HARMONICS

Anji Gill-Jennings C.H.S.V.A.

Six thousand years ago in Mesopotamia the first Sumerians and then the inhabitants of Ur of the Chaldees started looking at minerals and precious stones, as well as the stars to help them with their crops, with protection from enemies, from natural disasters and for foreseeing the future. These people had knowledge which is incredible even now. Their sages knew of the Dog Star or Sirius and its companion star Sirius B despite the fact that these two stars are not in our solar system.

Certain other primitive tribes knew about them to and believed that messengers from Sirius had come to Earth to teach the people about astrology and mathematics.

The Sumerians knew about the density of Sirius B and about its fifty year orbit round Sirius A and because Sirius A is the brightest star in the night sky, linked both it and Sirius B with the beautiful crystal Lapis Lazuli.

The Sumerians cut, polished and set crystals such as Rock Crystal, Amethyst and Banded Agate, they used beautiful stones to adorn their buildings and statues and to accompany the royal and wealthy to the grave. They also began to make a link with the planets and stones. They placed rose and red coloured stones with the planet Mars to match the rusty tint of Mars. All green stones were for Venus which appeared in the sky as the crops started and the people enjoyed the summer, the blue stones were set with Mercury, Lord of the blue skies and balmy days and the violet stones for Saturn at the time of Autumn. The pale blue stones were allocated to Jupiter, to the Sun were all the yellow stones and to the Moon pearls and sea shells.

Birth stones resonate with the planets vibrations and then mingle with the wearer bringing to the wearer the power vibration of their planet, that is why we wear them. The ancients had knowledge of this long before chemistry was invented.

Listed below are some of the crystals that have been allocated to birth signs or planets of that sign. They are split into sections as at the first and last dates of a sign lap over into the previous one and so on, therefore a sign is split into decans or sections of that sign. Just as people who are born on the cusp often portray the personality traits of either both the signs or of the sign before theirs which often confuses them.

The following lists are of crystals that are not so well known. Most of us would say our birth stone was Ruby or Sapphire but there are also stones with amazing qualities for the signs that have never been mentioned and I hope you enjoy reading about yours.

First half of Aries (20 March -3 April)

Pink Diamond: A rare stone found in Western Australia. Because Mars is the ruling planet of Aries there must be a red colour or tint in the stone allocated to show the lovely hue of Mars.

Pink Sapphire: One of the most intensely luminous crystals there is. Quite rare and very beautiful.

Sunstone: This stone is iridescent in gold and brownish yellow and is lovely. ft is very brittle and can break easily. When flecked with red it becomes Jasper which is another Arian stone.

Bloodstone: This stone is dark green flecked with red. This stone is derived from chemicals in molten lava which are rich in manganese and iron.

Second half of Aries (4 April - 18 April)

Alexandrite: A very unusual crystal that shows as yellow-green. It looks like mossy green in the daylight but under electric light can look like a raspberry colour. This wonderful colour scheme comes from the metallic element chromium and also has aluminium within it.

Rhodonite: A very tranquil crystal. Reflects the Martian rusty pink colour. It looks greenish in tone when it has within it impurities. Its usual colour though is a lovely baby pink. Rhodonite can be found in an Australian town called Broken Hill.

Bowenite: Has a soft mystic green colouring unusual to the Arian colour scheme. Found in America, Afghanistan, China and Kashmir. Carl Faberge designed a presentation clock of Bowenite to commemorate the birth of the Tsar Nicholas heir to the Russian throne.

First half of Taurus (19 April-2May)

Emerald: The Emerald is a most beautiful colour green and is made up of at least two metallic chemicals, aluminium and berylium.

Azurite and Malachite: These together make up a beautiful crystal in blue and green. When separate the Azurite is a lovely shade of blue and the Malachite is green. Found in Australia, America, Britain, France and Siberia.

Second half of Taurus (3 May-19 May)

Andalusite: Not a very well know crystal. Colours are from opaque to black. Like Venus it can stand great pressures of light and heat and is a conductor of electricity. Other tints of this lovely' crystal are yellow, green, pink, red, and brown.

Jadeite: Found in shades of black, brown, pink, red and many shades of green. Jadeite is a symbol of purity and steadfastness and all things enduring.

First half of Gemini (20 May-4 June)

Orange Sapphire: Next to the diamond this is a very hard crystal. Its name is derived from Indian meaning Lotus Blossom. They made is sacred to their Goddess Lalita better known as the Sapphire Devi of Fertility.

Moss Agate: Lovely green stone which when you look closely seems to have moss floating within it. Chief talisman for farmers. Used to aid water divining.

Second half of Gemini (5 June-20 June)

Cats Eye: This is a delightful yellow coloured stone. Believed to guard the wearer against physical danger and assaults of the devil on the soul. Other colours found are a sort of green. This is a highly valued gem stone and has a beam of light that moves across its surface.

