10
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The Criteria for Stone Selection—Choosing the “Right” Stone
The stones described in the materia medica are presented in sections according to their broad therapeutic application. The first section lists quartz crystals, stones that are very safe to use therapeutically and are historically classified as enhancing or harmonizing stones.
The second section describes the transformative stones, so called because these stones were traditionally used to transform illness into a conscious cultivation of life. They demonstrate an evolutionary process of purification, from the bands and specks of agate through the clearer colors of chalcedony and jasper to the “completion” of jade.
The next sections are organized according to the anatomical terrains of Wei Qi, Ying Qi, and Yuan Qi, a model that offers a way to make decisions about which stones to use for various kinds of conditions. For example, if a person finds it difficult to manage the external environment, perhaps manifesting as chronic allergies, or as emotional issues related to boundaries or mood, look at the Defensive/Wei Qi section for appropriate stone choices. Stones included in the Nourishing/Ying Qi section address health issues related to Blood; these can include digestive and emotional conditions. Consult the Source/Yuan Qi section for a person who has hormonal issues, a very deep and chronic health condition, or an emotional issue related to her or his constitution or temperament.
The section on the alchemical stones is included more for historical completeness than for practical application, because using these potent, toxic stones requires considerable knowledge and personal cultivation.
Lists of specific therapeutic actions and related stones are included at the end of the text.
Each stone included in the materia medica is listed with categories that describe its therapeutic function. The energetic qualities described by Chinese medicine include the nature, taste, and affinity of a substance as well as its characteristics based on the law of signatures, such as color, hardness, and level of formation. There are also qualities listed that are recognized by Western science, such as crystal structure and chemical composition.
The different qualities of stones provide guidance when choosing stones for their therapeutic effects. We might base our choice on the color of the stone, especially if working with chakras. Chemical composition is particularly important when making an elixir with a combination of stones. Crystal structure plays an important role if we are working with temperaments or the Nine Palaces.
There are other reasons to choose a particular stone. We might have a spontaneous attraction to its color, shape, or weight. Scientific knowledge or channeled information may help us decide. Trusting spiritual guidance is also valid; simply close your eyes and choose a stone from a selection that is pertinent to whatever issue you want to address—perhaps boundaries, digestive conditions, or a curriculum issue—based on the attributes that make the most sense, such as color, chemical composition, or hardness, among others.
Color and Light
To understand color, we must first understand light. Light is a form of electromagnetic radiation vibrating at a frequency that allows us to see it. There are other forms of electromagnetic radiation that vibrate at a different frequency, such as far-infrared and microwaves. These forms of radiation yield heat but no visible light.
What We See
When we see light, we can imagine that we are looking at energy. Light exhibits both particle and wave properties. It consists of particles called photons (the elemental particles of light) that move in a wavelike fashion. Within the spectrum of visible light, the range of colors is produced by differing wavelengths emitted by photons and is a reflection of the wavelengths that the dense objects around us are unable to absorb. Light from the sun is white because it contains all the different wavelengths in the visible spectrum.
Physiological Impact
There is a physiological component to light. The sun is the Yang of our world and it affects the Yang of our own bodies as it brings its warmth to nourish our Defensive/Wei Qi.
We absorb light through our eyes, and this light regulates the production of melatonin, a hormone involved with sleep and the ability to transition to new time zones when we travel. Seasonal affective disorder, a condition in which people have difficulty adjusting to changes in the seasons, is attributed to the diminished light of the winter season. People who suffer from this disorder usually have a sense of darkness in their own lives, and they might benefit from dark-colored stones that absorb light and heat. For example, wearing a black tourmaline pendant or drinking an elixir including Apache tears might help with the depression associated with the lack of sunlight.
We absorb light through our skin, and our bodies draw the external light from the sun deeply into the level of our constitution. The external Fire of the sun affects our metabolism of vitamin D and calcium to support the health of our bones, which are in the domain of the Kidneys. The darkness of Water/the Kidneys absorbs the radiance of the sun’s light, and the Fire of our Heart reflects the radiance back outward as we interact with the world.
Absorption, Reflection, and Refraction
Dark-colored objects absorb light and heat. Light-colored objects reflect light and heat, like a mirror. Refraction creates our color spectrum. When light enters a dense object, the density interferes with its vibrational frequency and the wavelength compresses. If the dense object is a transparent crystal, light is absorbed and then refracted, sometimes to produce the rainbows we see in some crystals. Rainbows occur when the stone contains water; it is the same effect we see when a rainbow appears in the sky after a rain shower. Rainbows sometimes appear in quartz crystals and Herkimer diamonds, as well as in some clear selenite. In stone medicine, stones that show rainbows are strong amplifiers of the properties of other stones.
Other stones that clearly demonstrate refraction are labradorite, moonstone, and opal. When light penetrates these stones it cannot pass straight through but hits layers in the structure that bend the light, causing the changing colors we associate with these stones. Another example of a stone’s refraction of light is optical calcite, which appears clear to the eye, but when we look through it, the images beyond are magnified or distorted.
Another group includes stones that respond to ultraviolet light. These stones are fluorescent; one of the most popular is fluorite. Blue fluorite will look green when put under ultraviolet light. Green fluorite will look blue. The chemical makeup of the fluorescent stones emanates the heat and light that they absorb differently than most other minerals, and their color is not necessarily from the refraction or reflection that we see with other stones.
Spiritual Illumination
Spiritual traditions tell us that everything emanates light. We, and everything around us, are always interacting—absorbing, reflecting, and refracting—light. From the spiritual point of view, as people cultivate and refine their bodies and minds they are able to absorb more and more of the light that permeates everything. The images we have of saints and bodhisattvas all show them emitting an aura of white light, because they are able to absorb all the wavelengths of light, all the colors in the visible spectrum, which, when they mingle, become white in color.
If we lived in a world without light we would not be able to see any color; we would not see contrasts. When we turn on the light we see discrete objects. The saints and bodhisattvas have cultivated themselves, however, to the degree that they no longer see everything as different, as separate. Instead they see the similarities, the merging of all differences. Constant illumination occurs when the Fire of the Heart shines into the darkness of the Kidneys. These practitioners have accomplished their “illumination.” It is through their compassion and their light that they illuminate the darkness that most of us experience over the course of our lives.
Our Auras of Light
Those of us who have not yet achieved the level of the saints and bodhisattvas reflect the colors we are unable to absorb, which manifest as our auras. These colors are clues to our curriculum in this life—the lessons we need to master.
Time isn’t as forward moving as we imagine. Things that we construe as being in the present have already happened. It takes about eight seconds for light from the sun to reach us, but that same light initiated inside the sun many thousands of years ago.*8 We are fulfilling something that has already been set in motion, something that has already been recorded in the past.
Light is not just hitting us, however; we are also emitting light. There are different systems of defining the auras of light that surround our bodies. Here we discuss three layers of energy and light, or three spiritual bodies that surround and engage with our process of materialization. These bodies are in another dimension that contains the purpose of our materialization.
The layer of energy closest to our bodies is sometimes called the astral, etheric, or plasmic body. This is the body of light that seeks manifestation as it condenses. In the process of condensation it develops color and a degree of tangibility and visibility before it fully materializes into the physical body. This process gives birth to the soul and is the embodiment of the Spirit. It is seen, by those who have the ability, as the aura directly surrounding our bodies. It reflects what we are manifesting right now. This is the layer of light associated with the Po/Earthbound soul. It is associated with yin and Metal, the color white, and the Lungs, with their relationship to the present moment. White gives a background to reflect the “color of our life”—that is, the colors we cannot absorb, the assigned lessons we have not been able to complete in our curriculum.
As the light and color extend further out from the physical body there emerges another layer of colored light. The next light-body layer is reflective of the unresolved lessons in this life that have not yet materialized. These lessons will appear at some point during our lives, but the timing is determined by the innate knowing of the Hun/soul of the Liver, which doles out our lessons page by page, in the right order. (See chapter 6, “The Souls of the Organs,” for more in-depth discussion).
Beyond the light of unresolved curricula is the Big Shen, with its endless possibilities. The third light body is called the mental or causal body. This is the consciousness that is creating this reality, this destiny—the Spirit with its desire for experience.
The Colors
When we are planning a stone treatment, if we are unsure of what stone to use we can begin by choosing based on color. The colors we see can come purely from the stone’s interaction with light, from its chemical composition, or from heat or other radiation effects in the Earth to which the stone was subjected during or subsequent to its formation. Stones whose color has been unnaturally changed through irradiation or dying are less desirable when we are using them internally as an elixir, but for physical application they are still useful.
The following discussion of color is based on the Five Element theory, discussed in chapter 4.
Green: Wood Element—Liver
Green identifies our intention to work with the Liver. Therapeutically, the color green is always detoxifying, invigorating, and regulating. Green generally has the strongest effect on physical conditions, but it is also beneficial for mental and emotional conditions.
The color green is associated with self-regeneration. When we are stressed the Liver stagnates and accumulates toxicity. The Kidneys are called upon to help the Liver cleanse itself. When the Liver Qi is moving smoothly, the Kidneys are able to rest in order to bring about self-renewal.
Popular examples: Amazonite, green aventurine, emerald, peridot, green tourmaline
Palaces: Health and wealth
Chakra: Heart. Green is appropriate to address both physical and mental conditions.
Potential mineral content: Aluminum, chlorite, chromium, copper, iron, nickel, vanadium
Typical affinities: Liver
Red: Fire Element—Heart and Pericardium
The red color represents Fire; it is the most yang of the colors. Red produces warmth and movement. The effects of red tend to reflect outward to the periphery of the body by bringing blood circulation to the extremities. It is associated with high stamina and activity; love, sexuality, and sensuality; and being high-spirited.
There are many shades of red, including pink.
Popular examples: Red calcite, carnelian, red garnet, red jasper, rhodochrosite, rose quartz, rhodonite, ruby, red tiger eye
Palaces: Prosperity and relationship
Chakra: Root
Potential mineral content: Iron (usually igneous), manganese (usually metamorphic)
Typical affinities: Heart and/or Pericardium
In the alchemical language of personal transformation, the different shades of red are likened to the colors of burning embers in a wood fire. Red connotes heat and the illumination that heat engenders. When wood is consumed by fire, the burning coals glimmer with reds and oranges. With sufficient fuel the glimmering coals radiate bright yellow light and heat. Between the yellow light and the reds and oranges is a blue light.
The dark, bluish color that surrounds the fire is water. Fire and Water are partners in the motivating force that pushes us toward a more conscious, meaningful life—a life that can bring light out into the world. To transform ourselves we have to bring our consciousness back to its source, back to the darkness of our origin, and illuminate that consciousness with Fire.
The observation of the flame is the basis for a grading system of the different colors of red, which are given distinct qualities that associate with different stages of cultivation as we go through our lives as conscious, evolving beings.
Dan/Dark Red
In alchemical language, red is the Fire that motivates the transmutation of Essence into Spirit. This red, when added to the black of Essence/Jing, becomes a very dark red called the elixir red or dan. It is deep red, not shiny, and it is associated with Blood, with tangibility. It brings Blood, or consciousness, to the constitutional level of the Kidneys and supports Heart–Kidney communication. It is the color we think of for the early stages of meditation when our mind has many distractions that disturb our ability to concentrate, and when we place our attention on the lower abdominal region. Garnet is the most representative stone for this color. Garnet works to cleanse the Blood of emotional issues that interfere with spiritual practice and to manage the emotional upheavals in life.
Hong/Shining Orange Red
As the first stage of spiritual cultivation, our concentration on the lower abdomen generates heat that invigorates the Essence/Jing. At the second stage, this heat begins to generate light. The red associated with this stage of cultivation is called hong, and it is the shiny orange red of carnelian. At this stage the alchemical process involves the illumination that emanates from the heat. This quality is called Emitting Yang/Yangming. As we confront our dark night of the soul, we can bring this light to support us. Ruby is another stone with this quality of color.
Zhu/Bright Red Orange/Vermilion
The third stage introduces the quality of color called zhu, the bright orange red of cinnabar/zhu sha. Cinnabar has very concentrated Qi. It is a soft stone, but it is quite heavy and dense. Its density causes it to have a very high refractive index, even higher than that of diamond. It yields a brilliant shine.
In the process of spiritual cultivation we must examine all the difficulties and negativities of life, all the poisons that separate us from Spirit. Cinnabar, with its mercury content, is poisonous. It is the most important of the alchemical stones because it has the ability to transform its density and toxicity into brilliant light.
Red and Blue: Fire and Water Elements—Heart and Kidneys
At the culmination of the third stage of cultivation, red meets blue and we begin to see shades of purple and lavender. Fire burns the impurities held in the darkness of Water’s Essence/Jing, causing it to become the color purple. The color purple is associated with the elevation of Spirit/Shen. This process renews us. We become capable of hope and optimism, and of emanating divine love rather than seeking love from others. At this level of cultivation there is a devotion to a higher cause.
