3/12/2015

What Do You Know About Stone?

Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Crown (c) National Geographic




Throughout the ages, genuine stone has been highly prized for its beauty, uniqueness and rarity.  Genuine stone has been used to denote wealth and power in everything from goblets and bowls to monuments and temples. Genuine gemstones and crystals have been combined with metals to create crowns, jewelry, rosaries, even the Pope’s headdress, among others. Whether the ancients had any inkling of the energetic vibrations that stones inherently emit or not is actually irrelevant, they knew something empowered them with the presence of genuine stone. Even if the thought process stopped at the rarity and expense, they quickly capitalized on the perceived power that came along with genuine stones.
Each type of stone, crystal or mineral is created deep within the Earth over an extended period of time (typically millions of years) and under slightly different environmental conditions, such as heat, pressure, length of time,  geological changes, etc.  These conditions produce different stones, crystals, metals and minerals with specific frequency and resonance vibrations.   


Banded Agate (c) Geology.com


Similar environmental conditions and materials will produce stones with similar properties. Stone families will share some resonance, though their colors may range the entire spectrum of the rainbow depending upon specific atomic occurrences. So, while any agate can help to direct your mental focus and shut out superfluous distractions, a green one can help keep your thoughts grounded in the practical, while a red one can increase your passion toward achieving a goal. These different conditions and materials also create a multitude of unusual inclusions and unique structural shapes so that no two stones in the world, no matter the precision of cut, can ever be truly identical.

Scientific studies have shown that water’s molecular structure can be influenced by the vibrations emitted from stone, changing the water’s vibrations to match that of the stone. Stones can be immersed in water, creating a tonic for specific healing purposes (warning: be sure to consult knowledgeable practitioners before attempting to use gem tonics). Stones worn against the skin can affect the water in your body the same way, particularly on delicate areas of skin where blood vessels are near the surface, like the neck, wrists and ankles. So, stones with calming vibrations such as Rose Quartz can aid against feelings of anxiety and stress, while stones with passionate vibrations such as red Carnelian can increase excitement and enthusiasm. Stones placed in the environment have an effect on the atmosphere and energies present or flowing in a space as well. So, those same stones that work to calm the mind, body and soul will affect your environment in the same way. Every stone can work to enhance aspects of your mind, your body, your spirit and your surrounding environment.

Additionally, some stones act as amplifiers, naturally amplifying the energies nearby. Amplifiers like Clear Crystal Quartz and White Marble work especially well at increasing the effects of other nearby stones and healing energy work processed through them. Some stones additionally amplify nearby energies as a secondary effect to naturally cleansing such as Citrine which has a naturally repellant effect on negativity - think of those old TV commercials for Dawn dish-washing liquid’s effect on grease.

Of course all stones emit different vibrations with corresponding attributes that will affect people differently.  But, the basic attributes remain, much like cocoa will increase dopamine levels in the brain regardless of whether or not you personally like to eat chocolate or may even be allergic.  Consequently, if you find you have an aversion to particular stone, no matter what reason used to explain it, you will be better off using a different stone for whatever benefits you are hoping to gain.  

For example, when I first tried to work with Chrysoprase, I couldn't understand why I had such an aversion to it, it just felt icky to me. I tried cleansing it with salt, water and full moon exposure, but there was no obvious change to my reaction. When I tried to force a reading, I would begin to feel dizzy and nauseated. Why?

Chrysoprase is categorized in the Chalcedony family of stone, primarily made of silicone dioxide and often includes the presence of iron (typically found where colors range from blacks and browns to reds and oranges), and aluminum (typically found where colors range in blacks, greys and some blues), among others. Chrysoprase, in particular, owes it's greenish hue to a high presence of nickel. I am allergic to nickel, so when I learned of it in Chrysoprase, my physical response to this stone made more sense.  

Chrysoprase - Photo by Eric Welch (c) GIA.edu


Today, I still cannot work with Chrysoprase and see no sense to pushing my body's natural limitations in order to do so.  Though the vast majority of common, precious and semi-precious stones will not have a negative effect on people, I recommend the same physical awareness to others.  If you ever feel a negative sensation, "no" or "yuck" then it's simply not worth the effort. It could be, as in my case with Chrysoprase, a physical aversion to a specific material content, or negative energies that need to be cleansed from the stone, or simply a type of stone that will not blend well with your natural vibrations. Whatever the case, don't settle for anything that doesn't feel right, there are plenty of other stone options that are bound to work well for you. 

If you find you are drawn to certain stones, then it's likely those stones' attributes will be greatly beneficial for you. Now I'm not talking about your favorite color, though don't discount those either. Lots of women really like purple and will choose Amethyst simply because of the color. Though Amethyst is a great, all-around-beneficial stone, just because it's your favorite color doesn't mean its attributes will have the greatest benefit for you. --for the record, I've never heard of anyone having an aversion of any kind to Amethyst-- On the other hand, if a highly beneficial stone, such as Amethyst, happens to be found in your favorite color, all the better!

Another common draw for many people is their birthstone - stones associated with the zodiac sun sign present at the time of their birth. Believe it or not, the stones corresponding to the zodiac sign of your birth will be highly likely to work well for you. In Judy Hall's book The Crystal Zodiac: Use Birthstones to Enhance Your Life, she takes it two steps further in coordinating zodiac moon and rising signs with the stones that are likely to be beneficial for people born under those signs. And, for people born on the cusp between signs, it is common to reap benefits from stones associated with the signs on both sides of the cusp. (For a free birth chart and to learn more about the zodiac signs present when you were born, visit http://alabe.com/freechart/)

The best part about genuine stone is that knowledge and understanding of molecular structure, material content, frequency vibrations or typical attributes is not necessary to reap the benefits.  You can just enjoy!


Random stones from my own collection





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