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The Magic of Rocks and StonesMoonstone Written and compiled by - Patricia Jean MartinNamed
for its resemblance to the Moon, Moonstone is actually a variety of Orthoclase
Feldspar that contains a schiller (shimmering) effect or adularescent sheen.
Adularescence is described as "an effect seen on certain minerals
(the most famous, Opal and Moonstone) which causes it to display a billowy,
rounded, ghost-like reflection with a bluish-whitish color emanating from the
surface when the mineral is cut into a cabochon. It is caused by structural anomalies or build up of water in
the mineral." Adularescent is
derived from the mineral name, Adularia, of which Moonstone is a variety of.
Polished Moonstones also commonly exhibit chatoyancy (a narrow band of
reflected light that produces a "cat's eye" effect) or asterism (a
six-rayed star effect produced by reflected or transmitted light). Found
as a rock-forming mineral in igneous, plutonic, and metamorphic rocks, Moonstone
breaks (or cleaves) into blocky chunks very often at 90º angles creating
tabular crystals. Most are
complexly twinned, meaning they often grow as several sets of two interwoven
crystals that are mirror images of each other. The
most common Moonstone in the Feldspar family is that of the mineral Adularia,
but many famous and rarer specimens are from the Plagioclase Feldspars of Albite
(Sodium Aluminum Silicate), along with the Oligoclase and Labradorite varieties.
A popular semi-precious stone, Moonstone comes in a variety of colors and
shades, but is most often a whitish-blue. Other
colors range anywhere from colorless to silvery-white, yellow to orange, green
to gray, brown, peach, pink and a type that is multi-colored called Rainbow
Moonstone. Other
names for Moonstone are Ceylonese Opal, Water Opal, Girasol, Fish-Eye and
Wolf's-Eye. The highest and most
sought after quality Moonstones come from Sri Lanka. General
Information:
Chemistry:
KAlSi3O8 (Potassium Aluminum Silicate) Class:
Silicates. Subclass:
Tectosilicates. Group:
Feldspar. Color:
From colorless to bluish-white; also silvery gray, green, orange, peach,
yellow or multi. Luster:
Vitreous (glassy), pearly parallel to cleavage; transparent to
translucent. Crystal
System: Monoclinic or prismatic
Crystal Habit: Tabular to prismatic
crystals. Repeated twinning is
common, showing as fine parallel lines on good cleavage faces. Cleavage:
Perfect in two directions at 90º Fracture:
Uneven - flat surfaces (not cleavage) fractured in an uneven pattern. Hardness:
6.0 Specific
Gravity: 2.6 Streak:
White. Other
Characteristics: Exhibits adularescence, chatoyancy, or asterism. Notable
Occurrences: Sri Lanka, Burma, Madagascar, Germany, India, Tanzania,
Brazil, U.S., Mexico. Best
Field Indicators: Cleavage, hardness, color, crystal habit. Uses:
Gemstone; mineral specimens; Myth
& Lore:
Moonstone
is associated with all goddesses, but especially the Moon goddesses.
Resembling the Moon or "moonshine", the ancient Romans believed
the stone was actually formed from moonlight.
In the Orient, people believed Moonstones were actual rays of moonlight
that had solidified, and that the shimmering light held within the stone was a
good spirit that lived there. People
in ancient India also thought along these lines, and the stone is still
considered sacred in India today. Amulets
of Moonstone were frequently hung in fruit trees to ensure fruitful and abundant
crops. In Asia and Europe the stone
was associated with love and fidelity and was often worn when trying to attract
a faithful lover. It was believed
that if held in the mouth, Moonstone would help one make proper decisions. This versatile stone was also used in ancient times to cure
insomnia. Due
to its association with water, Moonstone is said to be protective of those at
sea. It is also protective of those
that travel at night and especially during New Moon phases, and was once called
the "Traveler's Stone". It
was also thought to protect against insanity, epilepsy, and any adverse
wanderings of the mind. The ancient
Greeks called Moonstone "Aphroselene" after the goddesses Aphrodite
(love) and Selene (moon). Pearl,
Moonstone and Alexandrite are the birthstones of the month of June.
