There is an opinion that you can endlessly look at three things: how the fire burns, how the water flows, and the starry sky. They often add - and on how other people work. And I would say that you can endlessly observe every creation of nature, living and inanimate (although there is a theory that stones live, just their life is based on non-protein molecular compounds). Whether it is a plant or an animal, or even a mineral, acquaintance with them is never complete. Today I continue a series of articles about stones that people have singled out among others for their unique appearance and properties.
Agate has been known to the human race almost since the Neolithic period: at least archaeologists have found products from this stone, and subsequently dated the finds to this period. According to one of the legends about the appearance of agate, a huge white eagle was once the guardian of light and goodness on earth. He sensitively guarded the world of people from the encroachments of evil forces - exactly until he was defeated in one of the battles. The body of the deceased hero, losing feathers, fell to the ground, where it crumbled into a myriad of parts. The eyes of the eagle, more than once rescued him in moments of searching for unfairness, and after the death of the brave bird, continued to carry out the mission of the owner, but already in a petrified state. The eagle eye - agate - could not overcome the forces of evil on its own, but it was quite able to point them to the one who "made friends" with the stone,and thus warn: be careful. It is interesting that the drawing on agate really often resembles eyes, therefore, in ancient times, the statues of the gods looked at the world with agate eyes. Now it is not necessary to have such a statue in the access zone - a small pebble is quite enough, it will calmly perform the same function.
The ancient Greeks found their own way of using agate: with the help of a handful of small smooth stones, they taught the young generation clear diction and oratory (honestly, I would gladly lead most of the modern TV presenters through such training). Young talents recruited a mouthful of agate, and made long speeches, recited poetry - all this was done with feeling, with sense, with consistency. Six months of such training, and at the end we have a full-fledged speaker with a loud and clear speech. Alexander the Great did not ignore this stone either: the famous commander even gave the order for the supply of agate to Alexandria, where his court stone cutter Pyrgothel worked. As a result, the master was provided for life with a variety of materials that came to his holy of holies from different parts of the world,and Pyrgothel's creations became very popular in the empire.
The Romans acted differently: for them agate turned into one of the ways to find out their fate, and became the highlight of simple fortune-telling. To begin with, those wishing to look into the future had to get several agates with contrasting stripes (the brighter the difference between them, the better, it was believed that the contrast makes fortune-telling more accurate). Then it was necessary to “turn on” the vandal, who was waiting in the wings somewhere deep inside, and to make several chips on the stones, and only then, according to the alternation of newly formed stripes, draw conclusions about the future.
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What country do you think might advise you to use agate for meditation? Most likely, India will be among the most popular answers, followed by other countries with similar beliefs. But no: a similar practice was advised to their mentally ill patients by the healers of medieval Europe. The daily contemplation of the smooth polished surface should have clarified the mind - it's a pity, one cannot say for certain whether it helped or not.
Agate in lithotherapy
Like other minerals that deserve close attention of people for their appearance, agate did not escape its “fate” and, together with its brothers, joined the ranks of traditional medicine drugs, turning into one of the key means used in lithotherapy.
The best stones are those whose shade is brighter than the rest: they are able not only to expel disease, but also to strengthen the body as a whole, restoring vitality. In ancient Greece, agate cameos were very popular, on which masters portrayed a disease: for example, the image of a girl with long untied hair meant that this cameo helped its owner to cope with migraines.
Many recipes that have come down to our time from the Middle Ages seem to be outright nonsense. There is only one thought in my head: did anyone survive after such treatment? But, oddly enough, not all of them were rejected by modern specialists. So, it was previously believed that green agate powder in combination with pure dew promotes the healing of wounds and insect bites: the lithotherapists of the 21st century fully agree with this, and recommend agate paste to accelerate tissue regeneration.
It is recommended to wear a ring with red agate on the left hand - this is especially useful for people suffering from malfunctioning of the cardiovascular system. In general, agate is an amazing stone: its action can be given a clear direction by choosing a certain type of decoration in accordance with the ailment. Colds are treated with jewelry on the neck, teeth - earrings, joints - a bracelet. Wearing them allows not only to accentuate the effect of the stone, but also to speed up the treatment of the disease.
Another property of agate jewelry is to help the wearer keep love during a long separation. Prosperity and wealth, rich harvest and health - of course, many legends are exaggerated, but there is no smoke without fire? When choosing a stone for your purpose, you should focus on the color of the mineral: gray agate will help in resolving protracted conflicts, restore justice and bring crooks to clean water. Blue contributes to the arrival of the Muse, and the implementation of the most daring ideas regarding art. Red is love and family, yellow is business and commitment. Botswana agate, which has a delicate apricot hue, stands separately: it provides the owner with mental protection and patches energy holes.
Agate is not the most expensive mineral, therefore, jewelry with it is not as highly valued as with other stones, but its uniqueness still allows it to stand on a par with precious and ornamental beauties, whose color or pattern arouses the interest of stone-cutters. Real masterpieces are also created from agate, which are kept in major world museums, but the work of Mother Nature is even more admired. It is embodied in the so-called landscape, or landscape agates: the cut of these stones most of all resembles a painting with an integral plot. Whatever heights a person reaches in his art, it is unlikely that his skill will ever surpass nature.