Showing posts with label calcite. Show all posts
Showing posts with label calcite. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 4, 2026

Zodiac Signs and Their Stones: Cancer

                             
                              
Cancer, First Half: June 21-July 4

Cancers are ruled by the Moon, so it is appropriate that moonstone is the precious soul stone for the individuals born in the first half of this sign. The most priceless of moonstones is adularia, named after the place it was first discovered—Adula, Switzerland. Moonstones have an opalescent sheen reminiscent of the Moon in the night sky. Adularia was special to early Europeans who believed it could improve the memory, help stop seizures, overcome a broken heart, and foretell the future. Wearing moonstone jewelry will put

Cancers in tune with their lunar-infuenced changeable natures, giving them strength and the wisdom of intuition. Pearl is the power money stone of great price for early Cancers. Pearls have a long and rich history; they were first written about in China 4,000 years ago and were celebrated in all the ancient cultures of the world after humankind first opened a shell and found the prize inside. Cancers are the great historians of the zodiac, and they have incredible memories. They are connected to pearls because of a common link with the ocean and the tides, which are regulated by Cancer’s ruler, the Moon. If you are a Cancer, honor your native element, water, by wearing pearls on occasion (but not constantly), and by decorating your home and workspace with shells. This will help you stay secure, refreshed, and relaxed and help you avoid your great nemesis: worry.

Calcite, made up of many fossilized seashells, is the heart stone for first-half Cancers. Because the ocean makes up so much of the surface of the planet (and encompassed even more area in the first few million of Earth’s years), calcite is common, but there are many lovely specimens, such as Iceland spar, Flos ferri, and nailhead calcite. Iceland spar is a beautiful clear type of calcite, and when you look at it from certain angles you can see a double image. Nailhead calcite shows many small, rounded circles of variegated colors. Flos ferri, maybe the most beautiful of the three calcite stones, boasts fragile, white, treelike branches that take on other colors when exposed to di%erent minerals. Cancers, scatter this Moon-ruled rock all around your homes for grounding and healing.

Cancer, Second Half: July 5-July 21

Opal is the power money stone for later-born Cancers. Opals can’t be duplicated artificially due to the complicated nature of their patterning, varying hues, and play of color. The most precious of all opals feature a star, called an asterism. Opals are mysterious, just like Cancers, having much depth beneath their protective shells. The ancients exulted about opals; Pliny the Elder wrote, “For in them you shall see the living !re of ruby, the glorious purple of the amethyst, the sea-green of the emerald, all glittering together in an incredible mixture of light.” Cancer, you will come into your soul’s true purpose by wearing opal jewelry.

Red coral is the power stone for the second half of Cancer. It is formed by lime secreted by sea creatures to create their homes. One memorable old story associated with the oceanic gem is the ancient Greek belief that sea sprites stole Medusa’s severed head and took it to the bottom of the sea, and that each drop of her blood formed a red coral. The stone was believed to be healing and protective then, and it still is today. For Cancers, red coral is good for vitality and is a symbol of life and love and health. Wear red coral beads over your heart and you will immediately feel vibrant.

Desert rose, formed of cemented sand particles, is the heartstone for this group of Cancers. The Saharan Bedouin believed it was formed from the tears of women mourning for those who had died in battle. Desert rose is gypsum originating in lake bottoms that have become desert and comes in beautiful earth tones of red, yellow, gray, brown, and pink. For later Cancers, this heart stone helps contain and release emotions in a healthy, expressive way. Decorate your bedroom, your inner sanctum, with desert rose for a soothing and calming effect.



Sunday, March 7, 2021

Calcite


Calcite, or limestone, is one of the more plentiful stones, coming in a range of colors from black to white, with every shade in between. Approximately 4 percent of Earth’s surface is made up of calcite. Calcite gets its name from chalix, the Greek word for lime. Marble is limestone formed from heat and pressure, and calcite is the cement in many sandstones and shales. Calcite is the basis for many formations found in caves, such as cave veils, cave pearls, stalactites , and stalagmites. Environmentalists are heartened by this because this oceanic biological activity can act as a carbon-dioxide filter and help stem the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere.

The crystals in calcite can take on a thousand different shapes by combining the forms of rhombohedrons, scalahedrons, prisms, and pinacoids, to name but a few. More than 300 forms have been noted in calcite, and the symmetry is nearly unmatched, with many twins.

Calcite is all over the world, but certain conditions have made for very special specimens. In Cornwall, England; Pugh Quarry, Ohio; and Elmwood, Tennessee, are beautifully clear, amber-orange pyramid shapes called dogtooth spar. Mexican onyx, banded with orange, red, tan, brown, yellow, and white and having an appealing marble-like smoothness, is a very common type of calcite used in carvings sold in gift shops around the globe.

Calcite is helpful to bones and joints and is a memory booster. In addition to aiding in retaining information, calcite is a calming agent that can bring clarity to decision-making processes. Green calcite is a terrific support to people in transition, bringing about positive energy in place of the negative. The yellow and gold calcites are quite useful for meditation due to their association with the sun and with light, the sign of the spiritual path and higher knowledge. It is said that these sunny calcites can even help with astral projection. Calcite is a healing stone and is highly recommended for physicians, nurses, and healers to keep at their offices.

Thursday, January 28, 2021