Popular examples: Amethyst, charoite, purple fluorite, lepidolite, sugilite
Palaces: Relationship and vocation
Chakra: Crown
Potential mineral content: Fluorine, iron, lithium, manganese
Typical affinities: Heart and/or Kidney
The violet color helps us overcome depression and difficulties by engendering optimism and hope. The color penetrates to the ancestral vessels of Penetrating/Chong, Conception/Ren, and Governor/Du and supports the Heart–Kidney relationship. Violet also affects the Marrow, and hence the DNA. Violet-colored stones especially indicated for the Penetrating Vessel/Chong Mai are amethyst and chevron amethyst, and we have chevron amethyst for the Conception Vessel/Ren Mai and charoite for the Governor Vessel/Du Mai.
Amethyst, one of the most popular of the violet stones, helps us discover our own voice, our own words, by opening the throat chakra.
Orange and Yellow: Earth Element—Stomach and Spleen
The orange and yellow colors are associated with the Earth element. In the Five Element cycle, Fire passes its light and heat on to the Earth, offering us an opportunity to reflect on our boundaries and the possibility of making change. The alchemical image is of heat burning up impurities, cremating the things no longer needed in life and ultimately leaving only shining light.
Yellow
Yellow is the color of Earth. It is grounding and confers a sense of harmony and peace. The yellow color has a strong association with digestion and metabolism. It also represents generosity and abundance. If we have stagnation and accumulation, we are not able to demonstrate our abundance by giving things away.
Popular examples: Amber; yellow, golden, or honey calcite; citrine; yellow jasper
Palaces: Health and wealth
Chakra: Solar plexus
Common mineral content: Iron
Typical affinities: Spleen, Stomach, and/or Liver
Orange
Orange is the combination of red, with its excitement and vitality, and yellow, with its harmony and stability. The Earth/yellow tempers the Fire/red.
The orange color relates primarily to digestion, but it also helps us rid ourselves of the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that haunt us. Orange stones are used to reduce desires and thirst and to improve memory and concentration.
Popular examples: Carnelian, sunstone
Palace: Health and wealth
Chakra: Navel/sacral
Potential mineral content: Iron
Typical affinities: Spleen, Heart, and/or Lung
White or Clear: Metal Element—Lungs
White stones have the ability to reflect heat. If we place a white stone on an area of inflammation and rest with it in a darkened room, it reflects heat out of the body. In normal light the white stone can reflect away radiation that is coming toward us.
Transparent stones absorb light, and if the stone contains water, rainbows can appear inside it. Some people believe that the rainbows give birth to possibilities; they are important when working on the auric body. Transparent stones direct Yang Qi upward. Translucent stones absorb Qi and direct Yang Qi downward.
Many of the white and transparent stones are soft, making them effective for acute conditions.
Popular examples: Calcite, quartz crystal, selenite
Palaces: Creativity and travel
Chakra: Crown (in some traditions)
Potential mineral content: Calcium, silica
Typical affinities: Lung
Black or Dark Blue: Water Element—Kidneys
Black
Black absorbs light. When the whole rainbow of color is absorbed, it becomes black, the absence of color.
Black is about detachment. It is no longer interested in all the myriad colors. It dissolves the other colors; it dissolves stagnation. It is mysterious but also protective. Black is very close to indigo, the “supreme color that is becoming black.”
These dark-colored stones are associated with Water and the Kidneys. They absorb and mobilize Yang energy toward the Kidneys so that we have the energy to do what we want to do. If we find ourselves always doing the things we do not want to do, we waste and exhaust our Kidney Yang. Activity is regenerative if what we are doing corresponds to our innermost desires.
Popular examples: Jet, onyx, black tourmaline
Palace: Knowledge and wisdom
Chakra: Root
Potential mineral content: Carbon
Typical affinities: Kidney
Blue
Blue’s effects are inwardly absorbed by the movement of energy from the Liver to the Kidneys. It is generally regulating.
Blue represents renewal. Sky blue represents new beginnings. Dark blue helps us fathom the depths and, by diving deeply, rediscover an aspect of self that has been lost. It requires us to rekindle self-awareness.
Popular examples: Azurite, blue lace agate or chalcedony, lapis lazuli, sodalite
Palace: Knowledge and wisdom
Chakra: Throat and third eye
Potential mineral content: Copper—but only for azurite; the other blue stones listed above are colored by factors other than chemical composition
Typical affinities: Liver and/or Kidney
Blue stones have a particular affinity to the Curious Organs.
Brain: Blue lace agate, aquamarine, azurite, cavansite, celestite, kyanite, lapis lazuli, larimar
Uterus: Angelite, azurite, hemimorphite, kyanite
Gall Bladder: Blue fluorite, blue tourmaline
Bone: Aquamarine, cavansite, celestite
Marrow: Blue lace agate, lapis lazuli, larimar
Blue and Green Combined: Water and Wood—Kidneys and Liver
Stones that combine the colors of blue and green represent the emergence from the darkness of Water (Kidney) into the renewal of Wood (Liver). They act as emissaries from the Kidneys to the Liver. All blue and green stones have a strong detoxifying effect on the Liver. If they are also cooling, these stones clear Fire Toxins. They all regulate Qi.
Popular examples: Azurite-malachite, chrysocolla
Palaces: Health and wealth
Chakra: The combination of blue and green can be a bridge between the heart chakra and the throat or third eye chakra.
Common mineral content: Copper
Typical affinities: Liver and/or Kidney
Fluorescent Stones
Color can sometimes be deceiving. Sometimes what is visible differs from what is subliminal. We see people’s bodies, but not the subliminal color—the aura, the process of light gaining density. When we shine ultraviolet light on some stones we see a different color than what we see in ordinary daylight or incandescent light. These fluorescent stones help adjust and balance our auric fields. The most popular is fluorite.
Chemical Composition
The chemical composition of stones is particularly important when we are considering combinations for elixirs. Dr. Marie-France Muller notes in her Colloidal Minerals and Trace Elements that ancient Greek and Egyptian medicine treated many illnesses by having patients drink water in which stones had soaked or from vessels made of a particular stone. She further points out that these elixirs are a form of oligotherapy, a therapy popular in Europe, which uses minute quantities of trace elements to balance health conditions. Indeed, large doses of many of these minerals can be toxic, but extremely small amounts are critical for physical and emotional health. For example, extremely minute doses of aluminum are a requirement for cognitive function and sleep, but larger doses are implicated in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.*9 Minute doses of copper are required for iron to form hemoglobin, but too much can cause anemia or hypertension. Low-dose lithium has been shown to promote longevity;*10 the high doses used for bipolar disorder can cause kidney damage.
Minerals are inorganic substances that regulate many different functions in the body. Minerals do not furnish energy, but their metabolic functions make it possible for the body to generate energy. They work at the cellular level, supporting permeability and the normal functioning of cells throughout the body. They are the building blocks of bodily tissues, including the bones and bone marrow, as well as the muscles, connective tissue, hair, and skin. They nourish and regulate the blood and fluids. They regulate the acid-alkaline balance. They are involved in enzymatic reactions and in making use of the amino acids of proteins.
In short, they are essential to the proper functioning of all living things.
There are the macronutrient minerals: sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, chloride, potassium, and calcium. These are well-studied substances; much is known about their effects on the physiological functions and structures of human beings, animals, and plants.
There are the micronutrient minerals, which include the essential trace elements such as manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, boron, chromium, fluoride, and silicon, among others. Most of these minerals can be toxic in large doses, mostly through the inhalation of powder or microscopic particles in an industrial environment. Until recently, most of the research projects concerning themselves with these micronutrient minerals have focused on the dangers of overexposure. Research is beginning to focus on the potential benefits of the micronutrient minerals, but there remains a dearth of information concerning the benefits of many trace minerals.
This discussion addresses only those elements that are typically found in stone medicine.
When we use chemical composition as a factor for selecting stones, we rely on the chemical formula. Formulas represent the bare bones of a stone’s mineral content; a stone might also include many traces of “imperfections” that are not included in the formula. Without laboratory testing it is impossible to know for sure what trace elements might be included with the major chemical constituents.
Concern for Heavy Metals—Use a Potentiated Crystal
In stone medicine the amounts of trace minerals we might consume in elixir form are very small. There is, nevertheless, the possibility that the water we drink will absorb the actual substance of minerals and metals included in a stone. This is especially true with relatively soft stones, which over time dissolve in the water.
If we are uncertain about possible impurities and have concern about toxic minerals, such as heavy metals, we need to place the stone on a quartz crystal for at least twenty-four hours, and then instead of using the potentially toxic stone, substitute the potentiated quartz crystal in the elixir. The crystal imbues the water with the vibrations of the stone and the trace minerals it contains. An elixir made in such a way is completely safe.
The color of some stones is caused by the trace minerals they contain. For example, emerald is part of the beryl group, beryllium aluminum silicate. The only reason emerald is green, however, is because it always includes chromium, even though chromium does not appear in its chemical formula. Similarly, in order to have its brilliant blue color, sapphire always includes traces of titanium and iron along with its primary constituent of aluminum oxide. For these types of stones the inclusion of a trace mineral can be part of our selection strategy. In the materia medica, these types of mineral inclusions are noted in boldface type in the chemical composition category, along with the chemical formula. Otherwise, unless a particular stone has been lab tested, when creating a combination we can only consider the major elements shown in the formula, because the trace elements are so variable.
The following listing of minerals and trace elements is arranged according to broad therapeutic functions.
Skeletal Structure
Besides calcium, skeletal strength depends on many minerals, especially silica but also phosphorus, magnesium, boron, and strontium. (Although mentioned here, magnesium is included under “Regulate or Generate Fluids,” as that is its primary function in this discussion.)
Calcium (Ca)
Calcium binds. It offers stability, hardness, and physicality. It is required for bone formation and blood clotting. Calcium has an alkalizing or cooling effect on the body.
Organs/Channels/Glands
Spleen, Kidneys
Functions and Uses
Clears Heat and acidity; helps regulate the acid/alkaline balance. Indicated for:
– sprains, strains, muscle cramps
– headaches
– anxiety, aggressiveness
– insomnia
Tonifies and regulates Spleen Qi, for digestion and for managing the Blood. Indicated for:
– poor digestive health
– varicose veins
– poor clotting
Builds Essence/Jing; supports development and maintenance of healthy bones; regulates hormonal secretion. Indicated for:
– any conditions of the bone, teeth, and nervous system
– low back pain
– imbalances in insulin and parathyroid secretions
Detoxifying. Indicated for:
– heavy metal toxicity, especially lead and cadmium
Sample Stones
Apatite, aragonite, calcite, fluorite, garnet (andradite, demantoid, grossular, hessonite, topazolite, tsavorite, uvarovite), gypsum, pearl, selenite, stalactite
Color
White
Mineral Interactions
Magnesium and calcium have a balancing relationship. Magnesium helps keep calcium in solution. Together they are involved with muscle contraction and blood clotting: calcium promotes these processes; magnesium inhibits them. The relationship between the two minerals regulates blood pressure and lung function.
Silica supports the body’s ability to utilize calcium efficiently. Dr. Louis Kervan, author of Biological Transmutations, theorizes that silica transmutes into calcium.
Copper is required to fix calcium in the bones and helps raise the tissue calcium level.
Chlorine forms hydrochloric acid in the stomach in order to digest protein properly, which is required for calcium utilization.
Calcium binds with excess sodium in the body; it is excreted when the body senses that sodium levels must be lowered. If too much salt (table salt and processed foods) is ingested, calcium is lost through excretion of the salt.
Excess phosphorus binds to calcium, impairing the absorption of calcium from the intestines.
Lead and cadmium are antagonistic to calcium, replacing it in the bones and elsewhere.
Silica (Si)
Silica has the primary function of developing and maintaining the structural and functional integrity of the connective tissues and the skeletal system. The presence of silica in drinking water may benefit brain function.*11 When silica is in solution with water, it forms a mild silicic acid. There is little information about how the pH of silica affects the body.
Organs/Channels/Glands
Kidneys, Spleen, Liver
Functions and Uses
Disseminates Essence/Jing; regulates the waterways. Indicated for:
– premature aging
– dental and gum disease
– wounds, damaged tissue
– calcium deposits in soft tissues; cardiovascular conditions
– osteoporosis, arthritis, bone spurs, structural failure
– brittle nails and hair, loss of elasticity in the skin
– hormonal imbalances
– conditions affecting the nervous system
– weakened immunity
Tonifies Spleen Qi. Indicated for:
– poor digestion
– Crohn’s disease
Sample Stones
Agate, amazonite, aventurine, chalcedony, jasper, obsidian, quartz crystals, tourmaline
Color
White or colorless
Mineral Interactions
Silica helps manage calcium by depositing it in the bone.
Phosphorus (P)
Phosphorus is important in calcium metabolism to support the bones. It helps maintain osmotic pressure of the fluids. It has an acidifying or warming effect on the body. Phosphorus helps the body store Qi. It consolidates the Qi and benefits people who are recovering from long-term illness.
When we see people who have a luster to their skin it indicates that they have stored, surplus energy. Phosphorus gives stones a glow. When we ingest water containing phosphate stones, it helps the body store Qi.
