How amethyst can heal
by Madhubanti Rudra
Since antiquity, amethyst has been regarded as the stone of spirituality and psychic empowerment. The article reflects on the other healing properties of this universally praised gemstone.
It was during the 1980’s that the crystal healing as a natural therapy started to create the stir in the western society. But the folklores and legends of miraculous survival and magical healing had always been an essential part of mythologies of every ancient culture. Several objects have been identified for possessing magical qualities relating to healing and protection. In the ancient days when men could not work out the scientific explanations of the natural occurrences, they used to describe them as the wrath of nature, or manifestation of the anger of evil forces. In the times of natural calamities, people leaned towards nature itself to seek protections from her fury. In their quest, men had discovered the fact that natural herself invested several objects with therapeutic properties. In those days when vaccination or other advanced therapies were unknown to the people, these natural objects were used in vogue as valuable amulets.
Men could never escape the appeal of a lustrous beauty of gems and crystals. Besides using them in jewellery, the men of ancient civilizations also discovered their mystical powers. As history advanced and civilizations matured, men in various parts of the world chronicled systematically the power and properties of various gemstones and the ways and purposes of using them to reap the benefits. Especially, the ancient Hindu scriptures are believed to perform a pioneering role in this direction. In ancient Europe and the Middle East also the studies relating to the values of crystals opened new dimensions of research and academic query. On the basis of these ancient resources, the modern astrologers both in the east and the west proliferated the scope of this discipline further.
Among many precious and semi precious gemstones, amethyst occupies a special position in the studies of crystal healing. Amethyst with its ethereal purple hues, is universally regarded for the highest spiritual quality. From the Greek and Egyptian legends to the ancient Indian Ayurvedic literature, to the Oriental studies of Feng Shui or Reiki, amethyst’s role as a great therapeutic crystal has been acknowledged in every corner of this planet.
How does it heal?
All the gemstones are the source of the particular ray having strong vibrational qualities. The rays create the energy field that is absorbed by the human body resulting in positive outcomes in various aspects of life. In the case of amethyst, the energy it radiates is called purple ray which is believed to yield strong psychic powers and imbibe the wearer with spiritual insights. The frequencies remitted by an amethyst also clear stress from the system. The multifarious benefits of amethyst have made it the most commonly used healing gemstone.
Healing with amethyst has two aspects: mental and physical
Mental healing
The healing with any crystal starts at the metaphysical level. This is a holistic approach to healing which believes that the crystals at the times of their formation had absorbed earth’s energy which can be applied to treat various kinds of physical and emotional ailments. Amethyst is probably the most sought after healing crystal which is commonly attributed three qualities: tranquilization, purification, and transition.
The purple rays of amethyst help one to tune with the higher awareness with the universe by transforming the lower energies into higher levels of energy. At the core level of its functioning amethyst connects the body and the spirit.
The soft violent flame of the amethyst has a soothing effect that generally associates it with peace and tranquility. Deflecting the negative energies, amethyst relaxes the mind and the nervous system and alleviates stress and anxiety. Associated with the crown chakra, amethyst stimulates the activities of the right side of the brain. So wearing an amethyst improves the mental powers, creativity, and memory. It also stirs up one’s intuitive abilities and fills him with prophetic insight.
In its transitional capacity, amethyst helps to come out of the traumas of past tragedies and brings peace of mind in case of a death of someone near.
Physical healing
Apart from being a great reliever of emotional disorders, amethyst is a powerful healer of many physical ailments as well. Boosting up the production of a hormone in the body and balancing the supply of endocrine, amethyst improves the body’s immunity system. It also helps the detoxification of the body.
One of the commonest use of amethyst as elixirs for treating the bone-related diseases and joint pains. Amethyst elixir is also used to fight a toothache and digestive troubles, heart disorders and hearing disparities.
Often amethyst is used to cure the blood-related disorders. Amethyst improves blood circulation and balances blood sugar.
Amethyst also heals problems related to the central nervous system. That is why it is the most popular crystal to fight insomnia, nightmares, and other sleeping disorders. It also reduces stress and helps to overcome fear. A headache can also be relieved through the amethyst.
