November Gem Wise 2018 Purchase

Magic of Israel

Shabbat – the Jewish Sabbath – is a resting period that begins every Friday evening and extends to Saturday night. It’s a time to take a break from the nuances of ordinary life and focus on yourself, your family, your spirituality, and even your community. As the evening breeze sweeps in, Shabbat begins, and a calm announces the seventh day—a day of rest.

Those who regularly practice the Jewish religion abstain from work unless there is a life-threatening emergency. Electronic devices and cooking are also not allowed. Basically, anything that uses exertion or is a distraction from the very basic needs of humanity is not allowed. Shabbat is commemorated by lighting candles and visiting the synagogue for prayers and to sing traditional liturgical blessings, which is followed by the Shabbat Dinner, a festive family meal made on Friday morning. On Saturday morning, it’s mandatory to return to the synagogue for a morning service, and again in the evening for the Havdalah service to mark the end of Shabbat and the start of the new week.

• Discussion Question: Do you have weekly traditions that are important to you?

These stones each resonate with the essence and attributes of Shabbat:

Rutilated Quartz for Shabbat Candles

Planet: Jupiter
Zodiac: Scorpio
Element: Earth
Quality: Masculine
Chakra: Sacral

The lighting of candles ushers in Shabbat. According to Jewish tradition, a minimum of two candles should be lit by the woman of the household. However, many people don’t believe this practice is tied to gender, and it is the lighting of the candles that is a requirement of Shabbat observance, so men or women may light the candles. Two candles must be lit to represent the fourth of the Ten Commandments, which occurs two separate times in the Torah: Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy and observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy. It is also custom to use candles made especially for Shabbat – ones that burn for an extended period of time, into the evening. No candles can be lit after sundown. Then, Shabbat begins while family gathers around the candle, closes their eyes and recites the blessing: Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu l’hadlik ner shel Shabbat.

Rutilated quartz draws change to your environment, change to yourself, and change to your relationships. It attracts and reflects change, and helps you handle life’s transformations with grace and a sense of calm. In essence, rutilated quartz will help you face and embrace the changes that we all must adjust to and deal with, whether they are expected or sudden. As you work with your rutilated quartz, bask in its energy of evolution and progress, and let it renew your drive towards manifesting all your dreams.

• Discussion Question: Do you use candles during family dinners?

Sugilite for The Friday Night Shabbat (Kiddush)

Planet:  Jupiter
Zodiac: Pisces, Sagittarius, Virgo
Element: Earth, Water
Quality: Feminine
Chakra: Third Eye, Crown, Heart

Kiddush means “sanctification” from the Hebrew root Kadosh, which means “holy”. “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy”. The world “remember” serves as an instruction to sanctify Shabbat at the beginning and end. The Kiddush commemorates the beginning of Shabbat, and the Havdalah concludes it. Because wine is a symbol of joy and vitality in Judaism, Rabbis declared that Kiddush should be recited over wine by those who attend, if they wish. For children and those abstaining from alcohol, Kiddush must be recited over grape juice. The tradition Kiddush starts with an excerpt from the Creation story in the Torah – how God created the Earth and rested on the seventh day – followed by a blessing over wine and Shabbat itself.

Sugilite reduces inflammation in the body, heals the central nervous system, and protects the healer during work and ritual. This potent stone grounds and soothes the spirit, and it never needs to be charged. Sugilite invokes wisdom and devotion, allowing you to understand truth and love. Working with Sugilite empowers you to live your truth, as truth is the highest form of love. Sugilite helps you channel high frequencies into your being, so you can walk with more strength and grace.

• Discussion Question: Is there an invocation or prayer you like to recite?

Pink Himalayan Salt Chunk for The Shabbat Challah

Planet: Earth
Zodiac: Capricorn, Cancer
Element: Earth
Quality: Feminine
Chakra: Root

A Challah is a special, twisted bread eaten on Shabbat and other holidays. Challot (two Challah) should be present on the dinner table, as a remembrance of the double portion of manna that fell in the desert. The bread miraculously doubled, so that no person went hungry. The challah is always covered with a beautiful cloth, along with the knife. And before diving into the challah, or any food on Shabbat, a prayer (Motzi blessing) must always be recited as gratitude. The challah represents two important Jewish values: humanity and peace.

Motzi blessing is as follows:

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, hamotzi lechem min haaretz.

