How Jewels Can Light Up Your Life

The late Liz Taylor loved a bit of bling
- but did she know  how much
 energy those little rocks contained?

I'm very pleased to introduce a new guest, my colleague Peter Stockinger, an expert on Renaissance and Early Modern astrology. Peter's special subject is the correspondence between planets and those little blobs of light we wear so causally – crystals and gemstones.

Since time immemorial, humans have longed to possess shiny, sparkling rocks. Gems and crystals have always stirred the human imagination.

It was not only their indestructibility, the vivid colours or the mysteriously regular geometrical patterns that attracted people to them; people wearing gemstone jewellery intuitively recognised that these precious stones held a powerful key to their wellbeing. It is likely that, over time, these healing qualities were systematically explored.

An Indian amulet
studded with carnelians.

Today, Vedic astrology makes use of this collected and preserved wisdom about the healing qualities of planetary gemstones. 


But this knowledge ceased to be part of Western astrology centuries ago.  Western European astrologers were once familiar with the lore of planetary gemstones and celestial magic, too, but the onset of rationalism in the middle of the 17th century put an end to this practice. 

An Ancient Egyptian scarab
made of lapis lazuli.

The transmission of traditional astrological lore, alchemy and celestial magic from the Arab world into Europe,  from the 12th century onwards, included knowledge about gems and crystals. Some of the earliest mentions of the correspondences between planets and gemstones are to be found in Picatrix, a grimoire from the 11th century, translated into Spanish and Latin in the thirteenth century. Later on authors and practitioners like Agrippa von Nettesheim, Marsilio Ficino and Giordano Bruno wrote extensively on the subject, producing a workable system, based on the philosophy of neo-Platonism.

To understand how astrological gemstones work, we have to take a close look at one of the first principles of astrology itself – light. 

Genesis 1: And God said, “Let there be light,”
and there was light. God saw that the light
was good, and he separated
the light from the darkness.

Light is the most important factor in many creation myths. The first act of creation is division; we are immediately confronted with a separation between darkness and light. 

Further divisions of the cosmos, resulting in the four elements (Fire, Air, Earth and Water), the three modes (moveable, fixed and mutable signs), and the 12 zodiac signs (3x4), provide a perfect reflection of nature itself. 

The Koh-i-Noor Diamond -
like all diamonds it has an
octahedronal crystal structure.

Having recognised the basic patterns symbolised by the numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4, we find that the following number, five, corresponds with the planets Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus and Mercury. Adding the lights (Sun and Moon) brings us up to number seven.

The basic idea taken from the above is the fact that the perfectly pure unit, being the source of everything, constantly creates by dividing, adding and multiplying. When manifestation takes place, the essence splits into several different parts. This can be compared to light, splitting into the colours of the rainbow when shining through a prism. 

Our seven planets, or their corresponding gemstones, being in a more manifest stage on the path of creation, symbolise these seven parts of divine light or essence. As these planets can be in different positions in the astrological chart, the astrologer can find out how well their essential natures are expressed at any given point. This is known as essential dignity or debility. 

The practical application of all that has been said above is as follows. 


Once the astrologer has established which planet in the client’s chart is essentially debilitated or afflicted by a transiting planet, a progression or other events, the appropriate gemstone or crystal in the shape or form of a ring, pendant or any other suitable piece of jewellery should be worn during the time of affliction. 


Because gemstones are more essentially pure than human beings, the application of a chosen crystal or stone can have a positive, uplifting or transforming effect on the person wearing it.

Some of the most important gemstones and their planetary correspondences are:

Why be discreet when
you could have GLAMOUR?
These are from a recent auction at Christie's.

Ruby, Amber – Sun
Opal – Mercury
Hematite, Garnet – Mars
Amethyst, Hyacinth – Jupiter
Jet, Onyx – Saturn
Emerald, Beryl – Venus
Moonstone, Pearl – Moon

If you'd like to find out more about Peter, click here to go to his fascinating website.

   

Here are a couple of previous OA posts on gems.
What is the point of your astrology?
Royal Wedding: The Bling of Power