I am a Christian. I believe in the God of the Bible, in God the Father, in His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Spirit. I believe in Genesis 1:1 - "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (NIV)" I am a biochemist and a pharmacist by education. As such I have a desire to understand nature. I am writing this blog as my way to express the facts of true science as I understand them, from the perspective of one who believes that all things were created by God, for God and for His purposes.

Feel free to comment, to offer your perspective, or to give suggestions for subjects.
Please take a minute to "Like" us on Facebook.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Chrysolite - The Golden Green Counsel of God

The golden green eyes were fixed on me and two of my kids. We could not see the body that they emanated from, it was if they were just floating in the dark like two tiny flashlights pointed back at us. We were on a night hike in the foothills above our home, an excursion I had expressed trepidation over. My son had assured me he was an old hand at this, having taken the same hike numerous times with his friends, reaching Cucamonga Peak in time for the first glimmer of sunlight; an awesome view I was not risking my life to appreciate.

I have three sons, all into enjoying the physical side of nature - mountain biking, surfing, and backpacking. My third son is a Physical Ed teacher at a local middle school and participates regularly in Soccer and Iron Man type events. Now I enjoy hiking and backpacking with them but I had never tried this style of "fun" before. I also knew, from living here for 30 plus years, that mountain lions and bears live in the hills above us. I was afraid, but my son and daughter convinced me to go. Now the reason for my fear was staring back at me.

The eyes of a fully grown mountain lion or puma are often a remarkable golden color. They have a unique feature in the structure of their eyes that reflects back the light hitting the retina which enhances interpretation of low-light images, giving the puma a second chance to discern what it is looking at. This thin layer of reflective cells, called the "tapetum lucidum," is responsible for the characteristic "eye-shine" of reflected light that is frequently seen in mammals at night. In the mountain lion, this eye-shine is a yellowish green, not unlike the color of the Chrysolite, the seventh stone in the Foundation of the New Jerusalem.

The name Chrysolite can refer to two different minerals, Chrysoberyl, an aluminate of beryllium with the formula BeAl2O4 or Olivine, a magnesium iron silicate with the formula (Mg,Fe)2SiO4. Chrysoberyl is used primarily when discussing the stones in the Breastplate of the High Priest. Since Beryl is listed as a separate stone in the Foundation, we will focus on the magnesium iron silicate form of Chrysolite.

www.holistichealingnews.comThis mineral is known by different names, according to its color, being called Peridot when of a deep olive-green, Olivine when of a yel­lowish-green, and Chrysolite when of a lighter or golden-yellow color. Chrysolite is from the Greek "chrysolithos" meaning a precious stone of golden color. It comes from "chryso" meaning precious things made of gold, and lithos meaning of building stones. The name Peridot is derived from the Greek word 'peridona', which means "to give richness." Peridot is the gemstone form of Olivine or Chrysolite and possesses a much richer green color.

Mg-rich Olivine has been discovered in meteorites, on the Moon, and on Mars. Chrysolite and Olivine in general are a very abundant, but gem quality Peridot is rather rare. The Peridot is one of only a few gemstones found in just one color. The rich, green color with the slight tinge of gold is caused by very fine traces of iron. The intensity of the color depends on the amount of iron actually present. Peridot is not particularly hard, only 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale, but is a fairly robust stone for use in jewelery. Chrysolite is so ancient that it can be found in Egyptian jewelery from the early second millennium BC. The stones came from a deposit on a small volcanic island in the Red Sea, some 45 miles off the Egyptian coast.


The Peridot represents God's Spirit - His Counsel
When we receive God's Counsel we are receiving
His purpose and plan for our lives.


