Tag: Rock (geology)

The Gems of Yule, Garnet

 

Garnet

For its color, garnet is known as the stone of passion. Use garnet for  spells of love, sex or passion. It is also good for attracting money toward you. Wear on your receiving hand for wealth. Garnet brings prosperity, courage, abundance, fertility, love, health, fidelity, and happiness. This stone will help the wearer to control anger. Garnet has long been known as the favorite stone of the dragons. Use when invoking dragons or performing dragon magick. Garnet allows the user to tune into       high levels of power, so take heed when using this stone. Fire.

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The Gems of Yule, Alexandrite

Alexandrite

Alexandrite is a centering stone. Use this stone for stress or in other situations requiring you to be calm. This stone will allow you to become centered and balanced and will bring together the important aspects of  your life. For healing, use this stone for the brain and central nervous       system. It can also help when in a rut for it provides higher self-esteem and gives a feeling of purpose. In conjunction, it will help you achieve your goals.

Carnelian

Crystal of the Day

Carnelian

 

SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION: Carnelian is the clear red to brownish red member of the Chalcedony family. It is a microcrystalline variety of Quartz (Silicone Dioxide) and may contain small amounts of iron oxides. The hardness is 7, and the streak is white.

ENVIRONMENT: Chalcedony is formed in several environments, generally near the surface of the earth where temperatures and pressures are relatively low. It commonly forms in the zone of alteration of lode and massive hydrothermal replacement deposits and as bodies of chert in chemical sedimentary rocks.

OCCURENCE: Fine carnelian comes from India and South America.

GEMSTONE INFORMATION: Carnelian is used as an alternate birthstone for the month of May. It is normally cut into cabochons, engraved, or made into seal stones or rounded, polished, and pierced for necklaces and other items of jewelry.

NAME: The name means “flesh-colored”, from [caro], meaning “genitive” and [carnis], meaning “flesh”.

LEGEND and LORE: Carnelian has long been associated with courage and cleansing of the blood. It was believed that the stone would improve one’s outlook, making the individual cheerful and expelling fears.

MAGICAL PROPERTIES: Katrina Raphaell says that Carnelian can be used to “see into the past”. The “Crystal Oracle” says that Carnelian refers to the Self, and Current Conditions. It is a grounding stone, and associated with the Earth. As such, it is considered practical, sensible and balanced. Cunningham associates the stone with the element of Fire. He suggests it as a talisman against Telepathic invasion.

HEALING: It is recommended for infertility or impotency. In addition it is used for purification of the blood. It has also been suggested that this stone will stop nosebleeding.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: I call this the “sexy” stone…since I believe it stimulates sexual appetites. I use it in the lower Chakras for infertility and impotency for men(I use Coral as the feminine counterpart.) I always get a good chuckle when I notice a man wearing a LARGE Cornelian belt buckle. In addition, I would use this stone for relief of pain from arthritis in men.

——-bibliography——-

1. Scientific, Environment, Occurence and Name are from (or paraphrased from) “The Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals”.

2. Precious and semi-precious gemstone information may come from “Gemstones” by E. H. Rutland.

3. Other Precious and semi-precious gemstone information may come from “Gem Cutting”, sec. ed., by John Sinkankas.

4. Legends and Lore, Magical Properties are from “Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic”, by Scott Cunningham.

5. Some of the healing information may come from “Color and Crystals, A Journey Through the Chakras” by Joy Gardner.

6. Some of the healing information may come from “A Journey Through the Chakras” by Joy Gardner.

Crystal Formation

The mechanism that creates crystals is movement in the Earth’s crust. As layers of crust float on the liquid rock mantle beneath collisions and pressure create fractures that allow superheated liquids and gases, filled with different elements to move rapidly toward the surface. As these liquids and gases cool. they often crystalize. The temperature, pressure, surrounding rocks and mix of elements all determine which minerals crystallize at a particular place. Crystals and rocks produced in this way are known as igneous.

If crystals and rocks are exposed to wind, frost and water, they begin to erode. Small particles are washed into the sea where they form silt deposits. After many millions of years of extreme pressure, these deposits become compressed, forming sedimentary crystals and rock. Minerals of this type ten to be softer than igneous crystals as they form at lower temperatures and pressures.

Cleansing Crystals with Sunlight and Moonlight

The easiest of the cleansing techniques involves using your  stone in a windowsill where the direct sunlight or moonlight will hit it. The number of days or nights you’ll have it will depend on how much negative energy has collected in the stone. Set the stone on a mirror to enhance the effect. Be careful not to handle that mirror so that is flashed the reflection of the light into the eyes, as it can damage eyesight,. Make sure that the reflection doesn’t focus on a flammable surface for an extended time, either.

Cleansing Crystals with Running Water

If you’re fortunate enough to live near a stream, tie your stone in a pieces of cheesecloth or old pantyhose and with a piece of string fasten it to a branch or stone on the bank. Let the fabric wrapped stone rest in the water for at least twenty-four house. If you’re in an urban environment, you can set the stone in a strainer or colander and put it in your sink. Turn the cold water tap on and leave it three for a while. However, this method wastes a lot of water, so I don’t use it. Instead, I pour bottled spring water in a dish, and set the stones in it. Water absorbs energy whether it’s running or not, the movement simply add more energy to the process and gets it done faster.

Water is an excellent purifier. If you add a pinch of salt to it, it becomes even more powerful. Again, however, if there’s any metal attached to the stone, skip the salt and use pure water. Don’t subscribe earth for that pinch of salt in the technique, or you’ll end up having to rinse off the stone under the tap anyway.

Cleansing Stones Using Salt

In a small dish of salt, bury the stone you wish to cleanse and leave it for at least twenty-four hours. Depending on how deeply the stone requires cleansing or purification you might wish to leave it buried in the salt for up to a week. Be careful what kind of stone you’re burying: stones with a high iron content react poorly to salt. If the stone is set in metal, do not use this method, as the salt will corrode the metal setting.

If all you have on hand is table salt, it will do. However, if you’re serious about spellcraft, it’s a good idea to invest in sea salt, a more natural form of salt. The less refined the salt is, the more natural energy it contains. Sea salt is only a bit more expensive than table salt, and easily found in most supermarkets now, as well as drugstores or health food stores. Kosher salt is good, too. Never use rock salt designed for outdoor use in winter, as it is toxic.