AMBER

Amber is a fossil vegetable resin which has undergone change owing to chemical action. The name is derived from the Arabic word AMBAR. Amber is also known as Succinum (a word derived from the Greek Succum, juice) on account of its vegetable origin. At one time it was also known by the Oriental word Karabe, straw-attractor. Hash-mal was its name in Hebrew and by the Greeks it was known as ELEKTRON, from which our word electricity has been derived. That painstaking scholar of the 17th century, Dr. Philemon Holland, thus translates from the 37th Book of Pliny: “To come into the properties that amber hath; if it bee well rubbed and chaufed between the fingers, the potentiall faculty that hath within is set on work and brought into actuall operation whereby you shall see it to draw chaffe, strawes, drie leaves, yea and thin rinds of the Linden or Tillet tree after the same sort as the loadstone draweth yron.” According to Callistratus it is good as a preventative of delirium, and as a cure for strangury if taken in drink or attached as an amulet to the body. This last author gives the name CHRYSELECTRUM to an amber of golden colour which presents most beautiful tints in the morning, attracts flame with the greatest rapidity, igniting the moment it approaches fire. Worn upon the neck, he says, it is a cure for fever and other diseases, “and the powder of it either taken by itself or with gum mastick in water is remedial for disease of the stomach.”

The writer has had strong evidence of the efficacy of amber in the cure of asthma, hay fever, croup and various diseases of the throat, and knows a number of medical practitioners who are convinced of its beneficial action. A well-known chemist also assured him that his wife had suffered from asthma all her life until five years ago, when she expressed a desire to wear a string of amber; since wearing this she has not experienced the slightest symptom of her former trouble. The writer has an amber necklet, the beads of which are mud-coloured and cracked after having been worn for a few months by a lady suffering from hay fever. There is no doubt of its curative influence, no doubt that ancient observation was correct, and the statement in some modern medical text books that amber has “absolutely no curative value” is difficult indeed to follow. It is remarkable that distilled amber yielding a pungent, acrid but not unpleasant oil, known as Oil of Amber or Oil of Succinite, is recognized as a potent ingredient in various embrocations. It is, therefore, hard to reconcile the statements that while amber has “absolutely no curative value,” Oil of Amber has. Mr. C. W. King says: “Repeated experiments have proved beyond doubt that the wearing of an amber necklace has been known to prevent attacks of erysipelas in a person subject to them.” He also writes of its efficacy “as a defender of the throat against chills.”

Ancient writers said that amber eased stomach pains, cured jaundice and goitre, and acted against certain poisons, Camillus Leonardus recommending it as a cure for toothache and affections of the teeth. In the Middle Ages it was used as a charm against fits, dysentery, jaundice, scrofula and nervous affections. Thomas Nicols, a 17th century writer, says: “Amber is esteemed the best for physic use, and is thought to be of great power and force against many diseases, as against the vertigo and asthmatic paroxysmes, against catarrhes and anthreticall pains, against diseases of the stomach and to free it from sufferings and putrefactions and against diseases of the heart, against plagues, venoms and contagions. It is used either in powder or in troches, either in distempers of men or of women, married or unmarried, or in the distempers of children.” The dose formerly administered for coughs, hysteria, etc., was from ten to sixty grains.

