Hey guys, sorry I have been out of touch lately...I'm going to return to regular blogging again in a few weeks :)
Today, I want to tackle a topic that I have been wanting to post about for a while - the fairly new phenomena of trademarking crystals.
Several crystal names have become trademarked - this means the trademarker is the only one who can sell a certain crystal under its trademarked name. Typically, the trademarked crystals have really new-agey sounding names, such as "Healerite," "Empowerite," "Azumar," etc., so they're easy to spot.
Of particular interest to me is AZEZTULITE, which is really just clear quartz with a few additional impurities. The main difference between Azeztulite and regular clear Quartz, supposedly, is not rooted in minerology; rather, Azeztulite is said to have been blessed by the Azez, a group of angelic, enlightened beings (starting to sound a little New Agey, huh?) In terms of physical, tangible differences between Azeztulite and Quartz, there is only one: as is typical with the trademarked stones, clear quartz can only be called Azeztulite if it comes from certain locations (in the case of Azeztulite, Vermont and North Carolina.) So, you're paying a pretty penny for quartz, because it was found in a certain state - and even then, unethical sellers will still sell clear quartz as Azeztulite to the unsuspecting, regardless of where it was actually found.
Even before I realized the redundancy of trademarking stones, my fur was up; it just seems to me that trademarking stones is commercializing something sacred, which is kind of a shame. Not only do I have ethical and spiritual concerns regarding this whole situation, but it's simply misleading and confusing. The trademarked stones are already known minerals given fancy, new-agey sounding names and sold under the illusion that they are somehow more powerful. Therefore, I avoid 'em.
Setting all of this practical information aside, let's say for a moment that Azeztulite (quartz found in Vermont and North Carolina) IS more powerful than quartz found in other regions because it was blessed by a group of beings known as the Azez. If you're sensitive enough to intuitively feel the difference between Azeztulite and the good ole' stand-by master healer, clear quartz, then you are probably capable of summoning the Azez YOURSELF and asking them to bless your quartz for you. Working with crystals is not a religion, and you shouldn't need to pay more for them because a mediator is communicating with beings that will bless your specimens for you. I just feel uncomfortable shelling out extra money for reasons that are a little unclear and abstract, and clear quartz is an EXTREMELY powerful tool and receptacle of energy already - so while you may choose to work with Azeztulite, it is certainly not a necessity, and Mama Earth's original master healer - clear quartz - will always be there for you (affordably.)
So, as always, the decision is ultimately yours - but I just wanted to give you a little bit of the practical information behind this crystal (& others like). Crystals sold at higher prices under attention-grabbing names are no more powerful than those sold at reasonable prices under their actual, geological names. Always have an absolute blast in your work with crystals, but always be smart, too.
Namaste.
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Saturday, April 2, 2016
YOUR GUIDE TO THE AGATES
Hello and happy April! The moon is waning right now through eccentric Aquarius, so the astrological weather is perfect for trying something new - divert from your usual daily routine, wear something bold, chop off your hair, attend a tantric sex workshop - take a stroll outside your comfort zone for the day (but if you're gonna chop off your hair, just make sure it's a style you'll probably like - the moon is waning, so it won't grow back as quickly.)
Anyway, today I want to talk to you a little bit about the agate family, which is no easy task - there are SO many types and colors of Agate! Agate is yet another member of the quartz family; more specifically, it's chalcedony. Agate is crypto-crystalline quartz - that is, layers of quartz laid into bands. For this reason, it's pretty easy to tell when the stone you're looking at is Agate - it will more than likely have these cool-looking bands of quartz.
As a group, Agates are considered to be very grounding, centering, and stabilizing, and bring strength and courage in difficult times. They're excellent for cleansing the aura - for this, grid a circle of agate around your body and lay there for about fifteen minutes. Whenever I do a healing session, I always circle the receiver with tumbled agate stones for a general auric cleanse. Agates are also awesome for helping you to focus and concentrate, but have a gradual, slow energy that, while powerful, will take some time to become noticeably effective. Collectively, agates are used to balance the digestive system, stomach, and lymphatic system.