Organs/Channels/Glands
Heart, Spleen, Kidneys
Thymus gland
Functions and Uses
Benefits the Essence/Jing/DNA and RNA. Indicated for:
– tooth decay, fragile bones, reproductive problems, stunted growth
– fatigue
– weak immunity
– infertility
Directs energy toward the bones; promotes latency. Indicated for:
– convalescents
Benefits the Spleen. Indicated for:
– muscular weakness
Sample Stones
Apatite
Color
White
Mineral Interactions
Regulates the absorption of calcium and many trace elements
Strontium (Sr)
In small to moderate doses, strontium enhances the deposition of calcium into the bones. In large doses, it has the opposite effect.
Organs/Channels/Glands
Kidneys
Functions and Uses
Consolidates to the Kidney; prevents leakage to promote latency. Indicated for:
– poor bone growth, bone cancer
– lack of willpower and conviction
– loss of Qi, collapse of Qi
Sample Stones
Celestite
Color
Silvery white
Mineral Interactions
Enhances the deposition of calcium into the bones.
Boron (B)
Western research on the effects of boron on the human body is limited, but it is known to deposit into the bones and benefit cell membranes. Although alkaline in nature, it may be mildly acidic when ingested.*12
Organs/Channels/Glands
Kidneys
Functions and Uses
Supports the Essence/Jing. Indicated for:
– osteoporosis
– hormonal imbalances: increases production of estrogen and testosterone
Clears Empty Heat, Full Heat, and Damp-Heat. Indicated for:
– postmenopausal symptoms: hot flashes, vaginal dryness
– swollen gums, loose teeth
– gout
– fungal infections, vaginitis
– osteoarthritis
Sample Stones
Danburite, dumortierite, howlite, tourmaline
Color
White
Mineral Interactions
Boron affects the metabolism or utilization of numerous substances involved in life processes, including calcium, copper, and magnesium.†13
Energetic Function—Qi
Oxygen (O)
Oxygen is fundamental to creating energy in the body. It is not a mineral, but since it is one of the most plentiful elements in the atmosphere and the crust of the Earth, many stones form in its presence, and oxygen appears in their chemical formulas. Oxygen itself has no pH value, but insufficient oxygenation in the body is associated with acidity.
Organs/Channel/Glands
Lungs
Functions and Uses
Grounds and anchors. Indicated for:
– shortness of breath
– anxiety
Sample Stones
Agate, aventurine, boji stones, chalcedony, chrysocolla, chrysoprase, goethite, hematite, jasper, magnetite, obsidian, opal, quartz crystals, tourmaline
Color
Colorless
Mineral Interactions
Mineral interactions and oxygen occur more often in nature than in the human physiology. Many minerals interact with oxygen while they form, and they may subsequently be affected by oxidation, or rust.
Sulfur (S)
Sulfur supports cell permeability for nourishment and detoxification. Being very yang in nature, it supports energetic function more than substance. It has an acidic or warming effect on the body.
Organs/Channels/Glands
Kidneys, Spleen, Liver
Functions and Uses
Consolidates/recycles Yang Qi to Mingmen. Indicated for:
– conditions of aging, such as structural deterioration (skin, hair, nails)
– leakage of Qi, excessive sweating
– weakened immunity: infection, recurrent ear-nose throat ailments
– asthma
– migraines
Warming for Cold Bi/Obstruction syndrome. Indicated for:
– joint pain, inflammation due to Heat responding to Cold
– osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis
Directs Yang Qi upward, allowing for the conversion of Kidney Yang to Spleen Qi; supports Stomach Fire. Indicated for:
– poor digestion, especially of protein
– heartburn (due to insufficient stomach acid)
– gastritis
Tonifies Spleen Qi. Indicated for:
– poor metabolism of carbohydrates and sugar; diabetes
Regulates the Liver and Gall Bladder. Indicated for:
– poor fat metabolism, inadequate bile production
Clears Fire Toxins. Indicated for:
– heavy metal toxicity
– environmental pollutants, radiation
– cellular damage due to free radicals
Regenerates Essence/Jing. Indicated for:
– scar tissue
Sample Stones
Sulfur; any sulfate, such as anhydrite, barite, celestite, gypsum, or selenite; safer forms: dolomite, lapis lazuli
Color
Yellow
Mineral Interactions
Sulfur absorbs and helps the body rid itself of excess aluminum. It also has an antagonistic relationship with calcium, copper, and potassium.
Blood—Nourishment
Iron (Fe)
Iron acts to form red blood cells and hemoglobin and distributes oxygen throughout the body. Iron has an acidifying, warming effect on the body.
Organs/Channels/Glands
Spleen, Lungs
Functions and Uses
Nourishes Spleen Blood; invigorates Blood. Indicated for:
– blood deficiency, anemia
– fatigue, pallor, dizziness, hair loss, brittle nails
– muscle weakness
– blood stasis, clots, embolism
Tonifies Lung Qi. Indicated for:
– shortness of breath
– weakened immunity
– fatigue
Supports Stomach Fire. Indicated for:
– insufficient digestive acid
Sample Stones
Garnet, hematite, pyrite, tiger eye
Color
Yellow, brown, sometimes green
Mineral Interactions
Iron requires the presence of copper to form hemoglobin.
Copper (Cu)
Copper powerfully moves Qi and Blood. It is essential for the normal development and maintenance of blood, bone, nerves, collagen, and connective tissues. It is anti-inflammatory and anti-infective. As a toxic metal, copper probably has an acidic effect on the body.
Organs/Channels/Glands
Liver, Kidneys
Functions and Uses
Nourishes Liver Blood. Indicated for:
– anemia
– hair loss
– prematurely gray hair
Moves Blood to expel Wind. Indicated for:
– neurological conditions
– overexcitation
– itchy skin conditions
Tonifies and conducts Qi. Indicated for:
– infections and viral illnesses, influenza
– fatigue
– impaired nerve transmission
Detoxifying for the Blood, especially venous blood. Indicated for:
– varicose veins, pigmentation disorders
Clears Heat and Fire Toxins. Indicated for:
– rheumatoid arthritis, joint pain
– cellular damage due to free radicals
Sample Stones
Azurite, chrysocolla, dioptase, malachite, turquoise
Color
Green, blue
Mineral Interactions
Copper is essential for iron absorption and transportation and for the production of hemoglobin.
Zinc is an antidote for copper toxicity.
Manganese (Mn)
Manganese affects Spleen and Heart Blood. It promotes a healthy nervous system, bone growth, and immune function, is necessary for protein and fat metabolism, and may be required for utilizing the B vitamins. As a toxic metal, it is likely to have an acidic effect on the body.
Organs/Channels/Glands
Spleen, Heart
Functions and Uses
Nourishes Heart Blood; calms the Shen. Indicated for:
– emotional reactivity, irritability
Clears Heat. Indicated for:
– inflammation, especially of the nerves, such as with multiple sclerosis
– diabetes
– arthritis
Nourishes the Essence/Jing. Indicated for:
– poor skeletal growth
– fractures
– osteoporosis
– adrenal and thyroid imbalances
– infertility
Tonifies Spleen Qi; nourishes Spleen Blood. Indicated for:
– poor digestion, obesity
– hypoglycemia
– muscular weakness, including laxity of the ligaments and tendons
– fatigue, anemia
– dizziness
– phlegm
Supports Defensive/Wei Qi. Indicated for:
– allergies
– weakened immunity
– wound healing
Sample Stones
Mangano calcite, rhodochrosite, rhodonite
Color
Pinkish gray; oxidized manganese makes black specks or veining.
Mineral Interactions
Manganese and iron seem to have an antagonistic relationship. Magnesium and calcium appear to interfere with manganese bioavailability.
Lithium (Li)
Lithium calms the Shen. It supports brain function, especially as it relates to mood disorders. Lithium is an alkali salt. Because of its calming effect, it is probably alkaline in its effect on the body.
Organs/Channels/Glands
Heart, Kidneys
Functions and Uses
Calms the Shen; supports Heart–Kidney communication. Indicated for:
– emotional extremes, manic depression, anxiety, melancholy, nervousness, phobias, schizophrenia, suicidal ideation
– insomnia
Nourishes Blood. Indicated for:
– poor circulation
Subdues Wind; brings Blood to the Liver. Indicated for:
– high blood pressure
– neurological disorders
– muscle spasms, twitching
Sample Stones
Kunzite, lithium quartz
Color
Pale pink or colorless
Mineral Interactions
It is possible that lithium interferes with the absorption of calcium and potassium.*14
Cobalt (Co)
Cobalt is a constituent of vitamin B12 and contributes to the formation of red blood cells. As a toxic metal, it is likely acidic or warming in its effect on the human body.
Organs/Channels/Glands
Spleen
Functions and Uses
Nourishes Blood. Indicated for:
– pernicious anemia, circulatory disorders
– tachycardia
– fatigue, shortness of breath
Sample Stones
Cobaltoan dolomite
Color
Hot pink (only a very high percentage of cobalt will cause the deep blue color)
Mineral Interactions
Cobalt and nickel occur together in nature; in nutrition they are known to have a very close, balancing relationship. Manganese and sodium benefit the absorption of cobalt. Potassium, iron, magnesium, and chromium inhibit its absorption.
Invigorate Blood or Break Up Stagnation
Chromium (Cr)
Chromium is involved in maintaining blood sugar and energy levels as well as regulating cholesterol. As a toxic metal, chromium likely has an acidic effect on the body.
Organs/Channels/Glands
Liver, Spleen
Functions and Uses
Regulates the Middle Burner. Indicated for:
– diabetes, hyper- or hypoglycemia
– slow metabolism, obesity
– sugar cravings
Invigorates the Blood; breaks up Blood stagnation or Blood stasis. Indicated for:
– heart disease
– high cholesterol, high triglycerides
Benefits the Essence/Jing. Indicated for:
– poor growth, weak hair
– hormonal imbalances, especially insulin
Sample Stones
Green aventurine, emerald, ruby
Color
It is steely gray in its raw form but imparts a green color to stones.
Mineral Interactions
Little research is available on its mineral interactions.
Regulate or Generate Fluids
From the Chinese medical point of view, the Fluids are the medium in which Qi circulates in the body. Fundamental to Chinese medical thinking is yin and yang, the polarity of positive and negative energetic charge. Movement requires a balance of these two polarities.
The Fluids of the body have a strong correlation to the Western understanding of electrolytes. Electrolytes are positively or negatively charged minerals found in solution with the bodily fluids that perform many essential functions. They help distribute fluids both inside and outside the cells to maintain the correct water balance (osmotic pressure) and to regulate the acid/alkaline relationship. Electrolytes are distributed throughout the body’s fluids, including the blood, lymph, and intercellular fluids. They manage functions that are vital to all life processes, such as nerve transmission and cell growth.
From the Chinese medical point of view, the positively and negatively charged electrolyte solutions provide the medium in which Qi can circulate. By causing the movement of energy, the electrolytes relate to the Triple Heater mechanism, the process by which Essence is distributed to support the Internal Organs in all their functions. The major minerals that affect this process are magnesium, potassium, sodium, and chloride. These minerals help target the different regions of the body associated with the Three Burners: the chest (potassium), the middle abdomen (magnesium and chloride), and the lower abdomen (sodium).
Magnesium (Mg)
Magnesium is relaxing for the Middle Burner, home to the digestive organs. It regulates calcium as it is transported and deposited into bone and affects the permeability of cell membranes and nerve conductivity. It is necessary for tissue growth and development and for the function of the immune system. Magnesium has an alkalizing, cooling effect on the body.
Organs/Channels/Glands
Stomach, Spleen, Liver
Functions and Uses
Regulates Fluids; maintains volume and pressure of fluids. Indicated for:
– constipation, colitis, ulcers
– tissue calcification, kidney stones, grit in the urine
– muscle cramping, especially after exercise
Clears Heat and subdues Wind. Indicated for:
– fast heart rate, irregular heartbeat
– high blood pressure
– anxiety, irritability, nervous twitches and tics
– asthma
– seizures, hyperactive behavior
– muscle spasms, bronchial spasms, intestinal spasms, esophageal spasms
– numbness and tingling
– migraines
Sample Stones
Dolomite, magnesite
Color
White or colorless
Mineral Interactions
One of magnesium’s major roles is conducting nerve impulses and relaxing muscle tissue (including the heart muscle). Calcium and potassium stimulate muscle contraction; magnesium induces relaxation.
Too much phosphorus can hamper the absorption of magnesium.
Magnesium is involved in maintaining normal levels of intracellular calcium, potassium, and sodium.
Potassium (K)
Potassium regulates the Upper Burner, the home of the Heart and Lungs. These organs are responsible for distributing Qi and Blood throughout the body. Potassium affects intracellular fluid balance, muscle contraction, electrical signals between nerves and cells, and cell permeability. Potassium has an alkalizing effect on the body.
