Aum

As the cross is to Christians, the Om is to Hindus. It is by far the most important symbol in Hinduism, it occurs in every prayer and invocation to most deities begins with it. As the symbol of piety, Om is often found at the head of letters, pendants, enshrined in every Hindu temple and family shrines. This symbol is actually a sacred syllable representing the Absolute the source of all existence. The Absolute in itself, is incomprehensible so a symbol becomes mandatory to help us realize the Unknowable. The syllable Om occurs even in English words having a similar meaning, for instance, 'omniscience', 'omnipotent', 'omnipresent'. Thus Om is also used to signify divinity and authority. Its similarity with the Latin 'M' as also to the Greek letter 'Omega' is discernable. Even the word 'Amen' used by Christians to conclude a prayer seems to be akin to Om.

The Aum or Om symbol comes from ancient Sanskrit and is one of the oldest names for God in any written language. It has various meanings. The Om is a well-known sound mantra or chant, as the devotees would chant the name of god over and over again, From The Bhagavad-Gita Ch.10, Verse 25 The Blessed Lord said: "Among words, I am the one syllable AUM"

The Aum or Om is chanted in 4 stages, from the lower lungs and abdomen we start with the ah then raising the sound up the wind pipe to the back of the throat to create an ou then bringing the sound forwards to the lips to create mm and finally bringing the attention to the bridge of the nose with a ngh sound that rises up to the forehead. Ah-Ou-Mm-Ngh or Aum. The mystics would chant this ancient sound, raising their own consciousness as they did so, and at the same time planting the image of their desire within their foreheads that it might come to be. Wearing or carrying the sacred image of the Aum was seen to be auspicious, as it would bring the user closer to the divine, as well as protecting and aiding you through life. The Om is written in 3 curves a separate semi curve and a dot.

The large lower curve 1 symbolizes the waking state (jagrat), in this state the consciousness is turned outwards through the gates of the senses. The larger size signifies that this is the most common state of the human consciousness.

The upper curve 2 denotes the state of deep sleep (sushupti) or the unconscious state. This is a state where the sleeper desires nothing nor beholds any dream. The middle curve 3 (which lies between deep sleep and the waking state) signifies the dream state (swapna). In this state the consciousness of the individual is turned inwards, and the dreaming self beholds an enthralling view of the world behind the lids of the eyes.

These are the three states of an individual's consciousness, and since Indian mystic thought believes the entire manifested reality to spring from this consciousness, these three curves therefore represent the entire physical phenomenon. The dot signifies the fourth state of consciousness, known in Sanskrit as turiya. In this state the consciousness looks neither outwards nor inwards, nor the two together. It signifies the coming to rest of all differentiated, relative existence this utterly quiet, peaceful and blissful state is the ultimate aim of all spiritual activity. This Absolute (non-relative) state illuminates the other three states.

The semi circle 4 symbolizes maya and separates the dot from the other three curves. Thus it is the illusion of maya that prevents us from the realization of this highest state of bliss. The semi circle is open at the top, and does not touch the dot. This means that this highest state is not affected by maya. Maya only affects the manifested phenomenon. This effect is that of preventing the seeker from reaching his ultimate goal, the realization of the One, all-pervading, un-manifest, absolute principle. In this manner, the form of OM represents the un-manifest and the manifest.

The word AUM is not invented by any man. It is the primordial and uncreated sound, which is heard by mystics absorbed in contemplation, when their minds and senses are withdrawn from the world. It is said that all the sounds from within the universe come together to create one sound and this sound is Aum. In fact in recent years NASA recorded the sound that our Planet Earth makes while orbiting the Sun and it is exactly AUM!

Other ways to work with the AUM are to focus on the different aspects as follows:-

A stands for Creation.
U stands for Preservation.

And finally
M stands for Destruction or dissolution.

From this we can focus our attention to the different capabilities of the mind, to create, preserve or to destroy!


Aum Mani Mani Padme Aum


Gold Om

Gemstones That Protect II

Crystals that Protect II

Here are a few more of the unusual and seldom mentioned protective stones. They are not rare and are easy to get hold of and have invaluable use in the field of crystal healing as well as protection.

Agate can be found in many colours; it covers a huge section of the semi precious gemstone kingdom, and has one of the largest write up sections by Melody in her Kaleidoscope of crystals "Love is in the Earth." Where amethyst and clear quartz crystal are stones of the heavens, Agate is a stone of the Earth; it is ancient and deserves the respect as such. It was used by the kings of old as talismans. It symbolised, power, strength and wealth as well as offering protection, particularly when on the battlefield. Hence the Kings adorned themselves with the many different coloured agates, setting them in sword handles as well as armour, rings and talismans. Many problems arise due to people being off balance and "spacey" or "air headed" being in this state of mind can cause people to have accidents of varying degree depending on the physical locality and work needed to be done. Agate helps to "ground" you, giving you a feeling of being present in the "here and now" such that accidents are less likely to happen. It also helps to calm the mind, as when the mind is cluttered with thoughts it can lead to being ungrounded as well as creating stress that can lead to mistakes and accidents in every day life. Examples of agate are carnelian, blue lace, druzy and en-hydro. Carnelian is probably one of the best known agates, being a bright orange in colour many people are attracted to it and maybe don't realise that it is an agate. Blue lace agate is as the name suggests a gentle light blue with white lace trails through it. Druzy agate is when the agate forms lots of tiny teeth like crystals such as amethyst, but much smaller. Lastly the en-hydro is where the agate forms an egg type growth which has trapped water inside. All are excellent healing crystals as well as very protective.

