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 amethyst The purple variety of quartz known as amethyst has been employed as a gemstone since very early times, and the appreciation of this gem material has extended down through the ages, reaching its culmination when facetted amethyst gems were justly popular. A recent swing of the pendulum of fashion seems to be reviving this beautiful purple gemstone.
Although amethyst colored quartz is of very common occurrence in rocks of almost every country, the deepest colored and most sought after gem material is somewhat limited to certain well defined deposits.
Russian gem amethysts, often called Siberian amethysts, are mined in several places in the Ural Mountains.
These stones are very deep in color, the rich purple tone being mixed with some red, a combined color which is readily recognized by one experienced in handling amethysts.
Brazilian amethysts from the state of Rio Grande do Sul are also deep purple in color, as are also those from Uruguay. Fine stones have been taken from the gem gravels of Ceylon, from Madagascar and from various parts of the United States.
The disposal of the color throughout crystals of amethyst quartz is not always evenly regular, many gem fragments showing a patchy coloring, which detracts materially from the beauty of the cut gem. In a number of instances this unevenness of color follows the twinning of the quartz crystals, giving alternate triangular sectors of purple and white quartz, best visible in sections at right angles to the prism edges.
amethyst has from traditional times been the stone used in ecclesiastical rings as worn by bishops and other church prelates. It is usually cut in some variation of the combination step brilliant cutting.
Crystal-gazing means, simply, the practice of looking into a ball of crystal, glass or some similar substance and endeavouring to see within it pictures or images which apparently present themselves to the eye, while thus gazing at it.
Crystal-Gazing is very ancient. The Egyptians used it in their practices of divination, and, throughout ancient history, we find traces of this magical art.
In the middle-ages it was revived, especially by the learned Dr. Dee, who lived in the reign of Queen Elizabeth in England, and who employed a seer or “scryer” by the name of Kelly.
In more recent times Crystal-Gazing has been made a subject of special study by the Psychical Research Society and several books may now be had upon the question. It is a very simple and at the same time one of the safest means of psychic development. It is not necessary, as a matter of fact, to employ a crystal or even a glass-ball, particularly if you are a good subject, but it would greatly help matters if you did possess one, and we should advise the student to procure one if possible and use this for purposes of experimentation.
The best way to begin is to procure a crystal of at least three inches in diameter, larger if possible, and mounted upon a slender wooden stand. The stand and crystal should be placed against a background of black felt or cloth, and the crystal should be shaded with more cloth of the same character so that there is no high-light anywhere upon it, that is, no point upon which the sun’s rays fall, making it a bright spot.
If the outlines of the ball appear a little cloudy and uncertain, owing to the semi-darkness, this will often help matters.
Place yourself in front of the ball, your eyes being about a foot from its surface.
You should be seated in a comfortable chair, your eyes shaded from the light and relaxed in body and quiet in mind.
Gaze steadily at the crystal for a few minutes ; do not strain or focus the eyes particularly upon any part of the ball or try to see into its interior. Do not blink the eyes more than you can help ; at the same time do not strain them by trying to keep them open for any length of time without blinking.
Do not let your eyes wander from the ball nor your attention relax from the subject in hand. Do not let your eyes stare vacantly, but look intently at the ball without undue strain or concentration. Try not to think of anything in particular during the process of this gazing; make the mind fairly blank, at the same time do not allow yourself to become sleepy or the mind to become totally blank to outside impressions.
It is inadvisable to keep this up for more than five minutes at a time at first, for if you do you will find that your eyes will become strained and will “water” after you leave off the experiment.
If this is the case you may be sure you have continued gazing for too long a period. As in automatic writing, it is advisable, if possible, to sit at the same time every day, while developing and for the same length of time each day.
This time may be lengthened as you progress, though it is usually found unnecessary to look into the crystal for more than a few minutes at a time, for you cannot get consistent, long-drawn-out visions, as you can Automatic Writing.
Crystal-Gazing depends largely upon the ability possessed by the psychic to “visualize” or express in pictorial form, thoughts and images which arise from the subconscious mind. The majority of crystal visions are of this character. You must not assume that because you see figures in the ball that these figures are really in that place, that is, that they are objective or external and exist within the crystal. No, they are mental pictures or hallucinations, but they are expressed or externalized in this way.
For example: You may think of a friend’s face and bring it up vividly before your mind’s eye, as a memory picture. Now, in ordinary life, the process of externalization ends there, but if you are a good visualizer you can carry it further, and actually project into the crystal the picture of your thought, placing it in the crystal ball, where you will see your friend’s face dearly reflected from within its depths. But your friend is not really in the crystal ball; it is merely your mental conception or picture of him. Nearly all crystal visions are of this character, as before said.
Crystal visions, however, often contain information and messages which the sitter could not possibly have known normally, and which are conveyed to him by this means.
For instance, you may look into the crystal ball one day and see, acted before you in the crystal vision, a tragedy in which some friend of yours plays a part,
You know nothing whatever about this, yet later on you receive from this friend a letter, telling you of the details of the tragedy in question. Your vision has proved correct. It is authentic and “supernormal” in character.
Thus you will see that crystal-visions are more than mere empty visions or hallucinations. The character and content of these pictures often convey striking information and they may be telepathic, clairvoyant or premonitory, just as dreams are, or they may represent genuine spirit messages, conveyed from some deceased friend or relative.
