A Discussion of the Metaphysical Properties of Crystal Quartz: One of the True Birthstones of Capricorn Astrology

Welcome to the New Year 2010! I assume you found your very own personally satisfying way to ring in the New Year and enjoyed the stillness of the days between the years. It reminds me to the miracle of our breath. There is always this moment of stillness between the in an out of the breath reversing its course. This stillness carries the promise of life with its renewal and potential.

I took the week off my usual activities and allowed myself to slow down and relish the change of pace into the realm of contemplation, time with my friends and reorienting myself for the New Year. Looking backwards I was really surprised to realize how much I have accomplished last year even if it didn't feel that way first. Now I feel recharged and inspired to take action towards the manifestation of my insights and new goals I have set for myself.

The Highlights for the Week:

• We still have 4 planets in Capricorn additionally to the North Node.
• Mercury is still retrograde as well as Mars.
• Moon is moving through Virgo, Libra, Scorpio and into Sagittarius

So I will take this opportunity of this lull to present this month Sun sign Capricorn in more depth with the extra information about the true birthstone for Capricorns.

It seems like we are getting a little extension of time with inward focus with the two retrograde planets Mars and Mercury. It is a chance to delight in rethinking (Mercury) our life's direction and fine tuning (Mars) our intentions, inner strength and will power into the new direction. All the planning and taking a new aim in your life will do nothing for you without the willingness to take steps towards implementing action from that place of inspiration. And Capricorn is a great ally for that.

Capricorn: The Conservative Pragmatist
Capricorn is a feminine earth sign ruled by Saturn. Their home is the 10th House—Public Image, Career, & Destiny.

As you move through the zodiac you will notice that the qualities of the signs reflect a process of evolution from self-centered toward greater social consciousness and responsibility. Saturn is associated with social order (rules, laws), duty, concrete reality, and the material world.

Capricorns seek to be in visible positions of power and prestige in society. Their high degree of organization, discipline, ambition, and intelligence make them perfect as leaders of organizations of all types, in government, business, and the military. Their conservative values and black-and-white thinking can make them inflexible with respect to morality. They are bent on success, holding high standards for themselves and others.

The influence of Saturn, the earth element, and the position in the last quarter of the zodiac make Capricorns practical, organized, controlled, self-disciplined, and conservative. "Ambition" is the keyword for this sign. Capricorns have a strong need for status and material success. They are hard workers with high career ambitions who do best in positions of authority, without supervision. They go about their goals step by step, overcoming each hurdle, and don't give up until they've reached the top. They excel at hierarchical planning. They are usually financially successful.

Capricorns may appear reserved in relationships, but once committed they make loyal and reliable friends and partners. Still, their careers take precedence in their lives.

The Dark Side of Capricorn
Because Capricorns are so driven, self-disciplined, and controlling, it is hard for them to relax into the benevolence of life, trusting the flow of life and its ultimate goodness. Due to the rule of Saturn, there is an element of contraction and fear that urges the Capricorn to be continually in action and in control. It is very important for Capricorns to take time out of their busy lives and allow time for relaxation, introspection, and inner peace. Only then will they be in balance.

Bringing Light into the Darkness
It is very helpful for Capricorns to practice some form of meditation, Tai Chi, or yoga to slow down their mental activity and anxiety. Meditation with gemstones, especially Crystal Quartz, will especially appeal to Capricorns' practical and concrete nature—it's simply a matter of lying down and placing one or several stones on your body.

I have written two other articles about crystals and their amazing qualities: 1. Using Quartz Crystals and the Law of Attraction and 2. Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Crystal Quartz and Its Practical Applications.
Crystal Quartz is the perfect stone to bring consciousness and light into our lives, helping us to gain clarity, insight, and a higher perspective on life.

How Gemstones Can Enhance Your Capricorn Experience
Gemstones are the perfect way for Capricorns to both focus on their goals, and to bring more emotional and spiritual balance into their regimented lives.

Gemstones have both physical and metaphysical qualities that can enhance all aspects of your well-being. The perfectly aligned crystal structure of gemstones creates an energy field that interacts with our own when you hold it or wear it on your body. In this way, the gemstone can be used to calm you, bring you mental clarity, increase your energy, enhance your creativity, and much more.

Astrology and Gemstones
Astrological principles manifest at all levels of creation, from the largest bodies in the cosmos to the tiniest particles of atoms—all are part of the same network of universal energy. Based on the hermetic principle "As above, so below," those universal principles allow us to read relations among the planets and extrapolate those principles to things here on Earth, to events in our lives, as well as to our natural environment. The universal principles that govern the planets are also seen on the much smaller level of gemstones, crystals, and metals.

The Signature of Gemstones
Each gemstone is associated with specific planets. You are already aware that each planet has its own personality in astrology. And each gemstone has a personal "signature"—specific metaphysical qualities, different for each stone, that arise from the stone's association with its planets based on their individual color, crystal structure as well as the chemical composition.

