May 18th, 2017

Apophyllite

Physical Characteristics: Apophyllite refers to a specific group of phyllosilicates (sheet silicates formed in parallel layers). All phyllosilicates are hydrated minerals, Apophyllite being a variety which contains water in its chemical structure.

There are technically three varieties of Apophyllite, each varying slightly in chemical composition: Fluorapophyllite (white, colorless, yellow, green, or violet specimens), Hydroxyapophyllite (white or colorless specimens), and Natroapophyllite (brown, yellow, or colorless specimens). Heating the crystal causes water loss, which in turn can cause it to flake apart.

In Nature: This crystal is typically found in vesicles of Basalt or other volcanic rocks.

Chemical Composition: (K, Na)Ca4Si8O20(F, OH)•8H2O

Mohs Scale Hardness: 4.5-5 (medium)

Can be Found: India, Germany, Canada, Norway, Scotland, Ireland, Brazil, Japan, United States

Healing Properties*: Placed on the eyelids, Apophyllite is thought to reduce eye strain. It relieves anxiety and stress, and can also reduce allergy symptoms. Apophyllite is a common tool in Reiki healing.

Magickal Properties: Apophyllite is perhaps best-known for being a high-vibration crystal. The stone's energy is uplifting, and is often used for removing energy blockages and for helping its bearer grow spiritually. It opens the Third Eye, and in so doing furthers psychic development; use it to enhance clairvoyance, for dream work, for astral travel/projection, meditation, and similar exercises. The stone is ideal for scrying, in part because many specimens contain prismatic defects that help the mind relax. It also opens the Crown Chakra, making it easier to contact spiritual guides, angels, and other higher powers.

The water content of the stone improves its energy-conducting capacity, which may be further enhanced by the shape of the crystal (e.g. a pyramidal form). To cleanse and empower a room with Apophyllite, create a crystal grid by placing one stone in each corner of the room and another in the room's center.

Generally speaking, it is inadvisable to cleanse hydrated crystals with water. As heat can damage the stone, it is likewise inadvisable to cleanse Apophyllite in direct sunlight.

Chakra Association: Third Eye (Sixth) and Crown (Seventh) chakras

Element: Air

Energy: Receptive

Planetary Association: Mercury

*Magickal healing should never take the place of seeing a doctor and following any recommended prescriptions, actions, or other advice. Magick works best in tandem with physical efforts, anyway, so don't skimp on those check-ups!

New Stones and Grid

I bought a few stones while we were on vacation, and I was also gifted a few. I saw lots of really neat ones, but I'm happy with what I restricted myself to.

These are the two I bought, actually from the rock shop in Wall Drugstore. Above is an opalized Ammonite fossil, and below is a piece of South Dakota Bubblegum Agate. The Ammonite was a little expensive, but I've never had any Opal before, so I was okay with that.

These two were gifted to me by a cousin of my mom's, who is an avid crystal collector. The top one is a chunk of rough Aventurine, and the bottom is a chunk of rough Snowflake Obsidian.

Then somewhat out of the blue, I got a message from a friend of mine (whose name and pseudonym I will leave out of this particular story) who was having some trouble with a malevolent entity in her household. I was out of the house at the time, but when I got back, I put together this crystal grid to help deal with the issue.

The crystals are all situated on a circular rug which gives the grid a clear boundary. In the center, my Generator Quartz is sitting on its box to tie together the energies of the other stones and send them out. Around it is a blue circle my friend crocheted a while back to act as a taglock, and then I have two more Quartz points facing the Generator for extra power. On either side are some olive leaves to bring in the power of Athena, and I also added the bird skull I found at Mabon because I felt drawn to include it.

In a ring around that, I alternated Tiger's Eye (and a Fluorite, because I only had three Tiger's Eye) with Smoky Quartz, Ametrine (I couldn't find my Citrine last night, although it has since turned up), Red Jasper, and Rose Quartz, and in the final outer ring are all the protective stones: Snowflake Obsidian, Black Tourmaline, Obsidian, Onyx, Apache Tear, and enough Tektites to bring the total stone count in that ring up to 12.

I was really happy with how it came out, and it seemed to do its job, which was to send protection and energy to my friend, who was really drained by the whole ordeal. 

Today, things have gotten largely back on track, so I took it down as it was a little obvious in the middle of my floor. I cleansed each of the stones before I put them away; I don't know that they would have picked up a lot of negativity all the way over here, but it seemed like a good practice, anyway.

August 10th, 2015

What a fun afternoon! After I got off work, both Raincloud and Destiny were able to come over for a nice little luncheon. We were hoping Hazelnut would also be able to make it, but regrettably, she didn't have transportation.

Photo by Raincloud
From the left: Destiny, Raincloud, Hummingbird

Raincloud was kind enough to give us both little baggies of Hyssop, an herb which she recently acquired. It's useful both for purification and for protection, so I'm sure it'll get plenty of use. I'm not allowed to burn things at home, but perhaps I can make some sort of infusion and put it in a spray bottle.

We ate, and then we sat on my bed and just talked for several hours. It was so nice to get all caught up and relax with my fellow Pagan friends. While we were talking, I set up a little crystal grid on the blanket, like so:

I set my seven Amethyst points all facing outwards towards us with my Spirit Quartz in the middle. We'd been discussing some pretty heavy stuff, so I felt like we could all use Amethyst's calming, soothing influence, and the Spirit Quartz is great for encouraging harmony between members of a group, which also seemed appropriate. It was my first time working with these stones, and I felt like it was a very powerful grid. I know I could definitely feel the energy radiating off of them. 

It's been so long since I've had a big group of Pagan friends I could sit and just talk with, and it was great to be able to do that again. I know I'm really going to miss them when I leave for school next week, but there's always Facebook and Skype. Maybe we can try to do a group ritual over the internet - that would be interesting. Does anyone have any experience with that sort of thing?