healing crystals

[Lord of Fools]

I need to know some information for a character regarding healing crystals. A character of mine uses some crystals as runes. He is looking for another character. One of the stones will tell him where she is, the other will tell him where she is heading. What stones should he use?

[Einna]

That depends...are you talking about using gemstones as a method of divination (i.e. jade means one thing, amethyst means another) or using a runestone set made out of a certain stone? If it's the first, read on for a more complex answer. If it's the second, then the answer is simple; what is the girl associated to? For example, is she a love interest (in which case he'd use rose quartz or something associated with love)? Is she a coven member or a fellow practitioner of the arts (amethyst)? Is she someone he knows from art class (orange calcite)? The list goes on.

If he's using the first option, then there is actually a thing out there known as the gemstone tarot, so it's entirely possible to do. It's quite complicated, as there's no difinitive answer to any particular question...it's all situational. Also, it's pretty impossible to be told a location by a card, as they don't specifically have locations assigned to them, although some are more inclined to a certain space than others. For example, the fool symbolises youth (among other things) and naivety, so it may be associated with a school, or maybe a place to be taken as a consequence of being naive (which is something you'd have to come up with in the story).

I'll go through and try to tell you what each card/stone may lend themselves towards, but it's not a conclusive list. I could probably be more helpful by pointing you towards translations of tarot cards and letting you fill in the blanks yourself (which I will do at the bottom) but I don't know how much you know about the tarot and I don't want to leave you in the dark. Something you'll have to remember as you read is that while the answers may seem very generic, it's a lot to do with intuition. Some cards can reffer to literally any situation, but depending on what the context of their appearance is depends on the answer. For example, you could have the Temperance card as your answer, which reffers to any place of harmony and balence. This could mean literally anywhere, but if it's for a specific character in a certain situation (for example a religious Christian woman who's slowly loosing her faith but always found comfort in a certain natural spot) then it's obvious where the card is saying she would go; to the nature spot.

THE FOOL - agate - As mentioned previously, the fool is for innocence, naivety, good intentions and the pure of heart, so a school, or anything resulting in a naive choice. This could be that she's been captured by the bad-guy because she beleived he could be reasoned with.

THE MAGICIAN - quartz crystal - Symbolizes the beginning of a new situation, so anywhere things start. An artists work-room, a garden in the spring-time, school at the beginning of term, a maternity ward, maybe a church (for baptisms and christenings)...anything like that.

HIGH PRIESTESS - pearl, emerald - The card of femanine power, insight and intelligence, as well as having to wait regarding a situation. Anywhere focused powerfully on women (for example, the gym on womans night, or a meeting place for a dianic coven), any place of intellect (a library, university, or any place you go to think) or anything tied situationally to having to wait. For example, the characters mother may be in hosptial and they're waiting to see if she improves before deciding upon a course of action.

THE EMPRESS - peridot, olivine, turquoise - This is the card of patience and passivity. I'm not sure how this one could be translated to a place, unless you want to associate it with somewhere very tranquil that instills calm, but that's all I got.

THE EMPEROR - ruby - Stability and materialization. This could be a business, a forest, or anywhere with a symbol of wealth and stability (such as a feild of grain during the harvest, a bank, or a rich relatives house).

THE HEIROPHANT - topaz - Conformity and social restrictions. Maybe a place where the character is not welcome?

THE LOVERS - rose quartz - Love, obviously, but also unity of all kinds is symbolized by this card. It could relate to anything to do with love...for example, a place she went with her partner or the church they married in, or it could reffer to any place of calm, tranquility, harmoney, etc. This could include almost anywhere...a holy place, a natural spot, or a welcoming home.

THE CHARIOT - staurolite - Travel and acheivment. This card symbolically means a transition; the a person is going from one phase of their lives to another. However, it's meaning can also be literal; she's moving as he does the reading. Or she could be in a bus depot, an airport, a trainstation, etc.

STRENGTH - garnet, diamond - Courage and endurance. Again, this is one of those "where-ever she gets strength from" answers. It could also reffer to a place such as a gym, a boxing ring, or a religious place.

THE HERMIT - sapphire, blue tourmaline - Isolation, meditation, and soul-searching. She is, or is somewhere she feels, completely alone.

THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE - black opal, sardonyx - Fate, luck, and change. This is another one like the chariot; it could mean she's going through a transition, changing something in her life or situation, or it could mean she's in a place that will do it for her. For example, at an agency or a casino. The wheel of fortune can also be a card of danger, symbolizing that if she doesn't make the right move, wherever she is, things could rapidly change for the worst.

JUSTICE - carnelian - This is probably one you can translate for yourself; a courtroom or something similar. Could also be anywhere where mob justice occurs or has occured in the past.

HANGED MAN - beryl, aquamarine - Indecision. Being torn between two options, or in her case two places.

DEATH - amber - Rebirth. The end of one situation allowing for a new one. A place that is about to vanish, or one that's brand new. A home she's just left or is just moving into, for example, or a building being torn down to make a new one. While the death card is not a sinister one, it can reffer to an actual physical death (remember, death is essential for birth and life, just as birth is essential for life and death) so it could also reffer to a funeral home or cemetary, or warn that the character is dead.

