There are many myths and misconceptions surrounding astrological gems in general and Gem Therapy in particular. And with real life testing and experimentation being extremely expensive there is no wonder why even some world renowned astrologers proclaim they simply don’t work, with a few going as far as saying that the whole concept is western in origin in a misguided attempt to distance themselves from the practice.
Others have claimed that only the Maharatna \ Main Gems can produce results, or that the results can be obtained only if the gemstone is made into a talisman and consecrated by priests or blessed by a saint. And there are those who go to the other extreme, claiming that gemstones can make people millionaires and bring them to greatness.
Yet at least 90% of astrologers who prescribe astrological gemstones have little to no understanding of how they really work and the proper way to choose them, and this results in many disgruntled clients claiming that astrological gems are nothing but a scam to get more money. Even worse, there are quite a few outright charlatans out there that are perfectly willing to sale fake gems just to make a profit, and even honest astrologers often find themselves at the mercy of their gem suppliers, as they have no gemological training of their own.
So what are some of the professional secrets for choosing, prescribing and using astrological gemstones that will truly be effective?
Astrological Gemstones and the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra
The BPHS is widely regarded as the bible of vedic astrology, and as such is often referenced as not mentioning astrological gemstones at all. While it is true that the astrological use of gemstones is not mentioned in the BPHS, it does provide two extremely important clues regarding their use.
The best known mention of gemstones in the BPHS comes from chapter 11 shloka 3:
“Indications of Dhan Bhava. Wealth, grains (food etc.), family, death, enemies, metals,
precious stones etc. are to be understood through Dhan Bhava.”
This part had many an astrologer confused as they erroneously tried to correlate Gem Therapy with the 2nd house. Yet the meaning of this paragraph is that the wnd house dictates the ability of the person to own gems, not his ability to use them!
But if one was to read just a few paragraphs further, he would find shloka 6:
“Indications of Putr Bhava. The learned should deduce from Putr Bhava amulets, sacred
spells, learning, knowledge, sons, royalty (or authority), fall of position etc.”
Here we can clearly see that the ability of a person to use any kind of amulet or talisman, INCLUDING astrological gemstones, is not a function of the second house but of the fifth.
Main VS Secondary Gemstones
When I first began studying Gem Therapy, the main problem I encountered over and over was how to know if someone will be better off using Maharatna, the 9 main precious gemstones, or Uparatna which are considered to be simply cheaper substitutes.
At the time, I was fortunate enough to have access to almost all of the gemstones used in Gem Therapy, and was able to test them firsthand both on myself and on others. One thing that quickly became apparent was the fact that some people were severely harmed by using Maharatna while the corresponding Uparatna was quite beneficial for them. The opposite was also true for others, who were unable to handle Uparatna yet the corresponding Maharatna gave them great results.
It was actually thus phenomenon that ked me to chapter 11 of the BPHS, and shloka. Was the key. When checking the birth charts of people who were better off with main gems, they all had their 5th lord in own house. In contrast, those who did well with secondary gems had the 5th lord in other signs. Those with an exalted 5th lord were the only ones who could handle both the main and secondary gems.
The only cases with a debilitated 5th lord I was able to find were with the 5th retrograde, and unfortunately they usually stopped the treatment without truly trying the gemstones they were given. In hindsight, this was to be expected as astrologically a debilitated house lord would inevitably create some difficulties with the significance of that house.
Anukul VS Pratikul
When it comes to prescribing astrological gems, there are two main school of thought. The first is the Anukul, which states that gemstones strengthen the effects of planets hence only the gems of functional benefics should be chosen. The second is the Pratikul, which states that gemstones appease the corresponding planets, hence the gems of functional malefics are more useful.
From my own experience and observations, the Anukul school of thought is closer to reality, as gems do indeed “strengthen” the corresponding planetary influence but do not change its nature, hence a Mars gemstone can increase the influence of Mars but not make it less agressive. One exception to this however, is the effects of Hessonites and Cat’s-Eye gemstones, which seem to go somewhat against the nominal effects of Rahu and Ketu.
