101 Power Crystals: The Ultimate Guide to Magical Crystals, Gems, and Stones for Healing and Transformation - Judy Hall 2011

The Power of Thought: Opal

✵ Chakra correspondences: Third eye, heart

✵ Physiological correspondences: Blood, kidneys, pancreas, reproductive organs, eyes, neurotransmitters, hair, nails, abdomen, intestines, triple burner meridian, immune system

✵ Vibration: Earthy to high, depending on type

LEGENDARY POWER

Opal symbolizes hope, innocence, and purity. The name comes from the Sanskrit word upala meaning “precious,” and Pliny opines, “some by their refulgent splendor rival the colors of the painters.” Brittle due to high water content, it fractures easily, but paradoxically, its amorphous structure allows vibrations to pass rapidly through the crystal.

Opal’s legendary powers center around mysterious fatalities, and it has an almost physical, kinesthetic power of influence. King Alfonso XII of Spain gave his wife an Opal ring on their wedding day. She died soon after, so he presented it to his sister, who died a few days later. His sister-in-law lasted three months. He wore it himself but soon died, whereupon the crystal was hung on the statute of the Virgin of Almudena. The deaths ceased.

In Greco-Roman times, Opal was associated with Hermes/Mercury, who conveyed the souls of the dead to the underworld. Opal saw into these realms; it focused thought and restored memory. Opal lets you travel unseen through the shamanic otherworld or into dangerous places as it confers invisibility on the wearer and protects against the evil eye. An Elizabethan lapidary says Opal:

keepeth and saveth his eyen [eyes] that beareth it, cleare and sharpe and without griefe, and dimmeth other men’s eyes . . . and smiteth them with a manner blindness . . . Therefore it is said that it is the most sure patron of thieves.

Holding an Opal in the left hand and gazing into its depths allegedly attracted all you desired. Opal illustrates that we create our own “good” or “bad” fortune with our beliefs and intentions. The crystal helps you be pure in heart and strengthens your power of thought.

HEALING POWER

Traditionally used for healing the eyes, Opal’s high silica content may benefit hair, nails, and skin. Modern crystal workers use Opal to purify the blood, ease PMS, and energetically stabilize neurotransmitter disturbances, such as Parkinson’s.

TRANSFORMATIONAL POWER

Opal picks up thoughts and feelings and reflects them back to their source so their effect might be better understood. It teaches that what you put out returns to you. Oregon Opal, in particular, helps you identify untruths and deceptions—from yourself or others—that undermine your well-being. It helps you transform your life by standing in truth. (Note: Porous Opal should not be immersed in water. Oil restores luster to cabochon-cut stones.)

HARNESSING THE POWER

Hold your Opal, focus your attention into the crystal, and visualize what you wish to manifest. It will come into being.