optics. The result is a stone with great depth & thousands of shinning points. Carvings from Goldstone are quite beautiful. Since the Sunstone was so rare, its use as a jewelry stone in our ancient past was limited. However, the Sunstone has a long history of association with the Sun’s powers. Magicians would set the stone in Gold to attract the Sun’s influence. An ancient healing tradition used a circle of Sunstones set out under the Sun. Individuals with rheumatism could then sit in the middle of the circle & be relieved of their symptoms. Native American tribes from Canada often used the Sunstone in Medicine Wheel ceremonies to help establish a connection with the healing light of the Sun. An excellent stone for timid individuals, Sunstone will assist you in improving self confidence. It brings a joy of life & eliminates your tendency to blame circumstances or outside influences for your problems. It instills a sense of independence, giving you a boldness that aids in overcoming your fears. Use a Sunstone to improve the potency of herbs. It can also increase your own strength, both physically & mentally. Work with this gem to find your true nature & allow it to shine through. Sunstone is also excellent in protection energies. It provides safety from the destructive forces of nature & harmful energies from other realms. Considered a lucky stone, it has often been used to invoke the aid of benevolent gods. Athletes can use Sunstone in the treatment of cartilage problems. The gem also provides healing energies for spinal related ailments & aching feet. It will help activate your body’s self healing powers. Assists the body’s organs in functioning in harmony with each other. Carry a piece of sunshine where ever you go with with this magical feldspar. Picture of Sunstone - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SUBSCRIBER’S SPECIAL: FREE GEMSTONE! Receive a Free Sunstone with any purchase from Ozark Rock Exchange. You can order on line at http://www.ozarkrockexchange.com/catalog.shtml , through the mail, or e-mail me for a phone appointment, stephanie@ozarkrockexchange.com Discount will be taken when your order is processed. You must be a subscriber as of July 15, 2000 to be eligible for the Subscriber’s Special; the Subscriber Special is not valid with other offers (unless stated); the Special will expire July 30, 2000. The Moon has always been an influential power in culture, religion, geological events, society & more. This two part article will review Grandmother’s mythical & geological history. Exploring Grandmother’s history may help you discover your own path to using Moon Magic. Very early cultures held the Moon in higher regard than the Sun. Daylight, it was believed, did not come from the Sun, but was a separate entity or energy. While the Moon was regarded as the only source of light during the dark nights. A legend from the North-East regions of India describes the Moon as one of the four children of Mother Earth. Moon, with his sister the Sun, created the stars & together they were responsible for the powers of life on Earth. At this time the Moon & Sun shone with the same brightness. Being an easily bored & moody young man, Moon soon began lusting after his sister. The beautiful sister was angered by Moon’s perversity, & flung ashes into his face, forever dulling his appearance. Now Moon must constantly chase the Sun, only able to spend a few days a month near her beauty. In many cultures, the Sun is wife to the Moon. In a Bedouin story the Sun is infused with sexual passion for her husband the Moon. Always trying to seduce her calm & reserved husband, she becomes frustrated with having her advances continuously refused. One day, the Sun finally loses her temper & a terrible battle ensued. You can still see the scars today in the Moon’s pock-marked face & the spots on Sun’s surface. The marital couple now has sex once a month, after which the Moon withers away to nothing. More important than the stories & fears that Moon inspired in our Ancestors, was the role this orb played in our ability to plan & organize. The words Moon & Month have their origins in Sanskrit, from words that mean “measure” or “to measure”. Cave drawings discovered in Spain, depicting the phases of the Moon, are believed to be at least 9000 years old, dating to 7000 BC. Stonehenge, the Great Pyramids, Temples from around the world were all built to measure the Moon’s phases & to predict the equinoxes, solstices & eclipses. Gaining the knowledge of time measurement was one of our first steps in taking control of our human existence. Knowing when we could plant crops or when certain animals would be migrating meant we may never have to be hungry again. Controlling our food supply, gave us more time to create tools. However, knowledge of the Moon’s moody phases did not lessen our superstition of this energy source. Festivals for bountiful harvests, fertility & gathering power where celebrated by the light of a full Moon. Prayers, repentance, cleansing & sacrificial ceremonies were held in the dark of the new Moon. Easter Sunday is one of our modern holidays that is still determined by the Moon. The date is set according to the first Full Moon following the Vernal Equinox & assigned to the nearest Sunday. Sometime during the rising Roman Empire, under the influence of Greek travelers & teachers, the Moon began to take on female aspects. Egyptian cults for the goddess Isis began to flourish after Greek & Roman infiltration. Before that the Moon was a male god. Independent of the Greek mythologies however, Native American legends also present shifts in the Moon’s sexuality. Today the Moon is almost always represented as female. Grandmother Moon will be full tomorrow morning (Sunday July 16) at 8:55am (ET). To charge your gems, crystals, tools or yourself, set them out after Moon rise tonight. Use the full Moon for creative energies, to charge stones with specified tasks, dreaming, fulfilling your own energy cycles, & more. In the next issue of ORE FEATURES, we’ll review some geological facts about Grandmother Moon & examine some of the ways her powers can be used to enhance your creative energies. I have finally joined the Egroup fray & started a new list called ShopOnLine. The list is for finding online shopping sites. You can email the group to talk about your on line shopping experiences. Share great new stores you’ve found & businesses you’ve had problems with. It will also allow on line stores to promote their products to you. However, I promise to visit each new site that advertises to verify that it is a true retail web site. If you are interested in discovering all the great shopping spots on the World Wide Web, you can join ShopOnLine, just send a blank email to shop-on-line-subscribe@egroups.com You may want to sign up to receive digests, eventually the list will generate quite a bit of mail. Right now though, this list is brand new, yours is the very first invitation to go out. If you'd like to learn more about Egroups mail lists (there are lots of cool ones out there & not all are at Egroups), send a private email to stephanie@ozarkrockexchange.com I'll answer as many of your questions as I can. Four new gemstones that have just arrived, but are not in the on line catalog yet.
If you’d like to include any of these stones in an order, just email stephanie@ozarkrockexchange.com ©Copyright 2000, Stephanie Pflumm, All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Please feel free to share with a friend. |
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