The mythological background
The widespread belief in amethyst’s mystical and healing powers are rooted in various mythologies and ancient literature. Spun over centuries, the fascinating tales surrounding amethyst have added hugely to the talismanic value of this violet gemstone which finds its respectful mention in almost all ancient civilizations, the Greek, the Egyptian, the Hindu, the Celtic and the Roman.
The notion that amethyst cures addiction to alcohol is founded in the Greek mythology involving Greek God Dionysus (Bacchus) and the Goddess Diana. The word amethyst originated in the Greek word “amethyst” meaning not intoxicated. Lord Dionysus, the god of wine and celebration once inadvertently got angry with the maiden called amethyst. Seeing his wrath, Amethyst called out for Goddess Diana who turned her into a clear white stone to save the innocent girl from the fury of Dionysus. Later on realizing his mistake, Dionysus became upset and some drops of the wine from his cup fall on the stone which absorbed the color of the wine to become soft purple. This purple amethyst stone came to be known as amethyst after the name of a poor maiden.
Based on this legend it has been always believed that wearing amethyst jewelry made people immune to the intoxicating effects of alcohol. That is why amethyst is a great stone struggling against alcoholic addiction and any other forms of cravings and other compulsive disorders.
Amethyst’s acceptance as a transitional aide can be traced in the legend regarding the color of the sky in the dusk. The legend draws a symbolic resemblance between the low visibility at the time when evening approaches with a lilac sky overhead, and the journey of the soul in search of greater awareness when the path seems to be half enlightened and half covered with darkness.
In the middle ages, the Roman Catholic Bishops wore amethyst gemstone rings which gave rise to amethyst’s use as a sign of sobriety and celibacy. In western theology, amethyst is synonymous with piety, humility, sincerity and spiritual awareness. It is also believed that amethyst is the ideal stone to signify The Age of Aquarius.
The Tibetan monks also used amethysts in their rosaries, to ward off the evil or negative forces. All throughout the Orient, amethyst is thus viewed as the tool to deflect the negative energy.
According to Ayurvedic practices, amethyst is a very effective healer through the Chakra system which tends to divide the body into several energy circles. In Chakra therapy, amethyst is described as the crystal that works for clearing the energy blockages to provide the proper alignment of the Chakras and a free flow of energy through them. Amethyst is associated with 6th and 7th Chakras located at brow and crown areas respectively. Amethyst is believed to stabilize energies and heal the ailments located within these Chakra areas.
The Essential qualities of therapeutic amethyst
Getting the therapeutic results from any gemstone becomes impossible unless the stone is pure and flawless. In case of amethyst, a stone with the most appropriate color and without any inclusion is extremely difficult to find. With the color of the stone becoming darker or lighter from this optimal shade, the healing power of amethyst is supposedly diminishes. The ideal color in a therapeutic amethyst is that of a vivacious violet seen in a rainbow.
The inner alignment of the amethyst is very important as it is directly related to balancing the inner self with respect to emotion, spirituality, intellect and so on. The stone with maximum clarity has the maximum therapeutic capacity. More the stone has inclusions more they block the radiation of energies. However, small inclusions creating prismatic effects are acceptable. The stones with such inclusions display a rainbow or partial rainbow like color arrangements. These stones have greater therapeutic energies. The inclusions in forms of dark flecks or clouds reduce the energy and amethyst with such inclusions and scratches and chippings are of poor therapeutic value.
How to use?
Apart from using jewelry, there are several more ways of using amethyst to receive the positive energies from it. Pressing a very small piece of stone with a diameter of 4-6mm on any acupuncture point leads to the clearing of energy blockade. For arthritis patients wrapping amethyst beds in a strand around the area of paining joints yield the very good result.
To let the amethysts soak in the sun for the whole day is believed to increase its healing powers. This sun – soaked amethyst will keep your home free from negative energies. On the other hand, let the amethyst absorb the moonlight for the whole night and that will keep your family members calm and in a peaceful state of mind.
Keeping amethyst in forms of cluster or pyramids will increase the spiritual feelings of the members of the house. However, it is generally recommended that the power of amethyst should be applied cautiously to the patients having paranoid or schizoid tendencies.