 | Opal: |  |
| Opal: | |
One of the most beautiful opal stories is an Aboriginal legend. The Creator used a rainbow road to come to the earth with a message of peace for all humans. The touch of his foot on the ground infused stones with rainbows.
In Roman times, the writer and naturalist, Pliny, described opal as a gemstone that combined the beauty of all other gems, saying, "There is in them a softer fire than the ruby, there is the brilliant purple of the amethyst, and the sea green of the emerald - all shining together in incredible union. Some by their splendor rival the colors of the painters, others the flame of burning sulfur or of fire quickened by oil."
Many other examples demonstrate the high esteem in which opal was once held. While it continues to be popular, I've heard people express more negative sentiments about opal than about any other crystal. People say you can't buy opal for yourself; it had to be given to you. Others say you can only wear it if it's your birthstone (Libra). Some believe opals are bad luck under any circumstances.
It's traditionally believed that the association of opals with bad luck stems from a misreading of a novel by Sir Walter Scott (Anne of Geierstein). I think, however, that negative impressions of this stone are connected to its effects on emotions.
Opal is a watery stone. Though, like quartz, it is silicon dioxide, two to six percent of its composition is water (some authorities say up to twenty percent). Another difference is its molecular composition. Instead of growing in hexagonal form, opal's silica grows in tiny spheres that refract rainbows appearing to be inside the crystal. The arrangement of these spheres determines the quality of light. Compact and uniform patterns create a vivid light show (called opalescence); while less regular patterns with fewer spheres refract less light.
This play of light gives opal its association with rainbows and emotions. Opals awaken our desire for vivid emotional experiences, for the expression of feelings and desires, and an urge to break free from convention and rigidity into a spontaneous approach to life.
Our response to opal is essentially a response of the intuitive side of intelligence and awareness, connected to the right side of brain. While this side of the brain is currently enjoying something of a comeback, it does so after a long period of disregard in the age of science and machinery, reason and logic, a long era which has also not looked favorably on emotional expression, except in safely controlled forms.
On a personal level, we may have issues with emotions based on the attitudes we learned about them. If parents or other significant elders convinced you that you were overemotional, emotions can make you feel so tense (and transfer that tension to your body) you experience them as painful and possibly explosive.
Negative emotions such as anger, depression, or discouragement may seem not seem like gifts. It may be easier to think of them as weather reports. If you avoid the knowledge that it's going to rain, you'll get wet unless you wear a raincoat or carry an umbrella. To avoid the knowledge that you're angry is to keep anger inside, leaving you feeling unbalanced and possibly physically upset.
To ignore or attempt to repress any negative emotions creates greater imbalance. It also leads to a state of numbness, in which it also becomes more difficult to feel positive emotions.
Opal comes in various strengths, with some awakening emotions or awareness more gently than others.
Precious opal, the kind most frequently used for jewelry is a clear or white opal, with brilliant flashes of color. This opal is one of the most beautiful and has one of the more intense effects on emotions. If you're in a good mood, feeling happy and optimistic, opal can help to magnify these feelings and is a perfect crystal to wear.
When you're in this positive state and wear or use this form of opal, you may find your intuition and creativity are enhanced. This may be especially true in terms of problem solving. Hold or wear your opal, contemplate your current challenge, and allow your thoughts to flow as freely as the play of opal's colors.
This form of opal is also valuable when you're feeling stuck in your emotions: the anger that won't go away, the resentment that corrodes the system like battery acid, the feelings that return over and over again.
This kind of emotional cycling usually occurs when we're resisting emotions. The old saying, "What you resist persist" is particularly true about emotions. It's one thing to genuinely shift out of a negative emotion. For example, you're feeling no one loves you; then a friend calls and you have a long, pleasant conversation. Or you feel depressed and make a deliberate effort to get some energy moving through your body.
That's not resisting; it's going somewhere else. When we resist we're saying, "I shouldn't feel this way, but I do," "Anger is wrong; I hate myself for feeling this way."
When we're stuck that way, our emotions seethe and simmer, sometimes creating stress and tension. In these situations, opal can help to provide emotional release, often in the form of a good cry, which relieves emotional tension and washes away the emotion.
For this purpose it's best placed on the heart or solar plexus. I recommend combining it with a form of quartz to soften opal's intensity, such as aventurine or rose quartz. Another good choice is chrysocolla, to encourage a feeling of peacefulness.
Related to the second chakra, this stone is helpful if you feel you need more vitality (or "fire") in your life. People find that it lights the flame of optimism. When we're in optimistic frames of mind, we often find it easier to look at the past and let go of it, the general reasoning being, "Look at where I am now. That's behind me." In the same spirit, it releases intuition and a corresponding trust in the senses.
The following three opal types have softer energy.
This crystal is formed in a sandstone matrix called ironstone, has light flashes of blue against a rich pattern of dark brown, reddish brown, and tan. In some ways it reminds me of robins' eggs in a nest, and it has that kind of protective feeling. Its stabilizing energy gives emotions a safe home by providing a nest for them. If you have a particular troublesome feeling that feels hard to approach, try holding a boulder opal or placing it on the heart or throat center.
This grounding quality also makes it helpful for esoteric forms of communication, such as ESP, with spirit guides, etc. For such communication, I recommend placement on the throat center.
Many people also feel that boulder opal helps to bring more light into the aura.
Oregon opal is found only in Opal Butte, Oregon. It's a soft bluish-white in color, and this soft quality extends to its energies. As boulder opal helps ground one to the physical plane while engaged in psychic explorations, Oregon opal helps one to feel an expanded sense of connection to all aspects of the universe. It gives us a sense of our infinite nature and immortality.
This deepened and broadened perspective helps to strengthen positive emotions and release sorrow. Its uplifting and encouraging energy helps to release the chains of habit and tradition and to be open to new experiences.
This crystal relates especially to the seventh chakra.
This crystal lacks the fire of some other kinds of opal. Because of this it has an emotionally soothing quality. Light blue and blue green relate to communication. Andean blue opal helps one to communicate clearly and freely. It is also recommended as an aid in writing.
It's also a useful crystal for communication on a spiritual level--which may include ESP, distant communication, and communication with animals, angels, and other non-human forms of existence.
Opal is available in most Jane Iris jewelry and Wellstone jewelry. Go to our jewelry index page to see selections.
Fire opal is available in mineral form.
Oregon opal is available in jewelry.
Andean blue opal is available in jewelry.
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