Amber
Crystal System – Amorphous
Formation -Secondary, Petrified Tree Resin
Mineral Class -Organic
Colours – Yellow, Orange, and Brown can be translucent or opaque. True green, violet or blue-tinged amber is very rare, so if you find it in shops it is dyed.
Chemical formula – C10H16O+S
Other names – Succinum, Glaesum, Bernstein
Astrological Associations
Aquarius, Leo [1] & Taurus
Amber is commonly found commercially in yellow or orange; colours that instantly connect us to the Sun. Amber is not a mineral, it is an organic gem, like jet or pearl, so feeling warm against the skin, it quickly reaches body temperature making it a lovely palm stone when we feel that lack of warmth in the heart of the fixed, airy, Aquarius season.
The colour and scent quickly bring images and the feeling of the sun’s radiance; imagine the musky, rich smell of tree resin warming in the heat of the day, amber can instantly connect our mind to the height of the summer season.
Ovid in his work, Metamorphoses [2] tells of the myth, of Phaeton, the ill-fated son of the Sun God Helios. It is said that amber was first created from the tears of the equally ill-fated sisters mourning their unfortunate, headstrong brother.
“Their tears flow forth, and from the new-formed boughs
amber distils and slowly hardens in the sun;
and far from there upon the waves is borne
to deck the Latin women.”
Picture credit
Amber has been used for multiple millennia as an incense for its fragrance and as a fumigant to ward off evil spirits. Amber does have antibacterial and cleansing properties, meaning once released back into the ether through the transmutation of fire, the energy that has been bound cleanses the space. Nowadays for a similar effect, Copal can be used, which is juvenile Amber. Frankincense would be another, cheaper alternative.
Ambers’ age and ability to fix history within its core connect the distant past with the future. Amber stores time, binding in a true Saturnian way the insects and microorganisms that the fresh resin captured as it oozed from its parent tree. Hundreds of millions of years later, humans recover the data to use the DNA tucked inside the bound flora and fauna, enlightening our minds through the wonders of modern science.
Healing Uses
Containing succinic acid, Amber supports the immune system, kidney and liver function and is especially beneficial for cellular balancing and repair, which makes it helpful for any nerve damage.
Always consider the formation of a gem you are working with, it will give a clue to its healing properties. As this is a resin product and the parent tree’s defence of its ‘skin’ layer the bark, amber benefits the skin, and wound healing, also good for acne and hormonal skin breakouts. Amber is an antibacterial agent against parasites and viruses.
Amber helps to cross generations, traditionally it was deemed beneficial for a baby to wear a necklace of amber beads that have been worn long term by its mother. Especially helpful for teething as the succinic acid in the warmed amber is a mild analgesic. Of course, great care should be taken with this use as beads are a choking hazard!
Now available on the market, collars made from amber for cats and dogs, as a repellent for ticks and fleas. The friction of the amber against the fur creates a slight static charge that means the insects cannot grab a hold of the animal’s coat. With the compounds also acting as a deterrent, amber collars make this a chemical-free option as a repellent.
The sunny colour transfers to the wearer, creating a carefree, fun-loving outlook, lifting the mood and helping the wearer to believe in oneself and their own innate abilities.
As an adult, wearing a necklace of beads when suffering a sore throat or cough, especially when trying to clear the mucus membranes is helpful.
Amber is a bridge, healing emotional wounds between two parties, it also helps lovers to reconnect or renew vows or promises.
In History
Due to the static electrical properties, the etymology of our word electric comes from the Greek word for amber elektron.
Sailors would wear amber as protection from drowning, I suspect because amber itself floats on saltwater. It is a good way to test if your piece of amber is genuine!
Even in the time of Pliny the Elder [3], it was worn as a necklace to help combat disease of the throat area “Amber, indeed, is supposed to be a prophylactic against tonsilitis and other affections of the pharynx…” [pg 197]
Further interest
The Amber Room.
The most expensive lost artwork has recently been painstakingly, recreated. Originally the very expensive whim of Queen Sophia Charlotte of Prussia, the room was looted during World War 2 and then was said to be lost in an air raid. See the article below for the detailed story.
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210506-russias-eighth-wonder-of-the-world
World Record.
The current largest single piece of amber in the Guinness World Records.
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/66767-largest-piece-of-amber
References
[1] Love is in the Earth – Melody, Earth Love Publishing House 1995 ISBN 0-9628190-3-4
[2]Website accessed 8th February 2024 https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0028%3Abook%3D2%3Acard%3D301
[3]Natural History Books 36-37, Pliny (Trans. D. E. Eichholz) Lobe Classical Library ISBN 978-0-674-99461-4
The Natural History of Gems or Decorative Stones – C.W. King
Crystal Power, Crystal Healing – Michael Gienger
Stars & Stones An Astro-Magical Lapidary – Peter Stockinger
Theophrastus On Stones By Earle R. Caley & John F. C. Richards
Three Books of Occult Philosophy or Magic – Henry Cornelius Agrippa