A Philosophical Question about Stones, Herbs, etc.

[Anonymous]

Many is the time in a pagan group that one hears that rose quartz is good for this, amethyst is good for that, cloves do eighteen different things and sage is a staple of some people's practice.  But how many of us really put some thought into why this is?

I really hate the idea of reading a list of correspondences out  of a book, especially if the reasoning isn't explained.  Part of the reason, I realized, has to do with the fact that I don't know what sort of philosophy the author is using to make these decisions.

Is there something in the chemical bonds of tiger's eye that allows it to do what it does?  Or is it something more like the stone's spirit, for the lack of a better word?  Or maybe it's some hybrid, like the vibrations some people mention - a way in which a stone or herb's unique energy is manifested, altered further by the physical structure.  Why else would we have crystal points?

This can be a very important question.  If your focus is chemical structure, you can buy lab created opals, emeralds and whatever else you may want at a much lower price.  If your focus is something more spiritual, then this may not be a good idea.  With herbs, it could make a difference in regards to how and where the plant was grown and which specific parts to use.

There's also the "none of the above" answer, the one I ascribe to, that suggests that stones, herbs and other things only help draw the appropriate thing out of the user.  (This isn't so with herbal medicine, of course, but that's something based on chemical structure.)  In this case, the correspondences are bunk.  My subconscious doesn't understand the obscure numerology used by some people.  It understands the world as I've seen it, plus some interesting twists.  

If I'm going to do divination, therefore, I'm going to burn my own weird combination of incense along with some blue and orange candles, because after fiddling around I've found that's what draws it out of me the most easily.  It's unorthodox but it works, because I've focused on how I react to the tool and not what the tool does by itself.  No one's called me names for it yet, but somewhere out there there's a person who'll chew me out for it because of their philosophy on the issue.

So what's yours?

[Anonymous]

When it comes to herbs, it's chemistry. Stones are more of an energy thing, I think. Many of the other things are just an aid to concentration in my opinion

[Zenon]

Same here...  I look at the composition of things and how they might work, that is for example in herbs.  Different effects can be acheived and this can only be felt through actually trying them and not by correspondences or charts or whatever.  As with stones, I don't really have many, but it's usualy their inherent magnetism that draws me to them.  I have a round water stone that I keep with myself, which I use as a sort of touchpoint.  It helps me center, it pulls my energy to itself and so it finds a focus and I can control it better.  Speaking about crystals, I have none but I think it is their look, feel, and color that have emotional qualities.

[Anonymous]

Speaking about crystals, I have none but I think it is their look, feel, and color that have emotional qualities.

I think colour is certainly an issue with crystals - I have some rainbow fluorite that I was drawn to purely because of its  heart chakra colours - and what something instinctively represents to us is magically very important.

I also think there is something to do with actual vibrations - in the physical make-up of the stone.  Certain materials must hold energy in certain ways due to their physical structure (you can tell how well I know my science here!), and so different types of crystals would be able to transfer energy in different ways.

[Anonymous]

I think its a combination of spiritual and physical properties that allow things like herbs and crystals and so on to what they do.  

[Anonymous]

All of these things, none of these things, and countless more.

[Sebbi]

I use a single Divination method and that is using the stones Urim and Thurrim (a hebrew technique), once says yes, one says no.

One of these stones (I'm embarressed to say I don't whether it's Urim or Thurrim) is meant to be black, the other white. I use an obsidian and a quartz.

The obsidian I bought in a Early-Learning-Centre-but-with-crystals-and-telescopes-esque shop. The Quartz has an interesting story.

I am on another forum called Hipforums and one of the people there who I became quite good friends with does crystal work and she one day I got an email saying that she trying working with a quartz but it kept on refusing on the basis that I was it's rightful owner, not my friend. My friend told me about this and she sent it to me and it's been working really well ever since.

I originally answered that it's the user's mind but that's put a different spin on things. In Alchemy we believe that everything has a "soul" as it were. A purpose. And the purpose of that particular quartz was to be my Urim (for now anyway).

