Perhaps you are learning about shamanism and light-working and are beginning your work with the chakras.  Maybe you are holding your new strand of lapis lazuli beads and thought you would look up their history.  Maybe you are an artist, and you would like to know more about the pigment ultramarine or how to make your own. 

Whatever the reason you landed here, keep reading to learn more about lapis lazuli.  It is a very versatile mineral-composite rock and has a rich history and wealth of uses: metaphysically, spiritually, artistically, and so much more.  It’s one cool rock!

Lapis Lazuli is one of the Oldest & Most Sought after Rocks

It is no wonder as to why lapis lazuli is so loved.  You can’t beat that gorgeous saturated blue color!    The occurrence of lapis lazuli (sometimes simply shortened to “lapis”) was first intensively mined over 6,000 years ago in northeastern Afghanistan where it is still mined today.  This mining operation is still the largest locality for large deposits of lapis lazuli.  That’s a lot of lapis!  Later, it was discovered in large deposits in Russia and Chile and smaller deposits in the United States, Canada, Italy and Mongolia.  The demand for lapis lazuli has generated large mining operations in all of these countries.

Lapis Lazuli and its Intriguing History

·      Lapis lazuli has kept its ancient Middle Ages etymology and literally translates to “stone of azure,” coming from the Latin word lapis, meaning “stone” and the Latin word lazuli, meaning just that, “lazuli.”  Lazuli comes from the earlier Arabic word lazuward, and means “azure.” 

·      Now, close your eyes and picture a bust of an Egyptian pharaoh.  Do you see it?  Yes! Blue and gold.  Lapis lazuli was a top precious stone reserved for Egyptian royalty.  The well-known sarcophagus of King Tutankhamun was heavily inlaid with lapis lazuli.  It was also the stone that was inlaid as his eyebrows for his funeral mask.  Other burial materials for royalty were made of gold and lapis too. 

·      Lapis lazuli is also referred to numerous times in the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

Today’s Metaphysical Benefits of Lapis Lazuli

Lapis Lazuli has a very calming color and can benefit us mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. 

Mental, Emotional and Spiritual Applications

·      Lapis lazuli is a calming stone, as many of the blue colored rocks and minerals are. It is most frequently utilized for various benefits in inducing serenity and clarity.

·      It symbolizes and is physically used on the 5th body energy point, the throat chakra. Placing a small lapis lazuli gemstone on your throat during meditation or wearing a strand of beads around your neck throughout the day unblocks the 5th chakra energy center and aides in helping better self-expression. It works in opening communication to a more positive light.  It benefits us by allowing us to share and communicate with others with words that are kinder, more polite, and all truthful.

·      Lapis lazuli is also used with the 6th chakra, the third-eye chakra.  It is said to open your third-eye and work as a bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds.  It is, therefore, one of the more common stones used to unlock memories and recall past lives. 

·      It is also used as a healing gemstone that helps us work through our emotions and positively assists in times of depression, anxiousness and general protection of overall mental health.

Physical Benefits of Lapis Lazuli

·      Lapis lazuli promotes restful and peaceful sleep.  Try putting a piece under your pillow at night. 

·      Because of its affiliation with the throat chakra and communication, it can help physically heal the respiratory system or any other systems and organs related to communication and the throat.

·      Lapis lazuli can help with speech impediments and clarity of voice.

·      As with most safe-to-use rocks and minerals, gem tinctures and elixirs have been made by placing a small piece of lapis in a bottle and combining with alcohol (or spring water in the case of gemstones) as a means to extract the lapis lazuli essence from the stone into the liquid over time.  

Religious and More Esoteric Interesting Notes

·      In new age religions, lapis lazuli is one of the gemstones connected to the water element, and therefore, exhibits an overall symbol of emotion and communication.

·      The most famous paintings you have seen of the Virgin Mary in Christianity are those where Mary is clothed in blue and white.  The blue colored cloth was made from a pigment ground from lapis lazuli and intentionally worn by the artists’ models for the paintings, again showing its relation to royalty.  The Virgin Mary is viewed and esteemed for her innocence, purity, and gentle mothering (communication with child).

Other Interesting Facets 

 ·      Lapis lazuli is a rock.  It is not a mineral.  Minerals have a uniform chemical composition throughout their structural matrix.  Rocks are aggregates of minerals.  Lapis lazuli is composed mostly of the minerals lazurite, sodalite, calcite and pyrite.  Other minerals can be present, just in lower concentrations.  The primary mineral component is lazurite.  Lazurite, sodalite, and another mineral, azurite, are often confusing to differentiate by the novice collector. 

·      Especially for beads and cabochons, some lapis lazuli is ground down and then reconstituted.  One way, although not a guarantee every time, to differentiate between reconstituted lapis and authentic untouched rock is to look for pyrite flecks in the grain of the rock.

·      Lapis lazuli is the traditional gemstone to give as a wedding gift during the 7th and 9th year anniversaries.

·      The pigment, ultramarine, is made from lapis lazuli.  The rock is crushed, micronized as much as possible, and then oil is added, producing the ultramarine paint.  Using a mortar and pestle,  lapis lazuli is ground into a fine powder, linseed oil is added and mixed well and that's it!

·      Lapis lazuli ranges from intense vivid sea blue to slightly greenish-blue to sometimes purplish-blue.  The coloring is dependent on the overall mineral composition of the rock.  The lighter colored lapis lazuli that has a slight washed-out look is called “denim lapis” in the gem and jewelry trades.

