The Esoteric Significance of Crystals
Esoteric Significance of Crystals
Roland Matthews (2020)
Why are so many New Age stores filled with crystals? People seem to be attracted to crystals just as much as they are to beautiful flowers. Is it just the wide range of colors, their unusual shapes, or the sparkling play of light refraction? There may be more to these ‘woo-woo’ rocks than the general public is aware.
Crystals can be categorized into 7 separate classes or systems: cubic, hexagonal, trigonal, tetragonal, orthorhombic, monoclinic, and triclinic. These are determined by how a crystal exhibits symmetry (or not) around three different geometric axes or planes. In the past, alchemists and magicians have associated certain crystals with specific planets, and now in modern times, we have 7 classes to confirm this. In addition, there are 32 crystallographic subgroups. These in turn can be associated with the 32 paths of wisdom on the Tree of Life.
On page 100 of Robert Bartlett’s Way of the Crucible, he lists the planetary associations (in parenthesis) to these crystal systems as given by the Philosophers of Nature. I have listed them in Chaldean order along with several gemstones next to their systems for comparison.
§ Cubic: (Saturn) – diamond, garnet, pyrite, rhodolite, spinel
§ Tetragonal: (Jupiter) – idocrase, rutile, scapolite, zircon
§ Orthorhombic: (Mars) – alexandrite, andalusite, chrysoberyl, peridot, topaz
§ Monoclinic: (Sun) – feldspar, jade, kunzite, malachite, moonstone
§ Triclinic: (Venus) – amazonite, labradorite, turquoise
§ Rhombic / Trigonal: (Mercury) – amethyst, citrine, corundum, quartz, ruby, sapphire
§ Hexagonal: (Moon) – apatite, aquamarine, benitoite, beryl, emerald, heliodor, morganite
One could look up the molecular structure of each gemstone to see if there is any match. For example, Apatite [3Ca3 (PO4)2 • CaF2] listed under the Moon with the Hexagonal system, has both Capricorn and Cancer qualities. Interestingly, it has a hardness of 5 on the Mohs scale and according to Wikipedia traces of apatite were found in Moon rocks.
The four basic elements of life can also be paired with the philosophical elements: Oxygen (O) – Fire, Hydrogen (H) – Water, Nitrogen (N) – Air, Carbon (C) – Earth. The fifth element is Phosphorus (P) – Spirit. These are the building blocks of DNA, which also has a crystalline lattice structure. In addition, Bartlett lists eight possible planetary associations to chemical elements popularly used in alchemy (p. 105). They are as follows:
§ Calcium (Ca) – Saturn
§ Sodium (Na) – Jupiter
§ Platinum (Pt) – Sun
§ Zinc (Zn) – Venus / Neptune
§ Magnesium (Mg) – Mercury
§ Potassium (K) – Mercury / Uranus
§ Aluminum (Al) – Moon
§ Antimony (Sb) – Earth / Uranus
According to Dr. G.W. Casey and I.E. Perry, in their The Zodiac and the Cell Salts of Salvation, the twelve salts necessary for the optimum cellular functioning of the human body are:
§ Potassium Phosphate (KH2PO4) – Aries
§ Sodium Sulfate (Na2SO4) – Taurus
§ Potassium Chloride (KCl) – Gemini
§ Calcium Fluoride (CaF2) – Cancer
§ Magnesium Phosphate (Mg2PO4) – Leo
§ Potassium Sulfate (K2SO4) – Virgo
§ Sodium Phosphate (Na3PO4) – Libra
§ Calcium Sulfate (CaSO4) – Scorpio
§ Silica / silicon dioxide (SiO2) – Sagittarius
§ Calcium Phosphate (Ca3PO4) – Capricorn
§ Sodium Chloride (NaCl) – Aquarius
§ Iron Phosphate (Fe3PO4) – Pisces
In his Three Books of Occult Philosophy, Agrippa lists several stones under the rulership of each planet. They are as follows:
§ Saturn – onyx, ziazaa (?), camonius (?), sapphire, brown jasper, lodestone (magnetite)
§ Jupiter – hyacinth (blue sapphire or zircon?), beryl, emerald, green jasper
§ Mars – diamond, bloodstone, lodestone, jasper, gagatronica (?), amethyst
§ Sun – aetite (a.k.a. aquiline or eagle stone), eye of the sun (adventurine), chrysolite (peridot), Iris (iridosmine), heliotropion (bloodstone chalcedony), hyacinth (thought to be a type of sapphire is most likely zircon), pyrophylus (a legendary stone that shines in darkness called Jalakanta in India), pantaura (a legendary stone that acts as a magnet for gold), topaz, chrysoprase, ruby, balagina (?), auripigmentum (orpiment)
