TURQUOISE
The stone you chose is turquoise. The term derives from the ancient French “pierre turquois”, meaning “Turkish stone”, although its origin was Persian. However, this name was not the only one, in Persia it was called “ferozah”, which means “victorious” or one who conquers. The best known deposits of this stone are found in Iran. The term "pierre" derives from the Hebrew of Peter which has the meaning of stone, from the Aramaic term Kephas which in turn was later Latinized into Petrus. The word “Turkish” comes from Türk, meaning "strength". Pliny mentions turquoise in his Naturalis Historia calling it "callaina", a term which derives from καλλαλιτηος which means "beautiful stone". Pliny had noticed the porosity of this stone, which irreversibly alters in contact with perfumes, ointments, soaps or acidic substances. Pliny also asserted that "callaine" is attacked by oils, balms and vice": in fact turquoise is among the most delicate stones, whose incorrect use could alter its colour. Its deposit in the Sinai Peninsula has been known since ancient times, and the stone itself was widely used in the manufacture of jewelry in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. The turquoise stone is also mentioned in Hebrew verses as a mineral in the fourth nest of the armor of the Priest Aaron. It is worth noting that in the rabbinical commentary on the Torah the fact that the shade of the mineral should be the same as the color of the banner of the tribe of “Judah” is noted is engraved on the fourth stone of the breastplate, and its color is believed to be blue sky. The oldest turquoise find is a bracelet dating back approximately 8000 years ago discovered in Egypt, followed by a necklace with turquoises found together with a mummy dating back 7500 years ago. Most ancient civilizations held this stone in high regard. Green turquoise was particularly used in Egypt, commonly associated with the Goddess of Joy Hathor, called the "Queen of Turquoise". For the Egyptians, turquoise had the task of accompanying the deceased into the afterlife, symbolizing the spirit of the sea incarnate. On this stone it was customary to carve a scarab in honor of Ra, God of the sun, giving life to an amulet believed to be capable of giving joy of life and carefreeness. The Ancient Egyptians, believing it to be a symbol of the afterlife and the universe, used it to make lucky scarabs and various types of decorations. It was a symbol of resurrection and was associated with the heart. In fact, the Egyptians believed that the "dung" beetle could regenerate from the ball of dung that the insect rolls in front of it. Furthermore, the ball was connected with the solar disk which is "reborn" after the night: the Egyptian name of the insect, kheperer, is similar to that of the god Khepri, the Sun, who rises generated from the Earth. The meaning of the term is that of guardian, overseer. The ancients had observed the habits of this strange but particular insect, which carries a ball of dung that it finds while wandering, and then takes it to its burrow where it will lay its eggs, from which another specimen will emerge. The Egyptians had taken this habit to describe the connection that also exists in human life, in which the corpse is buried in the earth and already carries the new "spirit-egg" which will be reborn in another life in the afterlife. According to the American Indians, it represented the incarnation of the spirits of the sky and the sea. They also believed it ensured success in war and on hunting trips. The Navajos thought it could bring rain, while the Apaches thought there was a turquoise gem at the end of the rainbow. In Tibet, it symbolizes love; for this reason the stone is given to one's beloved. Its color recalls the connection between water and sky and this is why this stone is associated with the double symbols of water and fire, such as Capricorn, Sagittarius, Scorpio, and Fish. It is the stone of self-reflection, so you learn to recognize that no one else but you is responsible for your happiness. In nature, turquoise is typical of springs very rich in limestone, where the precipitation of calcium carbonate occurs. For reasons of solubility, the calcium carbonate first becomes supersaturated and then, with the flow of the river and the mixing of the water, the carbon dioxide degases, from supersaturated it becomes saturated and microcrystalline precipitation begins, which gives the turquoise color. This stone, being associated with the ability to communicate (Listening and Speaking), is close to the people who take care of internal and external relationships within an institution or company. Water represents listening, the word represents the sky. Communication needs two aspects for it to circulate freely. That of knowing how to listen (Ear) and that of knowing how to express oneself (Mouth). This stone with its colors embodies these two aspects of our personality. On the one hand the introspective aspect of water and its depths, on the other the tangible and material aspect of knowing how to express oneself and use words with wisdom. Its energy works on rationalization, which frees from an internal sense that slows down movement such as a sense of guilt, the shame and regret. Turquoise helps to have a positive effect on the pulmonary system and the respiratory system, which represents the ability to communicate. The presence of copper and water make Turquoise similar to the energy represented by the Planet Venus and the metal Copper, which represents a good conductor. In alchemy, due to its shiny appearance, its use in the production of mirrors and its main extraction area, the island of Cyprus, where the Goddess is said to have been born, "emerged from the sea", is associated with the divinity of Aphrodite . We are in the presence of a stone whose key word is love, understood as balance, harmony, serenity