There is some confusion between the Chrysolite and the Topaz, another foundational stone. Some think that these two stones have been switched over the centuries and the Topaz of today is actually the Peridot and the Peridot, the Topaz. The Hebrew word for Topaz (in the KJV), "pitdah," is translated as Peridot in the NLT. In fact, the Chrysolite is mentioned alternately as four different stones in the Breastplate, in place of the second - Topaz, the third - Emerald or Carbuncle, the fourth - Emerald or Turquoise, and the tenth - Beryl. The 3rd or 4th stones seem the most likely to me as the Olivine is sometimes called the "Evening Emerald" and these are the positions most referenced for that stone. As we placed the Emerald in the third position we will place the Peridot in the fourth - representing Judah by birth order and Reuben by camp order. The designation as an apostolic stone is just as confusing; the Chrysolite is aligned with no less than three Apostles - Thaddeus, Bartholomew or Thomas.

The gemstone meaning of Chrysolite is said to be gold, which in turn signifies wisdom and charity, virtues which are considered more perfect than all others. It gleams just like a furnace and represents wise and charitable men and women who demonstrate what they believe to others in both word and deed.

Peridot is considered good for healing the healers. It brings understanding of destiny and purpose. Catholic Bishops traditionally wear a ring of Peridot and Amethyst as symbols of purity and morality. It is also said to represent the excellence of Jesus' divine nature. The Peridot represents God's Spirit - His Counsel. Counsel means the interchange of opinion; consultation and advice. But most importantly it means purpose and plan. When we receive God's Counsel we are receiving His purpose and plan for our lives.

When my son, daughter and I saw those olive green eyes of the mountain lion, I was afraid. And in my fear, I failed to seek the counsel of God; to pray for His protection. Although I followed the rules - I did not run - I continued to look back expecting to see those shining eyes looking down on me from the ledge above or from the trees close to the trail. I let my fear overcome me and in one anxious moment I caught my foot between the rocks and fell, breaking my leg and tearing my ankle. In that moment I had forgotten Him who holds me up.

Psalms 17:5 (NKJV) - Uphold my steps in Your paths, that my footsteps may not slip.

Psalms 27:1 (NKJV) - The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

2 Chronicles 18:4b (NIV) - "First seek the counsel of the LORD."

20 comments:

  1. Nice Dad! It is interesting how you were able to tie the story of the mountain lion into a post about Chrysolite. Maybe we should plan another outing, but this time in the daylight. The view from the top really is worth it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Such brilliant writing, always a pleasure to read. Have you read "The Periodic Table" by Primo Levi. Your use of chemistry to illustrate your faith and beliefs reminds me somewhat of his.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I crocheted a prayer shawl for my cousin who has cancer. It has numbers in it that I want to relate to the Bible and show how it is applicable. My prayer shawl has diamonds in it that have 7 triple crochet stitches. I know 7 is hugely important in the Bible. I am looking at the 12 Apostles, and the 12 Foundations of The New Jerusalem. The seventh foundation is what you wrote about here. I love it that Peridot is considered good for healing the healers, and that it is said to represent the excellence of Jesus Divine nature, and God's spirit and God's council and when we receive God's council we receive His purpose and plan for our lives. Thank you so much for sharing. I will continue to study the numbers in the prayer shawl.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for this information. I found your article while researching information about the 12 foundations of the New Jerusalem. I have always heard about the streets of gold and the pearly gates but needed to know more.
    My wife passed away last month of heart failure. She was 49 and a very faithful Christian. I find much comfort in learning more about our heavenly home.
    Thank you for providing the information here. I truly appreciate it. God bless.
    Lonnie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lonnie,
      Sorry to hear about your wife. I am grateful that this article can bring you some comfort in this difficult time. Thank you for sharing.

