Quartz
Description: The variety discussed here is the clear variety of Quartz, which crystallizes in the form of masses, grains, druses, and prismatic hexagonal crystals. Clear Quartz is also known as rock crystal. All of the Quartz crystals are made up primarily of silicon dioxide, one of the most common and most important substances in the world. Crystals of pure Quartz are generally six-sided and can be found in all shades and colors. Quartz crystals grow singularly or in groups and take on different shapes according to the temperature at the time of their formation. Quartz crystals can also contain other minerals “frozen” within them, as in Rutilated Quartz. Long thought by the ancients to be solidified water or ice, Quartz crystal has been used in religious and shamanistic systems for thousands of years.
Location: Quartz is found around the world. Although quartz makes up a large portion of the Earth's surface, there are only three places in the world that have enough high quality quartz crystal to warrant mining. These are Brazil, Madagascar, a small island off the coast of Africa, and Mt. Ida in the Ouachita Mountain range of Arkansas.
Astrological Sign: All signs of the zodiac
Spiritual Uses: Clear Quartz Crystal is a dedicated healer, its use in healing, altering consciousness, and magic having linked it to the spirit of the New Age. Pure white light can pass through it easily, leaving all the colors of the spectrum unaltered. This goes to prove the notion that Clear Quartz can help balance all the elements needed to make us whole and fulfilled. Clear crystals, in general, also amplify whatever influences are present in an individual or location. Any deficiency present will become visible and obvious. Clear Quartz can be used to dispel static electricity, providing for conversion and redirection of the energy toward a beneficial state. It modifies the energy available in accordance with the understanding of the user, and produces a naturally balanced, solid-state energy field. It can be used to amplify both body energy and thoughts, and can assist in the creation of power, providing for clarity in thinking to enable thoughts to more effectively influence matter. Clear Quartz acts as a purifier and tunes into the frequency of each individual, working at a vibrational level to return the body to its least altered or diseased state. If specific areas or organs are blocked from transmitting or receiving the flow of energy throughout the body, Clear Quartz will unblock them. These crystals play an important role in creating harmony and helping to balance all stimuli, positive and negative. This crystal can help in spiritual matters by guiding one’s search for the meaning and importance of existence. It can help one tune into one’s own energy and filter out unnecessary distraction, thus aiding in meditation. Clear Quartz is the connection between the physical dimension and the dimensions of the mind, and can be used to communicate with minerals, plants, animals, and intelligent forces outside of the physical dimension. The Quartz Crystal, at an earlier time when all things were thought to be conscious parts of a greater living consciousness, was believed to synchronize the individual and total consciousness with that of the heavens and the advanced life-forms. Quartz is said to bring the energy of the stars into the soul. The natural Quartz crystal was said, traditionally, to both harmonize and align human energies- thoughts, consciousness, emotions—with the energy of the universe and to make these greater energies available to humanity. Clear Quartz is recognized as a “stone of power,” its natural tendency being for harmony. It can be used to facilitate both speaking with, and receiving information from, the spiritual and other-worldly masters, teachers, and healers. It can be used also to transform thoughts into sound, producing the vibration associated with the thought and affecting the environment with the discharged energy. Clear Quartz crystals induce amplification of the energy field in the location in which they reside. The crystal can produce a force field of healing negative ions while clearing the surrounding atmosphere of positive ions. It also tends to cancel the harmful effects of radiation and radioactivity. It enhances and protects the aura, providing for amplification of the energy field of the body. Wherever worn or carried, it acts as a physical and mental energizer. The Clear Quartz can create altered states of consciousness and can serve as a vehicle for both reaching and utilizing the talents and abilities of the mind. All of the psychic abilities can be stimulated and amplified by the use of this wonderful mineral. It decreases the amount of negative affectation that could inhibit one’s emotional stability and can further assist one in retaining calmness and clarity in all situations. It provides for enhanced energy and promotes perseverance and patience. Furthermore, Clear Quartz crystals can be used to clear and to activate the energy centers of the body. They attune well to the heart chakra and respond very well at the third-eye chakra. During meditation, placing the crystal at the area of the third-eye can enable one to focus more clearly with the mind such that the mind can become empty. This may be attributed to the feeling of “oneness” conveyed during the meditation. It further promotes the reflection and magnification of images and thoughts, so that one may evaluate the inner reaches of the self. Placement of the crystal upon the heart chakra can help to clear emotional disturbances from one’s being and also further enhances the states of self-acceptance and self-love. The crown chakra is also activated quite efficiently by the use of Clear Quartz. The spiraling effect of the energy produces a clear pathway for the movement of the Kundalini and for access to the realm of spirituality. One must make sure that one has overcome personal “will,” for if the crown chakra is opened via the crystal, the available energy could produce disruption within the emotional, physical, and spiritual centers. The opening of this chakra provides a pathway for communication from the higher-self, and the best results are obtained when the “will” is “willing” and receptive to following higher guidance.
Physical Uses: Clear Quartz has a polarity that will change when it is either subjected to pressure or heat, as well as when it is held in the hand. The tip, normally positive and receiving energy, will then change and become negative, thus, emitting energy which will radiate out from the tip. These properties of Clear Quartz support the amplification, focusing, storage, transfer, and transformation of energy. A Clear Quartz crystal point carried or worn increases psychism, and when placed beneath the pillow, it offers psychic impulses in the form of dreams, which are the language of the deep conscious mind. It also ensures peaceful sleep. Clear Quartz crystals can be used in the treatment of disorders of the circulatory system and have been used also in the treatment of vertigo, to stabilize dizziness, and to promote emotional stability.
