Amber
Posted by Darshana Sanrakshak Shambhala on January 30, 2011 at 3:21pm in Crystals And Crystal Healing
SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION: Amber is not a true stone. It is fossilized resin of
coniferous trees of the Oligoncene geological epoch, some thirty million years
ago. It varies in color from pale yellow to dark brown, although some specimens
have been found that are red. Amber is famous for containing insects and small
animals of various kinds as well as leaves, bark and other contemporary detritus
which became stuck and enclosed in the resin while it was still liquid. It is
sometimes also called succinite. Amber is a very soft stone, with a hardness of
2 to 2-1/2.
ENVIRONMENT: The trees that exuded the resin for Baltic amber
grew in what is now central and south-eastern Sweden. From there, it was carried
by rivers and the sea to the present site.
OCCURRENCE: The most prolific
source of amber is the Baltic seacoast to the north and west of a town now known
a Kaliningrad in the USSR. Small deposits have been found in the Dominican
Republic.
NAME: The name is derived from the Arabic. Succinite is from
the Latin [succus], meaning "juice". The ancient Greeks called it
[elektron].
LEGEND and LORE: The ancient Greeks were the first to record
information about amber's "electrical" properties. If it is rubbed with a piece
of silk, it will attract dust and ashes. Because of the inclusions of insects
and small animals, it was often thought to contain the essence of
life.
MAGICAL PROPERTIES: Amber has always been associated with magic. It
is a favorite protective and enhancing stone of Wiccans and Shamans. It is a
sensual, (amber is warm to the touch,) magnetic stone that attracts
love.
HEALING: In ancient times, amber was burned to cleanse the air,
especially during childbirth. It was also thought to improve eyesight by gazing
into it.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: Touching amber is soothing to the nerves.
Stones of the pale/bright yellow type are good "all-healers", since they
represent the energy of the Sun. I use them at the Solar Plexus, which is the
center of Chi in the body.
NOTES: Amber will float in a saturated salt
solution (ten level teaspoonfuls of salt in a tumbler of water). Plastic will
not.
Ambergris, which is much used in perfumery, is totally different in
appearance and is not even distantly related to amber.
I discourage
people from burning amber, although it will create a rather pleasant odor.
Amber, like all fossils/fossil fuels is NOT a renewable
resource.
-------bibliography-------
1. Scientific, Environment,
Occurrence and Name are from (or paraphrased from) "Gemstones" by E. H.
Rutland.
2. Legends and Lore, Magical Properties are from "Cunningham's
Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic", by Scott Cunningham.
3.
Some of the healing information may come from "Color and Crystals, A Journey
Through the Chakras" by Joy Gardner.
4. Personal Experience is from MY
personal experience, journals and notebooks, by Tandika Star.