Amethyst is , scientifically speaking, a variety of quartz , with a more or less intense purple color, due to the presence of specific metals, mainly trivalent iron .

Being essentially a quartz, or silicon dioxide, amethyst has a remarkable hardness (7 on the Mons scale), and therefore a remarkable workability, which has made it since the dawn of time one of the favorite gems to create warnings, jewels and amulets .

The name amethyst has a Greek root and means “non-intoxicated”, “non-intoxicated”, as it was thought that this stone had the power to prevent intoxication and drunkenness: the powerful of many ages used to wet their ring of amethyst in the glass of wine before drinking it to take away the intoxicating power.

Over time the amethyst ring has become synonymous with power, and from the Hellenic lords it passed first to the Caesars and senators of ancient Rome, until it was inherited by the leaders of the Church in the form of a bishop’s ring .

The amethyst in esotericism

According to many esoteric traditions spread in various countries, amethyst would be the number one stone to protect one’s energy from negative energies : it would keep enemy vibrations away and preserve from the intrusion of unwelcome energies, evil eyes, and even diseases and accidents of occult origin. .

Traces of these beliefs can be found in the texts of Arabic alchemy, in the tradition of the Chaldean magi, in some treatises on medieval hermeticism, and also in the Indian religious substratum made up of a peculiar mixture of Vedic knowledge and tribal proto-shamanism. Many modern occultists have preserved, perhaps without being aware of the origin, this tradition.

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The amethyst in crystal therapy

According to crystal therapy experts, amethyst retains the properties of temperance and sobriety  originally attributed to it, and therefore favors spirituality, the tendency to a spiritual life, work on the ego . It would originally represent the inner strength to dominate the waves of Dionysus’ wine, and therefore the inner strength to resist nature.

Purple, not for nothing, is also the color of divine grace . All this, however, is counterbalanced by another aspect of the amethyst: it sometimes represents the whole world of passions and love , not for nothing is the amethyst the stone of Valentine’s Day .

Amethyst would therefore be a stone for emotional protection crystal therapy , which not only defends against bad energies coming from outside, but would also placate bad thoughts from within, pacify the heart and corrupt emotions such as envy and jealousy. .

The ancient Egyptians used it to accompany the journey of the dead in the Duat, since the soul would not have become intoxicated by negative emotions and thoughts, which in the post-mortem journey would have become objectified in the form of a monster. In therapies, it is used for its generic healing and restorative power . It generally rebalances the emotional energies and, depending on the sub variety, is used for specific different treatments.

The various types of amethyst

There are in fact various types of amethyst. First of all, different in color : some are pinkish violet, while others, like the Uruguayan ones, are of a deep intense violet.

The shape can also differ : sometimes it is found in prismatic form, much more often in less ordered aggregations, as in the famous South American geodes, or in biterminated or scepter crystals as in Central Asia, finally in the form of centrogeod complexes, as in Karur, in South India.

Sometimes it is found half citrine (purple and yellow), milky (purple and white) or smoky (purple and black). A final element that makes the difference are the possible inclusions : golden yellow cacoxenite or dark red rutile in South America, black goethite needles in Marcocco, and others less frequent.