The Encyclopedia of Crystals, Herbs, and New Age Elements: An A to Z Guide to New Age Elements and How to Use Them - Adams Media 2016

Lapis Lazuli
The Power of Stones: Crystals and Gemstones

ORIGINS

Lapiz lazuli is composed of several minerals, including lazurite, which gives it its intense blue color, as well as calcite and pyrite, which appear in the stone as white or gold flecks. Lapis is the Latin for “stone,” and lazuli is from the Persian lajward, which is both the name of the stone in Persian and the place where it was mined. The word azure, which the American Heritage Dictionary defines as “a bright blue, as of a clear sky,” derives from lapis lazuli. This stone is found in the United States, Chile, Argentina, Italy, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Russia.

HISTORY/LORE

Modern-day Afghanistan was the source of lapis lazuli for the ancient Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Greek, and Roman civilizations. For thousands of years it has been carved to make jewelry and decorative and ceremonial objects, and powdered for use as a pigment. Lapis lazuli is one of the stones used in King Tutankhamun’s 3,300-year-old gold burial mask, and the blue turban in Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring (c. 1665) was painted with ultramarine pigment, made from powdered lapis lazuli.

USES

Healing Uses: Lapis lazuli soothes inflammation and provides pain relief, particularly for migraine headaches. It also treats the throat, larynx, and thyroid, and assists with ear issues, including hearing loss. Lapis lazuli supports the immune system and lowers blood pressure. For eye issues, rub the area with a lapis lazuli stone heated in warm water.

Magical Uses: Lapis lazuli opens the third eye and balances the throat chakra. Place this stone at the third eye to enhance psychic abilities, and wear it at the throat to facilitate communication and encourage truth telling. Lapis lazuli is excellent for meditation and spiritual journeying, as it brings harmony and deep inner knowledge.

Feng Shui Uses: This blue stone utilizes tranquil but powerful water energy, which is traditionally associated with the northern area of a home or room as well as the Career/Path in Life sector. Lapis lazuli is also effective in the Family/Foundation and Knowledge/Wisdom sectors of the home.

Personal/Spiritual Growth: Lapis lazuli is a truth stone. It encourages self-awareness and helps you discover and accept your innate truth. Hold a tumbled lapis lazuli stone in your hand and listen to your inner voice. Allow its cool, blue essence to release any agitation, frustration, or anger you may be holding inside.