Luinbariel Teacher
Number of posts : 191
| Subject: Crystal of the Week Wed Apr 22, 2009 8:07 pm | |
| Crystal of the Week
Week 1: Citrine
I would like to start off this first lesson by making a few notes.
First of all, I will be starting with Citrine for a few reasons. It is a stone that is easily accessible to many people in many places, it is usually cheap and plentiful, and it has many different uses. While I am hoping to cover more uncommon stones in later lessons, the first few will also likely follow the same form, being more common stones.
Secondly, all lessons will include references from several books that I personally own as well as a few websites. The websites will mostly be used for images as I am not as fond of internet sources for metaphysical information as I am of three particular published works and of intuition.
These books are as follows, listed in order of preference:
- Love is in the Earth: a Kaleidoscope of Crystals by Melody
- Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals by the National Audubon Society
- The Crystal Bible: a Definitive Guide to Crystals by Judy Hall
All of these books are available for purchase, and I recommend buying them used; they are MUCH MUCH cheaper if you buy them second-hand as opposed to new, especially the Field Guide.
Thirdly, I do not authorize anyone to reproduce my lessons and articles without my permission; though they are posted here for others to see, they are NOT to be reproduced as your own. If you wish to cite them somewhere, please ask me and we’ll discuss it.
Finally I would also like to note that if you have suggestions for the next week’s stone, please by all means PM me (to assure I see it in time) and I will be sure to research it and feature it if I can next week or as soon as possible.
Now, without further delay, let’s start the first lesson!
Selection
Let’s start by exploring how to select a good piece of high-quality Citrine.
It is more beneficial to find a piece of citrine that is natural, if possible; the market is flooded with pieces that have been heat-treated with chemicals in a lab setting to give them that distinctive orange color. While the stone will still have the same or similar properties to a natural piece of citrine, their properties will not be as strong or easy to access as they would with a natural piece. They also tend to fade much MUCH faster than natual citrine pieces do, and are generally more desirable, though a little harder to find.
Your best bet to finding a natural piece is to educate yourself on how they look. Natural pieces of citrine are typically small and their orange hue is quite deep, often appearing as more brown than orange. They are rarely sold as individual crystals due to their smaller size; you are far more likely to find a small cluster for sale than you are an individual crystal when dealing with the real stuff. These clusters typically feature a small, thin-ish layer of citrine crystals, a layer of sparkling white crystals, and then a bottom layer of grey stone upon which all of the other parts have grown.
The following links are to images of some quality pieces of natural citrine, to give you a better idea of what you are looking for.
- http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~adg/images/minerals/q/citrine.jpg
- http://www.crystalmoments.co.uk/photos/1.879467CitrineCluster_B_.JPG
As you can see, the crystals are small and tightly packed, featuring a nice deep orange/brown color.
In contrast, treated pieces of citrine are generally much larger and are often sold as a single piece rather than a cluster. They often feature a brighter orange top, usually transparent instead of translucent; they also feature a layer of the sparkling white dense crystals that the larger orange part has grown from, but they are almost always without the grey stone layer.
These treated citrine pieces also often feature tones of “rainbows”, which are sections on the crystal that reflect a wide spectrum of color aside from their usual orange color.
The following links are examples of treated citrine and what to avoid.
- http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/minerals/pix/citrine2.jpg
- http://crystal-cure.com/pics/point-citrine-standing5.jpg
You can see that their color is much lighter than the first two examples of natural clusters, and the crystals themselves are also much larger. This is because they started their life out as regular clear quartz, which is very commonly found in larger pieces and are thus easier to treat and color. You can also see the prominent white layer and lack of a grey layer mentioned above.
Finding a good piece in a local setting can often be difficult; many stores that cater to the average enthusiast don’t often carry the natural pieces as they are smaller and generally considered to be less visually impressive than their treated cousins. If you shop around however and find shops that are more heavily dedicated to the metaphysical shopper you are much more likely to find a wider selection.
You can also have some good luck looking online, but if you are wanting to purchase from the internet, I suggest e-bay. You will have access to a much wider selection and a much better price range, as online rock shops tend to charge more than they should for any piece of stone.
Metaphysical Properties
Now that we’ve learned how to identify a quality, untreated piece of citrine, we can move on to learn more about the metaphysical properties that the stone is reputed to possess.
