Agate is thought to be particularly useful in preventing
children from falling and is also worn by adults to avoid stumbling. An agate held in the mouth relieves thirst. It was once used to reduce fevers by applying it to the forehead. Held in the hand the agate calms and refreshes the body and helps it heal minor health problems Agates were popular talismans in the Middle East to ensure the healthy state of the blood. In ancient Britain they were worn to guard against skin diseases. Triangular-shaped agates were used in Syria to avert intestinal problems. In ceremonial magic, agates were engraved with serpents ormen riding on snakes. Worn as an amulet this magical jewel prevented snake, scorpion and insect bites and stings. The agate is sometimes used in protective spells and rituals and was once thought to be a sovereign guard against sorcery, demons and fiendish possession. In Asia, agates were used much as quartz crystal is today. To ascertain future trends the scryer gazed at the markings on the stone, allowing the deep mind to project its psychic impulses to the conscious mind. The numerous types of agate-vaguely distinguishable by color or markings-are used in various types of magic. Though any type of agate may be worn for the above uses, these particular stones have traditional energies. Here's a list of some of the major ones and their magical attributions: BandedAgate: (Energy: Projective, Element: Fire) Protection. Restores bodily energy and eases stressful situations. Black Agate: (Energy: Projective, Element: Fire) Another protective stone. Wear for courage and successful competitions. Black and White Agate: (Energy: Receptive, Element: Earth) Worn as an amulet, this stone guards against physical dangers. Blue Lace Agate: (Energy: Receptive, Element: Water) Wear or carry for peace and happiness. Place in your hand to de-stress. Lay one on your desk or other work station and gaze at it when in stressful situations. In the horne, a blue lace agate surrounded with flaming, light blue candles calms the psychic atmosphere and reduces household or family quarrels. Brown or Tawny Agate: (Energy: Projective, Element: Fire) Once worn by warriors for victory in battle, the brown agate is used today Amber is perhaps the oldest substance used for human adornment. Beads and pendants of amber have been found in northern European gravesites dating back to 8000 B.C.E. (before the common era; the nonreligious equivalent of B.C.) It is not a stone, but fossilized resin of coniferous (cone-bearing, like modern pine) trees of the Oligocene epoch. It often contains fragments or complete specimens of insects and plants that accidentally fell into the sticky resin millions of years ago. Because amber, unlike gemstones, is warm to the touch and often contains insect fragments, it was thought to possess life. The early Chinese visualized the souls of tigers transmuting into amber upon their earthly deaths. It was sacred to worshippers of the Mother Goddess in classical times because it was believed to contain the very essence of life itself-the animating principle. Because amber is a fossil, it has associations with time, cycles and longevity. Similarly, since it was once a living substance, it is related to Akasha. This is the 'fifth element', which governs and binds together Earth, Air, Fire and Water, and, in a sense, is the ultimate source of them. Akasha is also symbolic of life and living things (plants, animals, humans). In some contemporary Wiccan covens women-usually High Priestesses-wear necklaces consisting of alternating amber and jet beads. Though reasons for the use ofthese materials vary, it is said that these two stones represent the Goddess and God, the feminine and masculine principles, the projective and receptive forces of nature. They also heighten magical effects. Amber rubbed against wool or silk becomes electrically charged. Its old Greek name was elektron, from which we derive our modern word electricity.