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photo of my amethyst, i wear it on a silver chain or sometimes a thin cord.

February is here!!! month of lovers, my birthday, this year's Carnival here in T&T and, the amethyst. Lets ponder again today the amethyst.

The most popular myth about amethyst comes from ancient Greece. Dionysus was pursuing a mortal woman named Amethystas. Amethystas, well aware that she was being pursued by a god known for his virility, prayed to the goddess Artemis, a virgin goddess. Artemis, taking pity on the girl who wished to keep her chastity, turned her into stone. Dionysus, seeing that the girl of his affections was now a block of quartz crystal wept tears of wine over her, which turned the stone purple. In Medieval tradition it cured everything from insomnia to headaches and in later times was thought to bring peace to those who suffered distresses of the mind. In almost every culture, from ancient Grecians to modern day New Age beliefs, it is thought that those who wear amethyst are more amiable and gentle than they would be otherwise...read more here


carnival fervor
bacchanalia surrounds -
hail February
© gillena cox


Revisit
push pin
good morning February
Sunday Lime 1



All my friends in blogger sphere, know how much i love February, as i am February born, i always acclaim February here at Lunch Break so here goes - Welcome February!!!

Sunday Smiles



How is your Sunday going? Today is #23 in the series 'Sunday Lime' To share with me you can EMAIL me; you can COMMENT; and you can enter a LINK from your blog, at the Linky below




I am blog hopping today at
Poetry Pantry 237


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Carpe-Diem #19 lightness


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i heart macro #89

February 2010

The February born shall find
Sincerity and peace of mind,
Freedom from passion and from care,
If they, the amethyst will wear.
--author unknown

According to legend, amethyst originated when Bacchus, the God of Wine, grew angry at mortals. He vowed the next mortal that crossed his path would be eaten by tigers. At that time, a beautiful young maiden named Amethyst was on her way to worship the Goddess Diana. Diana, knowing of Bacchus vow, turned Amethyst into a pillar of colorless quartz to protect her from the tigers. Bacchus, witnessing the miracle, repented and poured wine over Amethyst, staining her purple.

Amethyst is the birthstone for February; typically given on 4th, 6th and 17th wedding anniversaries.

A birthstone is a gift of a precious material (jewelry, mainly gemstones; themselves traditionally associated with various qualities) that symbolizes the month of birth in the Gregorian Calendar. It is sometimes also called birthday stone

Leonardo Da Vinci thought this gem could "dissipate evil thoughts and quicken the intelligence"

It is associated with celibacy and piety

This member of the quartz family gets its name from amethysts, the Greek word for sober.

Dark rich, royal colors of amethyst have been treasured by kings and queens for centuries and can be traced back to the Minoan period in Greece (c. 2500 B.C.). During the 15th century the French fleur-de-lis brooch could only be worn by the Royal family on ceremonial occasions.

One of the largest cut amethysts in the world is 343 carats and is housed at the National History Museum in London.

The two main sources of amethyst are Brazil and Zambia although it is also found in Uruguay, Russia, Sri Lanka, Mexico, and the US state of Arizona

Ah February the month of my birth
much love
gillena

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