Organs/Channels/Glands
Heart, Lungs, Spleen
Functions and Uses
Regulates Fluid in the chest region. Indicated for:
– irregular heartbeat, rapid pulse
– hyper- or hypotension
– congestive heart failure
Regulates the waterways; governs the solubility of fluids/water. Indicated for:
– water retention
– lipomas, phlegm nodules
– muscle cramps
Tonifies Spleen Qi and its production and management of Blood. Indicated for:
– fatigue
– muscle weakness
– hypoglycemia
– poor digestion of carbohydrates
– depression
Sample Stones
Apophyllite
Color
Silvery white
Mineral Interactions
Potassium and sodium work together to control the balance of bodily fluids. Most potassium is found inside the cells; most sodium is found outside the cells. Potassium promotes urination; sodium promotes water retention. If potassium is low in relationship to sodium, high blood pressure can result.
Magnesium helps maintain potassium in the cells. Potassium and magnesium together govern the proper functioning of the heart muscle: potassium stimulates, magnesium relaxes.
Sodium (Na)
Sodium regulates fluid metabolism through its function of retaining fluids. It supports and maintains the volume and pressure of fluids in the tissues. It is responsible for the movement and conductivity of water. It resonates with the Lower Burner, home to the organs of elimination. Pure sodium is an alkaline salt. In combination with chloride, however, as in table salt, it has an acidic effect on the body.
Organs/Channels/Glands
Kidneys
Functions and Uses
Nourishes Fluids. Indicated for:
– low blood pressure, slow heart rate
Anchors Wind. Indicated for:
– dizziness
– allergies
Supports Stomach Fire. Indicated for:
– poor digestion, especially of protein
– abdominal bloating
–anorexia
– apathy, fatigue
Sample Stones
Sodalite
Color
Silvery white
Mineral Interactions
Potassium and sodium work together to control the balance of bodily fluids; sodium is extracellular, potassium is intracellular.
Chloride (Cl)
Chloride is needed for the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. It transmutes macronutrients into micronutrients. Chloride has an acidifying, warming effect on the body.
Organs/Channels/Glands
Stomach
Functions and Uses
Promotes Stomach Fire. Indicated for:
– poor digestion, especially of protein
– anemia
Sample Stones
Sodalite
Color
Colorless or white
Mineral Interactions
Chloride balances calcium’s alkalizing effect on the stomach. It is important for the assimilation and transportation of iron. Magnesium relaxes the Middle Burner; chloride stimulates it.
Hormonal Support
Beryllium (Be)
Western research has no information to offer about the effects of minute traces of beryllium. Most studies discuss the toxic effects of inhaled powder in industrial environments. Chinese medical understanding suggests that it nourishes Yin to support the hormones. It is an alkaline earth metal. Given the lack of research, we can only assume that by its Yin-nourishing quality it might have an alkalizing effect on the body.
Organs/Channels/Glands
Lungs, Stomach
Adrenals, thyroid, gonads
Functions and Uses
Nourishes Yin. Indicated for:
– hyperthyroidism, endometriosis
Generates Fluids to slow the exuberance of pathology.
Sample Stones
The beryls (such as aquamarine and emerald)
Color
White gray
Mineral Interactions
There is no research regarding beryllium interacting with other minerals in the human body.
Zinc (Zn)
Zinc is important for hormonal function, especially of the male reproductive system, and for insulin production and secretion. It is essential for taste and smell. It activates many key enzymes, as well as the production of white blood cells to strengthen the immune system. It is difficult to find definitive information about zinc’s acid-alkaline effect on the body. Based on many of its functions and uses, it has a stimulating effect on Defensive/Wei Qi, implying that it has a warming effect. At the same time, other functions and uses imply a cooling, alkalizing effect.
Organs/Channels/Glands
Kidneys, Lungs, Stomach
Prostate/sexual organs
Functions and Uses
Tonifies Kidneys and assists Kidneys’ grasping of Lung Qi. Indicated for:
– fatigue
– poor growth rate and mental development in infants
– conditions related to birth defects
– hair loss
– osteoporosis
Tonifies Lung Qi to secure the exterior. Indicated for:
– weak immunity
– delayed wound healing, postsurgical trauma
– skin conditions, acne, eczema
Nourishes Lung and Stomach Yin. Indicated for:
– conditions involving the mucous membrane of the respiratory or gastrointestinal tract, such as allergies, Crohn’s disease, and heartburn
– hormonal conditions, such as impotence, low libido, and low sperm count; prostate conditions; irregular insulin levels, hypoglycemia, diabetes; hypothyroidism
Protective of the Liver. Indicated for:
– alcoholics
– cirrhosis, fatty liver
– stress
Drains excess Dampness. Indicated for:
– candidiasis
– diarrhea
Nourishes and invigorates the Blood; calms the Shen. Indicated for:
– arteriosclerosis
– nervousness
Protective to the brain and sensory organs. Indicated for:
– lack of taste and smell
Sample Stones
Zincite
Color
In its natural pure form, it is bluish white.
Mineral Interactions
Zinc helps detoxify the body of toxic levels of copper as well as arsenic, cadmium, and lead.
Clear Heat
Aluminum (Al)
Minute doses of aluminum clear Heat affecting the Liver and causing neurological symptoms. In oligotherapy, aluminum is of particular value for all problems associated with the brain, such as mental sluggishness, attention deficit disorder, and memory loss. It also treats insomnia. Aluminum itself has no acid-alkaline relationship. Its functions and uses, however, would imply an alkalizing, cooling effect on the body.
Organs/Channels/Glands
Liver
Functions and Uses
Clears Liver Fire and Liver Wind; regulates the nerves; directs energy inward. Indicated for:
– anger, anxiety
– palpitations
– paralysis, seizures, convulsions
– insomnia
– poor memory
– attention deficit disorder, childhood learning difficulties
Benefits iron absorption and the Liver’s storage of Blood. Indicated for:
– anemia
Sample Stones
Ruby, sapphire
Color
Silver
Mineral Interactions
Silica and iron interfere with aluminum absorption.
Nickel (Ni)
Nickel clears Heat in the Blood and the Fluids. It supports the Liver’s function of storing the Blood; it helps the Liver utilize its stored Blood more fully by sending blood to the Kidneys to support the constitution. There is no research clearly stating the acid or alkaline effect on the body. It regulates the viscosity of blood.
Organs/Channels/Glands
Liver, Pancreas
Functions and Uses
Clears Heat damaging the Blood and the Fluids.
Indicated for:
– chronic skin conditions
– swellings and hardenings in the Liver
Detoxifies the Liver. Indicated for:
– poor metabolism of fat
Benefits the Liver’s storage of Blood, especially as it supports the Kidneys. Indicated for:
– anemia
– infertility
– fatigue, low adrenal function
Benefits Shaoyang conditions. Indicated for:
– alternating or intermittent signs and symptoms, such as chills and fever
Benefits digestion and sugar metabolism. Indicated for:
– high blood sugar
– low stomach acid
Sample Stones
Chrysoprase
Color
Nickel itself is silvery white, but it imparts a Granny Smith apple green to chrysoprase.
Mineral Interactions
Iron and phosphorus have a synergistic relationship with nickel. Manganese, zinc, calcium, copper, and sodium inhibit its effect. Nickel and cobalt have a balancing relationship.
Titanium (Ti)
Titanium helps regenerate damaged organs, restore nerves and sinews, and protect the myelin sheath from further degeneration. It is anti-inflammatory and protective against the damage caused by radiation therapy. It is especially of benefit to people who have not exercised enough to maintain muscle tone, leading to degeneration of the nerves and sinews. (Western science documents that the body contains minute amounts of titanium, but thus far there is little understanding of its physiological effects.)
Organs/Channels/Glands
Kidneys
Functions and Uses
Benefits the Essence/Jing
Clears Heat
Secures the exterior
Sample Stones
Alexandrite, black garnet (melanite), sapphire
Color
Raw titanium has a silvery color.
Mineral Interactions
There is no data on the interactions between titanium and other minerals in the body.
Induce or Release Latency
Fluoride (F−)
Fluoride derives from the highly reactive and toxic halogen gas fluorine. In its nongaseous form, fluoride is one of the trace elements whose effects are dosage dependent.
Defensive/Wei Qi is geared to recognize poison. In minute dosages fluoride stimulates the warming quality of Wei Qi to “melt” physical or emotional obstruction. In moderate but still tiny dosages (as in the controlled fluoridation of water), it reportedly supports dental health through its quality of binding, firming, and solidifying. In higher doses, it causes brittle bones.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the most common fluoride additives to water include fluorosilicic acid, sodium fluorosilicate, and sodium fluoride. These are all by-products of the manufacture of phosphate fertilizer, not naturally occurring fluoride. They come from fluorite-containing rocks, but they are not the same fluoride that occurs naturally as a trace element in soils and water. Fluoride has an acidifying, warming effect on the body.
Organs/Channels/Glands
Kidneys
Functions and Uses
Stimulates Defensive/Wei Qi to expel pathology. Indicated for:
– acute Wind-Cold (viral) conditions
– skin conditions, such as shingles and liver spots
– parasitic infestations
– Cold Bi/Obstruction syndrome, such as sharp, fixed pain
Binds Fire Toxins into the Essence/Jing to induce latency; solidifies. Indicated for:
– exuberant disease process in a weak person
– palpitations, chest distress
– dental cavities, bone growth difficulties, tendon and ligament problems, loss of elasticity of the veins, osteoarthritis, tennis elbow, infantile scoliosis
Sample Stones
Fluorite
Color
Colorless or yellowish
Mineral Interactions
Fluoride appears to interfere with magnesium absorption.*15
Hydroxide Group
Whenever a chemical composition includes OH or HO, the stone is a part of the hydroxide group. It is “almost” water, lacking only one hydrogen atom. These stones have a flushing, purgative action. Water has a neutral pH.
Organs/Channels/Glands
Any direct relationship between the hydroxide group and specific organs, channels, or glands is not known.
Functions and Uses
Descending and purgative
Sample Stones
Goethite, malachite
Color
Colorless
Mineral Interactions
Both hydrogen and oxygen are used by the body to produce energy. Oxygen in particular keeps cells alive. When one molecule of oxygen combines with only one molecule of hydrogen, a hydroxide forms. It is “almost water.” In Nutrition: An Integrated Approach, authors Ruth Pike and Myrtle Brown state: “Water is compatible with more substances than any known solvent, and therefore it is an ideal medium for transporting nutrients in the cells and for the chemical reactions of cellular metabolism to take place.”*16
The Five Qis—The Nature, or Yang Aspect, of the Stone
In herbal medicine, the “nature” of a substance describes the temperature, or Qi, of an herb. The temperature is how the herb affects the rate of movement of energy through the meridians when taken internally. The same thinking applies to stones when used internally as elixirs.
Warming: A warming stone is expansive, and it invigorates the flow of energy.
Cooling: A cooling stone will constrict the flow of energy and slow it down.
Slightly warming or slightly cooling: A slightly warming or slightly cooling stone can be influenced by the other stones in a formula. If a slightly warming stone is combined with a cooling or cold stone, for example, it becomes either neutral or cooling.
Neutral: The neutral nature responds to what the body needs.
When placed topically, the nature of a stone is less clear.
- Some stones have a cooling nature because they absorb Heat from the body. These stones can become very warm to the touch.
- Some stones project their cooling nature into a point or area, and they themselves remain cool.
- Stones with high silica content are usually neutral in nature. When placed on the body they can either absorb Heat or project a cooling temperature, depending on what the body needs.
The nature of a stone confers directionality and defines pressure.
- A cold stone constricts and keeps energy, blood, or fluids localized and inert. Over the long term, energy and substance build up in the area and increase pressure.
- A warming stone can also increase pressure because it causes energy to rise and accumulate in the upper areas of the body.
Amethyst and fluorite are examples of apparent contradictions. Amethyst is classified as slightly warming and fluorite as warming. They are warming because they invigorate movement.
- Amethyst encourages the body to emit excessive Heat, to vent it outward.
- Fluorite draws Heat inward, toward the Gate of Destiny/Mingmen, where it can be utilized by the body to move fluids.
In both cases their overall effect on the body is cooling, although resulting from two different energetic mechanisms.
The Five Tastes—The Yin Aspect of the Stone
Herbal medicine describes five tastes that convey particular therapeutic effects. In terms of herbs, the effect of taste is easy to explain. Aromatic oils from the herbs dissolve into the bloodstream and provoke a reaction in the body’s blood chemistry. The taste has a physical effect on biochemistry.
The taste of an herb is yin in its effect on the actual substance of the body, as compared to the nature, or Qi, of an herb, with its effect on temperature, pressure, or movement.
Most stones have no discernible taste. Nevertheless, including the category offers further information about the therapeutic effects of each stone.
Salty: All stones are assigned a salty taste because of their mineral content and because of their resonance with the Essence/Jing and the Kidneys. In the materia medica the salty taste is noted only when the Kidney affinity is relatively strong, such as in the beryl group.
Spicy: The spicy taste is invigorating. It is dilating, uplifting, and stimulating, and it can promote sweat. Red stones (such as red jasper) are often given a spicy taste.
