Amethyst - connecting to the spiritual realm
This is a beautiful purple quartz. The Amethyst, called “Achlama” in Hebrew, is part of the Choshen array of stones on the great Cohen’s cloth and it represented the Gad tribe. It is also considered the birth stone for the month of February.
The Amethyst’s name originates from Greek meaning “not drunk”. This is due to the ancient belief that if you place an amethyst in alcohol, its effect vanishes and there are tales of ancient Greece warriors, as well as of the Knights of the Round Table, who used to drink wine in amethyst cups before going into battle.
It is amazing to discover that the amethyst is formed as crystal colonies inside rocks due to pressure afflicted on them. When the pressure increases it turns into another stone – the Citrine whose color is yellow!! You can also find “Ametrine” which is actually a middle stage between the two, when only a part of the amethyst turned into citrine.
The amethyst is considered good for relaxation and for connecting to the spiritual dimension. It is excellent for meditation because it calms the daily thoughts and acts as a “bridge” between body and soul. Due to these qualities, the amethyst also helps people with insomnia. It is also good for use in a state of great exhaustion and tiredness and to relief extremely painful headaches. The amethyst cleanses its surroundings by absorbing negative energy and so it is recommended to clean and cleanse it relatively often.
