This week we're going to talk about Artemis or Candle crystals, which are long thin points with a 6 to 1 ratio (for example: 1 inch wide and 6 inches long, or 1/2 inch wide and 3 inches long, ETC). This is a potentially confusing topic, so I hope this post helps clarify rather than muddy the water.
Candle crystals should not be confused with Candle Quartz. Candle Quartz is a crystal which looks a lot like a Cathedral or Lightbrary crystal (see picture, right). Imagine a candle in the shape of a crystal, but with the wick at the base (turn the crystal upside down in your mind, the base at the top with a wick and the point at the bottom). The wax would drip down the sides, in subsequent layers, toward the tip (which is upside down), so when you turned the crystal back upright, it would look like a dripping candle and is called Candle Quartz. (As an aside, there are some really helpful diagrams of a lot of these different crystal types from a mineralogical standpoint (rather than metaphysical) on The Quartz Page, I would highly recommend bookmarking and visiting the site!)
Because Candle Quartz would be easy to confuse with a Cathedral, I will explain both further, and we will get back to talking about Artemis or Candle Crystals in a minute. Here is a graphic comparing the three types which I hope helps clear things up.
- An Artemis or Candle Crystal is a long, thin crystal which has a ratio of at least 6 to 1.
- Candle Quartz is a crystal which looks like a candle with melting wax. The points kind of sprout out of the sides and in fact, are sometimes called "sprouting quartz".
- A crystal Cathedral (also called Lightbrary) is a crystal with many small crystals growing parallel and partially embedded in come cases. Notice in the blue pictures, the Candle Quartz has little sprouts coming out at at angle, and the Cathedral has little crystals growing parallel to it.
OK! So now that that is out of the way, we'll get back to talking about Artemis or Candle Crystals. The Candle in this case, is like a birthday candle (on a small scale) or a taper (on a larger scale). These Artemis or Candle Crystals don't have to be a certain size, as a matter of fact, they may be quite small (and are sometimes called "Needle Points") or quite large. The only caveat is that they are at least six times longer than they are wide. You might notice that you don't see a lot of large, but do see more small, Artemis or Candle crystals, simply because a long thin crystal tends to get broken in the mining process, the larger, longer and thinner break more easily. You might also notice more Artemis or Candle crystals which are cut and polished for the same reason (they might have been a much thicker crystal with damage to the outside, so they are then cut and polished into a longer, thinner point). A crystal polished into a thin point will still have the energy of an Artemis but might not have as much precision to its focus as a crystal which is naturally occurring in this shape.
These crystals are called "Candle" due to their shape, and "Artemis" because they resemble arrows (long and thin). For those of you who might not be familiar with Artemis, she is the Greek Goddess devoted to hunting and nature (among other things). She is most usually depicted wielding a bow and arrows, most often with the arrow pulled back and ready to fire. That is precisely they type of energy these Artemis or Candle crystals have. They focus energy and speed prayers to their goals (like an arrow... shwooop!).
Because of their shape, they are often worn as jewelry (necklaces and earrings) and are also often used in wands.
And speaking of wands, Artemis or Candle crystals are similar to Laser Wand crystals, but they don't taper at the end. A Laser Wand may also fit into the description of an Artemis or Candle (if it is 6 to 1 ratio) but a Candle crystal isn't always a Laser Wand (unless it is also tapered at the top). I used to talk to Artemis when I would dig crystals, and almost every time I would find several of these long, thin Artemis/Candle Crystals. It never failed.
There are different ways you might work with an Artemis/Candle Crystal. You may choose to work with them in a grid, and let the arrow-like energy help speed your grid to its goal. You could choose to work with an Artemis crystal as you would a wand, directing energy to a specific spot like a laser beam. Or you might wear Artemis/Candle crystals which have been made into jewelry and keep the shooting arrow-like energy in mind as you wear them.
This concludes out talk about Artemis or Candle crystals. Next week we'll discuss Lemurian Seed Crystals.