IVIV Amethyst

[Dave Monroe]

On Sat, Sep 5, 2009 at 11:59 AM, Mark Kohut<markekohut at yahoo.com> wrote:

> means "not intoxicated"....Not Dionysian....

The Greek word "amethystos" may be translated as "not drunken", from
Greek a-, not + methustos, intoxicated. Amethyst was considered to be
a strong antidote against drunkenness, which is why wine goblets were
often carved from it. In Greek mythology, Dionysus, the god of
intoxication, was pursuing a maiden named Amethystos, who refused his
affections. Amethystos prayed to the gods to remain chaste, which the
goddess Artemis granted and transformed her into a white stone.
Humbled by Amethystos's desire to remain chaste, Dionysus poured wine
over the stone as an offering, dyeing the crystals purple.

Variations of the story include that Dionysus had been insulted by a
mortal and swore to slay the next mortal who crossed his path,
creating fierce tigers to carry out his wrath. The mortal turned out
to be a beautiful young woman, Amethystos, who was on her way to pay
tribute to Artemis. Her life is spared by Artemis, who transformed the
maiden into a statue of pure crystalline quartz to protect her from
the brutal claws. Dionysus wept tears of wine in remorse for his
action at the sight of the beautiful statue. The god's tears then
stained the quartz purple. Another variation involves the goddess Rhea
presenting Dionysus with the amethyst stone to preserve the
wine-drinker's sanity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amethyst#Mythology

Moses described it as a symbol of the Spirit of God in the official
robes of the High Priest of the Jews, and the Russian Empress
Catherine the Great sent thousands of miners into the Urals to look
for it. In popular belief, the amethyst offers protection against
drunkenness - for the Greek words 'amethystos' mean 'not intoxicated'
in translation. A more apt stone for the month of February,
particularly if there is to be plenty going on in the way of carnival
celebrations, could thus hardly be wished for.

A large number of further miraculous powers are attributed to the
amethyst in all sorts of cultures. It was said to protect crops
against tempests and locusts, bring good fortune in war and in the
hunt, drive out evil spirits and inspire the intellect. A little study
of the works of Pliny will reveal that this gemstone, if worn round
the neck on a cord made from dog's hair, affords protection against
snakebite. Later, Hieronymus even reported that eagles placed an
amethyst in their nest in order to protect their young from the
selfsame danger. Apart from these powers, gemstone therapists say that
the amethyst has a sobering and cleansing effect. Amethyst has also
been said to quell excessive stomach acid and, according to Hildegard
von Bingen, served to combat insect bites and beautify the skin. But
the amethyst not only had a firm niche in medicine; it was also
esteemed as a stone of friendship. And since it was thought to put the
wearer in a chaste frame of mind and symbolise trust and piety, the
amethyst came to occupy a very prominent position in the ornaments of
the Catholic clergy over the centuries. It was the stone of bishops
and cardinals; we find it in prelates' crosses and in the so-called
Papal Ring (Italian, 15th century) in the Jewellery Museum in
Pforzheim.

http://www.gemstone.org/gem-by-gem/english/amethyst.html

The gemstone Amethyst is the Birthstone for February. It is also the
Zodiac stone for the constellation of Pisces.

http://www.galleries.com/minerals/gemstone/amethyst/birthfeb.htm