OPAL GEMSTONE

The opal is a unique gemstone that is not crystalline, but is rather made up of hardened silica gel. It's name is said to be taken from the Sanskrit word "upala" which means "precious stone". While approximately 10% of opal is mined in other countries such as Brazil and Mexico, it is primarily mined in Australia, and Australia gem opal stone jewelry is an expensive but popular luxury. Pure opal is colorless, but pure opal is virtually unheard of and impurities are what give opal its various colors, ranging from black to red to blue.

Opal, in particular black opal, has historically been though of as an incredibly lucky stone. It wards off the evil eye and protects those who travel to faraway lands, much as the Middle Eastern "Hamsa" amulet does. It also blocks bad dreams from your psyche, and works to focus your mental capacities and provide motivation and energy.

Its psychological benefits also include increased confidence on a deep level, confidence that is independent of external factors and completely based on understanding your core being. It helps you to realize all the externally anchored beliefs and behaviors you have adopted, and to cast them off in favor of your core self.

The different varieties of opal have different benefits capabilities. Fire opal helps to manage blood disorders, depression, and lethargy. Black opal helps reduce the impact of reproductive disorders, such as erectile dis-function. White opal helps to manage neural disorders and imbalance. All forms of opal are useful during childbirth to reduce the severity of pain.

The opal gemstone is a well rounded stone that provides its keeper with good luck, deep understanding of his or her core self, and relief of various physical ailments. Particularly for men experiencing erectiledis-function, the opal is a helpful gemstone that relieves both the mental and physical causes of the problem.

Opal is a hardened silica gel, usually containing between 5-10% water. Therefore it is noncrystalline, unlike most other gemstones. There are two variety: precious opal, which shows flashes of color or iridescence, depending on the angle of viewing and light; then there is common opal whish is often opaque and displays no iridescence. The iridescence of precious opal is caused by the way the structure, or regular arrangement of tiny silica spheres, diffracts light.

Precious opals occur in a great range of color and varieties. White opal, black opal, fire opal, matrix opal, blue opal, Peruvian blue opal, pink opal...this list is extensive.

Scientific Properties:

Mohs Hardness of 7 with a trigonal crystal structure.

Opal is a mineral species which is amorphous in structure, (without form). It has a chemical composition of SiO2.nH2O. (water content usually 3 to 14% by weight, but sometimes as high as 20%). It is transparent to opaque in appearance and is usually seen cut into cabochons, carvings, and beads and is occasionally faceted. Refractive index is around 1.450 but can go as low as 1.42 depending on the type of Opal. The specific gravity is 2.15 and the hardness is soft, being a 5. Opal is very sensitive to heat or sudden change in temperature. Never clean your Opal jewelry in an ultrasonic cleaner, it will crack the Opal.

In other words...opal is created of tiny spheres of amorphous silica gel, which gives it its "Fire" and glittery play of colors. A non-crystalline stone, it is possible for the opal to dry out and crack. It is a delicate stone, and can have as much as thirty percent of it's body weight in encapsulated water. This too explains why too much heat can cause an opal to quickly lose it's luster, and why a crack or craze to the surface may occur by moving from a hot room to the cold outdoors.

Mystical Properties:

Opal is a stone of inspiration which enhances the imagination and creativity as well. It helps one release inhibitions and enhances the memory.
Opal is also said to be a very spiritual stone, and can help one be "invisible" in situations where they don't care to be noticed. It has been known to bring happy dreams, and also to ease the process of change.

Opal is a silicate, containing water, correlating with our emotions. Clarifies by amplifying and mirroring feelings, buried emotions, desires (including love and passion). With this comes less inhibition, more spontaneity, free visualization, clearer imagination, and more vivid dreams.

Fire: This is an enhancer of personal power, awakening the inner fire, as well as protection against danger. It is a symbol of hope, an energy amplifier, facilitating change and process. It supports through emotional turmoil, and is a wonderful stone in releasing and letting go of the past.

Blue: the ultimate stone for all forms of wishes, for entering the world of the fae (fairies) and for seeing beyond the immediate physical reality to the wonders within nature and life.

Blue-Green (Chrysopal): This opal will open one to new impressions and encourages openness in others. It will help one to observe the world with new eyes, and it alleviates emotional burdens.

Green: This is beneficial for cleansing and rejuvenating that promotes emotional recovery and aides relationships. It has the ability to filter information and reorient the mind, thus giving it a better meaning to every day life, and bring about a clearer spiritual prospective.

Pink: Promotes a feeling of centeredness, as a spiritual level this opal actives clairvoyance and clairsentience. It can be particularly helpful in healing head aches caused by blocked or unopened third eye chakras.

Black: Is known to enhance sexual attractiveness, as well as leading one to a higher spiritual experience. One of the strongest good luck stones. It is told to transform the fears that hold us back from action into optimism and an eagerness to get on with our lives.

Blue Peruvian Opal: Relatively rare and comes from the Andes in Peru, it is a moderately translucent stone with a blue-green color quite similar to the Caribbean Sea. This stone has soft relaxing energies, and lore tells us that it has the ability to remove the tension from any communication to help ideas to flow freely. It is told to soften the impact of stress from the outside world, helping one to release the trauma of old wounds, facilitating facing the future with a tranquil self healing nature. It is good for quieting the mind and helpful in aiding sleep.