Amber cut in various magical forms was extensively used as a charm against the evil eye, witchcraft and sorcery. It was and still is used as a mouthpiece for cigar and cigarette holders and smoking pipes, etc. Its employment in this capacity was originally talismanic, for it was implicitly believed that amber would not only prevent infection, but would act as a charm against it. Francis Barrett, in his work on Natural Magic, says that amber attracts all things to it but garden basil or substances smeared with oil. In China today amber is greatly esteemed, being used in the making of certain medicines, perfumes, and as an incense which use dates back to the Bible times. In such esteem is amber held in the East that the Shah of Persia is said to wear a block of amber on his neck to protect him against assassination. Perhaps no legend has been more ridiculed than the one which relates that amber was the solidified urine of the lynx; but the old writers Sudines and Metrodorus show that the lynx was not an animal but a tree from which amber is exuded, and which was known in Etruria as a Lynx. Pliny repeats from Ovid’s Metamorphoses the tradition among the Greeks that amber was the tears of the Heliades (Phaethusa, Ægle, Lampetia), the Sun Maidens, who harnessed the steeds of the Sun to the chariot when their rash brother Phaethon set forth on his fatal journey. The horses of the Sun were wild and strong, fire flew from their nostrils, and the youthful charioteer was not strong enough to keep them to their rightful course. The chariot, as its speed grew faster, became luminous, electric and fiery, the hair of the driver caught fire, the earth began to smoke and burn, Libya was parched into a waste of sand, Africa was afire, rivers were dried up, vegetation was destroyed, and the heat was so intense that the inhabitants of the stricken countries changed from white to black. Gaea, in fear for the earth, called on Jupiter for protection, who, with a lightning-bolt, struck the chariot, hurling the “stricken waggoner,” as Shakespeare calls him, lifeless into the River Eridanus—(the Padus or Po)—at the mouth of which river were found the Electrides Insulae (Amber Islands). The three sad sisters were transformed into poplars, and their tears of amber never ceased to flow. “To these tears,” says Pliny, “was given the name of Electrum, from the circumstance that the Sun was usually called Elector.” It requires but little thought to unveil this beautiful allegory which told the exact truth even while the nature of amber was disturbing the minds of scholars, its vegetable origin being doubted.

The old story that amber was a concretion formed by the tears of the birds is a variation of the PhÆthon legend which Thomas Moore has so gracefully rendered in “The Fire Worshippers.”

That amber is found containing the material remains of extinct insects, etc., is alluded to by Pope in his lines quoted at the head of this chapter. That it was especially well known and esteemed in the ancient world can be accepted without the slightest doubt. Amber beads have been found in the tombs of Egypt as far back as the 6th dynasty (B. C. 3200), of the ancient Empire, a dynasty which ruled in old Chem long before the time of Joseph. HASHMAL as the Hebrew for amber has been doubted by some scholars who take it to signify the metal electrum, a substance combination of 4 parts of silver and one of gold, used by the Greeks, and from which some of their coins were struck; but other authorities accept it as indicating amber which was known long before electrum was compounded. Delitzsch believes the Hebrew HASHMAL to be derived from the old Assyrian word ESHMARU, and the connection is a very probable one. The Rabbis employ other words to express amber, as for example, KEPOS HAYA-RUDIN, amber of the Jordan. This occurs in a curious passage in which Rabbi Nathan states that if honey were mixed with the amber of the Jordan it became “profane.” Honey, according to Porphyry, is a symbol of death, and hence could not be mixed with amber which is a symbol of life. This would be as repulsive to the Rabbinical mind as the violation of the command: “Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother’s milk” would be. Libations of honey could only, according to Porphyry, be offered to the terrestrial gods. Philo JudÆus in Book III explains the matter as follows: “Moreover it also ordains that every sacrifice shall be offered up without any leaven or honey, not thinking it fit that either of these things should be brought to altar. The honey perhaps because the bee which collects it is not a clean animal, inasmuch as it derives its birth, as the story goes, from the putrefaction and corruption of dead oxen, or else this may be forbidden as a figurative declaration that all superfluous pleasure is unholy, making indeed the things which are eaten sweet to the taste but inflicting bitter pains difficult to be cured at a subsequent period, by which the soul must of necessity, be agitated and thrown in confusion not being able to settle on any resting-place.” In addition, the lines of Virgil, Georgic IV, may be considered:

