September 14th, 2014

Tektite

Physical Characteristics: These gravel-sized stones occur in shades of black, green, brown, and grey, and are generally opaque. They are essentially pure glass, because they are created so quickly that even microcrystals do not have time to form within the structure. Also, they contain almost no water, unlike other natural glasses, such as Obsidian. Tektites are found in huge numbers spread across meteoric "strewnfields" - one such field stretches halfway across the United States!

In Nature: Tektites are often confused with meteorites, but please note that there is a distinction. Tektites are made wholly from terrestrial matter, forming when an extraterrestrial object hits the ground and melts or vaporizes earthly debris. To translate that into English: when a meteorite hits the earth, the impact melts the surrounding rock, and it is this which solidifies as Tektites, not the meteor itself. 

Chemical Composition: SiO2, nominally, but the composition is largely determined by the location of the impact crater.

Mohs Scale Hardness: 6 - 7 (middle to middle-high)

Can be Found: Australia, Czech Republic, Germany, Ghana, USA, China, Belize

Healing Properties*: Use Tektites to speed recovery from injury and illness. The stone may also help those with depression lift their spirits. Tektites improves blood circulation and capillary health.

Magickal Properties: Tektites are a stone of psychism, especially telepathy. The longer they stay in one's energy field, the stronger the effects become. They raise one's personal vibratory energy and strengthen the aura, while additionally allowing you to expand your consciousness during meditation. Tektites ward off negative entities - keep one in your pillowcase and it may also encourage lucid dreaming and astral travel. When working a manifestation spell, include a Tektite to encourage synchronicities (i.e. beneficial "coincidences"). The stone clears blockages in the lower chakras and links them energetically with the higher ones. The stone's connection to the extraterrestrial enhances communication with other worlds and allows access to higher knowledge. Tektite helps one release undesirable experiences, retaining lessons learned, but also allowing one to move on. Traditionally, the stone encourages fertility, which may also be taken to mean creativity. It balances male and female energies in the body and is considered a stone of good fortune in numerous cultures. 

Chakra Association: First (Root) through Third (Solar Plexus)

Element: Fire

Energy: Projective

Planetary Association: Tektites do not have a planetary association that I could find. Given the nature of their formation, it makes most sense to associate them with meteors and asteroids. 

*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!

July 12th, 2014

Desert Rose

Physical Characteristics: These rose-like crystal formations have "petals" of crystal flattened along the "C Crystallographic" axis, fanning open in radiating clusters. Ambient sand is incorporated into the crystal, which affects the overall color.

In Nature: Desert Rose is formed of Gypsum, Barite, or Selenite. These clusters form in arid, sandy regions such as shallow salt basins where evaporation occurs. Celestine and other evaporites may also form Desert Rose.

(Some websites have tried to tell me that this is a stone formed at lightning strikes or by some other equally improbable means. Sorry, but I'm trusting Wikipedia on this one.)

Chemical Composition: CaSO4・H2O

 

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Desert Rose already contains water. DO NOT cleanse it in liquid, as it will dissolve. Some websites talk about making "Desert Rose Water", but I strongly advise against it.

 
Mohs Scale Hardness: 2 - 3.5 (low)

Can be Found: Tunisia, Algeria, Canada, Saudi Arabia, the USA (Barite Desert Rose is the state mineral of Oklahoma)

Healing Properties*: Use Desert Rose to shield against X-rays, radioactivity, and UV rays. Further applied, this stone will treat sunburn and similar skin conditions, or ease geopathic stress caused by nearby power lines or computers. It may treat acne or eczema.

 
Magickal Properties: There is a lot of BS on the internet about this crystal, and very little that is actually useful. For example, a couple of websites recommend it for warding off "redundancy". What? How is that useful to anybody? The irony of this particular "property" being listed in multiple places is not lost on me. Even my crystal books are markedly unhelpful. However, where minerals are concerned, let it not be said that I have no enthusiasm for research. 