Jasper is also an ancient stone of the Earth, providing grounding and protection. It is also found in many colours and structures. It can even be found as fossils, where it replaces the original structure such as petrified wood. Again this mineral was used by the Ancient Kings as symbols of power and wealth but most of all as a protective talisman against ill will and harm, in every day life, as well as giving protection in battle. Red and Picture Jasper are the most common varieties but there are many more. There is a huge list of nearly all the Jaspers in Kaleidoscope of crystals "Love is in the Earth." by Melody.

Iron Pyrite "Fools Gold" is a metallic golden coloured mineral. It gets its common name by its resemblance to gold. It grows in cubic growth structures that are quite impressive. This mineral connects to the solar plexus, and the chakra Manipura. It is very grounding and protective keeping harmful influences at bay. It also promotes courage, strength and confidence as well as helping you to face fears. These positive influences also help on a karmic level to keep you free from danger.

Ruby is a red form of corundum and associates with the root chakra, Muladhara, as well as the heart chakra Anahata. It helps to ground and protect on the physical level and is very good if you intend to travel as it helps keep the journey free from problems. Particularly good are the small ruby crystals from Madagascar but these are very hard to come by.

Clear quartz Crystal is a form of silicate; as such it holds and stores energy, in a similar way to the "silicon chip" used in computers. That makes quartz very useful for "programming". You can leave positive intentions of protection for you, for others or for an environment on a quartz crystal and it will then radiate this energy all around. It attracts and transmits bright white light which on its own is also very protective against dark energy.

As a general rule of thumb, darker minerals such as blacks, browns, reds and oranges are very protective, especially on the physical level. But there are always other and higher levels that we need to work on and sometimes find strength and support for as well as protection. That is when gem stones such as amethyst, Apophyllite and clear quartz come into their own element as being invaluable in the field of crystal magic.

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Crystals that Protect
Part 1

In the many years that I have promoted crystals, there is one main question that I am always asked; “What crystal can I wear to protect myself?”

When I began to work with gemstones 15 years ago, the first crystal that I bought was for protection, and it seems to be one of the major reasons that people are drawn to gemstones in the first place, to help them through dark and negative times. Here is a list of all the protective gemstones that I know and work with and what realms they can help protect you.
Black Tourmaline this mineral as the name depicts is a real black. The stone is opaque and grows in natural crystals with either single or double ended terminations. Black tourmaline has been used through the ages by, Witch Doctors and Shamans alike to protect themselves from harmful and unwanted energies. From spells from their enemies or just lost spirits that have nothing better to do than chastise the living. It helps as a shield reflecting the negative energies back to where it came from, but also helps to keep our own negative energies from affecting others, and so stops any negative cycles of karma inflicting us. Other uses of this stone are that it is a great teacher, dedicated to the white light sharing its knowledge as we work with it along the path. Black tourmaline is very grounding bringing us back to the material plane when we are adrift in the current of life.
Amethyst has to be one of the most popular protective stones. It radiates a beautiful purple colour from the deepest darks to pale lilacs, and sometimes holds much fire as in the African varieties. Most people know of it and this property. Amethyst protects on the psychic level, keeping unwanted negative psychic energies away. Instead of reflecting them, Amethyst will absorb them and transmute them back into positive energy and return them to the universe. Known as the queen of the crystal, she is also a great teacher, showing us what we need to learn in order to stop the repetitive cycles of karma that hold us back from advancing to the next level. If you are working with a lot of negativity it is advisable to cleanse the crystal that you are working with often.
Apophyllite is very similar to quartz crystal; it has the same chemical composition but grows in 4 sided structures instead of 6. It forms is natural pyramidal structures that “shear” off the main growth clusters to form perfect tools to work with on the charkas or in the environment. Apophyllite promotes bright white light, and protects us in this aura of light. It strongly protects us on the astral planes keeping unwanted astral entities from interfering with our own astral body, enabling us to return safely to our physical body. Apophyllite also promotes joy and happiness and is excellent for clearing depression. Apophyllite can hold negative energy while it works with it and in time will transmute it into positive energy. Again if you are working with a lot of negativity it is advisable to help the crystal along by cleansing it often.
Citrine is a close family member to Amethyst also from the quartz family. It is Amethyst that has been gently heated in the earths crust. In this process it turns from the purple colour of Amethyst to a golden yellow. This crystal is very good at absorbing negativity of all kinds. But unlike the Amethyst and Apophyllite it can very quickly transmute them into love and return it back to the universe. Citrine will never hold negative energy and energetically never needs to be cleansed. Citrine is also good for strength, courage and confidence, its golden rays imbue the user with the ability to face and conquer fears. Do watch out for man made citrine though, this is amethyst that has been put in an oven and baked until golden yellow. These crystals do hold the powers of citrine but are not half as strong!
Obsidian is a volcanic lustre rock, created during volcanic activities either above or under the Earths crust. It comes in various varieties, having sheens of colour including green, blue, and red, orange and purple sometimes all of them which is called rainbow obsidian. This gemstone helps to protect by acting like a shield. The energies that it can’t reflect it will absorb and work with until it is positive energy again. It is advisable to cleanse obsidian regularly when working in negative environments. Obsidian is also very grounding as well as protective and the different colour rays work on the different charkas.
Rainbow Moonstone is a member of the Feldspar family and has a beautiful blue sheen colour and sometimes a rainbow colouration as well. This gemstone helps to protect the Aura from unwanted energy that if left could develop into physical illness. Moonstone also helps to promote the feminine, lunar qualities of life, as well as helping out with healing anxiety, worry and stress. Again this stone will need regular cleansing to keep it working at its best.
Next we will continue to look at more of the protective gem stones.

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