We must again look to symbology if we desire to understand the meaning. Of old the Bee was a symbol of the Soul, and by the laws of Mohammed bees were admitted to the joys of Heaven. The votaries of Ceres adored the Moon under the symbol of a bee—a symbol appearing on some of the Greek coins, notably on those of Ephesus where Diana, goddess of the Moon, was worshipped and whence the cry, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians,” reached the ears of Paul (Acts XIX). Porphyry writes: “The Moon presiding over generation was called a bee and also a bull, and Taurus is the exaltation of the Moon.” He adds symbolically: “But bees are oxbegotten, and this appellation is also given to soul proceeding to generation.” (“Cave of the Nymphs.”) The explanation of the veiled mystery is that the Moon at the full is the symbol of the soul, the emblem of which is a bee. It comes from the body of a bull or Taurus, the second sign of the zodiac, in which as Porphyry observes she is in her exaltation and powerful; Taurus is the earth sign of the planet Venus in the guise of the goddess of Generation, and as the soul enters the world, new born, the waters of the Jordan are needed to purify it as, when it leaves the body, water was left for it to wash off the emanations of its deserted covering. Further into the mysteries it is unnecessary to go. The veil of Isis hides the truth, and only he who will strive to understand heavenly wisdom can hope to pierce that veil.

Amber has been placed under the sign Leo, the sign of the Sun, by some of the old masters, while others have allotted it to the sign of Venus (Taurus), to which it more probably belongs. It is very soft, is easily cut with a knife, and burns freely. Large quantities are found on the coast of the Baltic, which the Greeks called in consequence the Amber Sea. In Oriental story Amberabad (Amber City) was a city of Jinnistan (Fairy Land).

To dream of amber was said to denote a voyage, and according to the philosophy of the Quabalah the indication was of some kind of movement or change.

Amber has been imitated in preparations of Mellite, Copal and Anine, also by a blending of sulphur and gutta percha at high temperature, etc., but Mellite is infusible by heat, burning white. Copal catches fire and falls from the instrument on which it is heated in flat drops, while the general attracting power of most substitutes falls far short of the true substance.

AMETHYST

The amethyst is a species of transparent, violet-coloured quartz, the name of which is derived from the Greek AMETHYSTOS, from the traditional belief that this stone possessed the power to oppose the effect of the fumes of intoxicants, an opinion not entirely shared by Plutarch. Amongst the Greeks and Persians an amethyst bound on the navel was said to counteract the evil effects of wine. The amethyst is described by Trevisa in the 15th century as “purple red in colour medelyd wyth colour of uyolette,” and in Sir Philip Sidney’s “Arcadia,” we read:

The stone is found under the names ametist, ametiste, amatites, amaethist, and it was not until about the middle of the 17th century that its present form began to be adopted. To enjoy the full vibrations of the amethyst an old custom recommended that it be worn on the third finger of the left hand—a practice at one time followed by medical practitioners—and some form of ancient belief demanded that the amethyst must come in contact with the left hand before its action could be appreciated and understood.

It is well known that the magic of the ancient Egyptian temples included the art of magnetism, and the action of various mineral substances on the magnetized patient has also been noted by the more modern investigators including Dr. Babbitt, Baron Reichenbach, Dr. Ennemoser, Dr. Edmonson and Dr. de Lignieres. Stones of the earth have been especially employed by these scholars with results of such marked importance that the contention of the ancients regarding the amethyst as a charm against drunkenness, deserves respect. To be effective in the induced magnetic sleep, stones had to be placed in the left hand. Connected with the ancient belief in the sobering power of the amethyst is the beautiful allegorical legend telling that Dionysius, enamoured of a graceful nymph, pressed his love upon her, but Diana intervened, transforming her into a purple amethyst. In respect for the transformed nymph Dionysius vowed that whosoever wore the amethyst would be protected from the evils of intoxicating wines.