Transvaal Jade: This stone is actually a Garnet. It is opaque and is bright green in colour. The best specimens come from Africa.

First half of Cancer (21 June-4 July

Pearl: The Pearl reflects the lovely luminescence of the Moon which is the planet of Cancer. Water being the element of the Moon and Cancer therefore the Pearl found in water is a wonderful stone for Cancerians and really vibrates the nature of water transferring its energy to the wearer.

Aragonite: and Calcite A lot of calcite was originally Aragonite which turns into calcite under pressure of its own weight.

Second half of Cancer (5 July-21 July)

Red Coral: The Greeks believe that the sea nymphs stole Medusa '5 head and that drops of her blood seeded Red Coral. The Romans believed it kept youngsters who wore it round their necks from danger. Once again it grows in the sea bringing back the influence of the sea and of water to the Cancerian.

Desert Rose: From the Sahara Desert. Formed from the salt water evaporating from almost dry lakes. Contains quite a lot of water and when this water evaporates it turns into powder which is known to us all as Plaster of Paris.

First half of Leo (22 July -5 August)

Yellow Diamond: Diamonds are pure crystals made up of carbon started thousands of years ago. The Sun is Leo '5 ruling planet and therefore all yellow coloured stones can be worn by Leos.

Vanadinite: Brilliant yellow to orange-red crystals. They usually grow on dark weathered looking rock. Not a well known crystal.

Zircon: The Greeks loved this crystal. Once signified humility. Hindus associated it with the sacret kalpa tree. In ancient lore it guarded against poison.

Second half of Leo (6 August-21 August)

Sulphur: Beautiful yellow in colour. Very, very bright. In the Bible it was known as brimstone. This crystal will expand when held in the palm of your hand and when rubbed will produce a negative charge.

Heliodor: From South West Africa. Scientists think this stone is radioactive.

First half of Virgo (22 August -5 September)

Black Opal: The only Black Opals to be found at one time were in New South Wales, Australia but can now be found also in Indonesia. This is a particularly beautiful stone.

Labradorite: This lovely stone is of many colours and shines with iridescent light. The mausoleum in Moscow built in the 1930's to house the body of Lenin is built in granite and Labradori!e. It is named after the country it was first discovered in Labrador.

Second half of Virgo (6 September-21 September)

Folite: Comes from the Greek word meaning Violet. Used to be known as the Water Sapphire. It has a lovely blue violet shade and the best specimens are from Shi Lanka.

Meteorite: Comes right out of the sky down to our planet. Some are large and some very small. A dagger made of meteorite was found in Tutankhamum's tomb.

First half of Libra (22 September-6 October)

Dioptase: This crystal has the most beautiful deep green colour. Found in South West Africa. Not a good stone for making jewellery because of its brittle nature but is wonderful in healing.

Kyanite: Is formed in long flat finger size pieces of crystal in a lovely blue colour. It is much softer length ways than it is across. Breaks off quite easily and should be handled with care.

Second half of Libra (7 October-22 October)

Blue Sapphire: Named in Greek Sapphirus meaning Blue. Iron and Titanium give this sapphire its colouring. Found in India. The rarest type of this sapphire is found in Sri Lanka and Burma.

Adamite: Water ice is reminiscent of Adamite, a translucent copper, zinc and cobalt mineral.

Imperial Green Jadeite: Green is the most sought after colours of the Jade family and the most well known. The Chinese really love this stone and believe it can bring happiness into the wearers life. Also it attracts charity, courage, modesty and justice and wisdom.

First half of Scorpio (23 October-6 November)

Ruby: Everyone knows of the lovely deep red of the Ruby. An ancient Burmese legend says that once there was a great serpent which laid three eggs. The first produced the King of Pagan, the second the Emperor of China and the third a miraculous seed which sprouted Burmese rubies. Thought to guarantee invincibility in battle. Catherine of Aragon the first wife of Henry VIII wore a lovely ruby which was said to have lost its lustre and shine when she lay dying in 1536.

Blue John: Nero was supposed to have paid the equivalent of £120,000 to have a vase made of Blue John. Two Blue John urns were found when excavating in Pompeii. The Romans mined this mineral over 2,000 years ago. Today goblets sold at Harrods made of this mineral sell at up to £2,500. The Queen of England owns a chalice made of Blue John.

Second half of Scorpio (7 November-21 November)

Rhodocrosite: A location in South Africa produces top grade Rhodocrosite in varying shades. The loveliest shade of pink can be found in these crystals.

