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As seen here at Paris Fashion Week Jodie Kidd wearing Pink/ Wood Buddha bracelet and Mint Black Snake Skin Buddha head.

Laughing Buddha ( Happy Buddha)

Laughing Buddha ( Happy Buddha)Known as Hotei (Japan) and Pu-Tai (China), these figures embody the ideals of the good life: health, happiness, prosperity and longevity.

They represent the later Buddhist notions that the good life was indeed attainable in this world. It consisted of self-mastery, a happy demeanor, purposeful endeavor, a deep commitment to the welfare of others and enlightened awareness.

Scholars believe that the Laughing Buddha is in fact modeled on an historical figure, a fat wandering Zen monk named Pu-tai.
All sources describe him as obese, with wrinkled forehead, and a white protruding belly which he left uncovered. There was another feature of his bodily appearance that captured attention.

Wherever he went, he wore a pu-tai (Japanese Hotei) or cloth-bag. Thus he came to be known as Pu-tai Hoshang or hemp-bag monk.
Legend has it that in this bag he carried candy for the children. Over the centuries within China, Buddhist notions of happiness based on self-mastery and enlightened insight were fused with popular Chinese life-ideals of happiness through material prosperity, thus today the hemp sack may be interpreted as filled with gold, filled with happiness, health, and other aspects of abundance.

Check our gorgeous Baby Skull bracelets out in Grazia Middle East September 2012

The gorgeous Sienna Guillory wearing our fabulous Isis necklace and Turquoise feather earrings !

Mystical Properties:
Historically a star sapphire was used as protection from the evil eye In Europe it was used to reflect harmful or evil spells back to the sender. Magicians were known to utilize the gemstones to enhance and direct their magical powers. Alchemists long ago associated the sapphire with the element of air, and India considered it to be the stone of Saturn, and believed it to be a portal to the heavenly realms.

Sapphires can be used to open yourself up to receive heavenly messages, and aid you in clarifying just what the information you receive means to you.

This gemstone used during meditation can help you find your hidden potential, and sharpen the vision of your life’s work, it will help you to clear a mental path so you can begin your journey.

Sapphires can help work with you to achieve your material dreams and desires, as well as sustain your wealth once it is acquired. The gem will also be of assistance in keeping a balanced perspective, allowing you to better organize your thought processes, ensuring continued success as your material situation evolves.

It will also promote fair play and loyalty amongst partners and employees, as well as bring about correct conclusions to potentially unjust situations, if you are in the right.

The yellow sapphire is a wonderful and gentle too for working through leftover wounds of childhood abuse. It provides a protective golden shield during the healing process and allows for safe expression of the words needed to release the pain.

Healing Properties: Sapphire is the most effective healing stone for the nervous system. It it told to regulate the function of the thyroid gland and is therefore quite useful as a remedy for lack of appetite and nervous heart trouble. In the far East, it was used as protection against the plague. On a psychological level, it gives the patient focus and instills the intent to get well, which in turn assists healing in all levels of the body. The gem may also aid in strengthening the walls of your blood vessels and stop nose bleeds. The green and blue crystals are especially helpful in healing energies. Green Sapphire possess a strong restorative energy that comes from its connection to Mother Earth.
	Magical Properties: Energy: Receptive Element: Water Deities: Apollo Powers: Psychic powers, love, meditation, peace, defensive magic, healing, power, money The Greeks identified the sapphire with Apollo, and the stone was worn when consulting oracles such as the famous one at Delphi. If you engage in vision work or channeling, the sapphire will aid you in better understanding what has been revealed to you, as well as in articulating those messages in a way that will be the most beneficial for the receivers. Healers can use a green or yellow Sapphire is a similar way, directing and focusing the incoming energy to achieve the best results for the patient. Sapphire should be discharged and at the same time recharged in sea salt, if at all possible avoiding exposure to the sunlight.
	Zodiac: Associations: Moon Traditional Birthstone for the Month of September. Blue sapphire is linked to Pisces, light-blue to Taurus, yellow to Gemini and star sapphire to Libr
More Chakra Info More Kundalini Info	Chakra Classification: Sapphire is most effective on the forehead to work with the 6th, or Third Eye/Brow Chakra to expand psychic awareness. Blue, purple and white Sapphires all are excellent for activating the 7th, or Crown Chakra and clearing a path for the Kundalini to move freely through all your chakras. White – activates the 7th, or Crown Chakra , taps hidden potential and help guides you to your life’s work, makes an excellent personal power stone Blue – wonderful meditation tool, opens the 6th, or Third Eye Chakra and assists in translating the meaning of messages received, also helps the 5th, or Throat Chakra communicate the information to others Lotus (Padparadscha) – opens up the3rd, or Solar Plexus Chakra, aids healers, associated with Grandfather Sun Yellow – another good healer’s crystal, also beneficial for healing childhood trauma, or assisting children through difficult illnesses, works well in abundance medicine. Green – these crystals have strong restorative energies, will activate and balance the 4th, or Heart Chakra, also good for prosperity energies Purple – if you channel or work with the divination arts, a purple Sapphire crystal can help clear a path so that you receive your messages with greater clarity, raises your spiritual awareness and stimulates the Kundalini through meditating.