TEMPERANCE -amethyst - Balence and equality. I explained this one earlier, didn't I?

DEVIL - black square stone - Entrapment and tempation. Tied to anything unhealthy. This could be the home of an abusive ex, a brothel, a nightclub (for the excessive alcohol and risk of being drugged or attacked)...anywhere bad for you, I suppose.

TOWER - lodestone. lava - This is possibly the nastiest card in the lot as it reffers to a hard situation, a dangerous one, arguements, struggles, tragedy, and unwanted or violent change. It can reffer to any place these things are known to happen, such as an abusive partners house.

THE STAR - meteorite - Hope. Another case of "anywhere that gives her strength."

THE MOON - moonstone, chalcedony - Caution, fear of dishonesty or deception. As we fear the dark for hiding things from us, so does the moon symbolize the hidden. It's most likely to mean she's in hiding, and does not want to be found.

THE SUN - tiger's eye. sunstone - happiness or hope. Acheiving joy. Anywhere that makes the woman happy. Also ties into masculine energy, so it coudl be any significant man in her life.

JUDGEMENT - fossil - Again, you can probably translate this one to yourself; a courthouse, or anwhere judgement is passed. Could be a judgemental person's lodging.

THE UNIVERSE - opal, kunzite - Completion. Being one with the universe. A place of epiphanies and communion with the almighty.

Any questions? Did that make any sense? At all?

Hope I helped.

[vindemiatrix]

Whoa, Einna. O_O That was a lot of post and all of it interesting.

[Einna]

Heh...thanks. You should hear me ramble on MSN...Cowmage gets a weeks worth of lectures every Sabbat, poor boy.

Also, Lordie, if you want any advice on making up a new divination system, let me know; I kinda do it as a hobbie. I consider it fun :-D

[Lord of Fools]

I figure he's actually got divine intervention going for him, so the likelihood of getting a precise location is high. I was originally going to have him use two stones, but I suppose from what you've told me I could make it a more interesting ritual. It's a fantasy story and the idea was that he had a map in front of him, and that he would use the stones more like runes to indicate where she lay on that map.

However, the idea of him using a tarot system is fascinating. Maybe... he uses the ritual, but throws the stones across the map and the readings he receives from them not only reveal where she is, but helps him divine a little of her future. He's a very powerful man, with godly help.

[Einna]

Heh...that could work. Tarot and all similar forms of divination are actually really flexible...any card can be used to answer any question. So if you're incorporating a map into it, then he could draw a card that has a resemblence to a specific place within it.

Something else you may want to consider is scrying. This is your typical crystal ball; stare into something uneven, patterned or flawed (such as a crystal bowl, fire, bowl of water, etc) until you start to see things. It can be anything from a random shape that could be what he's looking for to a full fledged vision. Another similar form of inducing a trance for divination is to take a dip in a body of water and scry while floating. It's thought to induce a meditative state where prophecies and epiphanies come to you, especially when combined with certain spells, herbs, other tools, etc. Timing also has an effect on ritual and divination (there's a reason the full moon always features in the movies) so that's something else you may want to consider.

If you want any more info on anything more specific, just let me know. I'm a walking encyclopedia of the occult, me.

[MichaelB]

I find it amusing that my birthstone is The Hermit. Sums me up well.

[Lord of Fools]

I don't even know what my birthstone looks like. It's aquamarine I think, but i could be confusing that for the December birthstone. Aquamarine strikes me as an odd choice if it's March though, because everything else about March is associated with fire. Fire and earth seem to be my two main elements. What fun.

[Einna]

S'okay, I was always proud of the fact that my stone's the Universe stone (Opal).

[vindemiatrix]

My birthstone is Strength, according to this, and is also stupidly expensive. >__>

[Aquamonet]

My birth stone is Temperence it's also purple and pretty!

[Einna]

My birthstone is Strength, according to this, and is also stupidly expensive. >__>

Depends...diamond, yes, but you can get garnet relatively cheap. I actually have a silver garnet bracelt; beautiful thing. Only cost me about £20. Or you can do what I do and get the little gemstone chips for next to nothing (because they're too small to really be useful).

[vindemiatrix]

Oh, I love garnet, but I don't think garnet is my birthstone in any of the charts, although I'd have to check. Garnet, peridot and citrine are awesome. I also like ametrine, but that's not a real gemstone as such. XD

[Shona]

Totally useless note: I is High Priestess. This is awesome.

[Einna]

*pokes Lord of Fools*

Was I useful?

[Lord of Fools]

Yes, but I got distracted and am writing something else for the time being. The scene is included, but I have about three ongoing projects now, plus three short stories... may be a while before you say any result :P

[Einna]

Heh...no worries. I just like to know I'm being useful :-)

[TwistedFirestarter]

My birth stone is Temperence it's also purple and pretty!

Mine too! :D