§ Venus – beryl, chrysolite (peridot), emerald, sapphire, green jasper, corneola (carnelian), aetites, lapus lazuli
§ Mercury – emerald, achates (agate), red marble, topaz, glass
§ Moon – crystal, silver marcasite (iron pyrite), selenite, beryl, chrysoberyl
Aleister Crowley associates several stones with the paths in column XL of his book 777:
1. (Kether) diamond
2. (Hokmah) star ruby, turquoise
3. (Binah) star sapphire, pearl (black)
4. (Chesed) amethyst, sapphire
5. (Geburah) ruby
6. (Tiphareth) topaz, yellow diamond
7. (Netzach) emerald
8. (Hod) opal, fire opal
9. (Yesod) quartz
10. (Malkuth) rock crystal
11. (Air) topaz, chalcedony
12. (Mercury) opal, agate
13. (Moon) moonstone, pearl
14. (Venus) emerald, turquoise
15. (Aries) ruby
16. (Taurus) topaz
17. (Gemini) alexandrite, tourmaline
18. (Cancer) amber
19. (Leo) cat’s eye
20. (Virgo) peridot
21. (Jupiter) amethyst, lapis lazuli
22. (Libra) emerald
23. (Water) beryl, aquamarine
24. (Scorpio) snakestone (serpentine or fossil ammonite)
25. (Sagittarius) jacinth (red zircon)
26. (Capricorn) black diamond
27. (Mars) ruby
28. (Aquarius) glass
29. (Pisces) pearl
30. (Sun) chrysoleth (chrysoberyl or olivine)
31. (Fire) fire opal
32. (Saturn) onyx
Another source for the mystical use of crystals comes from the Bible. The Ephod or breastplate of the Jewish high priest as described in Exodus 28:15-19 has 12 stones arranged in 4 rows with 3 columns. These 12 stones are suggested to be connected with the tribes of Israel. The original Hebrew Masoretic text is compared to the Greek Septuagint English translation and possible historical stone in parenthesis.
§ Row 1: Odem / Sardius (carnelian); Pit’dah / Topaz (chrysolite); Baraket / Carbuncle
§ Row 2: Nofekh / Emerald (malachite); Sapir / Sapphire (lapis lazuli); Yahalom /Diamond
§ Row 3: Leshem / Ligure (amber); Sebo / Achates (agate); Ahlamah / Amethyst
§ Row 4: Tarshish / Chrysolith (beryl); Shoham / Berylios (onyx); Yashfeh / Iaspis (jasper)
As one can clearly see, there is much that is lost in translation, and much more research needs to be done with comparing colors to frequencies, chakras, and molecular resonances. Perhaps these stones which are related to the 12 tribes can also be connected to the parts of the body through astrological melothesia. Another example is the Urim and Thummim stones mentioned in Exodus 28:30. These were used as a mysterious form of divination by the Jewish high priest. The roots of these words have been related to ‘lights’ and ‘perfections.’
One of the most impressive metaphors from Hinduism is that of Indra’s net. The Vedic deity Indra has in his possession a net of infinite size, with multifaceted jewels at each intersection of its cords, which he hangs over his palace on Mount Meru. Each one of these jewels reflects all of the other jewels. This is a beautiful description of the fractal, holographic, quantum, and infinite connectivity of all the parts of the universe.
Alchemists long ago divided living things into three categories: plants, animals, and minerals. If minerals are alive as much as plants and animals, then they must grow and reproduce. Crystals do indeed grow, and oddly, if a part breaks off from a growing crystal, then it too will grow on its own as an individual. This is not that different from the asexual reproduction of amoebas. On another note, it has been recently estimated that around 98% of human DNA has unknown, noncoding purposes and has therefore been termed “junk DNA”. Crystals such as quartz and galena, or Lead (II) Sulfide (PbS), have been used in radio receivers for many years. With a crystal lattice that could act as a receiver in a similar fashion to quartz or galena, DNA may serve a greater purpose than just encoding proteins. Maybe the greater portion of our DNA is a way for life to be connected and even communicate with Indra’s net! Could it be that the ancient Jewish high priests were attempting such dialogue with their Ephod? Crystals can also be used to store data and information. Holographic optical data storage can hold up to 360 terabytes! What is DNA if not a way to store and transfer data? In conclusion, there is much to be discovered from crystals, if we can learn how to listen to them.