Jyotish is the Vedic astrological system, of which Ayurveda was once a part. This astrological system notes that gems are related to the various planets and produce a balancing effect to counter specific diseases. It is a primary method of a Jyotish astrologer’s therapeutic measures to heal physical, mental, and spiritual situations, based on one’s astrology chart indicators. It is known that planets produce effects on humans. For example, the full moon not only causes high tides, but also affects the emotions of some people. The gemstones were studied and used to neutralize these effects.

Energy Waves

The ancient Ayurvedic researchers studied healing properties of gems, and found that different stones created different effects in the human body. The planets were seen to have corresponding colors. The color or vibration of the gems affects the human body. They absorb and reflect (like a filter) the planetary rays or vibrations. Thus, gems relate to specific energy waves. It was found that the gems associated with each planet have varying wavelengths. [see table]

The planetary vibrations are negative, while the radiation of the stones is positive. When the positive and negative vibrations are combined, they are neutralized. Just as an umbrella or sunscreen protects one from the sun, so gems protect one from the influence of the planets.

Healing Powers

In ancient Vedic texts, like the Brihat Samhita, the origin and healing powers of various gems are discussed. Persons may use substitute stones instead of the more expensive gems. Red garnet can replace ruby; moonstone can replace pearl; jade, peridot, or green tourmaline can replace emerald; and yellow topaz or citrine can replace yellow sapphire. [see table]

Jyotish suggests wearing gems, and ingesting them internally (after a long heating process to make them safe), or as gem tinctures. Stones worn as rings and pendants are mounted so as to touch the skin. Pendants should touch the heart or throat chakras, and rings with different gemstones should be worn on various fingers, as the elements dictate.

Gem Tinctures

Gem tinctures are prepared like herb tinctures. Gems are soaked for some time in a 50%-100% alcohol solution. Diamonds or sapphires (hard gems) are soaked from one full moon to the next full moon (one month). Opaque stones – pearls, coral (soft stones) – are soaked for shorter time periods or in weaker solutions.

Special Ayurvedic preparations exist in which gems are burnt into ash. This removes their harmful effects, enabling them to be ingested. Traditionally, gems were crushed and/or burnt in long processes to make ash. Sometimes they are taken alone, sometimes they are mixed with herbs. Gem ash (bhasma) is more costly than herbs, but healing is quicker. Currently, they are not imported into the United States due to the lack of understanding of their safety.

5 Fingers, 5 Elements

Each finger is related to one of the five elements. The pinky is earth, the ring finger is water, the middle finger is air, the index finger is ether, and the thumb is fire. The planets correspond to this system as well: Mercury – earth, the sun or moon – water, Saturn – air, Jupiter – ether. No specific planet rules the fire. Precious gems are worn as rings in 2-carat (minimum) and 5-carat pendants. Substitute stones are worn as rings in 4-carat (minimum) and 7-carat pendants. Determinations of planetary therapies are made differently than in Western Astrology.

Vedic Origin of Gems

The Garuda Purana, an ancient Vedic text, includes a discussion of the science of gemology. This mythologically-based story may have semantic parallels in modern scientific terminology, just as the seven deities of the sun are analogous to the seven colors of the spectrum (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet) in Vedic Astrology. Thus, it is hoped that interested readers will seek out the parallels between these Vedic descriptions and modern science, rather than doubt its authenticity merely because of the use of words like “gods” and “demons”.

The Legend of Vala

Once, a very powerful demon, Vala, caused trouble for all the gods in the universe. After much hardship the gods developed a plan to capture Vala and kill him. Once dead, Vala was cut into pieces. His limbs were transformed into the seeds of precious gems. All the creatures of the universe rushed to gather the gem seeds. In the clamor some of the gem seeds fell to earth, dropping into rivers, oceans, forests, and mountains. There they developed into mother lodes.

Vala’s blood became ruby seeds and fell over India, Burma, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Tibet, Sri Lanka, and ancient Siam. His teeth became pearl seeds that spread throughout the oceans of Sri Lanka, Bengal, Persia, Indonesia, and other bodies of water in the southern hemisphere. The skin of Vala became yellow sapphire seeds, plummeting mainly to the Himalayas. Vala’s fingernails became hessonite garnet seeds that fell into lotus ponds of Sri Lanka, India, and Burma. His bile became emerald seeds and fell into the mountain ranges of modern day South Africa, South America, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.Vala’s bones became diamond seeds. His war cry became the cat’s-eye gem seeds. Blue sapphire seeds were transformed from Vala’s eyes. Coral seed was transformed from his intestines. Vala’s toenails became red garnet seeds. His body fat became jade seeds. Quartz crystal seeds were transformed from his semen. Vala’a complexion was transformed into bloodstone coral seeds.