Holding the crystal to an area of the skin that has been burned can eliminate pain, blistering, and any trace of the burn. A topical elixir of the crystal has been quite beneficial to skin disorders. The same elixir, when taken internally, has been used in the elimination of toxins from the body. It can also be used in the treatment of digestive disorders and in the elimination of kidney and bladder infections and dysfunctions.
Quartz crystal is also worn to relieve headache, and a small crystal placed against the gum is said to give relief from toothache until dental treatment is obtained. The crystal can also be held in one’s hand to reduce fevers. In shamanic healing sessions, as well as in home treatments, crystals are rubbed on the afflicted part of the body to remove disease. When the session is over, the crystal is cleansed before being reused. The crystal can also be placed on a painful part of the body and left there to rebalance bodily conditions and to remove blockages of energies, which many say is the cause of illness.
Crystal has been considered, throughout the world, to be a “milk” stone, being either placed on babies or worn by their mothers to increase lactation and to ensure the babies’ assimilation to the milk. For protective purposes, the crystal is worn, carried, or placed in the home.
If worn close to the neck, Clear Quartz can stimulate the thyroid and parathyroid glands, being also helpful for respiratory problems such as congestion and sore throat. If worn over the heart, it can stimulate the thymus and can increase the efficiency of both the immune system and one’s defenses against disease. If worn over the solar plexus, it can provide for the stimulation of total body energies, and can also increase one’s emotional fields. If worn on the fingers, it enhances “the midas touch.” If worn on the wrist, it provides stimulation to the meridians that represent survival and protection of the physical and emotional bodies. When worn at the third-eye, it can stimulate mental clarity, facilitating deep meditative states and activating psychic abilities. When worn as earrings, they can provide for balancing of the physical body, for alignment with the higher realms, for stabilization and balancing of all chakras, for clearing and activating the throat chakra and the third-eye, and for synchronicity between the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
A single quartz crystal carried on one’s person or placed in one’s environment will assist in maintaining balance, energy, and protection. Whether the crystal is worn, carried, or placed in one’s environment, the force, the warmth, and the brilliance remain attuned to the energy of the one to whom it is connected.
History: Because of its connection with water, it has been utilized to magically create rain in many parts of the Pacific, including Australia and New Guinea. In the Eleusinian mysteries, Quartz was used to produce the sacred fire by concentrating the heat of the Sun to ignite wood chips. It was also in common use among North American Indians in rites and spells. Cherokee shamans, in acknowledging the crystal’s power, kept it wrapped in buckskin when not in use. The Quartz would be “fed” deer’s blood at regular intervals. Clear Quartz were used in the ancient civilizations of Atlantis and Lemuria for rejuvenation and in the development of a complete civilization of incredible power and splendor. The misuse of crystals is also said to have been what induced the destruction of these civilizations. This provides a good lesson for us. The energy of the Quartz crystal should not be used for purposes other than for “the good of all,” otherwise, the experience of destructive forces within one’s life will be invited. In the Yucatan, even in present day, a special class of diviners, consulted to ascertain the “will of the gods” and the spiritual nature of illness, utilize the Quartz crystal for divination. Throughout the British Isles, crystal spheres of an inch in diameter were mounted in silver and worn as amulets against illness.
In the fourteenth century, Clear Quartz was engraved with the image of a man in armor holding a bow and arrow. The stone was thought to guard its wearer and the place where it was situated. The origin of Clear Quartz crystals was somewhat of a mystery to the ancients and St. Jerome, in quoting Pliny, has explained its formation as a congelation of water in dark caverns of the mountains where the temperature is so cold that “while a stone to the touch, it seems like water to the eye.” Quartz came to symbolize freedom and purity of faith to those in the Church.
The Japanese considered Clear Quartz to be the congealed breath of the White Dragon, and larger, more brilliant specimens were said to be the saliva of the Violet Dragon. The dragon in Japanese mythology is emblematic of the powers of creation, and thus indicates the esteem in which Clear Quartz was held by the people of this culture. The Japanese further believe that Clear Quartz is the perfect jewel, a symbol of purity, the infinity of space, and also of patience and perseverance. In the Scottish Highlands, a crystal set in silver and worn about the back was thought to be effective for diseases of the kidneys.
Different Types: The Window Quartz Crystal is recognized by the presence of a large diamond-shaped “window” located in the center front of the crystal, allowing one a view of the inner chamber of the crystal. This special type of Quartz teaches us the importance of looking within ourselves, even if the view into our own soul is clouded and imperfect. If someone chooses a crystal with elements that obscure its clarity, it may be a sign that there are elements within that person that need some clarifying. These crystals are powerful teachers, acting like open windows through which one can see beyond illusionary identities and into the essence of the self. They are quite useful in determining the cause of disease and will come to a person when he/she is willing to honestly look within the self and accept the truth. The four sides of the diamond, which makes up the window of this crystal, are also significant. They represent the transmission of information between the various realms of intellectual activity, allowing for both the understanding and the acceptance of the “ups and downs” of physical reality. The four sides are also representative of the practical side of one’s nature and the impetus to continue with the quest for spirituality in one’s lifework. The diamond shape represents the balance between, and the syntheses of, the spiritual and physical realms, and it further exemplifies the clarity of the mind. Window crystals have been used to locate “missing persons” and lost items by projecting a clear image of the person or item into the crystal and then accepting the subsequent information. There is also Rutilated Quartz, Rose Quartz, Milky Quartz, Smoky Quartz amongst others.