However, it's really hard to talk too much about Agate as an entire group because there are SO many, and they all take on this energy in slightly different ways. So, here are some of the more common Agates you are likely to come across, and a little bit about how you can work with them. I also want to mention that Agates are VERY frequently artificially dyed - dark blue tumbled stones sold as agate are, sadly, pretty much always dyed glass. You also have to look out for this when purchasing agate slices, which are sometimes painted glass.
AMETHYST SAGE AGATE: This is a very rare form of agate with a purple background and black markings; it helps to bring about a balanced social life.
BANDED AGATE: I'm calling "Banded Agate" anything that does not fit into any of the below categories (typically, slices fall into this category - if the Agate slice is a specific type of Agate, it will be specified.) Plain ole' banded agate crystallizes in earthy colors - grey, sandy brown, cream, etc. These are the most grounding of the Agates, and also the most mentally stimulating - these little guys are excellent for boosting concentration, focus, and analytical abilities. This is also the best type of agate if you're wanting a crystal to balance your digestive system and stomach. These little guys are extremely grounding and centering, so you can rub one when feeling stressed or unbalanced.
BOTSWANA AGATE: Botswana Agate is grey with light pink bands - its probably one of my favorite agates for its simple beauty. These are wonderful for stimulating artistic expression, so they're highly recommended for artists, writers, musicians, and anyone involved in the arts. Additionally, this is the very best stone of the entire mineral kingdom for helping one to quit smoking, and can be added to a mojo bag with other crystals for cutting addictions (such as amethyst, ametrine, or fire agate.) It is also a protective talisman for firemen, and protects against fires.
BLACK AGATE. Sometimes, black agate has subtle white bands, but some specimens are pure black, so it can be hard to tell what you're looking at. Black Agate is going to be the most protective of the agates, and is wonderful for older people to help them maintain physical balance and coordination; like blue lace agate, the black variety is also used in cases of arthritis to mobilize the joints (I would make this into an elixir and rub onto the joints - see my blog post on crystal elixirs for more info on this.)
BLOOD AGATE: Sometimes known as Pigeon's Blood, this is just another way of saying Red Agate. These specimens are wonderful for the root chakra (check out my blog post on the root chakra for more on this), grounding, stabilizing, and encouraging fertility, creativity, and passion for life.
BLUE LACE AGATE: Blue lace agates are beautiful light blue with bands of darker blue, and they're very common. This is one of the most important crystals for the throat chakra, releasing suppressed emotions and helping you to communicate these truths and emotions honestly. In addition to being one of the best stones for self - expression, Blue lace agates are wonderful for bringing inner peace and alleviating stress. They have a cooling effect on anger or frustration, dissolving these red-energy emotional states. Physically, Blue lace agate is used to cool various forms of inflammation - fevers, skin rashes, arthritis, high blood pressure, etc., and is also used to balance the thyroid and soothe a sore throat (for this, make blue lace agate into an elixir - see my blog post on this for more info on making crystal elixirs.)
CRACKLED FIRE AGATE: These are a little bit difficult to describe - true crackled fire agates are bright orange with little circular patterns reminiscent of crackling fire, but any agate specimen with a flicker of orangey/red could also be considered Crackled Fire Agate. These specimens work very similar energetically to Fire Agate, stimulating creativity, sexual libido, fertility, and balancing the root chakra.
CRAZY LACE AGATE: These are a rusty red color. This agate is a gentle absorber of emotional pain, so I like to add them to mojo bags with Apache Tears, Amethyst, and/or Aquamarine to absorb grief.
DENDRITIC AGATE: Is beautiful and covered in fern-like markings - you'll rarely find me without my Dendritic Agate ring. Use dendritic agate to attract abundance by carrying it with you or placing in your wealth corner (the farthest left corner of your home or apartment, from your front door.)
