Very often the moment you have had a discussion with an astrologer the concluding remarks are either going to be some remedy to be done either by some ritual, some mantras or by ordaining some gemstones or having them given away! How much of this really suits the person and how much of all this really suits the astrologer and the jeweler is another story altogether! Join me here as we try to make some real sense of what is it about gemstones and if they really tick or do they tick us off!
Continuing to be a student of astrology- something that, I will always be- as I sieved through some classical texts and mentions, there are references to the concept and details associated with gemstones in the Garuda Purana to begin with, Sure enough there have been references to gems earlier too and also later many astrologers have worked to study and understand the efficacy and application to manage, sustain or reverse the situations for seekers who would have approached them. Through the ages there have been broadly two schools which have developed- one is a school which says that one must wear the gems of the most benefic planet in the chart and then we have the other school of thought that suggest wearing the gem to pacify the malefic or negative impact of a planet in a chart! This is where the experimentation begins, not to forget, there is more detail to be checked as many astrologers would tell you (and rightly so) it’s never only about one’s birth chart and the planets therein, its also about the D9 chart and also about the chart that governs specific areas of your life say the D10 or the D30 and also depends on the transits and Dasha and Antardasha period- so in a way as good as a comprehensive way of reading the chart. But this is where the opportunity to simplify things is and this is what I will share with you- largely based on my understanding and experience as I have seen through over the last two decades and more!
Apart from the mention in Garuda Purana, there are also mythological stories around how gems came to be formed- if you have time you may like to go through this story as well! If you read the ancient texts, there are two basic aspects around them, mythology- which largely as part of science- we know is part real and part exaggeration. The exaggeration through mythology has always meant to serve a specific purpose- to enable and direct the thinking of the society which adheres to a particular belief system to that pre-decided direction- so that there is no ambiguity, contradiction or controversy around that space. At times this has helped and yet at some other times, the inability to contextually frame the right space around what is witnessed in real, what was earlier said has caused unwanted controversy and conflicting narratives which have only gone to do disservices to the use of gems and astrology. So, you may be wanting to know what is the right way then? Well read on!
The ancient times, when these great vedic texts were created by the masters, as they applied religion, theology and science to what they experienced and observed around and within, the whole construct was to suit and enable progress for the society as it was structured then. Hence a lot of ancient prescriptions about the way to use and not to use also reflected that bit! But what has perhaps remained steadfast is the alignment of gems to specific planets and that one thing has been beyond any confusion, thankfully! Through the ancient times, people were largely workers, unless you were the King of a kingdom or the member of the court, you would have been a farmer, a hunter a warrior or an artisan- in any vocation that you would have chosen to be in- by virtue of your lineage- you access to obtain and wear gems would have been pre-decided and limited! Personally, I find there to be two sensible reasons for this kind of prescription to wear gems, one- it could have been aligned to the availability in the contextual setting of a kingdom and secondly it could have been to exercise more control, and order within the society so that unwanted and untamed egos and emotions don’t crop up within the intra-groups of a society and finally there is indeed a possibility that for few kingdoms these gems then would have been akin to federal reserve of today’s nations! To all of this when we add the ability of sages, pundits and astrologers to be able to understand , interpret and communicate the allowed use of gems- well it’s anyone’s guess how that would have progressed! Sure, enough not all interpretations would have been off the mark or not everything would have been wrong- the important fact that we must pay attention to is that, what was permissible, intended purpose and method pertaining to use of gems may no longer be relevant in the context of the times that we live today completely as it would have been ages ago! So what this means is that although the alignment of planets to specific gems stays, how we go about it has to be studied and applied alongside considerable modern thought! So what’s the simplified way to apply for today?
Sure enough, great modern day masters of gemstones and astrology can tell you elaborate rituals that one must perform before wearing them and choosing them so on and so forth, but I will share with you what I have seen working through the last twenty years or so and if that helps you, it should be great for you as well- because that’s simple! If you don’t agree, no stress you have the detailed pathway that great masters can always guide you along! So here go!
