Random Questions

One of my customers had this question. What were the stones in the biblical breastplate worn by the high priest during the time of Moses? There were twelve stone to represent twelve tribes. Each stone had the name of the tribe inscribed on it:

Tribe Stone Colour

Judas Sardius red

Issachar Topaz pale green

Zebulon

Carbuncle deep red

Reuben Emerald green

Simeon Sapphire deep blue

Gad Diamond clear

Ephraim Ligure dull red

Manasseh Agate gray

Benjamin Amethyst purple

Dan Beryl bluish green

Asher Onyx bluish white

Naphtali Jasper green

The other day I was asked what is the difference between clear quartz and milky quartz. My answer was (and usually is): erm, I don't know, but I will find out and post it on my website. So here is what I discovered about milky quartz.

Milky quartz (also known as snow quartz and white quartz) is a gentler, more feminine variety of quartz, as compared to the clear quartz which is thought to be the more masculine.

Snow quartz is the stone of innocence. Some people feel that carrying or wearing this gemstone help them look at things from a child-like perspective without preconceived and cynical notions. It helps us look at the world with childlike wonder and wisdom.

There are a lot of websites that offer the gemological reasons as to how milky quartz is formed as compared to clear quartz but I have only concentrated on the metaphysical properties.

Names and Animal Totems

I was recently asked (ergo the "Random Questions" page) if there is an animal that corresponds to our given names. According to Pierre Le Rouzic, author of "The Secret Meaning of Names" , everything on earth is interconnected. Many ancient traditions maintain that every human being has his reflection in the mineral, plant and animal kingdoms. Even the Bible is full of this kind of symbolic reference, where a pure woman is a dove, a crafty man is a snake-in-the-grass, love is a rose etc.

For example: my name, Carol, has Fire as my element, Iron as my mineral and Elephant as my animal. My plant totem is a Weeping Willow, my name sign is sagittarius, and my color is Red. For more information on this subject you can purchase the book "The Secret Meaning of Names" by Pierre Le Rouzic, or for a brief synopses of this topic go to www.books.google.com, type the secret meaning of names in the search box and when the next screen comes up, click on The Secret Meaning of Names, Pierre Le Rouzic, limited preview.

Salt Lamps

How are salt lamps good for you?

Salt lamps make attractive accent lights. Their main attraction, however, is that the heating of the salt causes the crystal to release negative ions. Negative ions have long been considered healthy, the sea air, mountain air, the air after a rainfall, is high in negative ions. Indoor air, and air around electronic equipment is very low in negative ions. That's why many office workers report suffering fatigue, and headaches. These symptoms decrease when negative ions in the air is increased. It is not completely understood why negative ions are so beneficial. Some studies show that an increase in negative ions in the air increases bloodflow to the brain, which would improve concentration. There are disagreements on how much salt lights release negative ions. Your best bet is to purchase one for the ambient atmosphere it's light provides, and if you notice an increase in well-being, so much the better.