First and foremost, citrine is known to be one of the few stones on earth that does not require cleansing. It is reputed to be a natural cleanser and to be very good at simply leaking out and distributing any negative energy that it comes in contact with so that it can do no harm. This property is in effect for the wearer or bearer, and it also applies to stones that are laid upon it; if you have a large enough piece of citrine and you wish to cleanse something like another stone, you can simply touch the two, and the citrine will remove any negativity present in the other item, safely dissipating it.
This stone also has another very common myth associated with it, often being dubbed “the merchant stone”. It is said to attract wealth when appropriately used and placed, doing so innately and without much effort. It is often placed in the cash register of the superstitious store owner, being thought to increase one’s intake if given this home. Not only does it assist in acquiring wealth; it is also rumored to help you keep the money that you make as well.
If you wish to use this money-making or keeping technique at home, you can do so; to achieve this, lore states that the stone should be placed in the farthest left-back corner of your home from your front door.
Citrine has been used to align chakras and to balance the yin-yang energy within a person. It is especially useful for activating and opening the sacral, naval, and solar plexus chakras, depending on the hue of the stone and the corresponding chakra. You may also use citrine’s natural negativity-clearing properties to cleanse your aura of muddiness and other afflictions.
It is also known as a stone of optimism and of a sunny disposition, bringing that bright, sunny, and care-free feeling that it exudes to the person in contact with it. It is a good influence on a student as well, bringing them in contact with the realms of higher learning and intelligence so that they can find themselves better equipped to learn and retain information.
Reputedly this crystal is also useful for aiding in digestion, can help treat digestive disorders, and can promote proper blood circulation when and where needed. It is also rumored to be able to increase visual ability and to balance the thyroid.
Caring for Your Citrine
If you have the good fortune to get a nice piece of natural citrine, there isn’t too much that you can do to damage it; it’s ok in water and makes a nice decoration in a fish tank (although you must take care to physically cleanse the stone regularly or you run the risk of algae growing in places where you can’t get it out).
It is also ok in sunlight, especially since the sun is something that charges citrine amazingly well, but you should take care to make sure it is not in direct sunlight if possible. The natural citrine is much more resistant to fading in the sunlight than the treated types, but it is still not recommended to allow them to be in direct sunlight if you can help it to help keep them beautiful for years to come. I myself had a piece of treated citrine that got direct sunlight only part of the day and within one to two years it was almost completely clear, nearly all traces of orange gone.
This stone is otherwise easy to care for; it does not need cleansing and works without much effort on your part. You do not have to worry about it touching your other crystals as you might with some. The only possible worry with this stone is that its happy personality and abundant energy might keep the light sleepers among us awake, so you might have to keep it away from where you sleep to ensure a good night’s rest.
That concludes the first week’s lesson! If you have any questions about what you’ve seen here or if you would like some more information, please feel free to contact me and I’ll be happy to help!
Once again I’ll be happy to take suggestions for next week if there is a stone you are curious about! | |
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Valkyrie Admin
Number of posts : 534 Birthday : 1984-08-06 Age : 39 Location : Canada
| Subject: Re: Crystal of the Week Wed Apr 22, 2009 8:32 pm | |
| Hey!
Alright, one that I know, and use everyday!
One question though, you mention the money thing being a myth . . . . is that because it is a myth or because it's been termed as a myth? Because as far as I know, I still have some citrine in the cash register at the store (embarrassing eh?) and well if it's just gonna grow dust . . . from not doing anything . . . I may as well move it. | |
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Luinbariel Teacher
Number of posts : 191
| Subject: Re: Crystal of the Week Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:32 am | |
| It's simply because it is termed as a myth and hasn't really been tested and proven in a study anyone can reference. I personally believe it as well. | |
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Valkyrie Admin
Number of posts : 534 Birthday : 1984-08-06 Age : 39 Location : Canada
| Subject: Re: Crystal of the Week Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:38 am | |
| Yeah actually, it does work actually, it seems that when every other store in the city is hurting, mine is fine . . . money just flows, but not in over abundance. | |
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Luinbariel Teacher
Number of posts : 191
| Subject: Re: Crystal of the Week Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:41 am | |
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