In this article we will talk about one of the true birthstones for Capricorn which is Crystal Quartz. You can find more articles on true birthstones in my birthstone series for the other astrological signs of the zodiac on my website.

How to Make Gemstones Work for You
By considering the individual signature of gemstones, you can select the right gems for very specific purposes, according to their astrological qualities.

Gemstones can be used in three different ways:

1. They are precious objects of beauty that may hold a special meaning for us. We enjoy their beauty by giving them a special place on a shelf, desk, or altar.
2. They can be used in meditation by tuning into their frequency for the purpose of balancing our energy field.
3. They can be made into jewelry pieces for our pleasure, enhancing our individual expression of beauty and sense of empowerment. I call those pieces of power Soul Jewelry.

Crystal Quartz: Your Guide to Higher States of Consciousness [1]
" Crystal Quartz is one of the true gemstones of Capricorn. This is one of the most common and well-known crystals in the world, found virtually everywhere on the planet. It is composed of silicon dioxide and forms six-sided hexagonal prisms.

The word crystal derives from the Greek krystallos, meaning "ice," as the Greeks believed that quartz was water that was eternally frozen, an image also found in the work of Hildegard von Bingen, a saint and ancient seer of the healing aspects of stones. Ice is a metaphor for the cooling and clear aspects of the crystal.

Quartz is a very sociable being, growing in groups and clusters and very often found together or in close connection with other minerals; thus it teaches us to have close, friendly relationships without loosing our individuality and center.

Like the Diamond, Quartz is very closely connected to our search for light and love, our longing to awaken to a higher state of consciousness, and it is our guide on that quest.

Crystal Quartz: The Manifestation of Light
Crystal Quartz is the manifestation of light, clarity, concentration, and perfect crystallization, a metaphor for our own search for perfection. If you examine a single crystal you will see that as it grows it becomes more and more clearly developed and defined toward the tip. You can also see the six sides of the crystal, corresponding to the first six chakras in the body, with the tip of the crystal corresponding to the crown chakra. In this way Quartz is a perfect mirror for our own process of growth as we move from confused or unenlightened to a state of increasing awareness and clarity on our path to higher consciousness.

Quartz is a good friend, brother, and sister and may have many additional properties, depending on the form of its "face," or crystal tip. It might enhance our psychic abilities, such as channeling, telepathy, and clairvoyance, or connect us with ancient teachings and spiritual knowledge.

Cleansing your Stone
Although every stone may be said to pick up information by reading vibrations, Quartz is especially sensitive to the environment, absorbing everything around it. So it is very important to program it to do this consciously and to clean it often. This can be done with the help of all the elements and with the conscious state of your mind in combination with rapid, strong exhalations.

Different Forms
A double-terminated crystal (one with two tips on each end), like the Herkimer Diamond sets up an energy flow between the two ends, which act as positive and negative electromagnetic poles, and thus is especially adept at balancing opposites like yin and yang. In a single-pointed crystal the energy rises up from the more clouded bottom toward the clear tip.

A crystal in a spherical form—a crystal ball—gives off a wide, radiant, harmonizing energy field that, depending on the size of the crystal, can fill a whole room with sparkles of light and awareness. Because the sphere is the most perfect form in the universe it brings out its being in the highest form. By directing your thoughts to influence the energies of the crystal, you might program it with your needs and create a very powerful energy field for healing, concentration, or whatever you long for."

As you can tell, I am very passionate about the potential of healing gems and all the different applications of those enchanting allies to raise your frequency for more balance and joy. I have even written a book about my over 30 years of experience in the fields of healing gemstones, meaningful jewelry, and astrology.

You can learn more about the metaphysical properties of 67 different gemstones through my book Jewelry and Gems for Self-Discovery: Choosing Gemstones that Delight the Eyes & Strengthen the Soul. My book will teach you about astrology and how to read the blueprint of your own chart. If you know where your challenges are, you can then take steps to support and balance yourself with your 12 personal healing gemstones. Jewelry and Gems for Self-Discovery is a treasure chest of ideas about Soul Jewelry— how to select, purchase, and wear jewelry that will enhance your body, heart, mind, and soul.

I wish you an enchanted journey into the mysterious world of healing gemstones and looking at them in a new way! If you enjoyed this article and my perspective on things, I would like to invite you to sign up for my weekly newsletter where I discuss the actual universal astrological forces and the special powers of gemstones and inspire you to use them wisely for a more successful and joyful life.

Aloha and many blessings, Shakti.

Shakti Carola Navran: astrologer, jeweler and author

[1]Adapted from Jewelry and Gems for Self-Discovery: Choosing Gemstones That Delight the Eye & Strengthen the Soul © 2008 by Shakti Carola Navran. Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. 2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125-2989. All rights reserved, used by permission of the publisher.