Barite crystal

A small crystal of probable Barite (size about 4 mm) stands out against a background of Calcite crystals. Sample found in the clayey badlands of Rubbiano, near Fornovo Taro. Nature always surprises, even hiding its treasures inside the rocks., In the deep darkness of the bowels of Mother Earth.

Even in the deepest darkness of the Earth, far from any gaze, matter aggregates and organizes itself according to predefined mathematical patterns, which we humans call "beauty" when we discover it by chance. This beauty is an expression of the MVNDVS, that is, those primordial, ancestral energies, which by their nature tend towards the "light", towards a superior state, through a path of ascent made of transformation, simplification and purification, the very concept of the alchemical VITRIOL: in this sense the entire process of crystal formation in nature seems to me to be a metaphorical representation of this path, of this energy that characterizes, models and guides not only the world of matter, but also that of living things. The crystal is the realization in the raw material (the rock) of this path of perfection, which, materializing and coming to light in its beauty and perfection, becomes an emblem, a symbol and a stimulus for an initiatory path also for human beings, towards a perfecting of oneself, towards a crystalline interiority that transmits purity and light: if a stone could do it, without conscience and self-awareness, even more so should we do it!

For the ancient Romans, MVNDVS was the heart where a new city was founded: a pit was dug, into which each person poured a handful of their land of origin, mixed with those products that would constitute the production base of the new city . The city developed around this pit, and these pits were considered dimensional portals which, opening at certain times of the year, connected the world of the living with that of the dead. These were festive days, where all activities were suspended. economic and working.

VITRIOL is instead the acronym of Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem (Veram Medicinam), or "visit the interior of the Earth, by rectifying and purifying you will find the hidden stone, which is the true medicine", an alchemical vision of geology, a looking at minerals and rocks with a gaze that is not only materialistic, but also metaphorical and spiritual, after all, every ancient wisdom tells us with different languages that every multiplicity can lead us back to the One, and the macrocosm is reflected in the microcosm, where the energies that animate them and the laws that govern them are ultimately the same, spiritual and material interpenetrate, and perhaps this boundary, this distinction, is illusory and arbitrary.

Barite (Bario Sulphate), which belongs to the Celestina group, is one of the heaviest non-metallic minerals present in nature, its name itself derives from the Greek barys which means "heavy", and for this characteristic it is used in various areas of industry, but not only: from ground barite a powder with luminescent characteristics is obtained, so much so that medieval alchemists called it "the phosphoric stone of Bologna". In the recent past, this peculiarity has also assigned it a role in the field of photography: by covering the prints with a thin layer of barite powder, a particular, highly appreciated shine effect was obtained.

In crystal therapy, Barite is known for its calming, relaxing and fortifying properties, useful in cases of anxiety or confusional states, it has the ability to put us in contact with the deepest and most intuitive part of ourselves, helping us to clarify if necessary , to communicate better, to remember dreams better. Due to its ability to put us in contact with deeper dimensions, barite is also used, for example by American Indians, to encourage astral travel or contact with guiding spirits.

There is a whole boundless world of properties, uses, powers, energies and stories behind every stone, behind everything, these short words of mine are certainly not intended to be exhaustive, but rather aim to stimulate curiosity and personal research, taking as a pretext a small stone found on the hills.

The world of stones is a real mine waiting to be discovered, both in a literal and metaphorical sense