      God Bless
      Mark

      Delete
  5. As I was studying Revelation, I became intrigued by the specific jewels mentioned in the New Heaven. Curious about my birth position, numbers 1 and 7 (my father's first child; my mother's seventh) I decided to investigate the stones that held those positions. How wonderful to have come across your research. What a tremendous blessing. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you for this story and your information about chysolite. My birthstone is peridot, so I need to wear it after reading the significance of it here.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am just holy enough to face the flames of being forged in the fur ice of perfection
    On what basis do you cavalierly stake your claim that Berillium means such and such and chrysalis means God's truth and peridot means such and such and Beria means God's eternal ice
    You may very well be corect but you have not demonstrated it!
    The things kept secret are Gods and the every world of God are for you and me and the upcoming generations
    And yet some of you say that that there is no esoteric knowledge or that it is evil if the common man can't understand it
    Yet Paul says some are on the milk and some are on the meat
    I think , but I am not sure, I seethe an interpretation that admits it political philosopy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan, Thanks for your comments. All of my opinions on the meaning of the stones are based on my limited research into the historical references to the stone in question.

      As I wrote these articles I found many differing opinions on what each stone could mean and even on what was the actual stone referenced for each of the 12 foundations. I am not stating that I am correct, just sharing my own understanding of each foundation and stone based on my studies. There are many others with differing thoughts I am sure.

      Delete
  8. You have to meet a half decent level of epistemological checks for me to put this on my fb page

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan, See my comment above. I am not sure what you mean here, that is, what you were expecting as documentation of my comments. Although having my blog entries shared is appreciated, I understand that you may not want to post this if it is not clear or proper. I certainly am open to any thoughts you have to share that may help me more fully justify my comments in the future. Thanks for visiting my blog.

      Delete
  9. Thanks for this wonderful insights

    ReplyDelete
  10. Mark, thanks for writing this. I was reading Daniel 10 and in the vision God gave him it says His body was like chrysolite. Not knowing what chrysolite looked like I decided to do a search. I was shown a number of images of mostly crystals of various colors from green to gold. But, in the same collage there was a mountain lion. I thought, "What the heck does a mountain lion have to do with chrysolite?!" Then I read your blog and was intrigued. I know it was over 5 years ago but it was very helpful and informative. Hope you have healed up fine. God Bless you and your family.

    David

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me, too! I was researching chrysolite after reading Ezekiel's description of the eye-rimmed wheels that accompanied the "living creatures" in the vision he related (found in chapter 1, verses 15-21). I see from this outstanding blog that God makes plenty of use of chrysolite!

      Delete
  11. Hi Mark,
    , thanks for taking the time to write this wonderful article. I, too, am very familiar with chrysolite AKA peridote. In a dream about my business, heavenly father has downloaded the colors of my logo to be amethyst, peridot, and silver. In doing my research, I became very intrigued about why these specific colors. I am now even more honored 2 to come into understanding of the biblical meaning of these colors. God is amazing! Your blog is wonderful and I thank you for the information you have shared. I pray that you are doing exceedingly better and have healed up correctly from the fall. I wish you and your family much success!

    ReplyDelete
  12. If the mountain lion had Chrysolite imbued eyes, and you believe it to be one of the divine stones in Revelation; a stone known for Wisdom and Charity then not only trust that God protects but trust the Lion, unless absolutely necessary a Lion won't attack...after all, King's rarely affect themselves with a peasants affairs, and that rock that tripped you up was probably just a schisty shade of grey ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks for your wonderful article about chrysolite. I'm just getting to know more about it. I had a dream vision about the ministry God has called me into when He showed me a coconut tree full of uncountable coconuts. The tree extended into the heavens glittering with yellowish gold, full of very bright light. Not quite long, the heavens opened wider and I saw the image of Jesus coming out as a very bright light, all glittering. If it's possible, I need more information on chrysolite as regards my vision. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Miebi,
      I'm curious to know why you related the coconut tree to Chrysolite... Is it solely because of the colour?

      Delete
  14. Being born in July I always sorted felt left out, because traditionally ruby would be my birthstone. Reading about the precious stones in Revelation I realised that there are 12 different stones to the world system of birthday stones. So I have just re-assigned chrysolite to me as a birth stone and I am very pleased with all of its properties and meanings. Thank you for this very interesting and informative article.
    Kind regards and God bless you
    Charmaine
    .

    ReplyDelete