The amethyst was worn in ancient Egypt, and a scarab cut from a specimen was held in great esteem by soldiers who carried it on the field of battle as a charm against death by the shafts and swords of war. This practice was carried far into the Middle Ages, and many amethysts were worn for the same purpose in this last terrible war of nations. When worn by a Bishop of the Church, the amethyst is a glyptic symbol of heavenly understanding. Swedenborg likens it to a “spiritual love of good,” and Dr. Brewer writes of purple shades, indicating “love of truth even unto martyrdom.” It is stated by Patrick in “Devotions of the Roman Church,” that the wedding ring of the Virgin Mary and Joseph was of amethyst or onyx. Mr. King writes that this ring, exhibited in the Abbey St. Germain des PrÉs, is engraved “with two nobodies—probably liberti—whose votive legend: ‘Alpheus with Aretho’ is but too plainly legible in our Greek-reading times.” The ring, having been saved at the burning of the Abbey in 1795, was secured by General Hydrow and given to the Imperial Russian Cabinet.

In what is described by Camillus Leonardus of the 16th century as one of the magical books of King Solomon, a charm for gaining influence over princes and nobles is a rider on horseback holding a sceptre, engraved on an amethyst and set in double its own weight in gold or silver.

The amethyst has always been regarded as symbolical of the pioneer in thought and action on the philosophical, religious, spiritual and material planes. The virtues ascribed to this stone are many. It was regarded as a charm against witchcraft, poison and evil thoughts; it was an aid to chastity, a power against all forms of over-indulgence and a strengthener of the mind; it was a charm for securing the favour of princes, rulers, churchmen, people of wealth, influence and power, people with prophetic ability, poets, travellers, publishers, etc. It would strengthen the wisdom, faith and religion of the wearer and aid in prayer and in dreaming. If bound to the left wrist the amethyst enabled the wearer to see the future in dreams; to dream of the stone itself indicated success to a traveller, clergyman, sailor, philosopher, teacher or mystic, also protection, faith and fruitful thoughts. For pains in the head (headache, toothache, etc.), it was recommended that an amethyst be immersed in hot water for a few minutes, taken out, dried carefully and gently rubbed over the parts affected and the back of the neck.

Almost all authorities agree in translating the Hebrew ACHLAMAH as amethyst and in identifying it as the ninth stone of the High Priest’s Breastplate. It was the seventh precious stone which the sage Iachus gave to Apollonius of Tyana as an emblem of piety and dignity.

Many writers on the subject of planetary influences have placed this gem under the celestial Pisces, the fishes, because anciently Pisces was one of the mansions of Jupiter; but the sign of the Fishes is transparent and glistening in hue whilst in the nature of kinship a fiery gem belongs to a fiery zodiacal sign. In this direction the fiery Mars, as ruler of the sign Aries, has been confused with the Babylonian and Assyrian MARDUK or MERODACH. Marduk or Merodach represented the planet Jupiter, and to him Nebuchadnezzar addresses his songs of praise: “Merodach, the great lord, the senior of the gods, the most ancient has given all nations and people to my care.” “I supplicate the king of gods, the lord of lords in Borsippa, the city of his loftiness.” “O, god Merodach, great lord, lord of the house of the gods, light of the gods, father, even for thy high honour, which changes not, a temple have I built,” etc. The “house of the gods” is the ninth celestial house, naturally the sign Sagittarius, and in the Quabalah the ninth heavenly sphere is the Primum Mobile, the star-decked Heaven. (See “Numbers, their Meaning and Magic.”) The name Merodach or Marduk is a corruption of Mardugga (the sacred son), and because they saw the life-giving orb rising from the sea, the ancient Chaldean masters accounted Jupiter his first offshoot, hailing him as “Marduk:”—“Marduk, first born of the mighty deep, make us pure and prosperous.” The giving of prosperity is ever an attribute of Jupiter, and the measure and the source of the gift are shown in the nativity or map of the heavens at a person’s birth.

An effective talisman for the protection of horses and their riders was a winged horse cut on an amethyst. The ancients connected the amethyst with the ninth celestial mansion—the mansion of Sagittarius—and there is no reason for allotting it to any other.

ANATASE. The name is derived from the Latin ANATASES, elevation. It was so named from the length of its chief axis. This mineral is composed of Titanic acid which crystallizes in fine, transparent stones of brown, dark blue or black, of adamantine lustre. The anatase, which equals the opal in hardness, cannot be traced in ancient writings. It is rarely used in jewellery. In harmony with the philosophy of gem influence it is connected with the sign Sagittarius.