ENHYDRO AGATE: These are agate geodes filled with water - they are incredibly rare, cool, and expensive. The enhydro form of any stone is ideal for meditatively accessing the Akashic Records, remembering and learning from past lives, and act as excellent fertility charms.
FIRE AGATE: Fire Agate is easily identifiable because it has distinct nodules. The polished variety is an explosion of beautiful color. This is one of my favorite crystals for the root chakra (check out that blog post for more on this.) Fire Agate also helps to eliminate destructive desires, regardless of what these are, stimulate creativity, and are very sexual little crystals that can balance sexual dysfunctions, encourage fertility, and stimulate libido.
GREEN AGATE: Green Agates are mental boosters, helping with decision-making and mental flexibility. They can also be used to help settle disputes.
MOSS AGATE: Moss Agate is mostly green with little markings. Plants LOVE moss agate, and this is one of the most common stones used by crystal healers to boost the immune system and treat/prevent colds and the flu. This is a good luck charm for childbirth, and Moss Agate is also said to be protective during a breakup. This is your agate for promoting optimism and alleviating depression, and also helps to manifest abundance.
PINK AGATE: Lately, I have been seeing "Apricot Agate" on the market, and have never bought one - whenever I see a fruity-named stone, that's a pretty strong indicator to me that I might be looking at a fake (I'll have to ask about that and post my findings.) These "Apricot Agates" are pink in color, but again, I'm not sure they are the same thing as actual, pink Agate.. Actual pink Agate is a wonderful stone for alleviating tensions within the parent-child relationship, and cultivating love between parent and child.
SILVER LEAF AGATE: These rare agates will open you up to receive abundance, so make great additions to a mojo bag for this purpose.
SNAKESKIN AGATE: This stone is pretty distinct for its leathery surface. These are obtainable, but not as common as some of the other agates I have discussed here. Like Apache Tears, these guys grant energetic invisibility, helping you to keep a low profile and remain unseen, channeling the energy of the snake. It is used by crystal healers to treat skin problems, especially psoriasis, and smooth wrinkles - for this, make the snakeskin agate into an elixir and rub onto the skin (see my blog post for crystal elixirs if you need help with this.)
TREE AGATE: Tree Agate is white with what looks like little tree markings on its surface; not to be confused with dendritic agate (I have heard these titles used interchangeably, and this is incorrect - they are not the same stone.) Tree Agate is also good for patience, endurance, and perseverance - this is the crystal I chose to hold when getting a tattoo, to help me persevere through the pain. Plants love Tree Agate, too, so tuck these little guys into the pots of any plants you have in your home or garden.
TURITELLA AGATE: Turitella Agate is literally covered with tiny fossils, so is very easy to identify. This is a wonderful stone to meditate with to access ancient wisdom, and connect you to your roots (I always recommend breaking this stone out around Halloween, when our ancestors are around and wanting to connect.)
WIND FOSSIL AGATE: Wind Fossil agate is black with white markings, and is not to be confused with Turitella Agate, which contains a bunch of little fossils. I have sometimes seen Wind Fossil Agate sold as simply Fossil Agate, but it refers to the same mineral. Wind Fossil agates are wonderful for patiently waiting for change, and bringing endurance during a difficult time.
Phew! I don't expect you to sit down and read this in one sitting, but hopefully it acts as a nice little reference for when you want a quick description of an agate you may come across. New specimens - and new names for the old specimens - are constantly being added to the market, but I tried to cover at least all of the stand-by agates here. Thanks for reading, hopefully it helps. Blessings to you :)
Anyway, today I want to talk to you a little bit about the agate family, which is no easy task - there are SO many types and colors of Agate! Agate is yet another member of the quartz family; more specifically, it's chalcedony. Agate is crypto-crystalline quartz - that is, layers of quartz laid into bands. For this reason, it's pretty easy to tell when the stone you're looking at is Agate - it will more than likely have these cool-looking bands of quartz.
