As I have written before in this column, I believe there to be a more common alternative stone for every exotic one, and in this issue I hope to show you some ways to find them.

In my experience, I have seen many people on a mission to find all the stones on their list. Inevitably, there are a few stones on their list that are rare and hard to find. Of course, those are the ones they really want because of their metaphysical definition.

Some have names that are so strange that it makes me wonder what they could possibly be for. For example, here are a few names from Michael’s Gemstone Dictionary, a book I will discuss shortly.

Zippeite - (Makes me think of a lighter!) According to Michael’s, it has the same properties as the more common carnelian, which is good for self-esteem and self-worth as it helps to eliminate the fear of being inadequate.

Callais – (Isn’t this something you get when you work too hard?) This stone is the same as turquoise and is good for centering, connectedness and grounding.

Merwinite – (I think this one was named after a person called Merwin.) This stone has the same effect as bloodstone, the properties of which have to do with abundance, prosperity and willingness.

Just to make things more confusing, there are also stones with more than one name. For example, Pink Halite, which is salt, has been called Polyhalite. Another name for Epidotes is Pioche, and New Jade is also known as Bowenite. So, as you can see, some of those strange and exotic stones could be just a more common stone going by a different name. Often times, a little research and reading on a subject can prove to be beneficial when it comes to finding just the right stone for your purpose.

Education
There are three main books that I have found to be very useful in helping me realize that there are alternatives to the rare and unusual stones, and that some stones may be as hard to come by after all.

These books are: Michael’s Gemstone Dictionary by Judithann H. David and J.P. Van Hulle, Crystalline Communion by Collen Maraquist and Jack Frasl, and Gem Elixirs and Vibrational Healing, Vol. 1. by Gurrdas (Cassandra Press).

Michael’s Gemstone Dictionary is not just about stones; it encompasses a variety of metaphysical teachings and looks at how stones affect various modalities. There are four sections to this book, the first being about the use of stones, including how to cleanse and re-energize them. Section two is a list of stones by subject that contains four categories: General Interest; The Individual; Well Being; and Relating to Others. These are further broken down into headings such as Animals, Emotions, Chakra Balancing and Communication. Each heading explores a variety of stones. The descriptions are brief and to the point, which I prefer because more lengthy ones tend to confuse people who are new to the subject. The third section, titled Michael’s System of Personality, is divided into three parts: Body Type (physical characteristics); Role (the way a person is in the world) and Overleaves (the basic personality traits that change from lifetime to lifetime). Lastly, the fourth section is a list of various minerals and stones, with longer definitions. The information in this book is channeled from a group of humans who have joined together in an entity known as “Michael” (hence the title).

Crystalline Communion is a book that not only includes the metaphysical properties, but gives the chemical makeup of various rocks and minerals. The descriptions in this book are a little bit longer than those in Michael’s, but are still fairly concise. The back of the book includes information on which stones are good for opening, closing, healing and cleansing of the charkas. These lists give a nice selection of stones to choose from, and the index gives healing and integration properties.

Gem Elixirs and Vibrational Healing, Vol. 1, is, of course, about gem elixirs. Much of the information is about the do’s and don’ts of gem elixir preparation. Also included are the general principles, history, and effects of gem elixirs on the physical and subtle bodies. The information in this book is also channeled, and is presented in a question and answer format. I find the best part of this book to be the great charts in the back that show which stones are good for specific ailments. I use the charts in various ways, one of which is to check the accuracy of my intuition and when I’m not getting intuitive information.

Intuition
Intuition is defined as: an immediate perception of truth; something felt to be true without conscious reasoning.

Using your intuition to find alternative stones works well and doesn’t take as much time as searching through books. However, I believe that in order to become intuitive, we also need to educate ourselves as much as possible.

Education gives us the tools to decide what holds true for each of us individually. Intuition and education go hand in hand. I also believe that knowledge enhances intuition because it gives us a larger pool of information to draw from. We are constantly learning and absorbing information and it becomes so much a part of us that we come to a point of not remembering when we learned it or how, we just know we know it. Thus, unconscious knowledge becomes intuition.

Tina Merrill has been working with stones for ten years. In 1991, she developed the stone area of Black Elk Leather, Beads and Stones.