But while the Anukul school of thought is relatively effective, it too is incomplete when it comes to prescribing the correct gemstones to a person. For example, the gemstone of an exalted trine lord should be beneficial for a person, yet will usually have very little positive effect as the influence is already strong. In fact, it can even have some negative effects reminiscent of an exalted planet going retrograde.
At the same time, a gemstone of a weak 6th lord is much more likely to cure diseases or prevent accidents than to cause them. This is due to the fact that a weak 6th lord is a problem in and of itself, and moderately strengthening it is like patching a hole in a leaking boat. Do note however that the strengthening of malefics should be done with great caution as chances are high that at least some unpleasant side effects would also appear.
The truth about flawed, artificial and treated gems
In stark contrast to western crystal healing, Almost all practitioners of the Hindu Gem Therapy agree that gemstones should be natural, untreated and of high quality in order to have the desired effect. The reason for that is that artificial and treated gemstones are normally viewed as inert, lacking any significant effect, while flawed gems are considered dangerous and capable of harming the wearer.
In my experience, these beliefs are not without merit. For people with sensitivity to gemstones, myself included, it is enough to hold a natural and an artificial stone together to tell them apart, and the difference is very significant. In fact, while saying that artificial gemstones are inert is simply wrong, their effect is so drastically different to their natural counterparts that they would indeed be useless for Gem Therapy purposes.
When it comes to treated gems however, the truth is far more complicated. For example, a stabilized Turquoise which was impregnated with plastic is basically inert and quite useless. A heat treated Sapphire on the other hand has in fact quite a similar effect to an unheated one, although far less smooth and pleasant. Surprisingly, even a beryllium treated Sapphire has a strong effect, although it is noticeably different from natural Sapphires.
Flawed gemstones are also a tricky subject, as the definition and extend of flaws can vary greatly and so can their impact. In general, any dark spots, inclusions and needles are considered bad, and so are various cracks. When it comes to the jardin of an Emerald or the needle inclusions in a Cat’s-Eye or a Kashmiri Sapphire, the situation is of course quite different. In my experience flawed gems are indeed quite problematic and should be avoided for a myriad of reasons, yet they do have a very important and often overlooked use.
While not as potent or clean in their effect as a high quality gemstone, and in fact quite reminiscent of heat treated ones, flawed gemstones are perfect for testing the effect that an expensive gem would have without spending the money upfront. This is a method I often use with many of my patients, as the short term during which the flawed gems are used is not enough to cause any significant harm yet gives plenty of time to see if this type of gemstone will have the desired effect.
Size, quality and quantity
One hotly debated subject among practitioners of Gen Therapy is the proper size of gemstones to use and the use of multiple smaller gemstones vs a single large one to achieve the desired effect. In my personal experience, the use of multiple stones is a perfectly viable option and they can be just as effective as a single large one, however there is always a chance that one of them will not be compatible with the wearer hence each should be tested.
But when it comes to the proper size of gemstone to use, the subject becomes quite complicated indeed. In my experience, gemstones composed of a single crystal such as diamonds and sapphires start becoming effective around the 0.5 carat range. At the same time, gemstones composed of multiple crystals such as Carnelian, Coral, Jade or Turquoise are far less cohesive in their effect and should be above 1 carat.
In addition, the clarity and quality of the gem play a huge role, hence a relatively clean Emerald would be far more potent than one with significant gardening, even if the latter us twice the size. The color saturation in many cases also plays a part, with darker gems usually being stronger in their effect.
Another important consideration when it comes to the size of the gem, is the relative strength of the planet in a persons chart. The stronger the planet one wishes to enhance by using its gemstone, the larger the gem should be to produce the desired effect. On the other hand, if the planet us extremely weak to begin with, then there is a lot more room for improvement and a gradual addition of larger gemstones can produce some very dramatic results.