I dug around a bit, and found some information that actually looked credible. Right off the bat, if you have a Selenite Desert Rose, all the properties of Selenite apply. The same goes for stones formed out of Gypsum or Barite. Moreover, Desert Rose clarifies thinking and calms the mind, making it ideal for use in meditation. It is a stabilizing stone, and is considered a helpmate in business transactions because it removes obstacles from one's path and assists in financial growth. Native Americans believed that spirits of the deceased carved these "roses", and so they are ideal for psychic magicks, communing with the Otherworld, and remembering one's ancestors. The stone has generally protective qualities, and will link the Sixth and Seventh chakras to initiate psychic experiences tempered by sensory experience. Meditating on Desert Rose may make multi-layered situations plainer to understand, and has a marked effect on one's dream state. If lucid dreaming, astral travel, or astral projection is desired, working with Desert Rose may ease the process.

Chakra Association: Sixth (Third Eye) chakra

Element: Air (This is my own association, owing to the stone's airy texture coupled with it's associations with the mind and receiving information. Those few sources that even list an elemental correspondence put it down as Fire, which to me doesn't make a lot of sense.)

Energy: Receptive

Planetary Association: Mercury (Also my own association, for most of the same reasons as above.)

*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!

August 14th, 2013

Celestite

 

Physical Characteristics: This crystal is the primary source of Strontium, used in both fireworks and many metal alloys.

In Nature: Celestite occurs as crystals and en masse; it is also a common geode stone, and is found primarily in sedimentary rock deposits.

Chemical Composition: SrSO4

Mohs Scale Hardness: 3 - 3.5 (low)

Can be Found: Worldwide, but especially the United States and Madagascar

Healing Properties*: Celestite is known to ease stress on the physical body, thus preventing stress-induced disease. It improves eyesight and hearing, and also alleviates conditions of the throat. The stone both aids in the functioning of the thyroid gland and detoxifies the body.

Magickal Properties: Celestite is excellent for fostering communications with angelic beings and spirit guides. It opens a channel to the Universe's pure, positive energy, and enables a better understanding of the energetic ebbs and flows in one's life. The stone assists greatly in dream recall, and may also induce lucid dreaming. Astral travelers can use the crystal to improve accuracy in reaching a pre-determined location. Its blue color links the crystal to the throat; as such, it boosts eloquence and demands truth from its bearer - use it if you think you're being lied to, but don't be the liar. Celsetite only needs occasional recharging, and ought not be left in direct sunlight, as this can cause discoloration.

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

Element: Air

Energy: Receptive

Planetary Association: Neptune

*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!

February 5th, 2013

Recently, the library where I work was getting rid of several cartfuls of old books (they were donating them to another organization), and they gave employees about a week to go through said books and take any they wanted, free of charge. I hadn't been expecting to find anything of interest, seeing as metaphysics isn't the world's most popular genre, but actually, I found probably six or seven that looked good! One of these is The Power of Creative Dreaming, by Pamela Ball.

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Creative dreaming, or "lucid dreaming", as it is more commonly known, is essentially where one recognizes that one is dreaming while dreaming. In this instance, one of two things happens - the dreamer wakes or the dreamer succeeds in remaining asleep and is able to alter and control the events occurring within the dream. How much control one actually has depends on the individual - practice, after all, makes perfect. Lucid dreaming is a lot of fun on its own, as one has the opportunity to do things that are otherwise impossible, like fly, walk through walls, explore outer space, etc. However, from a metaphysical perspective, there are a lot of other applications for lucid dreaming. One could, for instance, use such techniques to contact a spirit guide or patronus animal, or work with images in the dream to create inner peace and healing. Through lucid dreaming during a nightmare, for example, one has the chance to face the frightening images in the dream, shrinking the problem down to size and getting rid of it. Such actions in the subconscious can have an exponential impact on one's waking life. A particularly vivid, non-lucid dream could indicate the onset of an illness, a problem that you are avoiding, a chakra imbalance, or other issue. By later using lucid dreaming to look at the problem, one can more fully asses the issue and deal with any mental factors - stress, for example, is often the initiator for disease and illness. Lucid dreaming can help deal with and find solutions to that stress. So go ahead, give it a try - use a combination of focus on your desire to dream lucidly, affirmations, and sleep (that is a sort of essential component) and wait for dreaming awareness to set in. Don't push yourself. Results may not be immediate, and that's okay - "all good things to those who wait". Taking note of your dreams in a dream diary can improve both your dream recall and your ability to dream lucidly, and also gives you a record to look at later, examining your dreams for reoccurring themes or images. Sleep tight!