Healing Properties of Phenacite

 Phenacite crystal

Phenacite, also known as phenakite, is a rare beryllium silicate mineral that has been traditionally used as a gemstone. Phenacite has been mined together with emerald and chrysoberyl from the mines near Yekaterinburg in the Urals region of Russia where it was usually found in form of large crystals embedded in mica formations. Phenacite is also found in granite formations of Urals Mountains, Russia and Pikes Peak region of Colorado, USA. Considerable amounts of phenacite are also found in Madagascar, Myanmar, Norway, and Zimbabwe. Probably the most beautiful phenacite comes from the Minas Gerais near San Miguel de Piricicaba, Brazil. The stones excavated from these mines are famous for their rare beauty and exceptional clarity. 

Phenacite occurs as very well formed free trigonal (rhombohedral) crystals, large prisms, or relatively small prismatic wands. It may also form a small clusters. Phenacite is either transparent or milky and comes in different colors. Very often it is colorless, but can also be white, yellow, pink, light red, or even brown. 

The name phenacite derives from the Greek word phenas which literally means liar or deceiver. Phenacite earned this name because its growth patterns often resemble other minerals. It is often confused with quartz, topaz, or even tourmaline. When used as gem, phenacite receives the multifaceted brilliant cut and can be mistaken for diamond. 

Phenacite is considered to be one of the most powerful minerals that are used in crystal healing. It can be used to assist personal and spiritual growth. The stone appears to open one's mind and speed the progress. Those who use it may experience synchronicity phenomena occurring unexpectedly in their lives.  

Phenacite has a remarkable healing potential. It is able to clear, cleanse, activate, and align all the chakras in the body. It increases the vibrational energy and helps the body cells to regenerate. It can be used to heal neural disorders, nerve damage and cerebral imbalance. It activates the third eye chakra and helps to clear the mind and gain the insight. It has the capacity to bring love and positive energy into one's life. Phenacite promotes meditation and permits access to the regions of the mind that go beyond intuition. The healing takes place on a quantum level and there is nothing magical about it. 

In esoteric circles the stone is believed to have the power to stimulate the eighth chakra also known as the soul star chakra and to allow access to higher dimensions. The eighth chakra is located within the astral body above the crown chakra. The stone has the capacity to induce powerful dreams and visions and precipitates immense spiritual growth. Sensitive individuals may experience enhanced paranormal activity.  

Phenacite is a very interesting mineral. It is rather rare and expensive. The best specimen are seldom found outside museums and private collections. Although its beauty is rather unobtrusive, the power of phenacite cannot be underestimated. During meditation or for the healing purposes phenacite can be used with other crystals. It has the ability to amplify their effect on both, the body and the mind. 

By Dominique Allmon

*This article is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure a disease.

Healing Properties of Phenacite by Dominique Allmon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

The Master and the Thief

One evening, Zen master Shichiri Kojun was reciting sutras when a thief entered his house with a sharp sword, demanding "money or life". Without any fear, Shichiri said, "Don't disturb me! Help yourself with the money, it's in that drawer". And then, without paying any attention to the thief,  he resumed his recitation.

The thief was startled by this unexpected reaction, but he proceeded with his business anyway. While he was helping himself to the money, the master stopped and called, "Don't take all of it. Leave some for me to pay my taxes tomorrow". The thief left some money behind and prepared to leave. Just before he left, the master suddenly shouted at him, "You took my money and you didn't even thank me?! That's not polite!". This time, the thief was really shocked at such fearlessness. He thanked the master and ran away. The thief later told his friends that he had never been so frightened in his life.

A few days later, the thief was caught and confessed, among many others, his theft at Shichiri's house. When the master was called as a witness, he said, "No, this man did not steal anything from me. I gave him the money. He even thanked me for it."

The thief was so touched that he decided to change his ways. He repented. Upon his release from prison, he became a disciple of the master and studied the dharma with unsurpassed diligence. Many years later, he attained Enlightenment.

Image source unknown, but greatly appreciated

25th Anniversary of the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster

 Space Shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986

25 years ago on January 28, 1986, Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after its launch at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Six astronauts and one civilian, five men and two women, died that day in a tragic accident that was caused by the failure of the booster engine. This was worst space disaster ever. Millions of people across America and abroad watched it live on television.

Those who perished were: Challenger's commander Francis Scobee, pilot Michael Smith, mission specialists Judith Resnik, Ellison Onizuka, Ronald McNair, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe, who was selected to be the first teacher in space.

The Space Shuttle Challenger crew

Challenger was named after two vessels: a British corvette HMS Challenger that was the command ship for the Challenger Expedition undertaken from 1872 through 1876, and the Apollo 17 lunar module Challenger, which landed on the Moon in 1972.

Following its first flight in April 1983, Space Shuttle Challenger quickly became the workhorse of NASA's Space Shuttle fleet, flying far more missions per year than the Space Shuttle Columbia. Challenger flew on 85 percent of all Space Shuttle missions in 1983 and 1984. Even when the orbiters Discovery and Atlantis joined the fleet, Challenger remained in heavy use with three missions a year between 1983 and 1985. The fateful flight twenty five years ago was Challenger's twenty fifth flight.

According to Rogers Commission Report, the disaster was caused by the failure of the pressure seal in the aft field joint of the right Solid Rocket Booster, due to a faulty design that was unacceptably sensitive to several factors such as the effects of temperature, physical dimensions, the character of materials, the effects of re-usability, processing and the reaction of the joint to dynamic loading. The investigation also revealed that NASA was more concerned with schedules and public relations than with the safety of its program.

On the night of the Space Shuttle disaster, President Ronald Reagan went on national television to pay tribute to the courage and the bravery of those who perished in the disaster. In an address to the Nation Reagan said: "We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them this morning as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God."

President Reagan, who ordered an immediate inquiry into the disaster, also stressed that the space program would continue in honor to the dead astronauts.

Official ceremony to commemorate the 25th anniversary of this tragic accident took place on the January 28th, 2011 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Among the special guest was the widow of the Challenger's commander, June Scobee Rodgers, who was also the prime mover behind the Challenger Center for Space Science Education.