ANDALUSITE. This stone, first discovered in Andalusia, derives its name from that rich mineral province of Spain—the Tarshish of the Bible, the Tartessus of ancient geography, the BÆtica of the Romans. Its colours are light bottle-green, pearl grey, flesh and pink. It is extremely dichroic, showing the twin colours red and leaf-green—the red gleaming from the stone in antithesis to its common hue. The Andalusite is as hard as the garnet or zircon. Professor Dana moistened specimens with nitrate of cobalt, after which they assumed a blue colour. This mineral may have been known to the ancients, but identification is difficult. Ancient philosophy would connect it with the zodiacal Aquarius.

APATITE. Apatite is a mineral which obtained its name from the Greek word APATAO, to deceive, because it deceived old students who confounded it with aquamarine, chrysolite, tourmaline, etc. Abraham Werner (the author of the Neptunian theory that all mineral substances were once contained in watery solution), first demonstrated in the 18th century the true nature of apatite which is a phosphate of lime with fluorite and chloride of calcium. The lustre varies from transparent to opaque, and is vitreous to sub-resinous. It is much softer than tourmaline, its degree of hardness being but 5; for this reason it is but little used in the manufacture of jewellery. Its colours are pale sea-green, blue-green (in which colouring it is sometimes called Moroxite), yellowish-green (in which colouring it is often called Asparagus stone), yellow, violet, white, grey, brown, red, colourless, and transparent. Professor Judd, F.R.S., found a concretion specimen of apatite when cutting a mass of teak wood—a particularly rare find. In agreement with the ancient system the apatite is astrologically under the zodiacal Pisces.

APOPHYLLITE. Apophyllite is a hydrous silicate of potassium and calcium which obtains its name from the Greek word APOPHULLIZO, to exfoliate, because it falls in leaves before the blowpipe. It is extremely soft, being from between 4 and 5 in Mohs’s scale. The stone is found in a variety of colours—milk-white, greyish, green, yellow, red, pink. It is seldom used by jewellers. The apophyllite is under the sign Taurus.

AQUAMARINE. (See BERYL.)

ASBESTOS. The word is derived from the Greek ASBESTOS, inconsumable, and is identified with the Amianthus (impollutible) of the ancients. It is a variety of hornblende, of a fine and fibrous texture, of which Marbodus wrote:

The incombustibility and weak heat conducting qualities of asbestos render it extremely useful as a protection against fire. The ancients used it for the wicks of their temple lamps, and in order to preserve the ashes of the departed their dead bodies were laid on asbestos before being placed on the funeral pyre. Cloths of asbestos were thrown in the flames for the purpose of cleaning them. So fine and flaxy is the mineral that gloves have been made of it. Asbestos is under the zodiacal Gemini.

AVENTURINE. Aventurine or goldstone is a quartz of a brownish, semi-transparent character, spangled with spots of golden-yellow mica. This stone is identified with the stone called by Pliny the “Sandaresus”—“of stars of gold gleaming from within.” The name Aventurine (per adventura, by accident), arose, it is said, from an accident in a Venetian glass factory, where a workman found that eight parts of ground glass, one part protoxide of copper and two parts of oxide of iron well heated and allowed to cool slowly, produced the peculiar appearance admired in the real gem to even better effect. The aventurine variety of quartz is under the zodiacal Leo.

AXINITE. The name Axinite is derived from the Greek AXINE, an axe, on account of the sharp and axe-like form of the crystals. The axinite is about the same degree of hardness as the Spodumene or the demantoid garnet (6.5 to 7). It is pyro-electric and highly vitreous. The colours vary between pearly-grey, clove, brown, honey-yellow, violet, plum-blue. The axinite is under the zodiacal Sagittarius.

AZURITE. Azurite is a blue copper carbonate obtaining its name from its colour. It is kindred with malachite, from which it differs but slightly. Some mineralogists call it blue malachite. It is under the zodiacal Libra.