Lapis Lazuli is a metamorphic rock made up of a mixture of different minerals, the main one being lazurite. In fact, it doesn’t even have a crystal system as it classifies as a rock. It is often blue or purple mottled with white calcite and brassy pyrite. “Lapis” is latin for stone, but “Lazuli” can be traced from latin, to Arabic, to the Persian name of the place where the stone was mined. It pretty much translates to “blue”, but is also the base of that word in various modern languages.
Lapis has been immensely popular from the most ancient civilizations all the way through to modern times. Archaeologists have found beads along trade routes dating to the 7th millennium BCE. It was also used for ornamentation of sacred and beautiful objects, as a pigment for makeup, as well as paint. In fact, ground lapis was the base of the pigment Ultramarine, a paint that was highly prized and popular during the Renaissance. It was very expensive, and often used for the robes of the Virgin Mary, symbolizing holiness and humility. It wasn’t until 1826 that a suitable synthetic pigment was made. It is also believed that most references to sapphire in late classical and into early medieval times actually meant Lapis. In fact, most scholars agree that what we know as sapphire wasn’t known until Roman times, so any reference to sapphire in the Old Testament was likely about lapis.
Magically, lapis is associated with both Sagittarius and Libra, as well as Neptune and Venus. It connects to the throat chakra, and is used in all kinds of psychic work, meditative states, and to assist with altered states of consciousness. It is said to enhance your creativity and imagination, and create depth and clarity in your thoughts and communication. Lapis has also been attributed to all kinds of mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual healing and balancing.
This rock not only has a beautifully striking blue color and lovely polish, but comes with a fascinating history of multiple uses and meanings. It is worth digging into if the stone strikes your interest.
This rock not only has a beautifully striking blue color and lovely polish, but comes with a fascinating history of multiple uses and meanings. It is worth digging into if the stone strikes your interest.
Very interesting. I did not know that it was the ancient "sapphire". I learned from the Queen Nefertari exhibit currently at the Nelson-Atkins that it was ground up for their eye shadow. It came from Afghanistan.
ReplyDeleteYes, there was a lot of fascinating information on this stone.
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