Lazurite is a popular but generally expensive mineral. Well-formed, deep blue crystals are rare and valuable. It is more commonly found massive and combined with other minerals into a rock called lapis lazuli.
Lapis lazuli, or lapis for short, is mostly lazurite, but commonly contains pyrite and calcite and traces of some other minerals. The rich blue colour is due to the sulphur that is inherent in the structure of lazurite. Small crystals of pyrite are always present in lapis and their brassy yellow colour is both attractive and diagnostic in distinguishing lapis from its also blue cousin – sodalite rock, which lacks pyrite and is much cheaper.
The calcite roduces white streaks in the lapis and too much calcite will substantially lower the value of the stone. The name lazurite is often confused with the bright blue phosphate mineral lazulite. However, the two minerals cannot be confused with each other identification-wise because of lazulite’s typical vitreous lustre and good crystal habit. The beautiful blues in paintings from the Renaissance are thanks to the blue of lapis lazuli, the blue rock cherished by the ancients, from Mesopotamia to Egypt, to Persia, to Greece and Rome.
The ancient city of Ur had a thriving trade in lapis as early as the fourth millennium BC. The name is international, from the Latin, lapis, which means stone, and from the Arabic, azul, which means blue. When lapis was first introduced to Europe, it was called ultramarinum, which means ‘beyond the sea’. Ground lapis was the secret ingredient of the blue in ultramarine, the pigment which painters used to paint the sea and the sky until the nineteenth century. The Romans believed that lapis was a powerful aphrodisiac. In the Middle Ages it was thought to keep the limbs strong and free the soul from error, envy and fear Lapis is a high intensity etheric blue stone.It contains the energies of royalty, wisdom, patience, truth, mental attainment, good communication, contentment, artistic inspiration, deep meditation, spiritual and philosophical contemplation, personal integrity and loyalty. It is the ‘Spirit of Truth’.
Lapis lazuli will heal an unbalanced throat chakra. How you tell if the throat chakra is un-balanced by being too open or spinning too fast: the person is over-talkative, dogmatic, self-righteous or arrogant. If the throat chakra is too closed, or spinning sluggishly, the person is unreliable, holds inconsistent views and holds back from self-expression. Lapis works on the thyroid, parathyroids, the throat, upper lungs and arms, the base of the skull and body weight.
Lapis teaches you the power of the spoken word. Because the blue ray governs the throat, infections in this area are psychologically related to ‘talking inwards’, not speaking out. Psychologically speaking, coughing is because a person has swallowed their thoughts and cannot bring themselves to speak out. Lapis teaches you to ‘give voice to your truth’. It counteracts harshness. If somebody is acting insensitively in a situation, lapis will help them become more compassionate.
Lapis gives relief from pain, both physical and psychological, and combats cruelty and brutality. Lapis is an interesting stone to meditate with, as its high intensity etheric nature means you really have to reach high to bring your energy into line with its refined vibration. It contains a higher order of intelligence and wisdom, ‘intellectual integrity’.
Lapis also heals the martyr syndrome: ‘I am going to punish myself in order to make you suffer’. Lapis aids discrimination of wisdom; it is very penetrating and does not suffer fools gladly, or those who are fooling around with other people’s spirituality.
Lapis teaches you to reach for the stars and looking at lapis reminds you of a summer night’s sky. The small crystals of pyrite, which are always present in lapis, and the streaks of white calcite produce starry pictures, which will aid your intuition. The white calcite brings in the energies of the crown chakra and the yellow pyrite brings in the energies of the solar plexus chakra to activate, energize, align and integrate the throat chakra.
Lapis teaches you that you have no chance of developing a balanced purified throat chakra until you have successfully worked through and balanced the lower four chakras to obtain the necessary purification to fully activate this centre.
Lapis also teaches the mastery of active listening by integrating the full faculties of hearing. It is a sad fact that active listening is totally neglected in our society. We need to fully develop the outer ear, before the subtle inner ear can be available to us for inner guidance. All too often Divine guidance is not heard, because of not truly listening to the ‘wisdom’ behind the words.
Lapis makes an excellent gemstone essence, which can release a person from emotional bondage and mental suffering.
Affirmation: I allow the spirit of truth to set me free.
Keywords: Spirit of truth.