Pink Himalayan salt balances the chakras and ionizes the environment for peace, protection, clearing, and Spirit connection. It heals and offers anti-aging benefits – and it’s a form of an edible crystal! Pink Himalayan salt is used to release attachments and recommended for those working in negative environments. Himalayan salt releases negative ions. Today’s modern environment is often saturated with pollutants, including electromagnetic waves, which carry a positive charge. This salt helps keep the air around you cleansed and balanced.

• Discussion Question: How do you work with Pink Himalayan salt?
  

Dioptase for Celebrating Shabbat in the Synagogue

Planet: Venus
Zodiac: Scorpio, Sagittarius
Element: Water
Quality: Feminine
Chakra: Heart

The synagogue is the Jewish house of worship, where people join in a formal evening service to commemorate Shabbat. It is common to open up your home to strangers or new friends you meet at the synagogue and invite them to dinner. The synagogue is not just a place for worship, but of community, love, and peace. To open up your home shows signs of humility and kindness, and it demonstrates your willingness to take care of others. Synagogue worship continues on Saturday, along with other traditional Shabbat activities.

Dioptase brings wisdom, discernment, clear sight, and vision. It aids with forgiveness, enhances compassion, and facilitates the release of karmic patterns. Dioptase emanates the energy of the Green Ray, supporting the heart in every way. It can help anyone feel more joy, peace, and fulfillment in life. Dioptase is one of the most powerful spiritual teachers of this time. It is a teacher of love and love’s greatest act – forgiveness. It encourages an emotional purity that allows one to experience relationships as a sacred opportunity to see the divine in others.

• Discussion Question: Which stone do you use to help you with your relationships?

Sulfur Quartz for Havdalah

Planet: The Sun
Zodiac: Leo
Element: Fire
Quality: Masculine
Chakra: Sacral, Solar Plexus

Just as Shabbat is welcomed with candles, Havdalah, which means separation, marks its conclusion. Havdalah takes place Saturday night after sunset under dim lights. As Friday night consists of blessings, wine, and candles, so does Havdalah. However, on Saturday evening, one braided candle with many wicks is used instead of two candles. On Saturday evening, there is also the blessing of sweet-smelling spices. It is also said that each person obtains an extra soul at the beginning of Shabbat that departs at the end. To fill the void, it’s customary to smell spices to revive the soul. The candle is then dipped in wine to symbolize the darkness of the new week. It’s an invitation to look inward with hope, and to tackle the new week with a new vision.

A stone of the Solar Plexus Chakra, sulfur quartz helps to increase self-esteem, develop intuition, and enhance inner power. Known to be transformative in nature, sulfur quartz also helps you identify your beliefs, ideas, and thoughts, and have the confidence to own your actions and ideas. It helps you push past any hesitation or reservations, which strengthens your power of will. Additionally, sulfur quartz helps to soothe anger, rage, and any Solar Plexus imbalance.

Acrylic Grid

To channel Shabbat and the magic of these stones, this acrylic grid was designed with images of the many symbols of The Holy Day of Rest. May it connect you deeply with the essence and attributes of Shabbat.

Place your dioptase at the center of the grid, on the image of the synagogue. A synagogue is a place of worship, where the Jewish people solidify their relationship to God, themselves, and each other. When the spirit of the synagogue is combined with that of dioptase, you are supported in healing the heart and freeing yourself from past roles that limit your ability to embody your fullest potential.

Place your pink salt chunk on the symbol for The Shabbat Challah, at the upper left corner. Before eating the challah, it is also tradition to salt it as a reminder of the biblical verse “by the sweat of your brow shall you get bread to eat”. Pink (Himalayan) salt chunk helps you understand the emotional patterns behind experiences. It enables you to draw old patterns to the surface for integration and clearing.

Place your sugilite on The Friday Night Shabbat (Kiddush), at the upper right corner. Sugilite helps you believe in life’s possibilities. It helps you envision something other than what is currently being experienced, offering hope and optimism for a better future.

Place your sulfur quartz on the symbol of the Havdalah, at the lower left corner. Sulfur quartz helps to increase self-esteem, develop intuition, and enhance your inner power. Havdalah concludes Shabbat, releasing you into the darkness of the week. Sulfur quartz helps arouse the hope that resides in your soul to carry you forward.

Place your rutilated quartz on the symbol of the Shabbat Candles, at the lower right corner. Rutilated quartz helps you feel more directed and purposeful. As Shabbat candles create the spark that welcomes the holy day of rest, rutilated quartz ignites the emotional body by lessening the pressures and concerns of daily life.

• Discussion Question: Is there any stone you would substitute on your grid?