Rainbow Renewal

The rainbow is a simple and effective method for total- body wellness. Choose from this list of stones, making sure you have one of each color of the rainbow—violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red—plus one white stone and one black stone for completion. Then, simply lay the stones on their corresponding chakra centers; the rainbow should travel up your body. Red for your root chakra, orange for your sacral chakra, yellow for your solar plexus chakra, green for your heart chakra, blue for your throat chakra, indigo for your third eye chakra, and violet for your crown chakra. I’ve included a list of crystal and body affinities in case there is any specific area you want to focus on:

• Amber for the thyroid
  
• Benitoite for the pituitary
  
• Beryl for the eyes
  
• Bloodstone for the kidneys
  
• Blue tourmaline for the thymus
  
• Brown jasper for the shins and for the skin
• Calcite for the skeletal system 
• Carnelian for the liver
• Celestite for the intestines
  
• Chalcedony for the spleen
• Chrysocolla for the pancreas 
• Chrysolite for the appendix
  
• Chrysoprase for the prostate 
• Danburite for the muscles
• Dendrite agate for the nervous system 
• Dioptase for the lungs
  
• Fire agate for the stomach
  
• Fluorite for the teeth
• Garnet for the spine
  
• Hematite for the blood and circulatory system 
• Jadeite for the knees
  
• Lapis lazuli for the throat
  
• Magnetite for the joints
  
• Moldavite for the hands
  
• Moonstone for the womb area
• Orange calcite for the bladder
  
• Purple fluorite for the bone marrow 
• Rose quartz for the heart
  
• Smoky quartz for the feet

Opal—Cupid’s Stone

In the classical era, humans believed that opals were pieces of rainbows that had fallen to the ground. They also dubbed this exquisite iridescent gem Cupid’s stone because they felt it looked like the love god’s skin. The Arabs believed opals fell from heaven in bright flashes of lightning, thus gaining their amazing fire and color play. The Romans saw opals as symbols of purity and optimism. They believed this stone could protect people from diseases. The Roman name for opal is so beautiful and evocative—cupid paedros, meaning “a child as beautiful as love.” 

Turquoise—Turkish Stone

                                          

One pretty legend relating to turquoise is that is generated by rainbow touching the earth. Turquoise seems to have always had a mythic link to horses, beginning with the medieval belief that anyone wearing this stone would be protected from falling off the animal. Sir John Mandeville’s Lapidaire further claimed that this blue-green stone prevented horses from the harm of drinking cold water when they were sweaty and hot. Turkish equestrians went so far as to attach this crystal to the bridles of their horses as a talisman for the animals.

An unusual story about turquoise comes from the court of Emperor Rudolph II, whose physician was given a specimen that had faded completely. The doctor’s father had given it to him with these words of wisdom, “Son, as the virtues of the turquoise are said to exist only when the stone has been given, I will try its efficacy by bestowing it upon thee.” The young man set it in a ring and in one month’s time, the splendid color was completely restored.

Opal—Cupid’s Stone

In the classical era, humans believed that opals were pieces of rainbows that had fallen to the ground. They also dubbed this exquisite iridescent gem Cupid’s stone because they felt it looked like the love god’s skin. The Arabs believed opals fell from heaven in bright flashes of lightning, thus gaining their amazing fire and color play. The Romans saw opals as symbols of purity and optimism. They believed this stone could protect people from diseases. The Roman name for opal is so beautiful and evocative—cupid paedros, meaning “a child as beautiful as love.”

Saint Albert the Great was one of the most learned men of the thirteenth century, a student of the natural sciences as well as theology, literature, and languages. He fancied mineralogy and waxed on about opal: “The porphanus is a stone which is in the crown of the Roman Emperor, and none like it has ever been seen; for this very reason it is called porphanus. It is of a subtle vinous tinge, and its hue is as though pure white snow flashed and sparkled with the color of bright, ruddy wine and was overcome by this radiance. It is translucent stone, and there is a tradition that, formerly, it shone in the nighttime, but now, in our age, it does not sparkle in the dark, it is said to guard the regal honor.”  

Opals had many superstitions attached to them. There was the belief that an opal wrapped in a bay-laurel leaf could cure any eye disease and combat weak hearts and infection. In the Middle Ages, opal was called ophthalmios, or “eye stone.” The great Scandinavian epic the Edda contained verses about a stone forged by the smithy of the gods to form the eye of children, doubtless a reference to opal. In olden days, it was thought that an opal would change color according to the mood and health of the owner, going dull and colorless when the owner died. Blond women favored opals because they believed they could keep their hair light in color. (I trust they were not using black or dark blue opals!)

It was ever believed that an opal could render the wearer invisible, making this the patron stone of thieves. Black opal has always had top ranking among opals, being the rarest and most dramatic type. One legend told that if a love relationship was consummated with only one party wearing black opal, the gem would soak up the passion and store it in its glow.

Chakra Crystals

The concept of chakras originated many thousands of years ago in Asia. The ancient philosophers and metaphysicians identified seven main energy centers around the body and saw each chakra emanating energy in the form of a rainbow color that affected the mental, physical, and spiritual balance in a human being. Chakra theory is the basis of many Eastern healing practices. One of the simplest ways to achieve well-being is to place crystals on the parts of the body where certain chakras are centered. Many people I know credit their clarity and well-being to chakra therapy. One sure way to relieve stress and fortify the emotional body is this laying on of crystals.

Rainbow Renewal

The rainbow is a simple and effective method for total- body wellness. Choose from this list of stones, making sure you have one of each color of the rainbow—violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red—plus one white stone and one black stone for completion. Then, simply lay the stones on their corresponding chakra centers; the rainbow should travel up your body. Red for your root chakra, orange for your sacral chakra, yellow for your solar plexus chakra, green for your heart chakra, blue for your throat chakra, indigo for your third eye chakra, and violet for your crown chakra. I’ve included a list of crystal and body affinities in case there is any specific area you want to focus on:

• Amber for the thyroid

• Benitoite for the pituitary

• Beryl for the eyes

• Bloodstone for the kidneys

• Blue tourmaline for the thymus

• Brown jasper for the shins and for the skin

• Calcite for the skeletal system 

• Carnelian for the liver

• Celestite for the intestines

• Chalcedony for the spleen

• Chrysocolla for the pancreas 

• Chrysolite for the appendix

• Chrysoprase for the prostate 

• Danburite for the muscles

• Dendrite agate for the nervous system 

• Dioptase for the lungs

• Fire agate for the stomach

• Fluorite for the teeth

• Garnet for the spine

• Hematite for the blood and circulatory system 

• Jadeite for the knees

• Lapis lazuli for the throat

• Magnetite for the joints

• Moldavite for the hands

• Moonstone for the womb area

• Orange calcite for the bladder

• Purple fluorite for the bone marrow 

• Rose quartz for the heart

• Smoky quartz for the feet