Bitter: The bitter taste makes us want to spit it out. It expels, drains, and detoxifies. Stones ascribed a bitter taste clear Heat and have a descending effect, sometimes to the point of being purgative. The bitter taste helps move the bowels and lymphatic system. Hematite and bloodstone are among the common stones with this taste.
Sweet: The sweet taste is nourishing or tonifying. It helps generate fluids and build Yin (which in turn can help flush the lymphatic system or drain Dampness). Representative stones are opal and moonstone.
Sour: The sour taste is astringent. It squeezes the Qi, which causes peristaltic action throughout the gastrointestinal system, including the secretions of bile and gastric acid. The sour taste helps prevent the leakage of Qi or Fluids. For example, it can regulate excessive bleeding during menstruation or prevent excessive sweating. Too much sour can cause excessive contraction, stopping movement altogether. Azurite, malachite, and spinel are examples of stones with a sour taste.
Nature and Taste in Combination
When we look at nature and taste in combination, we can gain further insight into how a stone will affect the body.
- Spicy and warming stimulates energy to the exterior.
- Spicy and cooling moves energy inward.
- Bitter and cold balances acidity.
- Bitter and warm balances alkalinity.
- Bitter and sweet helps the body consolidate and store energy.
Affinities
Another factor in choosing a stone is its “affinity”—that is, its effect on or resonance with a meridian, an Organ, or a terrain of function. The materia medica uses abbreviations to describe the affinities, listed below in their yin–yang pairs.
| Lung—LU | Large Intestine—LI | ||
| Spleen—SP | Stomach—ST | ||
| Heart—HT | Small Intestine—SI | ||
| Kidney—KI | Urinary Bladder—UB | ||
| Pericardium—PC | Triple Heater—TH | ||
| Liver—LR | Gall Bladder—GB |
The affinities imply that we have a sense of the terrain in which an imbalance is occurring. A combined affinity of LU/LR (Lung/Liver) tells us that the stone affects Wei Qi, perhaps by clearing Heat or nourishing Fluids. A LR/SP/HT (Liver/Spleen/Heart) affinity tells us that the stone addresses Blood, because each of these Organs is involved with Blood. A LU/KI (Lung/Kidney) affinity points to a Divergent Meridian association, with its superficial–deep relationship.
All stones have a Kidney affinity by virtue of their mineral content and resonance with our Essence/Jing. To avoid redundancy, only stones that have a strong relationship to the Kidneys are shown in the materia medica with the Kidney affinity.
Hardness
Another quality to consider when choosing stones for a particular treatment strategy is a stone’s hardness.
Soft Stones for Acute Conditions
If a stone is relatively soft or malleable, it has a quick therapeutic effect, making it useful for relatively acute conditions. Soft stones usually feel light in the hand.
These soft stones are most effective when applied directly to the skin. It is possible to pulverize them, and the powdered stone can be added to creams and ointments for use as plasters or poultices, or for cosmetics. Because they are easily scratched or broken, many of the softer stones are not ideal for jewelry.
Soft stones are valuable in elixirs to promote quick action. We always need to pay attention to their chemical composition, however, because the soft stones can leach heavy metals or otherwise potentially toxic minerals into the water. Generally, the soft stones are indicated for acute conditions and are only used for a short time. In herbal medicine, soft stones such as gypsum or calcite are boiled, and small amounts of the stones actually dissolve into the decoction.
Hard Stones for Chronic Conditions
Hardness conveys permanence. The harder the stone, the stronger its atomic bonds and the slower but more lasting its effect. These stones are appropriate for relatively chronic conditions. Harder stones are the best choice for jewelry because they can be cut and faceted and will stand up to daily wear and tear.
Harder stones support the discipline we need to change our temperament or to “own” who we are. These are the semiprecious and precious stones such as rubies or sapphires that we wear as our birthstones. These stones support us because they are “incorruptible,” having evolved to a state of completion. Their so-called impurities are an essential component of their existence. Rubies and sapphires are both aluminum oxides; without the trace impurities that cause their prized color they would be colorless. A ruby must contain chromium; a sapphire must contain titanium and iron.
It is difficult to make significant changes in our lives. Most of us are aware of the changes we need to make to become healthier or happier, but even with this awareness we lack the discipline to shift our habits. We need a motivating force.
When we choose a stone with the intention of working on our temperament and we use or wear it consistently, we begin to have the discipline to really know our temperament and act from that identity. We own our temperament not because we are stubborn and refuse to change, but because by maintaining keen awareness we begin to grow into being ourselves.
The materia medica notes hardness as defined by the Mohs scale, a system describing the relative scratch resistance of different minerals, using a harder material to scratch a softer material. Frederich Mohs based his 1822 scale on ten readily available minerals. The harder the mineral, the higher the number. Each mineral in the scale will scratch all those below it:
| Diamond | 10 | |||
| Corundum | 9 | |||
| Topaz | 8 | |||
| Quartz | 7 | |||
| Feldspar (orthoclase) | 6 | |||
| Apatite | 5 | |||
| Fluorite | 4 | |||
| Calcite | 3 | |||
| Gypsum | 2 | |||
| Talc | 1 |
Crystal Structure and Sacred Geometry
In this section we explore a stone’s inner structure as the basis for stone selection. While the actual configurations of molecules can only be seen through a microscope, it is the stone’s crystal structure that conveys the shape we can see with the naked eye.
Some stones naturally display their ordered molecular structure. For example, all quartz crystals have six-sided shapes coming together in a terminated point. All apophyllites form a four-sided crystal and also form a termination. The shape of quartz crystals comes from their trigonal crystal structure. Apophyllite’s shape comes from a tetragonal crystal structure. Apophyllite and quartz crystal are representative of many other stones that have a visible shape reflective of a particular crystal structure, including tourmaline and aquamarine.
Many other stones appear in massive form, with no obvious external shape, but they nevertheless have a crystal structure. For example, mookaite jasper comes from the mine in big chunks, waiting to be shaped and polished into sculptures, spheres, or cabochons. Although it does not form crystals, it has the same trigonal structure as quartz crystal.
Still another group of stones has no crystal structure at all. The amorphous stones often have their origin in biology, not geology. Amber is fossilized pine resin. Pearl and coral come from once-living organisms in the sea. Jet and petrified wood come from the remains of once-living vegetation. Meteorite, obsidian, and opal are inorganic minerals, but they are amorphous.
A stone’s crystal structure is how it is molecularly assembled. When utilizing crystal structure as the criterion for stone selection, the intention is to address conditions that relate directly to our own “molecular assembly”: our deepest constitutional tendencies, including our Bones and Marrow, inherited diseases or character traits, and our temperaments.
Our Temperaments and the Lessons to Be Learned
We are energy. Our smallest particles are photons. According to research in Germany and Russia, every cell in the body sends out biophotons (the name was coined by Fritz-Albert Popp). These biophotons are constant, consistent, and highly ordered emissions of light.*17 Some researchers believe that the light our cells emit comes from our DNA, and indeed, it is our Essence/Jing that contains our temperament and doles out our lessons. These consistent, orderly “structures” of light create our own crystal structure, giving rise to our constitutional tendencies.
Are we goal driven? Content with a quiet life at home? Do we have many friends, or very few? What activities make us happy and spirited?
Our temperament is reflected by how we structure our life. One of the applications of stone medicine is to help us understand and complete the lessons that make up our destiny and fulfill and nurture, or perhaps transcend, our temperament.
Light that enters and passes through a stone is affected by its crystal structure. If we are wearing the stone, the newly structured light interacts with the light our own body emits. If we choose to affirm our temperament, we wear stones with a crystal structure that supports us. If we wear a stone with a different structure, its subtle energy slowly affects the structure of our Essence/Jing. We can change our own matrix.
Beyond our temperament, crystal structure also applies to the lessons and life challenges or curriculum described by the Nine Palaces (see chapter 4), each of which associates with one of the Five Elements and its related crystal structure.
Shapes and the Five Elements
A discussion of crystal structure benefits from an understanding of the basic shapes and how the Chinese approach to sacred geometry and the Five Elements applies to the molecular structure of stones.
Sacred geometry is about the division of wholeness, about how the Divine manifests itself into the myriad, mundane things of life. How do we reconcile the 360-degree square into a 360-degree circle, or vice versa?
There are seven basic two-dimensional geometric shapes: the circle, hexagon, triangle, rectangle, square, parallelogram, and trapezoid.
Water—The “One”
In the Five Element system, Water is the source of all things. In shapes, it is represented by the circle (fig. 10.1). It is perfection or wholeness. Nothing that occurs naturally in the physical world forms a perfect circle or sphere because everything is subject to change. Even at the molecular level, a perfect sphere can exist only for seconds because of the forces of change.
Figure 10.1. The circle represents wholeness or perfection. It is not found in the natural world but is what all of nature aspires toward in its evolution.
Wood—The “Two”
Out of Water comes Wood, the hexagon (fig. 10.2). Of the shapes that commonly occur in nature, the hexagon most closely fills the space within the circle. It is a very stable shape, which we see in the construction of beehives, bones, and the cellular structure of the hepatic lobules.
Figure 10.2. Of shapes occurring naturally, the hexagon comes closest to filling the circle with its broad, relaxed internal angles.
Wood brings the energy from Water to make things manifest.
Fire—The “Three”
When we divide the hexagon into equal parts we get six triangles (fig. 10.3). Out of Wood, Fire is created. With the sharper interior angles of a triangle, there is more pressure being exerted to motivate movement. The triangle represents Fire. The internal pressure created by the tight inner angles motivates the spread of energy outward in order to accomplish a curriculum.
Figure 10.3. Dividing the hexagon into equal parts yields triangles.
This is the beginning of the “myriad things.” The two new shapes created by further division of the circle and hexagon are the rectangle and the square, both of which offer a solid base from which to expand into the world.
Metal—Order and Judgment
We can divide the hexagon into other shapes. We can make a rectangle with two triangles, one above and one below (fig. 10.4). The rectangle relates to Metal, with its very balanced, organized, just nature. The triangle on top relates to the “true” Fire of Heart, the Sovereign Emperor questing to fulfill our curriculum, and the Small Intestine. The triangle on the bottom is about Fire returning inward, the Ministerial Fire of the Pericardium and Triple Heater. This energetic function takes information from the external world to make it possible for the Heart to negotiate physical reality as it evolves toward completion.
Figure 10.4. Cutting the hexagon into three parts yields a rectangle, signifying the solid basis offered by the four ninety-degree angles. The rectangle is associated with Metal. The triangles signify Fire. The Metal makes it possible for Fire to explore and learn about the world from a state of balance.
Earth—Home
We can divide the rectangle into two squares with two new kinds of triangles (fig. 10.5). The squares relate to the stability of Earth. If we have completed all the lessons of life, we can be content, living a simple life. We might still be engaged with the world, but that engagement is peripheral to living quietly, fulfilling the final “postgraduate” lesson of contemplating the self.
Figure 10.5. The square is the symbol for Earth, our beautiful, comfortable home.
The differently shaped triangles still relate to Fire and offer yet more possibilities for movement and change.
The above description of how the circle can be divided, of how energy separates itself from the whole to create the natural world, applies to a very natural progression of change. Conflict comes where there are deviations from the natural movement, which causes other, less balanced shapes.
Separating the two halves of the hexagon completely yields a trapezoid, which relates to excessive Yang Fire spreading outward (fig. 10.6a). Switching the direction of one of the triangles yields a parallelogram, illustrating the destructive, controlling relationship when Fire melts Metal (fig. 10.6b). Putting the bases of two triangles together yields a diamond shape (fig. 10.6c), which offers a balance of above and below, but without the solid basis of the square or rectangle. The diamond shape relates to regulating the balance of Yin Fire, the Heart, with the Yang Fire of the Pericardium and Triple Heater as they bring energy inward to affect the Kidneys, or Mingmen Fire, in the lower region.
Figure 10.6. All of these arrangements of triangles—the trapezoid (a), the parallelogram (b), and the diamond (c)—relate to the Fire element.
The Crystal Structures
Crystallography has identified seven crystal structures, and an eighth, which is the lack of any structure, called amorphous. The crystal structures are important criteria for choosing which stone(s) to use when we are working with the temperament or issues related to the lessons of the Nine Palaces.
The basic shapes described above are two-dimensional. Each of the basic shapes has a direct relationship to crystal structure, where a third dimension comes into play. The hexagon forms a hexagonal structure, the triangle forms the trigonal structure, the square forms the cubic (or isometric) structure, and the rectangle forms the tetragonal structure. The parallelogram relates to the monoclinic structure; the trapezoid relates to the triclinic structure. The triangle can also be the basis of the pyramid shape known as the orthorhombic structure.
There is no crystal structure associated with the circle, which in three dimensions becomes a sphere, but we can relate the amorphous lack of any structure to the sphere where all possibilities exist.
Minerals are evolving entities. As they continue to be subject to change they will eventually develop the capacity to create the octagonal shape, to more fully fill the circle than does the hexagon. When this occurs, the planet and everything on it will come closer to completion, closer to “perfection.”
