Posted by R. Ann
Siracusa
“Eventually you
will come to understand that love heals everything, and love is all
there is.” --
Gary Zukav (American spiritual
teacher)
Our October theme,
The Healing Power of Love, touches every romance writer and reader at the very
core. We all carry the baggage of our prior existence, heavy or light, and have
the need for some level of healing, either physical, emotional, or spiritual.
The journey of overcoming obstacles and dealing with that baggage to find true
love is what romance is all about,
Nonetheless, writing
about it proved a difficult task for me. After several lame attempts, I decided
instead to blog about Opals, the birthstone for October. And in the process, I
discovered an unexpected correlation between the two topics. I put it forth as
food for thought.
IT'S ALL ABOUT WATER
When Leonardo da
Vince wrote in his Codices "Water
is the power that moves everything in life" I believe he was referring
to everything physical, including human bodies which consist of about 60
percent water. In fact, if one studies geology, history, and physiology it's
obvious that our Renaissance Man knew what he was talking about.
After considering the
quote, it occurred to me that on a spiritual and non-physical level, the
parallel is "Love is the power that
moves everything in life." More importantly, love is the force that
brings together the physical and non-physical in a way that molds our
spiritual, emotional, and physical being. Isn't that what romance is all about.
Another of Leonardo's
quotes is "In rivers, the water
that you touch is the last of what has passed and the first of that which
comes, so with present time." Water and love are the two irrepressible
forces that forge a path over, around, and cutting into obstacles and
difficulties, never relenting, to achieve the ultimate goal. In other words,
the journey of overcoming obstacles to find true love is what romance is all
about,
So what does this have
to do with opals?
WHAT IS AN OPAL?
Opal is the
birthstone for October. It is also the anniversary stone for the 14th
and 18th years of marriage. Historically it has been considered a
stone imbued with powers of love and of healing.
Technically, opal is a
hydrated amorphous form of silicon dioxide with a water content from 3 to 21
percent by weight. The amount of water accounts for the appearance of the
stone. It is considered and called a water
stone. The internal structure makes it diffract light.
Because it lacks a
crystalline internal structure and has no specific chemical formula, it is
actually classified as a mineraloid, not a mineral.
The vast variety of
colors, types (78) and names (17) for opal boggles the mind. The stone is named
and classified in various ways including: 1) Basic type; 2) Opal/Host rock
relationship; 3)Base color; 4) Fire patterns; and 5) Geography or where it is
found.
Basic Types
● Precious Opal
● Common Opal ● Fire Opal
WHERE IS OPAL FOUND?
Opal is found
throughout the world and is generally deposited in fissures of most kinds of
rock on the edges of underground water aquifers or hot springs. The location of
opal is so closely related to water that scientists connect the black opal
found on Mars in 2008 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter with proof that
water has existed on that planet.
While on earth the
stone is found worldwide, Australia is blessed with most of the world's opals
(discovered to date). According to http://www.opals.info/famous.php,
"Black opal is the rarest and most valuable, with Australia having 99.9%
of the World's supply of the famous gem…"
Black opal is created from running water picking up silica which it
leaves behind in cracks and voids.
FOLKLORE, LEGENDS, AND SYMBOLS
● Healing Properties
Since ancient times most
civilizations and cultures used stones, crystals, and minerals for numerous
purposes, including healing and protection. Opals, throughout history, have
been imbued with healing properties and the ability to increase mental
capacities and creative imagination. "Also associated with the
assimilation of protein, Pineal Flans function, Insulin regulation, the
testicles, Parkinson's disease and memory, opal is a stand-alone gemstone
amongst gems."
http://opal-trader.com/support/spiritual_qualities_of_opal.asp
"Opal has a larger
proportion of water in it than most stones and is considered a water
stone. This can help ease the effort of handling change in life. Like
water rolls over and past rocks and roots in its way, the energy of opal can help
continue on your path regardless of obstacles. During times of transformation,
this is an invaluable energy to work with and hold close to your heart."
Opal is also used to
bring happy dreams and avoid nightmares. It is a soothing stone which can calm
turbulent emotions and bring a deep sense of hope and inner peace.
● Love
Opal is said to be a stone for love. It was believed to
bring renewal to a stagnant heart, and also brings fidelity to love.
Emotionally, opal brings
its water energy to enhance self-esteem and sense of self-worth, and is aligned
with the inspiring love energies can help you release damaging inhibitions and
access your true spiritual nature.
● Beliefs
About Opal
The history of opal
goes back to the dawn of time. The name comes from the Sanskrit word for stone
or precious stone upala and/or the
Latin name opalus. There are numerous
references to the name source, but whatever the truth, opal has at least
seventeen different names and seventy-eight varieties, so take your pick.
The ancient Romans
believed opal to be the mysterious mother of all gemstones, and to them it
symbolized purity and power.
One of the more
interesting stories is that a Roman senator named Marcus Nonius presented a
growing threat to Marc Anthony’s power in Rome. The senator owned an opal
"the size of a hazel nut" [also by some sources call it the Ring of
Prophesy] worth 20,000 Sesterces. Marc Anthony wanted the ring to give to
Cleopatra and offered Nonius an outrageous price. Nonius turned down the offer.
One source claims that Anthony accused Nonius of being too rich and ordered the
senator to sell him the gem. Either way, Pliny in his writings, says that
Anthony told him he had to sell the gem or go into exile, and Nonius chose
exile over parting with the opal.
In Greek mythology, opals were believed to be the tears of joy shed by Zeus after the victory over the Titans, and the Greeks imbued the stone with prophetic powers.
In India, opals were believed to be the beautiful Goddess of Rainbows who turned into the gems to escape the unwanted advances of other gods.To the Arabs, opals were sent from heaven to earth in lightning that had captured the divine light in the stone.
Even in the western hemisphere, the Aztecs thought of opals as the earthly manifestation of the waters of paradise. Orientals called it "the anchor stone of hope".
During the Middle Ages, if was believed that if an opal changed in color intensity it was indicating a change in health, good to ill or the reverse. Wearing opals supposedly maintained a strong heart, prevented fainting, and protected against infection.
It's interesting how many of these legends and beliefs associate opal with water, which is a significant feature of the stone. It is no surprise opal is believed to be aligned with the water element.
WHAT YOU YOU THINK?
Do you believe there is a love-water-healing triangle?
Growing up, my family always had a pool. The summer months were spent from sun up until sun down in the water. We'd have swimming parties, inviting all our classmates over and play games of Marco/Polo and brought our dolls and Barbies into the water. 
As we got older, the pools got bigger, from small one foot plastic tubs to in-ground pools with diving boards. There was once this time when Rob came over to swim and was hanging off the diving board when it broke! Luckily, no one was hurt but it's a story we still tell over and over again. 
When I got married, I became exposed to a new favorite past time...beaches! My husband's family were beach bums who spent weeks in South Carolina on the sand, fishing and swimming. My honeymoon was spent with them that first year. But soon, we were back year after year, exposing our children to the fun of summer sunshine and sand. 
Water is in my blood-more than literally. 
