Opalite

I have been involved with making jewelry in some form almost as long as I have been involved in alternative religions/Witchcraft. Almost. I got involved with a friend of mine in college doing a painted jewelry, so that would date me at about 30 years, give or take, of jewelry making. I tried to fix jewelry even before that, and made a few things as well. With no knowledge of hobby stores, jump hoops, clasps, or much of anything “professional,” I stripped baggie ties to use the wire with beads from broken necklaces. I guess I was “destined” for it or something. Or maybe I just inherited my grandma’s crafting gene/bug/disease. Not sure. That same grandma was a florist who had a membership for years to the “Mineral of the Month Club.” I wish it still existed! Her collection was part of my inheritance. Unfortunately, many of the specimens lost their boxes and cotton inserts, as well as labels, as they were tossed from one storage closet to another. That journey began only about five years ago when my Dad started cleaning out his own collections.

Fortunately, my own journey into the world of crystals and rocks had already begun before my dad started cleaning out his attic. In my 30s I had started making jewelry again, this time with semi-precious beads and Czech pressed glass accents. I’d found my niche. Unfortunately, as far as spiritual/magical uses go, my studies had all gone into my first love, herbalism. As I peddled my wares at a weekly outdoor market, I found myself fairly consistently asked what this stone or that gem was used for. So I found myself researching the metaphysical properties just to be able to answer questions.

With all this, I’ve got more than a little background now in researching the metaphysical uses of stones, and somewhere around 20 years of working with them now, so I’ve picked up a thing or two here or there. I thought I’d start with the bullshit, though, set some of the records straight. There are some good websites out there, and there are some horrible ones. Its easy to find hundreds of properties for every mineral known to mankind, but a little harder to find sites that will give the hard, cold truth.

Therefore, we’re starting this adventure with Opalite. The term “opalite” can refer to two different “stones.” There is the natural crystal, which is a low-grade opal stone.

The other item referred to as “Opalite” is glass. Yep, glass. Absolutely synthetic.

At least you might know what you’re getting into. I don’t blame anyone for buying opalite, it is gorgeous. I work with it, myself. I wear it sometimes. I make jewelry out of it. I am aware, however, of what it really is, and I know what to expect energetically from it.

What you can use opalite for honestly depends first and foremost on your own perspective on why minerals do what they do.

Most people I know using minerals in some sort of metaphysical way work under the principle that they somehow emit, transmit, or even magnify energy. This is seen specifically with crystalline minerals. Clear or rock crystal, in particular, is often cited as its a clear case of the metaphysical mimicking the physical. After all, crystals were used in the very first radios.

Then there’s the atomic theory. Everything, every single thing in this universe that we know if, is comprised of atoms. Atoms that are always moving. Always. Even in solid matter, they are constantly swimming around. Or flying. Depends on how you visualize it, I suppose. In this theory, the atoms are therefore bumping into anything they come in contact with. In the case of jewelry, your skin. The air. The desk. Anything an object touches will be touched by its atoms.

The effects of the atom theory, which is where I stand on minerals and their uses, makes it a very, very, very slow affect. Which is how I look at it. I don’t believe crystals are going to have an abrupt effect in most cases. There is one notable exception on my own part, but I’ll save that for later. It might make me change to the energy theory some day. Time will tell. Perhaps the truth is actually a blend of the two.

At any rate, opalite is even more interesting in the atomic theory because glass is not solid. Its a liquid. Which would imply that the atoms in glass are moving faster than the atoms in rocks. Hard to believe any of that, I know. If you’re lucky enough to live near some extremely old buildings (like ancient, even) you might be able to witness this yourself. Ancient windows will be thicker at the bottom as the glass molecules have slowly, imperceptibly slid down to the bottom, making the bottom of the window thicker than the glass at the top.

However, glass is, at the end of the day, non-conducive, rendering the energetic theory a little difficult to fit into any uses of opalite on a metaphysical level. It insulates, it doesn’t transmit.

As it is insulating, opalite can have at least a symbolic use for protection. Insulating the wearer from bad juju and negative vibes. If you work with color, depending on the hues of the opalite, it can be an extremely uplifting and happy object to work with as well. Like a cocoon of happiness.

Because I’m an absolute pendulum addict, my all-time favorite use of opalite has to be for pendulums. When you want an answer from yourself, there is nothing better. No other entity or spirit will be able to interfere. I highly recommend using opalite pendulum when you’re trying to talk to your inner child, your higher self, your subconscious, or your Will. When you need to know what you really think or want, an opalite pendulum is what you ought to reach for.

I have heard it said that every plant has its use. I find that to be true, in general, of every object on earth, whether natural or man made. Just because something isn’t natural is no reason to snub it. There’s also no reason to make up grandiose uses that have no real basis in reality just to sell a product. “Thanks, capitalism!” Keep your eyes open because in these studies there are as many people with serious intent as there are people looking to make a buck off of people with serious intent.

Everything on this planet, and likely everything in the universe, has its use. Whether man made or synthetic, it all has some sort of value to it. Not always metaphysical, for sure, but always useful in some way or other. In the case of opalite, it does happen to have some legitimate metaphysical uses, at least in my practice. I think like a witch, its just a different way of looking at what is around you, and making the most of it.