Amethyst quartz is a medium-rare and sought-after variety of quartz. It is similar in composition to crystal quartz, smoky quartz and citrine and is formed in nature by the various levels of heat that it has experienced and trace amounts of different transition metals. In fact, it is because of this reason that many a times we find that crystal traders will heat-treat various forms of quartz to 'create' some of the more expensive variations of a gem.
Amethyst is a fairly hard gem and can be found in geodes across the globe. It has a hardness of 7 Mohs. For comparison, Diamond which is considered as one of the hardest natural crystal has been assigned a Mohs rating of 10. From a chemical composition perspective, amethyst is mainly made of Silicon Dioxide like other quartz crystals. It has trace amounts of iron in the crystal lattice which gives it, its famous beautiful purple color.
Do keep in mind that green quartz and lime citrine are sometimes mistaken for varieties of amethyst, which is not correct as they have different crystal structure and trace mineral-inclusions, that alter their energetic properties. In this article we are considering the purple (or violet) amethyst.
We can benefit from this relaxing effect of Amethyst by simply holding an amethyst tumbled rock in your hand or sitting next to a large geode of amethyst.
It is believed that Amethyst emits small, but noticeable amounts of magnetic field and this naturally occurring magnetic field is supposed to be very beneficial for our body. In addition, it is also believed that amethyst can beneficially interact with the far-infrared light.
Ofcourse, more study is required to determine the scientific basis for such claims, but it has been found that amethyst exhibits several of the benefits, that come from emitting small amounts of natural magnetic fields and having energetic interactions with the far infrared wavelengths!
So, even though there is no firm scientific evidence to support these beneficial claims, considering the fact that we are using this crystal externally (in a non-intrusive manner), it is fairly cheap in cost and it is quite easy to obtain a small piece of tumbled amethyst; it may be wise on our part to take these beneficial observances by others into consideration… and include this crystal in our spiritual and physical wellbeing tools-repertoire!!
Amethyst is believed to exhibit positive health benefits such as promoting growth and regeneration of healthy cells as well as heightened exuberance and increased physical energy levels.
In addition, amethyst has been shown to have a beneficial effect on the body’s endocrine system (hormonal system), particularly the pituitary gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid gland, as well as pineal and reproductive glands. It is the pineal gland which gets activated as we go into deep meditation, and it is the pineal gland that has been associated with spiritual progress and prowess. But more on that in another post…
Another benefit that has been observed is that amethyst seems to help with balancing our metabolism and also assist with eliminating toxins. This cleansing effect has been observed at a physical level and also in the spiritual sense, by cleansing the body’s energy centers (called chakras). Amethyst has been known to burn calories at a more rapid pace and thus assist with weight loss. This could also be because of the positive balancing effect that amethyst has on the overall hormonal system.
Sitting next to an amethyst-geode for prolonged periods of time or meditating while holding a small, tumbled piece of amethyst in your hand or placing it on your physical self such as over your forehead (third eye region) while doing a laying down meditation, can work wonders to improve your overall health and well-being.
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