Pink Peruvian Opal: Despite it's natural color, this is not a soft pillow-y kind of energy, but rather incredibly vibrant and stimulating. It raises ones spirit and elevates the mood. This "euphoria" is not the kind that you lose your thought process, but it more attunes you to the natural pulse of love, which of course brings about the shift in attitude, mood and mind. Which in turn helps in balancing the art of giving and receiving. Often we are drawn to one or the other, and have trouble balancing...this opal will help one to see that both side (like ying & yang) are necessary and both are needed for wholeness.

Healing Properties:

Opal are known to strengthen the will to live. Linked to the heart, and told to stimulate the glands and regulate the metabolism. Opal has a beneficial effect on the human psyche, pouring a warm healing energy on broken hears and restoring harmony.

White: Greatly increases general productivity through activation of the necessary glands. Regularizes the biorhythms of the wearing, avoiding discordant energies which may lead to uncontrolled behavior between frantic activity or total inactivity. Harmonizing desire, creating lovemaking rather than pure appetite, restores pleasure to eating which alleviates food related disorders.

Fire: This opal supports through emotional turmoil, and is a wonderful stone in releasing and letting go of the past. It resonates with the abdomen and lower back and the triple burner meridian. It heals the intestines as well as the kidneys, balancing the adrenal glands and preventing burn out. It also stimulates the sexual organs, and is an excellent stone for warming and re-energizing.

Blue: Emotional soother that helps to realign one to their spiritual purpose. It is useful when past life experiences are affecting the present life, these can be healed through the etheric blueprint.

Blue-Green (Chrysopal): Detoxifies and regenerates the liver as well as relieving feelings of constriction from the heart and chest.

Green: Green opal strengthens the immune system and helps to alleviate colds and flu.

Pink: It can be particularly helpful in healing head aches caused by blocked or unopened third eye chakras. Ti promotes tissue regenerating and heals blood disorders, muscle tension as well as spinal disorders and menopausal symptoms which may afflict.

Black-Brown-Gray: Particularly useful for releasing sexual tension that arises from an emotional cause, as well as for processing and integrating newly found or released emotions. Black opals will absorb pain and/or illness, replacing it with a healing rainbow of light. It may ease chronic bone problems or weaknesses and any disease deep within the body tissue. Use it to counter side effects fro modern x-ray or laser treatments as well as to reduce the toxicity of necessary chemical treatments.


Magical Properties:

Energy: Projective, Receptive
Element: All Elements
Deity: Cupid
Powers: Astral projection, psychism, beauty, money. luck and power

To many the opal has been known as a stone of sorrow, misfortune and bad luck. This however is a modern idea, and untrue. The opal contains all of the colors as well as all of the qualities of all other stones. And as such, an opal may be "programmed" or charged with virtually every type of energy used in all spells involving all magical needs.

Opals are worn during trips of astral projection to facilitate the process but also for protection. Opals are used to recall past incarnations, and is favored by many to develop psychic powers. Jewelry is the best for this aspect, especially ideal are earrings. Opals are worn to bring inner beauty to the surface, and one should carry or use and opal to dedicated oneself to improving outward appearance.

Fire opals are often used in spells for drawing money. They are effective in use within rituals to increase passion in a relationship. It is excellent for working with the four elements and channeling the energies of the fire spirits in a positive way.

Black opals are prized by magicians and Wiccans as strong power stones. More recently in Wiccan rituals used as God stone (white opal being the Goddess stone) Black opal amplifies power magically and an amulet of black opal attracts good fortune.

All opals are considered luck-bringing stones.

A warning...opals are extremely sensitive to the energies and vibrations of the wearer, projecting the exact same vibrations as the bearer of the stone. Which on one hand makes an opal a wonderful manifestation stone. If one truly believes in an idea strong enough, the stone will beam those positive vibrations out, thus attracting just what you hold possible in your mind. However, on the other hand, your negative vibrations will also be broadcast with the same amount of power. Do not use opal if you are feeling down, pessimistic or negative in any way, you will only compound the issue.

Zodiac

Associations: All Planets

Modern Birthstone for the month of October.

Stone of Cancer, Libra, Pisces and Scorpio, and said to be ruled by Mercury. 

Chakra Classification:

Due to all of the colors contained in this stone, it may be used to work on any and all of the chakras.

Blue: resonates the 5th, or Throat Chakra and can enhance communication, especially that of which has been suppressed through lack of self confidence. Rainbow blue opal cleanses and gently energizes the aura and all the chakras.

Pink: Aids in cleansing and activating the 1st, or Root/Base Chakra and 2nd, or Sacral/Navel Chakra. Promotes a feeling of being centered. It can be particularly helpful in healing head aches caused by blocked or unopened 6th, or Third Eye/Brow Chakra.

Black-Brown-Grey: resonates with the 2nd, or Sacral/Navel Chakra as well as the reproductive organs. Use with fluorite to clean the aura and prevent cording.