Amethyst: A lovely shade of purple varying from pale to deepest hues. Thought to keep the wearer from becoming drunk. One of the stories linking Amethyst with Bacchus is that he frightened an innocent maid who changed into a rock crystal through fear of him. The remorseful God sighed and as his wine soaked breath touched the miserable girl her veins ran purple with the tint of the grape. From then on the gemstone showed pity to those over indulging in wine and was said to prevent drunkenness.

First half of Sagittarius (22 November - 5 December)

Amber: Amber is made from the resins of trees and vegetation that have died millions of years ago and sometimes even have a dead insect within it. Amber jewellery is very popular at the present time.

Chrysocolla: Not a well known crystal. A lovely green in colour but sometimes comes in sky blue. Found in Australia, America, Bavaria, Chile and the Congo.

Second half of Sagittarius (6 December-20 December)

Tourmaline: Tourmaline comes in many beautijul colours. No other family of stones has this richness of colour. Called the Mineral Magnet because of its unique positive and negative electrical properties. Warmth also activates Tourmaline. A group of children were playing in the sun with what they thought were worthless stones. The Tourmalines were placed near the fire where they heated up and it was found that at one end of them the ash in the fire was drawn and stuck on that end but at the other end the ash was pushed away. Showing the positive and negative qualities of the stone.

Turquoise: Well loved by the Red Indians who wore Turquoise jewellery. It represented beauty to the Egyptians. One of the stones which makes up Tutenkhamum's death mask is Turquoise. Both the Egyptians and the Indians held this stone in the highest regard and accorded it to be of magical properties.

First half of Capricorn (21 December-6 January)

Topaz: Nicknamed Diamond Slave because its larger specimens often replace Diamonds for purposes of display. A very brilliant stone. The royal crown of Portugal has a very grand Topaz weighing about 1,680 carats within it.

Jet: Jet has been used to describe many things in the world of poetry. The jet of a maidens locks. Shakespear referred to Jet as a jewel. At a period assumed to be roughly about 1800 BC the Northern British early bronze age jewellers were making jet collars for their leaders. These collars also went with the wearer to the grave.

Second half of Capricorn (22 December-19 January)

Tanzanite: An extraorihnary purple-blue gem with violet flashing lights from its depths. Discovered in Tanzania as recently as 1967 is still to become well known. when heated the blue colour becomes more intense.

Rock Crystal: The perfect form of quartz. Associated with magic, much more so than any other stone or crystal. There are some very large rocks of this crystal on earth said to be very important to us. They help with the alignment of the earth and are called Earth Keepers. One of these very special crystals are kept in an eastern temple guarded by the monks.

First half of Aquarius (20 January-3 February)

Peridot: A lovely shade of pale green. Sought after since as far back as 1500 BC. Also known as The Serpent Isle Crystal. ft was found on a snake infested island and therefore was given that nickname. The Pharoes considered the Peridot to be the property of their Gods and slew the slaves who guarded these stones on Zibirat on the completion of

Aventurine: A unique member of the quartz family and owes its gold spankled effect to featherweight flakes of mica in its body. Mostly green in colour but varying in shades.

Second half ofAquarius (4 February-18 February)

Jade: Thousands of years ago peasants spent their lives stoking jurnaces by day and extinguishing them by night in order to crack open great boulders of Jade and Jadeite. All night they hammered at the mineral until chunks were broken off Most of it was sent to the Emperor who wore Jade sandals. when he died he had a wardrobe of Jade.

Charoite: Looks like purple Lapis Lazuli. It is not easy to come by and is quite expensive. Only found in the 1970's in the banks of the Charo River in Vatusk in Russia.

First half of Pisces (19 February-4 March)

Smithsonite: This stone holds the soft tranquility of the Moon. It contains calcium and magnesium both silvery white, cadmium which is bluish white, cobalt and copper and a little iron all of which are elements of the Moon and harnionise with the Piscean. Quite a new stone to the market. Found in Greece, America, Britain, Africa and Spain.

Aquamarine: Made up of aluminium, lithium, silica, water, soda and berylium. Very suitable for Pisceans of any decan. A lovely dreamy crystal of such a romantic shade. Cool greeny blue. It was a special amulet with sailors in bygone days.

Second half of Pisces (5 March-19 March)

Kunzite: Discovered in America about 1900 and named after the mineralogist Dr G F Kunz. A lovely pink/lilac to dark lilac to rose colour. In very delicate shades. A very gen tie stone of the heart made for the dreamy deep Pisces.

Chrysoprase: This ancient symbol of reward was placed in graves in the pre Iron age Japan It was also worn by Roman thieves to achieve invisibility. Alexander the Great wore this stone also amongst his armour. High Priests wore it in the breastplates. Nominated as one of the 12 precious gems in the Holy City.

I hope that you have enjoyed going through some of the above and finding out something useful. I enjoyed researching it.

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