Alpaca Silver

What You Might Not Know About Alabaster

“In gentleness there is great strength”

Introduction

The Alpaca Silver Store neither condones, approves, supports or further advances the theories, reports or beliefs put forth in these blogs concerning healing, metaphysical properties or acknowledgements.  They are merely put here for your enjoyment and information.  Further discussion and research should be accomplished before accepting at face value anything written here.  There had to be some fact, religion, hearsay, myth or information of some kind to justify any of the information put forth.

Because of the length of this blog I will present it in four parts; Introduction and History; Description, Properties and Simulates; Locations, Uses, Care and Cleaning; Mythology, Metaphysical and Healing.  This will be the fourth, Mythology, Metaphysical and Healing.

Mythology

It is significant that all four Gospels record the anointing of Jesus by a woman with an Alabaster jar of aromatic nard.  In middle-eastern liturgical practices surrounding the ancient rites of the “sacred marriage” the anointing of the sacrificed bridegroom/king was a sacred ceremony reserved to his bride.  The Gospel narratives describe the pre-nuptial anointing of Jesus by the woman with the Alabaster jar and contain other elements from this ancient ritual.

In Bethany, a woman brought a great treasure to Jesus.  She carried an Alabaster jar filled with ointment. Before the shocked eyes of the disciples, she emptied the expensive perfumed over Jesus’ head.  The disciples cried out in dismay.  “Why this waste?  For this ointment could have been sold for a large sum, and the money given to the poor.”  They understood charity.  They understood giving to the poor, yet they could not understand this woman’s actions.  Jesus, however, responded, “Why do you trouble the woman?  She has performed a good service for me.”  He saw this woman’s actions as service, as serving.  More, she demonstrated an awareness of the coming death of Christ.  Jesus said, “By pouring this ointment on my body she has prepared me for burial.”  The service the disciples would have rejected, the Master accepted and commended.

Waboose, the Spirit Keeper of the North position on the Native American Medicine Wheel, is represented by the element of earth.  Its mineral is Alabaster. Its plant is the sweet grass.  Its animal is the white buffalo.  The color associated with Waboose is white. The season is winter. The time of day is midnight. The time of life are both the time when we are elders with the snow upon our heads and the time of life when we are newborns coming back into the world.  Waboose directly influences all the moons in the northern quadrant: the Earth Renewal Moon (December 22 to January 19; Snow Goose), the Rest and Cleansing Moon (January 20 to February 18; Otter), and the Big Winds Moon (February 19 to March 20; Cougar).

Because of its malleability, the soft Alabaster has for centuries been carved and polished.  Some tribes as far back as the mound-building cultures have made pipes from Alabaster. The Navajos carved horse fetishes from Alabaster to keep their herds healthy and insure reproduction.  In Babylonian mythology, Alabaster was favored by a solar deity. Alabaster vases have been found in Egyptian tombs, representing the flower of youth.  In biblical times Alabaster represented purity, virtue, and spiritual idealism. Although soft Alabaster is easily shaped, the hard form is so strong it has been used for constructing buildings.

In ancient Egypt, color was an integral part of the substance and being of everything in life. The color of something was a clue to the substance or heart of the matter. When it was said that one could not know the color of the gods, it meant that they themselves were unknowable, and could never be completely understood.  In art, colors were clues to the nature of the beings depicted in the work.  For instance, when Amon was portrayed with blue skin, it alluded to his cosmic aspect.  Osiris’ green skin was a reference to his power over vegetation and to his own resurrection.

The color white (hedj and shesep) suggested omnipotence and purity. Due to its lack of color white was also the color of simple and sacred things. The name of the holy city of Memphis meant “White Walls.”  White sandals were worn at holy ceremonies.  The material most commonly used for ritual objects such as small ceremonial bowls and even the embalming table for the Apis Bulls in Memphis was white Alabaster.  White was also the heraldic color of Upper Egypt. The “Nefer”, the crown of Upper Egypt was white, even though originally was probably made of green reeds.

Magically, Alabaster is an oddity.  It can be used as a catalyst to enhance almost any spell, but it will always be destroyed in the working.

A major deposit of Alabaster once existed beneath Rhoska-Tor, but the magically sensitive stone transforms into despanal when exposed to a high degree of sorcerous magic.  Only slight traces of Alabaster remain, and those only where veins of mithril or krodera shielded the metal.

The Faendryl are the masters of Alabaster.  Their greatest stoneworkers know a way to “seal” the stone with spiritual magic and reduce its fragility. They craft ornate and beautiful vases, urns, and pieces of sculpture from the stone.  For the most part, these elegant creations do not leave Faendryl hands, but the rare exception has led to Faendryl craftsmanship being present in more than one elven palace.

Metaphysical

Alabaster encourages a softness that helps guard against rigidity, while teaching one where hardness is a virtue. Alabaster is symbolic of what is meant by “in gentleness there is great strength.”

Alabaster can teach you about sensitivity, strength, pureness of spirit, discrimination, high ideals, gentleness, courage, and loving convictions.  Alabaster can awaken a sense of purity, serenity, peace, and gentleness. This stone can also help you to understand paradox and the true meaning of the giveaway.

Healing

Some humans say that powdered Alabaster will heal diseases of the skin.  Although Alabaster has no particular alignment with healing magic, the pale, faintly shimmering powder serves as an effective disguise for most such diseases when combined into ointment.

Brought to you by the Alpaca Silver Store.