Like the classical texts of astrology also say, the most benefic gemstone for you that you can use through your lifetime, would be the one related to the lords of the 1st, 5th or 9th houses, the yogakaraka planet. Importantly though, one must also check the strengths of the planet under consideration in the Navamsha as well and depending on what area of life, one what’s to create an impact- say for work related- D10 etc. and see how the planetary strength has improved or reduced and that too will give you a clue to what planet gem you should be going in for! Now a days, many astrological software’s help in this space and the selection of a gem normally is pretty accurate and straightforward, but as the transits take place across the different houses and influence a push or pull to the benefic planet as the transiting planets aspect the various houses of your natal chart and the planets thereon, the flux changes- this is one space- when even after wearing a gem -nothing seems to change- simply because possibly the transiting planet- is becoming more powerful either by virtue of the sign of its transit, the house , the aspect, the association or all of these or a combination of any of these facts- and if this is just about D1, think about applying that same aspect of study to the D9 as well and then you will begin to see clearly why a gemstone helped or not when you last used it! If I have not confused you enough,by now, try applying the operating Dasha and the Antardasha and see the association of those planets, their lordships with the planet whose gemstone has been recommended and you will start to see things which you possibly had missed!
To keep it really simple, it’s advisable to go in for a weighed analysis of the gem that has been earmarked for you, as Dashas and Antardasha change, you may be required to wear or removes a gem- that is how it works- the gem of your yogakaraka or the lords of the 1,5 or 9 too can be worn throughout, however the impact and effect that they can give or not will largely depend on the planets whos dashas one is running and also the transit aspect! So you see choosing a gem is not that simple, neither is it that complicated, it’s about knowing how planets are aligned to serve you, what is that they are whispering to you and then just ensuring that you are in congruence to that universal space- that is what your birth chart is all about! Think about it, if your birth chart wasn’t right for you, why would have you come to life in that very moment!-There must have been a reason and the reason is that all the resources that you need to lead the life that you have been given are all aligned through the moment of your birth- Hence as long as you continue to tread on a path that keeps you moving along the designated path- you find life a walk and the moment you have taken a detour wittingly or unwittingly- that walk becomes a climb and yet for a few others a never ending maze to search and seek what was lost in a fleeting moment! So do gems really work? That million dollar question!
The gems work, if you work! Let’s keep it straight- If you were to meet up with masters you practise healing through crystals or gems, you will get to learn more and more about how the vibrations of a few crystals are naturally resonant and attuned to specific individuals and that’s how we tend to develop natural liking to colors, tastes, locations, it’s all hard-wired into the elemental form that we are! What is important to note is that, even as gems have the ability to influence and create that space of calm around- the whole idea is to create that space so that your ability to pursue what you must is not impacted and you are able to steer you way through the chosen path that you must walk through- so as an analogy you can consider your gems to be that fire proof cloak or that body armor that is there to protects you- so like any warrior- you choose your armor based on the war that you are walking into- a right armor will help and the wrong one will harm! Importantly it’s not the armor that wins the battle- it’s “You” and your ability to win is enhanced by ensuring you get enough space, focus and the right resources around for that definitive victory and that is what gems really do! You may also be wondering what about if gems really have power by themselves?
Ask a person who was given a diamond, pearl, blue sapphire or a coral to wear when none was needed and you will get your answer! Like everything else, the gems even as they reside in their ores are bathed in the cosmic radiations that reaches each aspect of our planet- The Sun- the all encompassing life force and its radiation give life, energy to every aspect that we touch and observe around us! Gems are forged in the fire of the earth and what takes birth out of fire- is virtually indestructible! Few great masters have also mentioned elaborate rituals for gems- for this reason alone that they have this latent energy and that must be aligned to the person who wears them to create resonances to accelerate progress and stall malefic impacts. My personal point here, though is slightly different, not to disrespect to anyone though, the gems have formed millions of years ago- only to be found perhaps a few thousand years ago as humanity evolved and progressed- so as humans trying to ritualise and empower something that already existed long before anything else did on the planet is a little unscientific for me to digest! The pathway where I leave this aspect is that- gems have their own intrinsic power/value which can be perhaps aligned and made more resonant with the person who wishes to ordain them through the suggested rituals of the ancient texts, but as I said earlier- they were written for a time that was and we are now in a time that is!
I will leave you here, for you too to reflect and ponder on what’s the pathway that you wish to take in the times ahead, so that we respect the power of the gem within the stone and also respect the formidable spirit that the human should presents itself with, no matter how daunting the times or how severe the challenge!
Ciao for now, will be back soon with another article, until the stay safe, wear that gem and be a gem of a person too!
SimplifyAstrology 