Planetary Gemstone Meanings

“As above, so below” is the epitaph of the legendary Hermes Trismegistus, and it’s also the key concept behind planetary gemstone meanings.

Why? Because each celestial beauty in the dark spaces of our Universe corresponds with an earth-bound gemstone.

Furthermore, as observed by our ancient forebears, each planet is alive and sparkles with a specific, magnanimous personality. These planetary personalities are so strong; they influence our own planet and even humankind.

Can you imagine – living orbs so powerful they exude an influence strong enough to reach, and affect humans from millions of light years away? Heady.

I can hear murmurs: “Big deal. How can planetary gemstone meanings help me?” I’m glad you asked.

There are strong energetic bonds between planets and stones that represent incredible wisdom and power.

When we familiarize ourselves with the connections between planets and gemstones, we begin to attain harmonic resonance. “As above, so below” a stone in our pocket (below) gives us a magical link to the planetary energies (above) of its counterpart.

In essence, instead of being arbitrarily influenced, knowledge of planetary gemstone meanings causes us to actively participate in the cosmic dance. Instead of bystanders in life, we become empowered – dance partners in the creative influence of the cosmos.

Give it a try. Invest some time to familiarize yourself with these and other planetary gemstone meanings (there is more than one stone per planet). Incorporate these meanings and the stones into your life in unique ways and observe the results.

Note: The view of Western astronomy today is predicated on the initial works from the ancient, preeminent Mesopotamians. In their studies, the celestial bodies they could see were considered planetary influences. Therefore, even though the sun is technically a star, the moon is really a moon, etc – for symbolic and meaningful purposes they’re deemed planets. Furthermore, Uranus, Pluto and Neptune were cloaked from Mesopotamian astronomers’ view at the time of their exploration – thus they are excluded from this study.

Let’s get on with our exploration of planetary gemstone meanings:

Sun : Garnet

Can you harness the power of the sun by keeping a garnet in your pocket? No, not technically. But you can radiate with vitality, creativity and energy both sun and garnet imply. The sun is a microcosm of a creative force far greater than itself. The garnet is a facet of this kind of raw creative power. Keep garnets with you when you need to tap into the life force. They will energize you. They circulate the blood, and get your creative juices flowing. The garnet (and the sun) is connected to the root chakra, the home of primal energies. This stone, in conjunction with its celestial counterpart, can serve as a dynamic battery – recharging you on a profound level.

Moon : Moonstone

Where the sun/garnet connection is an active, sort of “in-your-face” feeling, the moon/moonstone aspect has a soft, passive, dreamy flavour. The moon illumines subtle features within us. Moments of poetic reflection, heightened intuition, precognition, and emotional interplay are (in part) influences of the moon. We can enhance these experiences by keeping moonstone near our bodies. Moon and moonstone are sisters whispering to each other about secret knowledge. And so, by keeping the stone with us we are part of that psychic communication. Moonstone is particularly useful in spiritual work as it connects common perception with hidden planes of awareness. Essentially, moonstones shine light on shadowy subjects.

Mercury : Peridot

It’s a fast moving planet, and symbolically illustrates the lightening-speed potential of thought in the human mind. In an untrained mind, quick thinking can be disastrous (similarly, we’ve all experienced clashing effects of Mercury’s retro-careening in the heavens). Within a trained mind, fleet-footed thought can lead to enlightenment and divine awareness. Peridot has a solid relationship with Mercury in that it tempers quick wit with a calming influence. It’s got a soft lustre that soothes the often edgy nature of a Mercurial mentality. Keep peridot with you to auger balance between the mind and body. It’s a high-minded stone but grounding too. It will offer you the brand of mental alacrity Mercury is known for, while stabilizing you too. Peridot encourages you to do your best constructive thinking – thought that is useable, not erratic.

Mars : Carnelian

With influences such as aggressiveness, assertion and action Mars demands a noble stone to accentuate its passion but not indulge it, as indulgence would lead to consumption. That’s why carnelian is the perfect mate for Mars. Carnelian accentuates the red planets fury and fire, but balances it with a pulsing ambiance that lulls humankind like a mother’s heartbeat soothes a baby. In fact, both Mars and carnelian are connected with the blood flow of humankind. When the heat of passion or battle causes our blood to rise in our bodies, we are essentially minions of Mars. But we don’t have to be controlled by our fury. With its soft glow, and deep fiery hues, carnelian keeps us calm enough to funnel our aggressions in a constructive way. Wear carnelian with you to keep temper in-check and aggression stabilized. It’s also perfect for keeping you bold, energetic and motivated in projects or at work – without going overboard.

Venus : Diamond

Venus is our softly sparkling Morning Star. Her body shimmers magically to our awareness and shines a beacon of pure, impartial love to humankind. Venus flickers in-time with the complex rhythm of our astral bodies. So, it only makes sense that the brilliant, multi-faceted qualities of the diamond are perfectly suited to enhance Venus-like influences. Dynamic, reflective and radiant, the diamond intensifies the nutritive qualities of Venus. Wearing diamonds activates the astral body because they communicate directly to the Morning Star. Diamonds bring out qualities of spiritual advancement, clarity, acceptance and divine affection.

Jupiter : Topaz

Jupiter’s mammoth size and burgeoning celestial behaviour emits qualities of expansion, and exuberance. It establishes a pervasive presence amongst all things that evolve and unfold beneath its watchful red eye. Jupiter encourages exploration in all its forms, and so does its stone counterpart, the topaz. Topaz is an amazing electrical catalyst. It interacts with the spinal fluids in the body and quite literally charges those fluids. Topaz is voltage, and this electricity expands throughout our minds and bodies. This kind of energy is interpreted by Jupiter, and when Jupiter detects topaz’s involvement in the electrical surge – there is no limit to the possibilities of creativity and discovery. Wear topaz when you need that kind of expansive, exploratory energy in your life. Topaz is particularly useful when worn during philosophical studies as it lubricates nerve endings and allows you to spread out over unchartered mental territories. Likewise, topaz is the ultimate travel companion. It protects as it encourages you to uncover new, exciting adventures.

Saturn : Lapis Lazuli

If our experience here on earth were a classroom, Saturn would certainly be one of our most commanding (if not pompous) professors. With good reason. Saturn is the presiding mage, seated in a place of prominence at the board of planetary elders. Control, focus and discipline are some of its attributes, but not for reasons of domination. Saturn, like lapis, embodies the constructive networks of form and function. As Saturn’s counterpart, lapis bridges the gap between known and unknown – material and immaterial. This is the breed of order and structure governed by Saturn. Lapis lazuli is a cosmic nugget of this self-same governance. Wear lapis when you need focused control in moving between the worlds of physical and spiritual. Lapis will also reveal the inner-workings of human behaviour on a broad, historical scale. When you need to see into the foundational cogs that cause the larger metaphysical clockwork to move, lapis is your stone.

I hope you have enjoyed these perspectives on planetary gemstone meanings. I encourage you to incorporate these planetary stones into your meditations and daily life. Observe and record the results over a period of time. You’ll be amazed at how these stones and their planetary energies can revolutionize the landscape of your life.

Written by: Avia Venefica of www.whats-your-sign.com