While reading Crystal Power, Crystal Healing by Michael Gienger, I was facinated not just in his guide to the crystals and their manifestation and beneficial qualities including healing properties , but also their history and the mythology that is held behind them. As I continue to enjoy the nature of crystals and stones, I have started to understand them deeper enabling me to apply these to crystal therapy.

Amethyst
The stone shown above is a beautiful piece of Amethyst.
- Crystal system : Trigonal
- Type by manner of formation: Primary
- Mineral class: Oxide, quartz group
- Colour: Violet
- Chemical formula, mineral-forming substances: SiO2 + (A1,Fe,Ca,Mg,Li,Ma)
Mineralogy: Amerthyst belongs to the group of crystal quartzes, those representatives of the quartz group that form large, visable crystals. Its colour is largely due to the traces of iron it contains that are lodged in the crystals lattice in two valencies (fe2+,fe4+). It is formed hydrothermally from weak, iron- containing silicic acid solutions, mainly in hollows formed by gas bubbles in volcanic rock, more rarely also in rock clefts and rocks with cracks and passages running through them. A hollow that is lined on the inside with amethyst crystals is called an amethyst druse (large) or an amethyst geode (small).
Mythology: The name of the amethyst is from the Greece and means 'non-inebriated' (amethustos). Its sobre, clearing effect was already known in antiquity and the crystal itself was, therefore, highly prized. In the middle ages, Konrad von Megenberg quite aptly defined the amethyst as amineral that 'makes a person better, disperses bad thoughts, brings good commonsense and makes one mild and gentle'.
Hildegard von Bingen left us information on its healing efects on skin diseases and swellings, and in Arabic countries we know that amethyst was put under the pillow to prevent nightmares.
The above information is just a snip of the work that Michael produces, included, along with the above information is the 'healing properties ' . How amethyst affects you Spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically and also the application of the crystals.
This is a good book, with clear photographs of the stones for easy identification.
Click on the above link to gain access to this wonderful book. 