As a group, Agates are considered to be very grounding, centering, and stabilizing, and bring strength and courage in difficult times. They're excellent for cleansing the aura - for this, grid a circle of agate around your body and lay there for about fifteen minutes. Whenever I do a healing session, I always circle the receiver with tumbled agate stones for a general auric cleanse. Agates are also awesome for helping you to focus and concentrate, but have a gradual, slow energy that, while powerful, will take some time to become noticeably effective. Collectively, agates are used to balance the digestive system, stomach, and lymphatic system.
However, it's really hard to talk too much about Agate as an entire group because there are SO many, and they all take on this energy in slightly different ways. So, here are some of the more common Agates you are likely to come across, and a little bit about how you can work with them. I also want to mention that Agates are VERY frequently artificially dyed - dark blue tumbled stones sold as agate are, sadly, pretty much always dyed glass. You also have to look out for this when purchasing agate slices, which are sometimes painted glass.
AMETHYST SAGE AGATE: This is a very rare form of agate with a purple background and black markings; it helps to bring about a balanced social life.
BANDED AGATE: I'm calling "Banded Agate" anything that does not fit into any of the below categories (typically, slices fall into this category - if the Agate slice is a specific type of Agate, it will be specified.) Plain ole' banded agate crystallizes in earthy colors - grey, sandy brown, cream, etc. These are the most grounding of the Agates, and also the most mentally stimulating - these little guys are excellent for boosting concentration, focus, and analytical abilities. This is also the best type of agate if you're wanting a crystal to balance your digestive system and stomach. These little guys are extremely grounding and centering, so you can rub one when feeling stressed or unbalanced.
BOTSWANA AGATE: Botswana Agate is grey with light pink bands - its probably one of my favorite agates for its simple beauty. These are wonderful for stimulating artistic expression, so they're highly recommended for artists, writers, musicians, and anyone involved in the arts. Additionally, this is the very best stone of the entire mineral kingdom for helping one to quit smoking, and can be added to a mojo bag with other crystals for cutting addictions (such as amethyst, ametrine, or fire agate.) It is also a protective talisman for firemen, and protects against fires.
BLACK AGATE. Sometimes, black agate has subtle white bands, but some specimens are pure black, so it can be hard to tell what you're looking at. Black Agate is going to be the most protective of the agates, and is wonderful for older people to help them maintain physical balance and coordination; like blue lace agate, the black variety is also used in cases of arthritis to mobilize the joints (I would make this into an elixir and rub onto the joints - see my blog post on crystal elixirs for more info on this.)
BLOOD AGATE: Sometimes known as Pigeon's Blood, this is just another way of saying Red Agate. These specimens are wonderful for the root chakra (check out my blog post on the root chakra for more on this), grounding, stabilizing, and encouraging fertility, creativity, and passion for life.
BLUE LACE AGATE: Blue lace agates are beautiful light blue with bands of darker blue, and they're very common. This is one of the most important crystals for the throat chakra, releasing suppressed emotions and helping you to communicate these truths and emotions honestly. In addition to being one of the best stones for self - expression, Blue lace agates are wonderful for bringing inner peace and alleviating stress. They have a cooling effect on anger or frustration, dissolving these red-energy emotional states. Physically, Blue lace agate is used to cool various forms of inflammation - fevers, skin rashes, arthritis, high blood pressure, etc., and is also used to balance the thyroid and soothe a sore throat (for this, make blue lace agate into an elixir - see my blog post on this for more info on making crystal elixirs.)
CRACKLED FIRE AGATE: These are a little bit difficult to describe - true crackled fire agates are bright orange with little circular patterns reminiscent of crackling fire, but any agate specimen with a flicker of orangey/red could also be considered Crackled Fire Agate. These specimens work very similar energetically to Fire Agate, stimulating creativity, sexual libido, fertility, and balancing the root chakra.
