Magnetite

This gray or dark brown stone is also known as lodestone, a poetic name I much prefer. It has a major quantity of iron and is, as the name implies, very magnetic. The ancients called it lodestone, although Plato himself wrote that it was the “heraclean stone.” All iron-based crystals are considered to be very helpful to the blood and circulatory system. Magnet therapy has come into vogue in the last twenty years and is becoming pretty commonplace nowadays. Even athletes and physicians are trying magnetic therapy, and any controversy about this onetime New Age healing method is fading thanks to the many positive endorsements.

Magnetite—Herculean Stone

The ancients were fascinated with magnetite and its mysterious workings. The great Pliny wrote that the first instance of the discovery of magnetite, commonly known as lodestone, happened when a Cretan shepherd was walking on Mount Ida with his flock, and the nails of his shoes clung to a rock in the field. The shepherd’s name was Magnes. Pliny also recorded the tale of Ptolemy, who wished to make an iron statue of a woman for a temple dedicated to his wife and his sister. The trick was that he wanted to use the new art of magnetism to suspend the statue in the air without any visible means of support! Unfortunately for us, Ptolemy and his architect, the Alexandrian Dinocrates, died before its completion. Otherwise, there might have been an eighth wonder of the world. Lodestone, the polarized version of magnetite, was held to be a protection against spells and other magical mischief. The ancients also believed that a small piece of lodestone beneath the pillow would be a testimony to virtue. Alexander the Great gave his soldiers lodestone to defend against unseen evil spirits.

The Power of Crystals and Gems

Where do gemstones get their power? They all have a crystalline structure that can collect, store, and release electromagnetic energy, similar to the way today’s commonplace battery does.

Scientists and engineers have discovered through experimentation that a crystal will accumulate and concentrate the energy of any given energy field in close proximity. Further, they’ve discovered that if a crystal is squeezed, energy from within the crystal is released. Light can also be released during the compression of a crystal. While the expansion is infinitesimal, electrons are emitted and are then reabsorbed by the crystal, thus producing energy. Schoolchildren discover this by rubbing or heating crystals and feeling a marked static change. This is known as the piezoelectric effect. Anyone who doubts the power of this effect need only be told that it is one of the causes of earthquakes.

Quartz is the crystal most often used today in both scientific and spiritual realms. It is, perhaps, the most prevalent of all gemstones and can be found on every land mass on Earth. Common quartz was used in the world’s first radio broadcasts and enabled the chips that propelled the computer revolution. It stands to reason that quartz was the first crystal to be synthesized by manufacture. Today, man-made crystals are in vast usage in our watches, computers, and other electronic devices.

Quartz is composed of silicon and oxygen, the same basic minerals that make up this planet. Silicon dioxide (SO2), the building block responsible for the geologic makeup of the earth, is also inside us, which may explain why there is a natural attraction between our bodies and crystals.