in social relationships and in couples. Turquoise it is in fact connected to our expressive faculties, sincerity, communication, listening, diplomacy and creative expression. On a psychological and emotional level, if we have difficulty listening to others and in the ability to communicate our emotions, we will tend to escape from social interactions, close in on ourselves and let ourselves be devoured by shyness, introversion and we feel the perpetual weight of the sense of inadequacy. We fail to place trust in ourselves, our ideas and our abilities, and we often resist change. If we are stuck, we tend to hold onto this energy and become impatient. Not only that, we feel a sense of heaviness and our liquids (unexpressed emotions) are retained. The person who chooses this stone has a phlegmatic temperament, which tends to gain weight easily, to swell, also described as blissful, slow, lazy, serene and talented. His introspection, however, leads him to take on too much negative emotions by having excess fluids. Zodiac signs typically subject to these influences are Sagittarius, Leo, Capricorn, Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. This stone is associated with the moon and stars, (Fire and Water) as is represented by the flag of Turkey. The symbolic meaning of this stone is to be careful about making wrong choices, not to hold on to anger too much and not to be too attached to material things, to our pride and to our territory. In Greek mythology, turquoise was associated with the fire sign Sagittarius, one of the legendary Thracian half-man, half-horse monsters, in the act of shooting an arrow at Scorpio. In mythology we therefore find the idea of knowing our poison, our profound weaknesses. The centaur is a figure in metamorphosis, in progress. Men actually tried to identify with the horse itself, which had always been considered one of the freest, strongest and most elegant animals, which led it to become a symbol of nobility and intelligence, so much so that among Greek and Roman aristocratic families it was common practice to attribute names containing the word "hippo", horse in Greek: Philip and Hippocrates are two examples. Legend has it that the first hybrid originated from the union of a son of Apollo (Sun), Centaur, with beautiful mares. From their union a half creature was born, with the body of a horse on whose trunk a human torso and head were grafted. Their peculiarity is that they possessed all the merits and defects of the human race, however brought to very high levels, so much so that in mythology completely contrasting roles were reserved for them: from extreme wisdom to incredible cruelty. And this idea persisted over time. During the Middle Ages, centaurs were described as follows: «Centaurs resemble men with false and double hearts; they have the appearance of devotion,... but the substance of adversaries and heretics. With their amiable speeches they seduce the hearts of the innocent." According to the Physiologus, the image of the centaur suited people who remained distant, and their internal dissociation. By shooting arrows from afar and never actually entering battle, they expressed that sense of detachment in facing and investigating their own internal anguish. But the true mirror of medieval thought on the matter is represented by Dante, who in the Divine Comedy places the centaurs in hell (Inf. XII) as guardians-justifiers of those who are violent against others, in direct relation with their violent character in life .
«... and between the foot of the bank and it, in trail, centaurs run, armed with arrows, as usual in the world to go hunting...»
Dante describes them as fast and powerful beings who go in search of undisciplined damned people, always ready to punish and shoot their infallible arrows and who summarize the whole implicit sense of the cruelty and horror of the damned, if we take into account not only their function of ferocious executioners, executors of divine justice but above all of what they represent in the ancient myth of avenged death, of ferocious violence also of intelligence at the service of cruelty. It was the personalization of revenge, but launched from afar. The very idea of envy, the inability to see oneself. The oldest written description of this constellation appears in the texts of Eratosthenes, where the sign appears not as a centaur but as a satyr, an ancient hybrid before the arrival of horses in the Mediterranean area. In all probability the first satyr whose legend has reached us was the unforgettable Enkidu of the Gilgamesh epic. In fact it is probable that the first and original Sagittarius was Enkidu, transformed into a constellation together with his friend (Gilgamesh-Orion) due to the victorious duel with the Celestial Bull sent by Ishtar. The turquoise stone serves to rebalance this powerful and vigilant energy, to calm earthly passions, to turn towards more spiritual territories, moving away from an overly rational and calculating mind. This stone is associated with the first Chakra, and the fifth beating heart that we find in the larynx (throat) area. It is associated with the word EXPRESSION. Vishuddha comes from Sanskrit and means to purify! Vishuddha is connected to self-expression and creativity, governs the respiratory functions and the voice, which when not aligned or blocked, causes insecurity, apathy, loss of self-esteem or, on the contrary, leads to being hyperactive, sometimes envious and attached to everything that is material and rational and to a resistance to change, in general to mental rigidity. A world too tied to right and wrong, completely losing its artistic, jovial, carefree sense. However, when it is in harmony and aligned it makes us safe, happy and well-disposed, open to diversity, respectful in relationships with others, with our body and with the entire universe and its innumerable diversities.