It is no unknown thing to see words written in the crystal ball as though you were reading handwriting. A person once looked into her cristal ball and saw within it a newspaper notice of the death of her dearest friend.
She was totally ignorant of the fact and only learned it later on. This same lady who was a writer, had the power of projecting or placing in the crystal, at will, figures or scenes which she conjures up before her and when they are in the ball, they will continue acting out the parts assigned to them, just as they would in a dream, for the figures seen in the crystal are not inert and motionless, but move about and appear to have life and motion of their own.
On many occasions when this lady placed the characters of a novel she was writing into the crystal by an effort of will, she was enabled to see them there, and they frequently enacted certain scenes which gave her a good idea for the continuation of the plot of the story !
Amethyst was originally regarded as a very precious stone until the immense quantities received from Brazil reduced its value generally.
From the earliest dawn of history the occult properties of the amethyst as an antidote to inebriety have been recognised, by all writers, the name originating from a Greek word meaning “without intoxication” and according to Aristotle it was also the name of a beautiful nymph who invoked the aid of Diana to protect her from the attentions of Bacchus, which the goddess did by converting her into a precious gem, upon which Bacchus, in remembrance of his love, gave the stone its colour and the quality of preserving its wearers from the noxious influence of wine.
The Egyptians used these stones freely for Talismans, their soldiers wearing them as amulets for success in their exploits and calmness in danger.
Pliny says the Magi believed that if the symbols of the Sun and Moon were engraved upon the amethyst it made a powerful charm against witchcraft, and procured for its wearers success to their petitions, good luck, and the favour of those in authority. Camillus Leonardus, confirming its efficacy in restraining intoxication, says :
” It also represses evil thoughts and all excesses, prevents contagion, and gives good understanding of hidden things, making a man vigilant and expert in business.”
The amethyst has always been associated with ecclesiastical decorations, its frequent use in episcopal rings giving rise to its description as 11 the Bishop’s Stone,” and rosaries of Amethyst beads were much in request in olden times to attract soothing influences in times of stress and to confer a pious calm on their wearers.
In religious art it was regarded as emblematic of resignation under earthly sufferings, patience in sorrow, and trust unto death, which Marbodus expresses in verse :
” On high the Amethyst is set In colour like the violet, With flames as if of gold it glows And far its purple radiance throws ; The humble heart it signifies Of him who in the Saviour dies.”
During the Middle Ages the qualities attributed to it were many: it indicated the presence of poison by becoming dim, also personal danger and ill-health by changing colour; it was, moreover, considered to give vigilance to business men, and to sportsmen and soldiers calmness in danger.
The amethyst is the stone of St. Valentine, who is said to have always worn it and in the days of romance and chivalry, if presented by a lady to her knight, or a bride to her husband in the shape of a heart set in silver, it was said to confer the greatest possible earthly happiness on the pair who would be blessed with good fortune for the remainder of their lives.
In connection with the soothing influence of this gem, it is interesting to note that according to modern research purple light rays have been found to exercise a calming effect upon nervous and hysterical patients and a consequent improvement in the vitality. Cases of neuralgia and sleeplessness have been relieved by an amethyst rubbed gently over the temples. It is one of the very few gems that may universally be worn without adverse results.
The human body contains lot of spots where there is focused and concentrated energy but, there are seven major energy centers referred to as “chakras.” Chakra is a sanskrit word which means “wheel.” The chakras are similar to wheels, in that they are spinning vortexes of energy. They are centers of force, located within our etheric body, through which we receive, transmit and process life energies.
Each chakra in the body is recognized as a focal point of life-force relating to physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual energies. The chakras are the network through which body/mind/spirit interact as one holistic system.
The seven major chakras correspond to specific aspects of our consciousness and have their own individual characteristics and functions. Each has a corresponding relationship to one of the various glands of the body’s endocrine system, as well as to one of the seven colors of the rainbow.
The main purpose in working with and understanding the chakras is to create integration and wholeness within ourselves. In this way, we bring the various aspects of our consciousness, from the physical to the spiritual, into a harmonious relationship. Ultimately, we begin to recognize that the different aspects of ourselves all work together, and that each aspect is as much a part of the whole as the others. We must be able to acknowledge, accept and integrate all levels of our being.
The chakras are doorways for our consciousness. They are doorways through which emotional, mental, and spiritual force flow into physical expression. They are openings through which our attitudes and belief systems enter into and create our body/mind structure. The energy created from our emotions and mental attitudes runs through the chakras and is distributed to our cells, tissues, and organs. Realizing this brings tremendous insight into how we ourselves affect our bodies, minds and circumstances for better or worse.
To understand the chakras and their relationship to our consciousness, it is better to understand ourselves. Understanding ourselves will enable us to make our choices and decisions from a place of awareness and balance, rather than being blindly influenced by forces we do not understand.
The most powerful way to open, activate, energize, and balance all of our chakras and keep our bodies and minds in a healthy condition is to love ourselves and others unconditionally. Love is the greatest healer. Love is the vitalizing, nourishing, sustaining electricity of life.
Each one of us are interconnected and a holographic part of All that Is. As we open ourselves into greater expression of love, wisdom and power, we give this gift to all of creation. As one person becomes whole, humanity is that much closer to wholeness. We must remember this and take hold of our personal responsibility to ourselves and to an awakening humanity. Love is the source of all healing.
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