Rock Crystal.

Rock Crystal is found in all continents of the world and has been venerated since time immemorial. In Japan, for example, it is regarded as the perfect jewel, and is a symbol both of purity and patience, and of the infinity of space. On the other side of the world, carved Rock Crystal skulls are associated with the Mayans and Aztecs. One, popularly called the Skull of Doom, weighs over 5kg and is estimated to have taken several lifetimes of devoted labour to fashion. Who knows what spirits these wonders of the ancient world were deemed to contain? At very least they stand eloquent testimony to the value put upon this fascinating mineral. Later, North American shamans regarded these crystals as the dwelling places of spirits, one Cherokee Indian is on record as having fed his crystal with deer's blood. Mexican Indians believed these spirits to have once been human.
       The Crystal Ball's long history of use for divination does include instances where the prophecies were transmitted by a spirit which appeared in the sphere. Most modern practitioners, however, simply regard it as a tool to assist them in achieving a hypnotic trance wherein their clairvoyance and other psychic faculties are exalted. Crystal-gazing was popular as long ago as ancient Egypt: today, many people place tumbled specimens under their pillows in order to promote lucid dreams in which profound personal insights and guidance can be found.
       To dream of Rock Crystal itself indicates that a problem or complex situation will soon become clear and easy to understand - the first step toward either overcoming it or learning to successfully live with it. Its reputation for making things clear is perhaps the origin of its talismanic use as a cure for headache. A single crystal, ideally a double terminator (with both ends pointed) makes an excellent pendulum for dowsing. The crystal chosen should be the clearest one available.
       From China to Greece it was regarded as petrified ice, and a tradition arose that, put in the mouth, it cures thirst. In Australia it was used in the magic which made rain.
       Quartz transmits ultraviolet radiation better than glass, and tradition maintains that it magnified infrared (heat) radiation to ignite the sacred flame of the Eleusinian mysteries. Certainly it was used in Roman times to focus the Sun's rays to cauterise wounds.
       Windows are found near the tips of some Quartz wands. They are extra facets (revealing the mineral's true Trigonal - not Hexagonal crystal structure), usually lozenge-shaped, which occur at the junction of the sides of the crystal with the facets which taper toward the point. The zenith of the lozenge is hardly ever precisely above the nadir and, depending on whether it leans left or right, the Window is said to be left-handed or right-handed.
       Windows allow illumination to enter the crystal and, by analogy, ourselves. Occurring near the top of the crystal the 'handedness' is held to relate to the lobes of the human brain. Right-handed Windows relate to the right lobe and thereby emotions and intuition. Left-handed Windows are associated with the intellect and logic. Very occasionally a crystal has both left and right-handed Windows - these crystals are prized for symbolising the union of the two halves of the brain in a harmonious and dynamic fusion with tremendous creative potential.
       Clusters of three or more natural crystals, attached at the base, are often collected for use according to the tenets of numerology. Frequently there will be an innumerable mass of small crystals, Drusy Quartz, encrusting the base area, but these may be discounted. Given the hexagonal crystal form of Quartz, six crystals is an ideal all-round figure. Seeing crystals in a group rather than as individual Wands, enables relationships to be considered, as if in a family.
       Aqua Aura is natural Rock Crystal which has undergone an artificial process whereby its surface has been exposed to vaporised gold. This creates a permanent coloration which is, overall, blue. The appearance is often somewhat patchy and the rest of the spectrum can often be seen. The effect is also faintly iridescent. The crystal remains transparent and light reflecting internally, from the prismatic facets, is enhanced and can be very beautiful. The base of the crystal is usually untouched by the process, and clear.
       Rainbow Aura is another manufactured item, created by vaporising Platinum over the natural facets of Rock Quartz. The pearly surface of this recent innovation is permanent.
       The Sphere is the true Crystal Ball, divination with which is called Crystalomancy (not to be confused with Crystomancy). As it is impractical to carry around a large Sphere on everyday journeys, a small Sphere - which can be psychically linked with the larger one at home - is a useful asset. It is analogous to using a modem to link a laptop computer to a desktop computer. (Like the best analogies we can take this further: the large Sphere can network with a mainframe computer - all other Spheres.....) For more information, see Crystal Shapes.
       Perhaps one reason for its enduring popularity of Rock Crystal is that it is an affront to common sense - it's as transparent as air, yet is far harder than most rocks! It is an enigma and a challenge, even today when we understand the beauty of its molecular lattice......

       Rock Crystal is the purest form of Quartz - the many varieties of Quartz occupy approximately 12%, by volume, of the Earth's crust, more than any other mineral. The word "crystal" derives from the Greek for "ice", and refers to the early belief that this jewel was simply water which had frozen so hard it was beyond thawing. Even in the 18th Century some scientists still maintained that it was fossilised ice.
       Beautiful specimens are far from uncommon, one notable source being the old cliff-edge Slate quarries around Tintagel, the Cornish nexus of Arthurian legend; other British sources include Derbyshire, the Lake District, Scotland and Weardale. Important global sources include the Alpine region, Brazil, Ceylon, France, Madagascar, Japan and the USA.
       Quartz crystals are longer than they are wide, hexagonal in cross section, with a triangular facet sloping from each side to form a point at the growing tip. Pressure directed at a precise angle to its crystal axis generates a small electrical charge.
       They can also be made to vibrate at a fixed frequency (most Quartz watches are designed to operate at 32,768 hertz or cycles per second) - a characteristic which has brought it to the fore in electronic devices.
       Quartz is Silicon Dioxide: one atom of Silicon is combined with two of Oxygen. These atoms key together in a tight, rigid framework where each Silicon atom is at the centre of a "pyramid" of four Oxygen atoms (two of which it shares with a neighbour).
       For the greatest and, therefore, best reflection of light from faceted Rock Crystal the angle between the pavilion and the girdle should be 41°, and between the girdle and crown 45° (the girdle is the widest part of a faceted gem, the pavilion slopes down toward the pointed bottom, and the crown upward to the flat top or table). Specimens chosen for cutting and polishing in this elaborate fashion are usually flawless but need not be prohibitively expensive. Rock Crystal is, however, too hard to be carved without specialised equipment.
       Rock Crystal is probably the single most popular of all jewels: it has come to epitomise the resurgent interest in crystal lore. Unfortunately, many so-called "New Age" authors are only authorities in their own imaginations! Care must always be taken when evaluating claims of magical or mystical powers - personal experience is the best test.