To recharge Moonstone, place it under the light of the Full Moon. Metaphysical
Properties:
Astrological
Sign(s): Cancer Element(s):
Water Chakra(s):
Third Eye (Brow) Lunar
(feminine) energy. Intuition. Receptive. Reflective. Inner
harmony. Balancing. Calming. Love
and happiness. New
beginnings. Lucid
dreams. Enhances
psychic ability. Protective
(especially in travel). *Gives
physical aid in treating: Menstrual cycles, hormonal imbalances, and all female
related health issues. Fertility. Circulatory
system. Emotional distress, anxiety and stress. Assists with the cycles of
change. Alleviates swellings and
helps reduce excess fluids in the body. Regenerative
for eyes, skin and hair. Sleeping
disorders. *NOTE:
Stone therapy should NOT take the place of medical evaluation and procedures,
and should be used merely to enhance one's health and well-being. My
own thoughts and experiences:
A
most magickal stone, I think a good specimen of Moonstone can send you reeling!
Case in point, I recently obtained an exceedingly beautiful specimen from
one our wholesale dealers. The
stone had been mounted in a pendant, and the moment I laid my eyes on it I knew
I had to have it. I almost felt
like Gollum...the little naked, seedy and greedy character from Tolkien's
"Lord of the Rings"...as I practically grabbed the pendant out of the
wholesaler's hand, with the immediate thought, "To heck with my
store...this one's mine! Ha! It's
mine! All mine!
My preciousssssss, my precioussssss."
I was not a pretty sight. Although
I can grin at myself in recollection now. But
strangely -- after a few days of hoarding the stone, picking it up everytime I
walked by it, attempting to wear it but then oddly taking it off and preferring
to just have it in front of me where I could look deeply at it and into it -- I
came to a slow realization that the stone was not mine.
And I fought with that stone for about a week, saying, "Yes you
are!," and listening to it calmly reply, "No I'm not." Very
shortly after that time, a dear friend and neighbor of mine called our store and
asked if we had any Moonstone. She
has just recently come into her own as a witch and was looking specifically for
a Moonstone pendant. Ack!.. well
we'd just sold the last remaining two we'd had at the store, and so I said,
"No, I'm sorry, but I'll check with our supplier for you soon." But as I hung up the phone, I basically knew. I
let it go for another couple days, occasionally glancing at the pendant sitting
patiently on my coffee table. It
cast off a loving and comfortable glow, and yet it's flashes of shimmering wavy
blue waters would remind me I had something to do...and it had somewhere to go.
A few days later I got that opportunity when that same neighbor friend
came to share a special dinner with George, OwlOak and me.
I brought the stone out and asked if she liked it. She did. And so
with nary a gulp I gladly gave it to her, for by this point I knew for sure
where the stone wanted to be. So...
will Moonstone cause you to become introspective and yet at the same time
reflect back the vision of what action to take?
Will it play with your emotions but make you understand them perfectly as
it harmoniously blends the inner and outer dimensions that spark a more fertile
intuition? And will it exude a
mesmerizing and enchanting force, yet pull up a loving feminine nature to your
forefront? Yes indeed it can and
will. I'm actually intermittently
holding a small tumbled piece of Moonstone now in order to best be able to bare
the soul of the stone and to feel its comforting motherly arms wrapped around me
as I attempted here to bare my own. Moonstone...an
insightful and loving Goddess stone. Gaze
deeply into its milky moonlit essence and hypnotic hues while meditating. Take in the colors that shine forth. The flashes of blue and sometimes yellow, pink and green are
inspiring, but the blue will calmly take you to the core of your inspiration.
Here you can feel the joy and happiness of the yellow, the warmth and
soft love of the pale pink, the new beginning and gentle life-force of the
green, and the shimmer that reminds you that your spirit is Divine. End.Sources:
"Rocks
and Minerals" (Peterson Field Guides) ~ Frederick H. Pough "Love
Is In the Earth" ~ Melody http://webmineral.com/data/Orthoclase.shtml http://www.minerals.net/mineral/silicate/tecto/feldspar/variety/moonston.htm http://www.igmla.com/LegendofStones.html http://www.rockhounds.com/rockshop/feldspar.html
© 2006 Patricia J. Martin
Website:
http://www.peacefulpaths.com/
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