CRAZY LACE AGATE: These are a rusty red color. This agate is a gentle absorber of emotional pain, so I like to add them to mojo bags with Apache Tears, Amethyst, and/or Aquamarine to absorb grief.
DENDRITIC AGATE: Is beautiful and covered in fern-like markings - you'll rarely find me without my Dendritic Agate ring. Use dendritic agate to attract abundance by carrying it with you or placing in your wealth corner (the farthest left corner of your home or apartment, from your front door.)
ENHYDRO AGATE: These are agate geodes filled with water - they are incredibly rare, cool, and expensive. The enhydro form of any stone is ideal for meditatively accessing the Akashic Records, remembering and learning from past lives, and act as excellent fertility charms.
FIRE AGATE: Fire Agate is easily identifiable because it has distinct nodules. The polished variety is an explosion of beautiful color. This is one of my favorite crystals for the root chakra (check out that blog post for more on this.) Fire Agate also helps to eliminate destructive desires, regardless of what these are, stimulate creativity, and are very sexual little crystals that can balance sexual dysfunctions, encourage fertility, and stimulate libido.
GREEN AGATE: Green Agates are mental boosters, helping with decision-making and mental flexibility. They can also be used to help settle disputes.
MOSS AGATE: Moss Agate is mostly green with little markings. Plants LOVE moss agate, and this is one of the most common stones used by crystal healers to boost the immune system and treat/prevent colds and the flu. This is a good luck charm for childbirth, and Moss Agate is also said to be protective during a breakup. This is your agate for promoting optimism and alleviating depression, and also helps to manifest abundance.
PINK AGATE: Lately, I have been seeing "Apricot Agate" on the market, and have never bought one - whenever I see a fruity-named stone, that's a pretty strong indicator to me that I might be looking at a fake (I'll have to ask about that and post my findings.) These "Apricot Agates" are pink in color, but again, I'm not sure they are the same thing as actual, pink Agate.. Actual pink Agate is a wonderful stone for alleviating tensions within the parent-child relationship, and cultivating love between parent and child.
SILVER LEAF AGATE: These rare agates will open you up to receive abundance, so make great additions to a mojo bag for this purpose.
SNAKESKIN AGATE: This stone is pretty distinct for its leathery surface. These are obtainable, but not as common as some of the other agates I have discussed here. Like Apache Tears, these guys grant energetic invisibility, helping you to keep a low profile and remain unseen, channeling the energy of the snake. It is used by crystal healers to treat skin problems, especially psoriasis, and smooth wrinkles - for this, make the snakeskin agate into an elixir and rub onto the skin (see my blog post for crystal elixirs if you need help with this.)
TREE AGATE: Tree Agate is white with what looks like little tree markings on its surface; not to be confused with dendritic agate (I have heard these titles used interchangeably, and this is incorrect - they are not the same stone.) Tree Agate is also good for patience, endurance, and perseverance - this is the crystal I chose to hold when getting a tattoo, to help me persevere through the pain. Plants love Tree Agate, too, so tuck these little guys into the pots of any plants you have in your home or garden.
TURITELLA AGATE: Turitella Agate is literally covered with tiny fossils, so is very easy to identify. This is a wonderful stone to meditate with to access ancient wisdom, and connect you to your roots (I always recommend breaking this stone out around Halloween, when our ancestors are around and wanting to connect.)
WIND FOSSIL AGATE: Wind Fossil agate is black with white markings, and is not to be confused with Turitella Agate, which contains a bunch of little fossils. I have sometimes seen Wind Fossil Agate sold as simply Fossil Agate, but it refers to the same mineral. Wind Fossil agates are wonderful for patiently waiting for change, and bringing endurance during a difficult time.
Phew! I don't expect you to sit down and read this in one sitting, but hopefully it acts as a nice little reference for when you want a quick description of an agate you may come across. New specimens - and new names for the old specimens - are constantly being added to the market, but I tried to cover at least all of the stand-by agates here. Thanks for reading, hopefully it helps. Blessings to you :)
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