Amethyst : Fact, Myth & Magic

Has there ever been a more popular stone to wear than amethyst? Whether worn as jewelry or fashioned into magical tools or carvings, the purple quartz has literally become an icon for higher vibrations, crystal healing and New Age spirituality. But the times they always are a-changin’. In a decade when many people have shifted their wardrobe away from the lavendar/purple/violet range, wearing amethyst has now become seen by many as…….passé.

Well, I’m inviting an amethyst comeback. It’s simply an extraordinary stone of which, especially in this stressful time, we should make good use.

In a Medieval ephemeris, amethyst was observed to, “….disperse bad thoughts, bring good commonsense, and make one mild and gentle.” Almost universally, this gemstone is said to encourage constant spiritual wakefulness, and to open insights into the psychic and spiritual realms. It is associated only with the upper chakras (energy centers), the ajna (sixth) and the sahasrara (seventh). The Greeks called it amethustos (“non-inebriated”) and prized it for its sobering effects, the way it would clear the mind and engage the intellect. Hildegaard von Bingen, the great Christian mystic, wrote of its healing effect on skin diseases and ‘swellings.’

The Vedas, the earliest scriptures of India’s vast spiritual heritage, consider amethyst to be a secondary stone for appeasing Shani (Saturn). Blue sapphire is the primary stone, minimum 2 carats, but considering the expense and rarity of unheated blue sapphires, amethyst may be worn in its place, at a minimum of 5 carats in size. Either gem can moderate the effects of Saturn, the hard taskmaster of the astrological chart, ruler of discipline, renunciation and detachment from the world.

It’s the perfect role for a gemstone that helps its wearer keep their head above the clouds.

Very well, but wait – how do we know that amethyst actually carries these properties? That’s another story entirely……

The way folkloric mythologies form and are passed down is an organic process of agreement by which a culture slowly adopts the stories and philosophies that will represent it to the world and to future generations. For each individual, the act of passing on the conclusions of their own practical experience creates or continues a momentum. The next person adds his or her agreement and the lens of their own relevant experience, and the information gathers strength. Let’s say an experienced energy healer passes on what she has learned about amethyst, from years of working with this powerful stone. The person who hears the telling may build amethyst’s tale from their own experiences (if they have some), as they convey it onward. As more in the community hear and contribute, they add their own impressions to the collective story. The process is a form of empirical (experience-based) science, and is known to be how folkloric knowledge evolves.

For a gemstone like amethyst, what forms over time, like the gradual formation of the crystals themselves, is essentially a reputation, the cumulative impressions of a particular culture. Not surprisingly, since amethyst has a very consistent chemical composition wherever it is found, cultures separated by centuries and oceans have often assigned remarkably similar properties to it.

Any stone would welcome amethyst’s reputation. More historical low-down on the Stone of Spirituality : it has been used in the worship of deities as diverse as Bacchus, Dionysus and Diana. Also the “Stone of Contentment,” amethyst brings unconditional love and happiness, is very calming yet energizing, and sharpens wit and logic. Whew. As if those attributes were not sufficient, amethyst magnifies beauty, transmutes lower energies, balances all of one’s ‘bodies’, opens and activates the crown chakra (sahasrara), connects the earth element within us to other planes, clears/stabilizes/normalizes the aura, treats alcoholism, grants protection from thieves/danger/sickness or psychic attack, builds business prosperity, and for women can strengthen their bond with their lover.

What may have happened is that, among gemstones, amethyst became emblematic of new explorations in spirituality, the vaunted New Age which has now waned. Yet amethyst may just be a perfect ally for many of us in the emerging Age of Spirit.