Smoky Quartz

by Curtis Lang and Jane Sherry		print version
		print version (graphics)

Mineralogists say there may be more than one cause for the gray to brown to black color range of this very popular form of quartz crystal, ranging from sodium to other minerals in the crystal.

The color of smoky quartz is believed by geologists to be caused by natural radiation from the sun or in the proximity of naturally occuring radioactive rocks.

Brazil is the world’s largest supplier of these semi-precious stones.

Crystals from Brazil are said to have the special quality of enhancing your ability to project energy over a distance.

According to Melody ("Love is in the Earth"), smoky quartz is produced by the presence of sodium in clear crystal, facilitating the regulatation of fluids in the body, acting much like a mineral supplement bringing mineral equilibrium.

Smoky quartz works slowly and thoroughly to relieve imbalances in the physical and etheric bodies, with special emphasis on the solar plexus and its associated chakra, the third or Manipura chakra associated with personal power and vital energy. And it works on the hands and feet. Smoky quartz can, over time, help to balance the flow of vital energy throughout the physical and etheric bodies, and aids in the development of a healthy, fully functioning chakra system.

It is an aid in gently releasing blockages caused by  negative energy patterns in the emotional body. Smoky quartz has been used as an aid in meditation, for energy healing, and to create a protective barrier of energy around the holder, being grounding and clearing the mind.

My own personal experience in working with smoky quartz over the years has led me to compare it to the herbal plant burdock. Burdock has a reputation for being a slow & steady & reliable deep healer. It works to clear & cleanse the blood which is why it has a reputation for healing cancers, tumors & other dense formations in the body. It has a reputation for very gently clearing the skin, the digestive tract and for bringing up dis-harmony in the body in a slow, careful & thorough manner. It is also a very nourishing plant, which does not heal through heroic action, but rather through the grace of the Nourishing Mother. Smoky Quartz reminds me of the Black Madonna, in this same regard.

Smoky Quartz is one of the best facilitators of bringing balance to the physical body, whether the cause of the imbalance is from the physical, emotional or mental bodies in origin. It very gently works to nourish, to deliver light, healing & support into the dense areas of our bodies or soul. Like the Black Madonna, our need for healing can be brought to the Mother who guards the night, the inner self, the transmutive Self.

Smoky Quartz slips under the radar in New Age & Metaphysical communities. It is often a very inexpensive stone, undervalued alike by both dealers & collectors. The flashier versions of Smoky Quartz in the Elestials, the Jacare & Smoky Citrines are of course valued at a higher price than the more humble polished or unpolished points. Some of my most favorite pieces of Smoky have been unpolished Lemurians and plain Smoky wands.

Smoky Quartz reminds me that to find the real treasure in this gift of Life on Earth, one must do the inner work required to go deep, to find our own inner Center, which is the true connection to the Divine. Our own Higher Self is the path to nourishment & Smoky Quartz can assist us on this journey.