A young girl named Amethyst chooses to worship Diana and a jealous Dionysus unleashes his tigers. Diana rescues her by turning her to white quartz, then the remorseful Dionysus sheds tears into his wine, which spills over the crystals, creating the royal purple stone that prevents intoxication. So said the ancient Greeks. Modern geologists decode the shades of violet quartz another way, of course, with equally captivating stories born from angry eruptions.
Millions of years ago, volcanoes unleashed rivers of molten lava. As the lava raced around trees and other obstacles, cavities were formed. Air pushed its way into the mass, liquid laced with iron spilled inside, and in one of the slowest dances, the atoms moved into formation then froze, over time, into magical rhombohedrons.
In eastern and western cultures, the amethyst spins a path to the divine. The six-sided crystal provides a “shield of spiritual light” and aids in communion with sacred realms. Religious leaders, royalty and those seeking enlightenment have always held it close.
Buddhists wear rosaries made of amethyst, a stone once sacred to their sage. Bishops in the early Christian church wore rings set with amethyst, and gem-cutters still describe the most precious jewels as “Bishop’s Grade.” The high priest of Israel wore a breastplate with 10 stones engraved with the names of the tribes, the ninth an amethyst.
Peruvians carved the sun and moon onto the gem, wrapped it in baboon’s hair or swallow’s feather, and wore it round their necks to guard against evil. Even Leonardo da Vinci looked to amethysts to quicken intelligence and ward away evil thoughts.
Associated with the crown chakra, amethysts are the perfect stones to assist in meditation. It is a powerful tool for activating the mind, overcoming addiction, and eliminating negativity in one’s environment.