The Healing Power of Crystals

True healers, mystics and shamans know that individual stones have unique properties which can be aids to healing, knowledge, mediation, protection, and to attract the law of supply, harmony and romance. Surely birthstones should express the strength of their corresponding heavenly bodies. The myriad lists of birthstones have got out of hand and those who advise can’t give any valid explanations as to their choice, although some say they were given the information through meditation or were channeled. With so much doubt as to what corresponds with whatever it is blatantly obvious we must start from scratch to give credence to this beloved and most important subject. To begin and to help you the reader understand why certain minerals have been chosen for the different zodiac signs we should study our major heavenly bodies which contain a vast astronomical treasure house of gasses, colours, weights, and strengths. In the light of this, and to ensure the most accurate predictions possible, conscientious astrologers take care to consult the astronomers annual Almanac, or solar system calendar. As the heavenly bodies move forward on their journey round our sun, the ruler of each zodiac sign varies in the degree of influence it exerts on Earth at any given moment, hence the need for the designation of “mutable” which accompanies the ruling body. To take Aries as an example: although its main ruler is Mars, its first half has overtones of the Sun while the second has a subsidiary influence in Jupiter; likewise the Mercury ruled house of Gemini has overtones of Venus in the first half with a Uranian influence in the second. Next, it will be noted that each division of the zodiac is allotted not one classification of stones but three it’s “precious crystal”, its “talisman” and its “bedside rock”. In rough and ready terms, these generally represent three orders of value, precious crystals being, as their name implies, the most suitable for setting as jewellery or being carried in the pocket, preferably wrapped in silk. Next comes the talisman, a lucky charm, as the dictionaries tell us, worn to ward off negative happenings and so bring strength and good fortune to their owner. Often less costly but not least delightful is the humble bedside rock, often uncut (in rough) but not less closely matched with its zodiacal sign than the other two categories indeed, if anything, more so. The two or more choices of stone offered in almost every entry allow wearers to indulge their tastes also to accommodate their purchases to their pockets and not be floored if some stones are hard to obtain. No one should be deprived of the chance to wear lovely gems or build up a collection of them. Using the appropriate stones in any of the ways here indicated will contribute to your general wellbeing by putting you more closely in tune with the energies of your astrological sign and its ruling planet. Although this book is about the beneficent powers of stones, rather than their aesthetic qualities (though these are often referred to), and is not intended as a compendium for dealers, a few definitions may be found helpful. Common or garden minerals are generally called stones (that is, anything loose and detachable from the surface of the earth), but when two or more minerals of set but distinct composition join together; the resulting formations are called rocks. Stones suitable for cutting or wearing are called gemstones more usually after they are cut, and are few in comparison with all the minerals to be found on Earth. Yet nature is prodigal in her production of these too, and while most varieties have been known for thousands of years, new types of existing species appear from time to time, and occasionally a completely new gem is discovered, amid much rejoicing and excitement. Several are listed and described in the following pages. The value of gemstones mostly depends on their beauty, rarity and durability, the more they show usually the higher the retail price. For these qualities we must thank nature's magic, for she manages to make the most glittering and glorious stones out of the commonest basic materials. A Diamond is no more than compressed and aged common carbon. The most famous mineral of all, Rock Crystal, is simply a clear variety of quartz, made up of two of the world's most abundant substances, silicon and oxygen. Rubies and Sapphires are a mixture of aluminium and oxygen, with traces of different metals, inclusions or irradiation causing their colour variations. Indeed colour in gemstones is itself a further paradox, for with one or two exceptions (notably Tourmaline and Opal) those glorious tints which add so much to pleasure and price are the result not of some natural grand design but of accidental impurities, a small change in structure or irradiation. (Amethyst, for instance, is basically Rock Crystal, its purple tint caused by an impurity in the form of iron.) To be distinguished from colour is lustre, which depends on reflection and the nature of a stone's surface. Turquoise has a waxy lustre, Diamonds, Topaz and Zircons have a hard lustre, and Moonstones appear silky, and so on. The beneficial action of stones is automatic. Because each variety’s individual atomic structure is always the same, they will help you equally whether they are cut or uncut, mounted or unmounted, worn, carried about, or lying on a table or desk. Your choice should be the variety which attracts you most. Minerals will benefit your wellbeing even when the planets with which they are matched are furthest away from our planet, though the closer the better, of course. Nor is it true that the only stones you can usefully wear are the ones astrologically matched with your planet. Nobody is under the rule of one planet alone. We are a mixture of many elements, and everything that goes on in our solar system affects everything that happens on Earth, in one way or another. So relax. Let your stones work for you, however “passive” you or they may seem. If you want to be busy, the best thing you can do is to '”orchestrate” your collection of stones, composing them into beautiful groupings, patterns of interesting colours and shapes. That way, they will work on each other and on you at the same time. Your stones are there to tune you, and that is all. A Note on Numerology In simple terms, the law of numerology “the study of the occult significance of numbers” ‘(Webster's Dictionary) states that all numbers are single and lie between the digits one and nine inclusive. Thus the number 10, comprising two digits, is broken down to a single number by adding together its first and second digits, one and zero, to arrive at the calculation 1 + 0 = 1. On the same principle, 23 becomes five (2 + 3 = 5), but nineteen becomes 1 by the addition of an extra step: first, add one and nine (1+9 = 10), then add one and zero (1+0 = 1). Final score: 1. So far, so easy. But now we need to know the number allotted by western astrological tradition to each of the heavenly bodies in our solar system. They are as follows: • The Sun 1; • Our planet’s Moon 2; • Jupiter 3; • Uranus 4; • Mercury 5; • Venus 6; • Neptune 7; • Saturn 8; • Mars 9. • Pluto on account of its very recent discovery (1930), has no traditional number. In the following pages, listing jewels and their heavenly partners, certain numerological associations deriving from these numberings will be mentioned from time to time, in connection with the Mohs scale of hardness. It will be pointed out, for example, that Diamonds, with a hardness of 10 on the Mohs scale, are linked with the Sun (1+0=1) as well as with Neptune, on which these jewels are thought to proliferate. Pink Sapphire (hardness 9) corresponds with Mars (astrological number 9); Peridot (hardness 5) goes with Mercury (astrological number 5); and so on.