This discussion of crystal structures is based on the shapes associated with the Five Elements in the previous section.
Hexagonal: Wood—Liver and Gall Bladder
In nature, the hexagon is the shape that most closely resembles the circle, representing Water. Water, the source, engenders materiality, the substance of life.
The hexagonal structure is associated with the Liver and Gall Bladder of the Wood element.
Hexagonal Structure
Hexagonal crystals have four axes consisting of three equal horizontal axes that intersect at sixty-degree angles and one vertical axis that is perpendicular to the other three. The vertical axis can be shorter or longer than the horizontal axes. The hexagonal inner structure relates to the Wood element.
Habit of growth: Hexagonal
Geometric shape: Hexagon (Wood)
Directionality: Ascending
Functions: Regulate Qi
Uses: High blood pressure, headaches, frustration, resentment
Anatomical association: The digits, which represent our ability to create with our hands and travel with our feet in order to bring our projects to completion
Temperament: Yang Wood/Gall Bladder; Yin Wood/Liver. This temperament is characterized by being very active mentally. People with a Wood temperament are creative. They are goal oriented; they aspire to achieve. Yin types may lack the energy to accomplish their goals.
Curriculum: Health, wealth
Sample stones: Apatite, beryls (aquamarine, emerald, goshenite, heliodor, morganite), ruby, sapphire
Figure 10.7. Hexagonal crystal structure
Trigonal: Wood Creating Fire—Liver and Pericardium
In Western crystallography the trigonal structure is a subset of the hexagonal system, and the two are very similar. There are six sides in the cross-section of a hexagonal crystal; there are three sides in the cross-section of a trigonal crystal.
Moving through the creation cycle of the Five Elements, Water engenders Wood, to create new beginnings. As the strength of Yang Qi increases, it generates the Fire necessary to promote further creation. Many of these trigonal stones are created by the molten fire from the igneous level.
Trigonal Structure
The basis for the trigonal structure is the triangle. The three angles within a triangle total only 180 degrees. If we aspire to the 360 degrees of wholeness, 180 degrees does not feel complete. The more asymmetric the angles, the more energy is generated to push us to realign with our own true desires or needs, ultimately to return to the wholeness of the circle. The triangular inner structure relates to Fire.
Habit of growth: Hexagonal
Geometric shape: Hexagon (Wood) and triangle (Fire)
Directionality: Regulating
Functions: Courses the Qi (to bring us back to our path); draws out latency. Some trigonals are tonifying, for people who lack adequate Fire. Some are dispersing, for people who have too much Fire.
Uses: For excess (high blood pressure, headaches) and for deficiency (vulnerability to Cold, or for a young child whose fontanel has not solidified by age two)
Anatomical association: Crown of the head, forehead, shoulder blades, sacrum
Temperament: For people who appear to be a Wood temperament physically, with an angular, triangular jaw and forehead, but who resist the inner aspect of the Wood temperament; that is, they are not enterprising people, or they are not intellectually curious. These people may feel that they have been “shaped” or forced by society to become someone other than who they believe themselves to be. These people are living with constant contradiction in their lives.
Figure 10.8. Trigonal crystal structure
The trigonal structure of quartz crystals is similar to these types of people. The crystals are hexagonal in habit but have a trigonal system. The crystal shows a different structure on the outside than what is on the inside. The trigonal structure will bring more Fire energy into the energetic field of people who need help to push beyond their societal limitations. A trigonal stone will help reconcile a contradiction of temperament for a Wood type.
Curriculum: Health, wealth, prosperity
Sample stones: Agate, calcite, chalcedony, chrysoprase, jasper, quartz crystal, tourmaline
Orthorhombic and Triclinic: Yin Fire—Heart and Pericardium—and Yang Fire—Small Intestine and Triple Heater
These structures relate to two relationships with Fire: Fire not only energizes expansion into the world but also motivates self-reflection.
Orthorhombic Structure—Yin Fire
The yin expression of Fire is the Heart and Pericardium. Yin Fire relates to the orthorhombic structure, which directs Yang Qi or Heat downward from the upper region to the Lower Burner. Based on a diamond-shaped inner structure, orthorhombic crystals have three axes at ninety-degree angles, all of which have different lengths.
Habit of growth: Pyramids, double pyramids, square-ish
Geometric shape: Diamond (two triangles joined together at the base)
Directionality: Descending; draws Yang Qi back to the Lower Burner
Functions: Consolidates; detoxifies thoughts
Uses: TMJ conditions, poor bone growth in the lower jaw, loose teeth; scoliosis; disk herniations
Anatomical association: Wrist, dorsum of the foot
Temperament: Yin Fire/Heart and Pericardium. Yin Fire people have the contradiction of a yang element with a yin disposition. They may lack the energy to accomplish their desires and feel defeated and hopeless.
Curriculum: Relationship, prosperity
Sample stones: Alexandrite, aragonite, barite, bronzite, celestite, dumortierite, peridot, topaz
Figure 10.9. Orthorhombic crystal structure
Triclinic Structure—Yang Fire
The yang expression of Fire is the Small Intestine and Triple Heater. Yang Fire relates to the triclinic structure, which brings energy upward and outward. Based on a trapezoidal, or triclinic, inner structure, meaning three inclined angles, triclinic crystals have three axes, all of unequal length and intersecting at angles other than ninety degrees.
Figure 10.10. Triclinic crystal structure
Habit of growth: Crystal forms are usually paired faces.
Geometric shape: Trapezoid. The triclinic structure draws Yang Qi outward, bringing the dissemination of water upward.
Directionality: Ascending. The Small Intestine channel ascends the arm into the scapula and face. The Triple Heater mechanism disseminates energy upward along the spine. Yang Fire stimulates us toward completion.
Functions: Harmonizes; regulates Qi
Uses: Poor memory, past-life regressions, childhood issues
Anatomical association: The palm of the hand—the metacarpal bones; the sole of the foot—the metatarsal bones
Temperament: Yang Fire/Small Intestine and Triple Heater. Yang Fire people are doers, not thinkers. They enjoy change and new endeavors. They can be volatile.
Curriculum: Prosperity, relationship
Sample stones: Kyanite, labradorite, larimar, moonstone, rhodonite, sunstone, turquoise
Cubic/Isometric Structure: Earth—Stomach and Spleen
Based on a square inner structure, cubic crystals have three axes of the same length that intersect at right angles. Earth is harmonized and balanced, but also restricted. It has boundaries on all sides. It limits our awareness to the circumstances we need to complete our curriculum.
Habit of growth: Cube, octahedron, dodecahedron (among others)
Geometric shape: Square
Directionality: Contained, draws inward
Functions: Offers boundaries, consolidation, stability, and security; draws energy inward for deficiencies; maintains unresolved latency
Uses: Feelings of insecurity; wiry pulse; insomnia, irregular menstrual periods, irregular bowel movements; damage or injuries to the facial bones, such as to the TMJ and to the bite
Anatomical association: Skull; facial bones, including the TMJ and the bite
Temperament: The Earth temperament is consistent. In keeping with the cubic structure, Earth types keep life stable with “correct” ninety-degree angles. These people are content, without many aspirations, unless it is the aspiration to be consistent and to offer support to others. Cubic stones affirm someone’s stability.
Figure 10.11. Cubic/isometric crystal structure
For people who are rebelling against boundaries, such as young people in trouble with the law or those who otherwise flaunt societal structure, cubic stones can support a more stable life.
Curriculum: The ninth lesson, being content with life
Sample stones: Alexandrite, barite, bronzite, celestite, diamond, fluorite, garnet, lapis lazuli, peridot, pyrite, sodalite, topaz
Tetragonal: Metal—Lung and Large Intestine
Based on a rectangular inner structure, tetragonal crystals have two axes of equal length, with a third main axis either longer or shorter, and all intersecting at ninety-degree angles. The virtue of Metal is consistency and order, qualities that help balance the unpredictability of life.
Habit of growth: Four-sided pyramids, eight-sided pyramids (among others)
Geometric shape: Rectangle
Directionality: Descending, inward drawing
Functions: Harmonizing
Uses: Loss of balance, either emotionally or physically; feelings of guilt. For example, if we define our lives by how productive we are, we are probably expending too much energy; we are “running on empty.” We’re doing too much because we’re out of balance and perhaps feel guilty because we’re still not accomplishing all that we think we should. We need to redefine life based on a more balanced point of view.
Anatomical association: The “rectangular” bones—that is, the femur and humerus, which fit into ball-and-socket joints
Temperament: In the Five Element system, organization is the responsibility of Metal.
Curriculum: Creativity; travel and opportunities
Sample stones: Apophyllite, zircon
Figure 10.12. Tetragonal crystal structure
Monoclinic: Fire and Metal
Based on a parallelogram inner structure, monoclinic crystals have three axes of unequal length, two of which intersect at an angle other than ninety degrees and both perpendicular to the third.
Figure 10.13. Monoclinic crystal structure
Habit of growth: Crystals with inclined end faces
Geometric shape: Parallelogram
Directionality: The Fire and Metal energies are not compatible. If Fire becomes overbearing, it melts Metal. This is considered a Control Cycle imbalance in the Five Element model.
Functions: Purification
Uses: If we are unhappy with life we tend to be agitated. Purification is about recognizing the need for change and taking it on, not running away from our dissatisfaction. Purification requires that we be calm and relaxed.
Anatomical association: The extremities, as regards the flexibility of the arms, wrists, hands, and fingers and the legs, ankles, feet, and toes
Temperament: The relationship between Fire and Metal is fundamentally destructive. If our temperament is predominately Fire, with weak Metal, we will likely have an underlying contradiction of character, perhaps playing itself out as guilt for not being organized because our life is expansive or volatile.
Curriculum: This could be the thwarted curriculum of having the energy of Fire motivating our creativity, but being unable to accomplish anything creative because our energy is too scattered.
Sample stones: Epidote, jadeite, kunzite, moonstone, nephrite, serpentine
Amorphous (No Structure): Kidney and Urinary Bladder
Many stones with no crystal structure cooled too quickly during their formation to crystallize—for example, obsidian, from volcanic activity, and moldavite, from a meteorite strike. Other amorphous stones come from organic material—such as the fossilized resin called amber, or products from the sea, such as pearl and coral.
With no crystal structure, the amorphous stones have a greater flexibility in their effect. They impose no agenda on us. Instead, they take on our own form, including our pathologies. The amorphous stones gently help us be objective about ourselves. They are excellent stones to use for conditions related to the Eight Extraordinary Channels, to help release established patterns of behavior.
Functions: Calm the Shen; expel or extinguish Wind
Uses: Seizures, migraines; for people who need to dream of new possibilities
Application: Amorphous stones need to touch the skin. They should be used therapeutically in combination with other stones—they are an associate stone, not a principal.
Our Bones—The “Crystallization” of Essence/Jing
The Bones are associated with the Kidneys, Water, Essence/Jing, and Source/Yuan Qi. Even though we think of bone as being relatively hard and solid, it exhibits a considerable degree of elasticity—a requirement for the skeleton to withstand impact. The composition of bone consists largely of fibers or bundles of collagen, similar in structure to the collagen of ligaments, tendons, and skin. The collagen is “cemented” together by minerals, in particular calcium and phosphorus (as well as small amounts of magnesium, sodium, and bicarbonate), making an almost inextricable bond. The collagen provides resilience; the minerals provide rigidity. Together they yield a structure of tremendous strength—by weight, bone is stronger than steel.*18
When the minerals first deposit on the collagen, they have no crystal structure. They are amorphous.†19 As the bones mature, however, the minerals take on a structure. The apatite minerals are the major component of mature bone, in particular hydroxyapatite, which is part of the hexagonal crystal system. Once again we find the Wood–Water relationship, as creative energy tries to fill the circle of perfection with the hexagon.
The Matrix
All bones have an exterior layer that is smooth, compact, continuous, and of varying thickness. Inside the hard exterior we find a relatively spongy structure, which encloses spaces filled with blood vessels and marrow.
The bone matrix is ever changing, and the process of bone creation and destruction goes on throughout our lives. Two important cells responsible for these processes are osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Osteoblasts are responsible for bone formation, secreting minerals that deposit into the bone. Eventually these deposits need to be refreshed, and the osteoclasts secrete enzymes that break down and release existing mineral deposits into the bloodstream to make room for new bone. The balance of bone formation (osteoblast activity) and bone resorption (osteoclast activity) requires a proper balance of minerals, especially calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium.
The Chinese art of physiognomy, which includes an understanding of the sacred geometry of the body, recognizes that our physical appearance is formed by our temperamental tendencies. Our bones are the basis of our structure. A sharp, bony structure houses a very different personality than a soft, rounded structure. When we realize that the matrix of our bones, which contains the Marrow and Blood, is continually changing, we understand that at any time during our lives we have the opportunity to change ourselves.
Stones, by their mineral content and crystal structure, can influence how we move forward in life by influencing how our bones develop.