On the other hand I also see Crystals and the other things you mentioned in a similar light to most ritual tools - at the end of the day they are just pieces of wood, metal, rock, fabric, etc and in themself hold no particuarly interesting properties. When combined with the users mind they, as you say, help draw something out of the user's mind.

Blessings

Sebbi

[Anonymous]

I grew up gardening herbs. My grandmother was a gardener extradinaire.

I don't pay much attention to the correspondences, I let the plants and stones tell me.

[Anonymous]

Okay and Alrighty-then.
  I guess its my turn to play physics instructor:
  Stones, Crystals and semi-precious stones all have a specifically-identifiable structure, some more uniform and repetitive than others. But each having a unique design that makes that stone a specific item unique in itself and its class, which is based upon its chemical composition and cystalline matrix. (the manner in which the molecules of the stone are aligned in a uniform pattern.)
 Chemical additives (called euphemistically impurities-as compared to its original and main structure) change the general composition and color as well as affect the crystal matrix of the stone.
 A quartz crystal can be an amethyst, a rose quartz, a peice of tiger eye, petrified wood, or a diamond, or sand. All are composed of silica in one form or another with impurities and inclusions.
 All stones, from marble to sandstone, to limestone and even fossils contain silica in one form or another and impurities that make that item unique and beautiful. A marvelous work of art created through the rules of nature.
 The other unique rule of nature is that crystalline structures can vibrate when forms of electricity are applied to them.
 In a computer, you get a fast reaction and memory storage and nice games, if you play games.
 In magic, one can use the vibrations generated through these crystals to enhance the energy around a determined mind ans achieve greater focus on the desired goal.
 Sound patterns can also aide in this.
 So much for vibrations 100.
  Crystals are natural energy enhancers, some can naturally enhance one set of frequencies or another based on the impurites and the vibrations, (Vibrations is another easier term for frequency.) All forms of energy require generation of frequencies with which to operate. Sooo
 Crystals and stones do what they do naturally, coupled with the energy of the mind, can be used to achieve seemingly magical results. Chemistry comes into its own because the impurities affect the freqency, as does the energy of the mind based on intent and will.
 Is this then still magical-of course- how many people in the universe can do this kind of energy manipulation as a random talent?
 Magic is recognition of ability and talent along with training.
 IT is quite real, because once all is said and done, until such time as the local physicist can quantify and qualify the means of quantum mechanics to operate this realm, the only place to get the education to manipulate what one senses properly, is from the local wise ones, and THIER way is the only way that actually works.

[Zenon]

that's pretty informative.  I'll look more into that, thanks

[Anonymous]

A quartz crystal can be an amethyst, a rose quartz, a peice of tiger eye, petrified wood, or a diamond, or sand. All are composed of silica in one form or another with impurities and inclusions.

Diamonds are carbon, no?

Sorry for the fussiness, but I have a habit of being precise when it comes to talking science.

[Anonymous]

Correct. My failure of clarity. Herkimer diamonds are extremely pure forms of quartz that have the appearence of a diamond but is indeed simply quartz.
    my bad

[Sebbi]

I'm like that - I think it's from hanging out on Hipforums where people use psuedoscience to back up there arguements as to whether or not god exists .

Blessings

Sebbi

[Zenon]

apparently quartz crystals are great energy channelers.

[Anonymous]

In this case the question is less of pseudoscience than of quantum mechanics. The information previously provided, with the exception of the comparison of will as focus ( a witch thing) is accurate and can be independantly researched. I simply did not go into the question of molecular physics ( not needed in general).
 As to the point of crystals being energy channelers- I really don't quite think so.
 Crystals can transduce forms of energy. They transmute one form of energy into another, though not directly. Most of the time, crystals transduce electricity into radio waves and back.
 Coupled with layers of germanium, silicon can be used to transmit forms of energy at high speeds (frequencies) allowing computers to be faster and hold minute amounts of electricity in the form of a polarity matrix (memory) or, in some cases can also amplify small amounts of energy or higher frequencies  enabling smaller forms of energy to have larger effects. (batteries operating radios and other transistorized toys.)
 Channelling requires control of the direction of the energy, like an antenna or a directional satillite transmitter.