Psychic stone of stones – Amethyst

Amethyst has long been held to be one of the ultimate spiritual crystals, in many ancients cultures only the Priestesses, Priests or Kings has access to the mystery of this stone. Amethyst is thought by some people to open up the third eye and awaken psychic ability and enlightenment. Amethyst is said to connect us to our greater awareness and remove our judgments. Legend has it that it can cleanse the past and working with the third eye open us to our deeper wisdom and intuition. It’s said to be enlightening and cleansing as it releases baggage from the past and plugs into spiritual truth. It’s fans claim it’s the perfect stone for not only past life regression but future life travel as it’s said to release the illusion of time and connects our spirit to the matrix of oneness. A stone that speaks directly to the soul.

This beautiful crystal, whose colour ranges from deep violet to the richest purple, has a long and fascinating history.  Ancient Egyptians used it for adornment.   The Greeks believed that it had the power to keep you sober – the word Amethyst actually comes from Greek that literally translates as ‘not drunk’ – and carved it into wine goblets.

The gemstone also appears in Greek mythology.  In one version, the story goes that the God Artemis turned a beautiful woman mortal named Amethystos into a white stone in response to her plea for protection as Dionysus, the god of drunkenness and wine, was chasing after her with lusty intent.  Literally stopped in his tracks, Dionysus poured wine over her now stone form as a way of honouring her, staining it into the rich purple hue of the amethyst itself.  In another legend, Artemis turns Amethystos into stone to protect her from Dionysus’ rage after he has sworn to kill the next mortal he meets and she nearly runs into the furious God on her way to pay tribute to Artemis. A third variation sees Dionysus being given an amethyst by the titan Rhea to keep him sane. The Christian church still use this stone in Bishops rings.

All in all, its mythological associations explain the gemstone’s link with clear-headedness and protection.  Some people also believe that amethyst can help us break addictions.  As with all crystals, we can tumble a few in our bath for a restorative soak or carry one with us wherever we go (especially for a night out with the girls if you’re struggling with will power!)