The Marrow
From the Western point of view, there is yellow and red marrow. From the Chinese medical point of view, the red marrow relates to the formation of Blood and the yellow marrow relates to the Ye, the Thick Fluids that nourish the cerebrospinal fluid, hormones, and other deep fluids. (The Western understanding is that the yellow marrow is involved in the assimilation of fats.) The Marrow has an important responsibility for the body’s immunity, and thus Defensive/Wei Qi.
Being housed in the Bone, the Marrow has a strong connection to the Essence/Jing. At the same time, its relationship to the Brain via the cerebrospinal fluid gives it an association to the Spirit/Shen. In Western science, we know that the marrow contains stem cells and DNA. Therefore, the Marrow is a combination of both the Essence/Jing and the Spirit/Shen, containing the lessons of life.
The Sinews
Our bones are intimately associated with the sinews: the muscles, ligaments, and tendons. It is the Sinews that allow the skeleton to move. The sinews are associated with the Liver/Wood. From the Chinese medical point of view, the Bones and Sinews are understood collectively as a function of the Kidneys and the Liver (again, the Water–Wood relationship). The bones can never be separated from the sinews. Indeed, some bones have muscles embedded in them.
The Skeleton
The most primal bones of our bodies are the three bony cavities: the cranium, the thorax, and the pelvis. The top two bony structures are essential for the protection of the brain, sensory organs, and teeth and the heart, lungs, and digestive organs. The bottom cavity, the pelvis, acts as a basin to gather and consolidate Qi. The three bony cavities are the physical expression of the three Elixir Fields/dantian.
Cranial Cavity—Upper Dantian
Bones: Eight skull bones—occipital, temporal (2), parietal (2), sphenoid, ethmoid, frontal; fourteen facial bones—vomer, conchae (2), nasal (2), maxillae (2), mandible, palatine (2), zygomatic (2), lacrimal (2)
With the exception of the mandible, all of these bones are attached by fused joints. Attachment points for the muscles of the head and neck are located on the exterior surfaces of the skull and allow for the movement needed to chew, to speak, and to express ourselves facially. Teeth are rooted into deep sockets in the mandible and maxillary bones. The upper portions of the digestive and respiratory tracts are also housed within the hollow oral and nasal cavities of the skull.
The Bony Cavities: A Home for Latent Pathogens
The bony cavities offer a clear physical mechanism for how pathology comes to be held latent. Each of the cavities has points called Liao points. These are “bony holes,” like ditches, into which pathogenic factors, ranging from heavy metal toxicity to sexual trauma, are absorbed.
In the cranial cavity, these Liao points are located in the cheeks and temple. In the thoracic cavity, the Liao points are in the basin on top of the collarbone, and in the pelvis, the Liao points are the bony holes in the sacrum.
Crystal structures: Trigonal (forehead, top of head), cubic (cheeks, jaw), orthorhombic (chin, lower jaw)
Liao points: In the depression under the cheekbone, below the outer corner of the eye/SI-18 (Taiyang); in the depression under the cheekbone, in line with the center of the pupil of the eye, at the same level as the base of the nostrils/ST-3 (Yangming); and on the temple, in the depression lateral to the outer corner of the eye/GB-1 (Shaoyang)
Sample stones: Fluorite, pyrite, quartz crystals
The symmetrically divided hexagon emerging from the circle in fig. 10.14 represents the face and skull. The upper triangles are the forehead or top of the head, the bottom triangles are the jaw, and the squares are the cheekbones. The triangles and squares relate to Fire and Earth. Kidney and Wood energy also move into the face. The Wood energy of the Liver goes to the eyes. The energy of Water moves into the region of the jaw, to generate the teeth.
The upper region, the forehead and the top of the head where the points of the triangles meet, is full of yang energy. This region associates with Fire. Additionally, the Yang channels of the Urinary Bladder and Gall Bladder begin their external pathways in this region, and the Governor Vessel/Du Mai travels through it. The Yang channel of the Stomach emerges to the exterior in this region, a philosophical recognition that the movement of the jaw while chewing is fundamental to our ability to receive nourishment. The square shapes covering the cheek and jaw areas represent the formation of Earth.
Figure 10.14. This symmetrically divided hexagon emerging from the circle represents the face and skull.
The dynamics of the Yin channels manifest in the teeth and ears (Kidneys), the eyes (Liver), and the mouth (Spleen).
The lower region of the face, where the triangles meet pointing downward, is associated with the orthorhombic or diamond shape. The diamond shape always has the balance of above and below. If there is structure directed downward, there is also structure directed upward.
The diamond shape suggests the Triple Heater mechanism, as it draws energy inwardly, recycling it to be redistributed through the Three Burners of the torso. In the face, the downward-directed triangle draws energy from the Fire (yang) above and directs it downward. This energetic action is reflected in the downward action of the upper eyelids while blinking and the opening and closing of the lower jaw. As energy descends from the top of the head, the lower jaw rises up to meet it.
The upper triangle is true Fire. The lower triangle is Ministerial Fire (Pericardium and Triple Heater). The downward triangle draws the excesses from the head—that is, excessive thinking or excessive concentration—and places it into the jaw, into the teeth, where disruptions such as TMJ, loose teeth, or tooth decay can occur.
Thoracic Cavity—Middle Dantian
Bones: Ribs, spine, sternum
The top seven ribs connect to the spine and the breastbone. The breastbone, or sternum, extends from the notch between the collarbones to the “V” where the ribs meet in the upper abdomen. There are three more ribs attached to the seventh rib and the spine, and then two floating ribs whose only attachment is to the spine. The chest and the twelve ribs are associated with the twelve solar months.
The thoracic cavity houses the Heart and Lungs (Upper Burner) and the Stomach/Spleen and Liver/Gall Bladder (Middle Burner).
Crystal structure: Hexagonal, trigonal (upper region—collarbone to center of chest), orthorhombic (lower region, floating ribs), cubic (sternum)
Liao points: On the upper border of the collarbone, about one hand’s width from the central notch/ST-12; this little basin is where energy drains from the face down to the chest region. Yang Qi goes inward at Empty Basin/ST-12, where it further drains into the point where the rib cage meets the sternum/Turtle Dove Tail/CV-15 (Luo point of Conception Vessel) and continues to move downward via the Bao Mai (Heart–Kidney communication) to lodge just below the tailbone/GV-1 (Luo point of Governor Vessel). The tailbone has a direct relationship to the Turtle Dove Tail point at the base of the sternum.
Sample stones: Beryl, chrysoberyl, rose quartz
Fig. 10.15 represents the thoracic cavity. We again see the hexagon, signifying the dynamic of Water as it engenders Wood. The top point of the hexagon is at the notch between the collarbones/CV-22; the bottom point is at the navel/CV-8.
The chest does not have the symmetry or stability of the face, because the chest has more musculoskeletal mobility. The intercostal muscles make possible the flexibility to turn from side to side, or to reach up on one side and down on the other. We can make choices about our direction, signified by the cross in the middle of the diagram.
The center of the rib cage is associated with the quality of energy that moves from one side to the other, called Lesser/Shaoyang. When we initiate an action on one side, the other side has to compensate in some way. The center of the rib cage grants us the stability to manage these one-sided actions. The mechanism creates a point located at the “V” where the rib cage meets the sternum/CV-15/Turtle Dove Tail, represented by the center of the cross in the diagram. The crisscross pulling creates an energetic spin in the center. As the cross spins, it creates a spinning square/cube that is trying to fill the circle/sphere.
Figure 10.15. This diagram represents the thoracic cavity, with its flexibility to reach and turn symbolized by the diagonal cross
Pelvic Cavity—Lower Dantian
Bones: Sacrum, hip bones, pelvis
Crystal structure: Triclinic (pelvis), trigonal (hips, sacrum)
Liao points: On the sacrum, the four bilateral depressions/UB-31 to UB-34
Sample stones: Sugilite, sunstone
Figure 10.16. An inverted trapezoid represents the pelvis.
Unlike the inverted triangular shapes of the cranial and thoracic cavities, the pelvis is an inverted trapezoid (fig. 10.16). Like the upper cavities, the pelvis strives to be circular; its three-dimensional shape is like a basin or a reservoir. Unlike the downward-draining triangles of the upper cavities, the pelvis is about the gathering of Qi, bringing the Qi back to its origin and containing it. The iliac crest angles downward into the basin of the pelvis, which includes the pubic bone and the sacrum.
The lower region is the deepest level of Essence/Jing. It is associated with the Kidneys, or Water. We can never have too much Essence, but the lower region also collects the drainage from the upper two regions. Accumulations from the sinuses or from the digestive tract gradually make their way downward, and when they reach the pelvic basin there is no place else for them to go. The basin does not allow for drainage down the legs. If the drainage can’t be excreted through urination or defecation, it accumulates. Prostatitis, ovarian cysts, and urinary tract infections can all be examples of what happens when too much accumulation from above settles below.
The Beginning of a New Life
The point at the tailbone is called Gateway of the Soul/Po Men. The Po is the Earthbound soul. The Chinese believed that when we die, for most people this is the point where the soul leaves earthbound existence to begin the next incarnation. The Liao points in the sacrum hold all the lessons we have not been able to resolve. When we die, those lessons go with the soul to help set the curriculum for the next life.
Any trauma that involves fear or shock can translocate from the original site to the lower region. The energetic message of the trauma can be held in stagnant blood or fluids, or as a Cold pathology. All trauma, stress, and fear eventually make their way to the lower region. There our creativity is held captive by the fear, causing an inability to create new visions or new possibilities.
Stone Groups
Western geological science categorizes groups of rocks and minerals by their chemical composition, a factor that was not known to the early Chinese. Modern science, however, provides us with the knowledge of the chemistry and molecular structure of the stones and contributes to our understanding of their therapeutic actions.
Silicates
Silicates are extremely versatile minerals combining oxygen and silicon. They are divided into groups based on their varying molecular structures, which contain different ratios of silicon and oxygen.
About 30 percent of all minerals are silicates; they comprise 90 percent of the Earth’s crust. They are the largest class of minerals and include rocks that are igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary. There are six subcategories of silicates: sheet, ring, framework, chain, island, and group.
The structures are based on different arrangements of a shape called a tetrahedron, a solid shape in three dimensions with four flat triangular faces, three of which meet at each corner of the shape (fig. 10.17). It has six straight edges and four corners.
Figure 10.17. Tetrahedron structure
These structures are sometimes apparent in the look and feel of the stone, as in the sheets we see in mica, a sheet silicate, but usually the structure is only visible with a microscope. Each subcategory has its own therapeutic action and can be associated with one of the Six Divisions of Taiyang, Shaoyang, Yangming, Shaoyin, Taiyin, and Jueyin (see chapter 4).
Sheet Silicates
These stones form parallel sheets of silicate tetrahedra (fig. 10.18) with a 2:5 ratio of silicon to oxygen (Si2O5). Sheet silicates (or phyllosilicates, from the Greek, meaning “leaf”) grow in sheets that can often be peeled off individually. Therapeutically, they help us peel off our layers of perversity. They allow us to exfoliate outmoded emotions and behaviors, help us reestablish boundaries, and provide layers of protection.
Figure 10.18. Sheet silicate structure
Division: Greater Yang/Taiyang, the stage at which we have the most Yang Qi available to expel pathogenic factors. Yang Qi mobilizes Fluids to the sinews and the skin to sweat out the factors.
Functions: Stimulates the immune system/Wei Qi, to bring energy up and out
Representative stones: Apophyllite, biotite, lepidolite, muscovite, serpentine, talc
Ring Silicates
These stones (cyclosilicates, from the Greek, meaning “circle”) have linked silicate tetrahedra (fig. 10.19) with a 1:3 ratio of silicon to oxygen (SiO3). They are shaped like pillars, often hexagonal.
Figure 10.19. Ring silicate structure
Division: Emitting Yang/Yangming, the stage at which a pathogenic factor internalizes and creates Heat
Functions: Gathers or disperses Excess Qi and toxins to draw them out of the body
Representative stones: Beryl (aquamarine, emerald, and others), tourmaline
Framework Silicates
These stones have a three-dimensional framework of silicate tetrahedra (fig. 10.20) with a 1:2 ratio of silicon to oxygen (SiO2). The framework silicates (tectosilicates, from the Greek, meaning “building”) account for nearly 75 percent of the crust of the Earth. With the exception of the quartz group, tectosilicates are all aluminosilicates.
Division: Lesser Yang/Shaoyang, the stage that signifies the condition in which there is less Yang Qi available to manage a pathogenic factor, where a “half in-half out” engagement with pathology ensues
Functions: Generally regulating and harmonizing, the framework silicates create a matrix where, depending upon the condition being treated, energy can go up, down, in, or out. For example, with nausea the energy will go down; for diarrhea it will go up. Framework silicates connect to both the internal and the external terrains. These stones detoxify by stimulating urination and defecation, allowing us to eliminate and expel pathology.