With its rich history and so many interesting points and benefits, whole books for each topic could easily be dedicated to lapis lazuli.  Use this article as introductory guide, and please feel free to bookmark this page and share it with your friends.

•   The overall western medical community does not recognize the benefits of gemstones.  Please do not replace the listed uses with your health practitioner’s recommendations.  
  

Perhaps you just came home with your new amethyst crystal and eagerly jumped online searching for all the wonderful informational tidbits relating to your new little being and the benefits of amethyst, or you just received your huge 10ft tall amethyst geode beauty, imported from Brazil, and you want to be able to tell your friends the historical aspects of amethyst.  Maybe your search query brought you here simply because amethyst is your February birthstone, and you thought you’d like to finally learn more about it.

Whatever the reason that brought you here, keep reading to learn about the many characteristics of amethyst ranging from its place in history to its current suggested physical and metaphysical benefits to other interesting uses and facts.

The World Loves the Amethyst Gemstone 

Having a pleasing purple color, amethyst is one of the most loved ornamental gemstones. It is one of the most well-known, easily recognizable and highly sought after minerals.  It is found worldwide.  Countries that have the highest deposit concentrations with mining operations include the United States, South Africa, Brazil, Uruguay, Russia and South Korea.

Amethyst and Its Colorful History 

 ·      Amethyst is derived from the Greek word methys, meaning “wine” and evolved next to the Greek word amethystos, literally translated as “not-intoxicating.”

·      Most likely honoring its' purple color, amethyst was associated with Dionysus, the Greek God of the grape orchards, grape harvest, winemaking and religious rituals involved with becoming intoxicated.  Ritual members were said to wear a ring with an amethyst stone or drink from an amethyst gemstone goblet to prevent them from becoming overly drunk.

·      Going back further, one can find instructions in the Egyptian Book of the Dead for placing a heart-shaped amethyst gemstone on the chest of loved-ones to help them cross over into the land of the dead.

·      Throughout most western history, amethyst was associated with royalty and was considered a precious stone versus today’s semi-precious stone labeling.

Today’s Metaphysical Benefits of Amethyst 

Today, amethyst is still associated with its ancient roots and is most known as the stone of sobriety.  It is also commonly known as the stone of tranquility and healing and is used in shamanistic light-working. The following lists the most common applications today.

Mental, Emotional and Spiritual Benefits 

 ·      Amethyst is a calming stone, and therefore, frequently used in meditation.

·      It represents and is used for both the third-eye (also known as the brow) and crown chakras (6th and 7th). It is said that you can place it on your third-eye chakra energy center to unblock that energy point and induce a heightened experience of intuition and exploration of the inner-self. That is, open your third-eye.  For the crown chakra, amethyst is used to promote psychic ability, clairvoyance and meditation involving past-life recollection. 

·      When held in your receptive hand, vibrations radiating out from the stone tap into you completely (mind, body and spirit) and give an overall healing and calming effect.

·      You may also experience these benefits by wearing amethyst gemstone jewelry, like rings and amethyst gemstone beads or by simply carrying a polished stone or crystal in your pocket. 

·      Amethyst may help with mental and emotional problems, like various anxieties and depression.

Physical Benefits of Amethyst 

 ·      A tincture or tonic of extracted amethyst essence may be made to promote calmness in the body and can be taken for physical relaxation or as a sedative.

·      It is also used to ease the physical withdrawal symptoms associated with drug addictions.

·      By some, it is considered a feminine stone and is used to promote health of the reproductive system and to help alleviate the physical symptoms of PMS.

·      You can induce a more restful sleep and relieve insomnia and nightmares by placing amethyst near your bed or under your pillow.

·      Amethyst also heals the digestive tract, especially the stomach, and aides in healing autoimmune, inflammatory dis-eases, such as arthritis.

·      One more example of a physical benefit of amethyst is that it can be used to clean the blood, most likely due to its iron content.

Religious and More Esoteric Aspects 

 ·      In modern day Wicca and astrology, amethyst is associated with the water element and the planet Neptune and is also used in making amulets and talismans.

·      The first alchemists during the Medieval Times and into the Renaissance used amethyst to amplify and, therefore, strengthen projections of cosmic energy.

·      Modern day alchemists continue to use amethyst as an amplifier and also use it as a tool regularly for many transformations.

Other Interesting Facets 

 ·      The lighter colored or less translucent varieties are sometimes referred to as “Cape Amethyst.”  Cape amethyst has layers of milky quartz throughout its crystal structure, which produces a beautiful swirling effect.  Cape amethyst is also used to provide balance of mind and spirit.  Physically, it used to increase one’s overall energy, which is in contrast to what amethyst is generally used for.

·      Amethyst can be naturally heat-treated within the Earth or in controlled laboratory conditions and become citrine, the yellow to orange variety of quartz.

·      Although rare, if amethyst is found together with citrine, the common name given to the mineral is ametrine.  This too can be created in a lab, and it is often these lab-created specimens you see available for purchase in rock shops, metaphysical shops and other similar places.

·      It is classified as quartz (silicon dioxide) and gets its purple coloring from iron contained within the crystal.  A tiny little pinpoint of iron is all that is needed to beautifully color a large crystal geode. 

Would you believe that while the above is comprehensive, it is simply an introductory sampling of all the wonderful knowledge and many uses of amethyst!  Please feel free to bookmark this page and share it with your friends as a starting point in a research of amethyst.

• The overall western medical community does not recognize the benefits of gemstones.  Please do not replace the listed uses with your health practitioner’s recommendations.