Representative stones: Albite, amazonite, labradorite, lapis lazuli, quartz, sodalite, sunstone, and scolecite and stilbite in the Zeolite family
Figure 10.20. Framework silicate structure
Chain Silicates
Chain silicates (inosilicates, from the Greek, meaning “fiber”) have interlocking chains of silicate tetrahedra with either a 1:3 ratio of silicon to oxygen (SiO3) for single chains (fig. 10.21) or a 4:11 ratio (Si4O11) for double chains (fig. 10.22).
Figure 10.21. Single-chain silicate structure
Figure 10.22. Double-chain silicate structure
The chain silicates sometimes have visible fine lines or chains with little circles. They give directionality to energy. For example, you may direct energy to the head for lightheadedness or to the lower abdomen for dysmenorrhea. The chain silicates weave a story together.
Division: Greater Yin/Taiyin, the stage at which energy begins to be absorbed by the Yin of the body
Functions: Tonifying, stimulating; increases metabolism
Representative stones: Chrysocolla, diopside, hiddenite, jadeite, kunzite, nephrite, rhodonite
Island Silicates
Island silicates (nesosilicates, from the Greek, meaning “island”) have isolated silicate tetrahedra (fig. 10.23) that are connected by positively charged ions in the gaps between, with a 1:4 ratio of silicon to oxygen (SiO4).
Figure 10.23. An isolated silicate tetrahedron that forms an island silicate when connected to other tetrahedra by positively charged ions
These stones grow in such a way that they can break up to become separate “islands.”
Division: Lesser Yin/Shaoyin, the stage at which energy is not yet fully Yin but has retreated deeply, as in menopause or andropause. This process offers the opportunity for self-reflection. Physical symptoms include imbalances of hot and cold, such as with manic depression, cold hands with hot feet, and heat above with cold below.
Functions: Fortifies and strengthens resistance and the Upright Qi; breaks up accumulations and gatherings (Juji)
Representative stones: Chiastolite, dumortierite, epidote, garnet, kyanite, peridot, staurolite, topaz, zircon
Group Silicates
Group silicates have isolated double silicate tetrahedra groups (fig. 10.24) with a 2:7 ratio of silicon to oxygen (Si2O7). Group silicates (sorosilicates, from the Greek, meaning “heap” or “mound”) grow in clusters. Think of a specimen that looks like many vertical columns bound tightly together.
Figure 10.24. Double silicate tetrahedra combine to form group silicates.
Division: Absolute Yin/Jueyin, the stage at which energy is so Yin that the body is paralyzed in one way or another. The group silicates have a quality of regeneration and are a good choice for convalescents, who must rest to restore their health.
Functions: Builds, regenerates, restores, creates abundance, reinforces and enhances; repairs DNA
Representative stones: Epidote, hemimorphite (calamine), tanzanite, zoisite
Carbonates
Carbonates form when carbon and oxygen combine with other metals or minerals. As rain falls it dissolves carbon in the atmosphere, yielding carbonated water or carbonic acid (acid rain). The carbon binds to minerals and solidifies. Carbonates such as dolomite and calcite can form at the top of the Earth’s crust (including in undersea sediments) during the process of weathering and erosion. They can also form at deeper levels, producing such stones as malachite and azurite.
Carbonates generally have a sour taste, imparting an astringent effect to control leakage and regulate movement. They are also generally bioregulating. They help the body regulate growth. If we want to speed up a process we can use aragonite for its warming quality. If we want to slow something down we can choose calcite for its cold quality.
Functions: Astringes leakage of Qi; regulates movement
Representative stones: Aragonite, azurite, calcite, dolomite, magnesite, malachite, rhodochrosite
Sulfates
These stones are a combination of one or more minerals with a sulfate compound (sulfur and oxygen). Sulfur retains warmth. The stones in the sulfate group protect the body from the loss of Yang because they have an insulating effect. For example, gypsum quells Fire to reduce high fevers, not by cooling or by releasing Heat through sweating but by drawing the Heat inward. Long-term use of the sulfates is contraindicated because they will cause an overconcentration of energy inside the body, resulting in too much internal pressure.
Functions: Insulating to protect the body from loss of Yang
Representative stones: Anhydrite (angelite), barite, celestite, desert rose, gypsum, selenite
Oxides
This is a very large group of stones because the Earth’s crust contains such a high percentage of oxygen. This group includes stones that are a simple combination of oxygen with a mineral or metal. Examples include agate (silica combined with oxygen) and hematite (iron combined with oxygen). Oxides are generally supportive and nourishing in their therapeutic effects. They give quick energy, similar to carbohydrates and sugar.
Functions: Supportive and nourishing
Representative stones: Agate, chalcedony, chrysoberyl, corundum, hematite, magnetite, spinel, zincite
Halides/Halogens
The halides are a group of stones that during their formation bonded with halogen elements such as fluorine and chlorine. In the gaseous state they are highly toxic, but once the noxious gases bind with minerals, they are stable and relatively safe for short-term use.
When used in stone medicine, the lingering toxic vibration provokes a response of Defensive/Wei Qi and results in an increased movement of energy, activity, and warmth. Pathogenic factors in the body begin to break down or melt as the physical or emotional adhesions and barriers begin to soften.
The halides bind to other minerals and metals. Depending on dosage, color, placement, and stone combinations, they mobilize to bring pathology into or out of the bone level.
The fluoride added in relatively large doses to our drinking water is not the trace element that occurs naturally in soil and water. The large doses bring the effect inward, to bind with the teeth and bones, but very small doses of the natural mineral bring the effect outward.
Functions: Invigorates Qi; breaks up accumulations; detoxifying
Representative stones: Fluorite; other stones that contain halogens but are not included in this category are apatite and sodalite.
Sulfides
These minerals form when sulfur combines with one or two other metal ore elements. They typically result from volcanic activity. These stones are generally detoxifying, but because they contain sulfur they are not to be taken internally.
Functions: Detoxifying
Representative stones: Chalcopyrite, marcasite (boji stones), pyrite
Phosphates
Phosphates are relatively rare; most members of this group form through the oxidation of sulfides. There are two basic types of phosphates: anhydrous, such as apatite, and hydrated, such as turquoise. The phosphoric acid that contributes to the formation of these stones gives the stones a shiny, lustrous appearance.
In the human body, phosphates store Qi; these stones are particularly appropriate for convalescents. These stones build energy slowly, similar to the energy reserve we accumulate with fatty acids.
Phosphates are important for the health of bones and teeth.
Functions: Promotes the ability to slowly build and store energy; supports the growth of bones and teeth
Representative stones: Apatite group, turquoise
Native Elements
These are pure mineral or metal ore elements. They did not combine with gases, water, or other elements during the formation of the Earth. Examples of these minerals are carbon and sulfur. Examples of metal ores are silver, copper, and gold.
Level of Formation—Earth’s Energetic Dynamics
Scientists have studied the gradual accumulation of gases and dust during the volatile formation of our planet. This accumulation slowly developed a central density and rotational movement, drawing denser material toward the center and allowing lighter stuff to drift and circulate to the outer edges. Ultimately our planet cooled and solidified, and we now live on a planet that geology describes as having three major parts: an inner core, the mantle, and the exterior crust. Modern science now further differentiates the core into a solid inner core and a liquid, molten outer core and the mantle into an upper and lower mantle.
Returning once again to the trinity of anatomical terrains in the human body, we can make an analogy to the earth’s anatomical regions. The Source/Yuan level relates to the core of the Earth; the Defensive/Wei level relates to the crust; and the Nourishing/Ying level is the mantle that mediates between the central core and the external crust. Each of the levels, whether in the Earth or in the body, is continually interacting and changing.
The Rock Cycle
The origin of change and movement on the planet is the Source, the core of the Earth with its fiery dynamics. Much of the crust of the Earth—the igneous basalts and granites—originates at the core.
The crust is continually subjected to wind, rain, flooding, and changes of temperature (see fig. 10.25 below). These forces cause the surface rocks to be eroded and to wash away. They become sediment in the lakes and oceans, and with time and pressure they become rock themselves, now called sedimentary rocks.
With further pressure, heat, and movement of the crust, the sedimentary rocks might return to the melting effects of magma to once again become igneous, or they might be crushed into another environment, encountering and combining with other minerals to become metamorphic rocks.
Most of the stones included in this materia medica are minerals, not rocks. Rocks are the host material for the formation of these minerals. The minerals themselves are not considered to be igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic, and many minerals, such as quartz, calcite, and amazonite, can be created at any of the three levels.
The minerals that form in these rocks carry the energetic influences of their creation, and though the applicability to our model of energetic dynamics is not absolute, the analogy offers a consistent model from which to work.
The Magmatic Core—Source/Yuan Qi Level: Igneous Rocks
While igneous rocks with their minerals are formed from the intense heat and pressure at the core of the Earth, we have access to them only because the actions of the Earth push them upward toward the crust of the planet. Geologists estimate that igneous rocks make up 64.7 percent of the volume of the Earth’s crust.
The lava from volcanic activity is an example. Lava is called extrusive, or volcanic, rock because it cools quickly at or near the surface of the Earth. Extrusive rocks include basalt, andesite, and rhyolite, all of which contain significant percentages of silica, meaning that many of the minerals that form within these rocks will be in the silicate group. Obsidian is an example of lava cooling off so quickly that it became glassy. Pumice is lava that contained so much gas when it erupted from deep within the Earth that air pockets formed, making a light, porous rock.
When a rock cools slowly and solidifies deep within the Earth’s crust, it is called an intrusive igneous, or plutonic, rock. Further movements of the Earth will likely bring these intrusive rocks closer to the surface. Granite is the most common of these intrusive igneous rocks.
Figure 10.25. However solid our Earth may seem, it is constantly changing. The yin-yang theory tells us that any extreme transforms to its opposite. Igneous rock, formed from fire, transforms to sedimentary rock, formed by wind and water. Either of these rocks can be transformed with sufficient heat and pressure from the Earth, forming metamorphic rock.
Stones that form at the igneous level are exposed to tremendous heat and are usually quite hard. The hardness promotes stability, both in the molecular structure of the stones and in their effect on our own energetic continuum. Their structure still holds the energetic volatility of Fire, however. The Fire of their creation burns up impurities, yielding the transparency so prized in gemstones such as diamond and emerald. Stones created in this way are most therapeutic when used to treat our deep constitutional conditions and temperaments.
The Crust—Wei Qi Level: Sedimentary Rocks
The crust includes the continental surfaces, which penetrate about twenty-five miles into the Earth, as well as the relatively shallow subsea crust under the oceans, which penetrates only about three to five miles. While most of the actual surface of the planet is covered by sedimentary rocks and nonsolid sediments such as sand, the volume of the crust that includes sedimentary rocks is relatively small—only about 8 percent. A much larger percentage is made up of igneous rocks such as granite, basalt, and feldspar.
The crust appears relatively stable most of the time, but it is continuously subjected to external forces. Every gardener knows that no matter how many rocks we pull out of the soil, the next spring there are still more that have percolated up during the winter because of the impact of alternating freezes and thaws.
Most changes are almost imperceptible, but there are occasional dramatic events that subject the external layer of the Earth to extreme changes. A major downpour can bring flooding or landslides to erode the land. The newly exposed layers of the Earth are heated by the sun, buffeted by the wind, and further eroded by rainfall. In areas where hot springs bubble to the surface, the minerals they contain solidify to stone.
Just as the surface of the Earth must withstand the changes of climate, the Defensive/Wei Qi level of the human body must also respond to external stimuli. So long as the stimulus isn’t very dramatic, we can usually accommodate it without major incident. Maybe we catch a cold, or our mood dips for a short time. Nevertheless, if the changes we encounter are violent, we can experience extreme reactions such as shock and unconsciousness.
Stones formed at this level help us manage the external challenges of life and address our own surface conditions, such as allergies, chronic skin conditions, and susceptibility to colds and flus.
The Mantle—Ying Qi Level: Metamorphic Rocks
The mantle constitutes the largest percentage of the volume of the Earth. Although solid, it is unceasingly adjusting to the convection currents of heat and magma that continually move from the core of the Earth toward the surface. The mid-ocean rifts of the Atlantic and Pacific are constantly “erupting,” with magma oozing out and pushing the oceanic crust outward at a rate of about four centimeters a year. This slow, grinding movement is responsible for the volcanoes and earthquakes that occur along the west coast of North and South America, and for the volatile activity that even now is creating new islands in the Pacific. The tectonic plates are relentlessly shifting, pushing against continental crust, grinding downward into subduction zones, subjecting themselves to tremendous pressure and heat, and bringing together minerals that might never otherwise meet. Metamorphic rocks are created by these extreme pressures and temperatures and by chemical interactions.
Metamorphic stones as a group are particularly suited to working with issues of transformation. As the stones are forming they go through processes of melting and solidifying. Many chemicals meet, melt, and meld to become a new, unique entity. If the environment is highly gaseous, even more chemicals join the mix. As a law of signatures association, this process is analogous to the dynamics of Spleen Qi, whose function is to transform and transport.
Metamorphic stones are generally therapeutic for conditions that relate to the Nourishing/Ying or Blood level. These conditions might be emotional, digestive, or circulatory in nature.