The Blue Pearl

Guest Post written by Mark Clement

Mark Clement offers fascinating perspectives on an array of topics he has personally explored and studied.  His questioning nature and research into the unknown is one to greatly admire and learn from.  Since his background is different than my own, I feel Mark provides wonderfully unique point of views that I, and others, can gain new understandings with.  I am grateful for this, and for his sharing of thoughts on:

The Blue Pearl

The star sapphire is regarded as being one of the most expensive gemstones in the world and comes in a variety of different colors. Star sapphires are cut into cabochon shapes with a beveled (smooth) underside. It’s the smooth underside of the gemstone which helps to enhance the appearance of the star found upon the surface. The appearance of the asterism (star) which is found on the star sapphire is due to the presence of a mineral inclusion found within the gemstone referred to as “rutile”.  Rutile is a “reddish-brown hair like metal inclusion” found inside of certain gemstones, composed of a mineral referred to as “titanium dioxide.” Titanium dioxide is manufactured in the form of a white powder, and is known to have powerful “ultraviolet ray blocking capabilities”.  For this reason, it is used as an ingredient in sunscreens. Titanium, regarded as one of the strongest metals in the world, is used to make steel.

One of my favorite spiritual writers of all time is enlightened sage Paramahansa Yogananda. In his book,  Autobiography of a Yogi,  Yogananda mentioned there is some way of achieving enlightenment a lot more quickly through the use of gemstones. In this same book, he also mentioned that he believes that sapphires have healing powers. The idea that gemstones have healing powers is not one which is really “new” to religion. The ancient rishis (seers) of India also stated they believed gemstones have healing powers. I just find it strange that of all of the gemstones out there to talk about, the only one which Yogananda ever seemed to have spoken of was sapphires. What is also interesting is the fact that Yogananda’s description for the appearance of what other religions refer to as “the spiritual eye” sounds similar to the appearance of a star sapphire.

Yogananda wrote that if others were to concentrate on the appearance of the spiritual eye located at the center of the forehead, in time, they might be able to sense the presence of “a white, five pointed star surrounded by a blue (color filled) circle; with the blue circle also being surrounded by a golden halo.”  While it is true there is no “golden halo” to be found on sapphires, this could be some reference to the sunlight shining from within the gemstone and reflecting the light of the gem onto the forehead. Other than that, the only other inconsistency regarding the description is that the spiritual eye contains a white, five pointed star and the star sapphire contains a white, six pointed star.

Other yogic paths mention they believe the spiritual eye represents the understanding for something referred to as “the blue pearl.”  The dilemma is that whenever these yogic paths attempt to describe what the blue pearl looks like, it always matches Yogananda’s description for the appearance of the spiritual eye. Therefore, we can understand that whoever came up with this idea must have already been familiar with Yogananda’s teachings, and was merely trying to point out the fact that “the spiritual eye” might represent the understanding for some pearl (round gemstone) which is blue in color.

It’s my belief Yogananda described the appearance of the “spiritual eye” as being similar in appearance to a “star sapphire” for the reason that he wanted others to understand that it was really a sapphire he was referring to. This doesn’t mean the “star sapphire” was some reference to the “actual spiritual eye” as understood by him. Rather, it’s my belief that Yogananda probably understood the “actual spiritual eye” to be some reference to a “regular sapphire.”  The issue with star sapphires is they are not clear in appearance the way regular sapphires are. So how is the sunlight going to be able to shine from within the gemstone allowing for the reflection of the light upon the forehead (golden halo effect)? Another difficulty with star sapphires is that if one were to cut them into pearl (round) shapes, it’s possible that the appearance of the star found upon the gemstone wouldn’t even show. It’s the beveled (smooth) underside of the cabochon which is responsible for the bright appearance of the star which is found upon the surface of this gemstone.

So my theory is that Yogananda mentioned the “golden halo” so that others would be able to understand that it is really a “regular sapphire” that he is referring to. Yet, he mentions the star for the reason that he is attempting to direct our attention towards the star which is found on a star sapphire. Why? Because he understands some “very important fact” regarding the star which is found on the star sapphire, and it’s this important detail which helps to tie together the understanding for the two different gemstones.

As I mentioned earlier, it’s the mineral titanium dioxide which is found within the rutile inclusions of the star sapphire which is responsible for the appearance of the white star (asterism) found on this gemstone. However, one fact which I have not yet mentioned is that it’s the trace amounts of the mineral titanium dioxide found inside of the corundum of regular sapphires which is also responsible for their blue appearance. So it’s the titanium dioxide which helps to tie together the understanding for the two different gemstones. And as I mentioned earlier, titanium dioxide is a mineral which is known to have powerful ultraviolet ray blocking capabilities. So it’s possible that sapphires could work as some type of “filtering mechanism” for the sun’s ultraviolet rays, which might help to explain why they might have healing powers.

In his book “The Second Coming of Christ,” Yogananda includes: “The star is the gateway through which the consciousness must pass to attain oneness with spirit.”  I feel his use of the word “star” here is more likely some reference to the star which others refer to as the sun. However, it’s still possible that he understood this from the perspective of the “titanium dioxide” which is found in the star of a star sapphire. Let’s examine this verse from The Bible for a moment:

“The earth, from it comes food, and underneath, it is turned up as fire. Its rocks are the source of sapphires, and its dust contains gold.” (Job 28:5-6)

It’s my belief that the word “food” in the above verse is either some reference to the plants which depend upon sunlight, or it could be some reference to sunlight itself.  It’s the part “and underneath it is turned up as fire” which represents the confusing part. However, the word “fire” could be some reference to the sun, and “turned up” could be some reference to holding the sapphire up to the forehead. “It’s dust contains gold” seems like some type of reference to the “titanium dioxide” which is found inside of a regular sapphire. The Hebrew word “ash” (in the above verse) which is translated here as meaning “dust” can also be interpreted as meaning “ash” or “powder.” And as I mentioned earlier, titanium dioxide is manufactured in the form of a white powder.

In religion, “gold” is the metal which is always associated with the understanding for the sun. “Gold” was also one of the three gifts offered by the wise men (Magi) to the Christ child. And in his book, “The Second Coming of Christ,” Yogananda also hints that there is some type of relationship between the understanding for the spiritual eye and the Magi star which is mentioned in The Bible. In this same book, Yogananda expresses his belief that the spiritual eye is mentioned in The Bible and is a reference to the verses “The Light of the Body is the eye, if therefore thy eye be single, thy body shall be full of light.” (Mathew 6:22-23).

Wikipedia defines “Magi” as a reference to a follower of the Religion known as Zoroaster. The syllable “zo” (of Zoroaster) means life. The syllable “ro” (of Zoroaster) means fire (or flux). And the word “Aster” (of Zoroaster) means star. When we combine the meanings for “zo” (life) and “aster,” (star), we get the understanding for “life star” or “living star.” And when we add the meaning for “ro” (fire), we get the understanding for “fiery life star.” Certainly, this sounds more like some reference to the sun than it does to some star which is found in the night time sky.

By that I mean that if we assume that “life star” is some reference to “life found here on earth,” then it should make sense to us that life here on earth wouldn’t even be possible if it weren’t for sunlight. And other religions have also hinted at the fact that the sun’s rays are in some way linked with the phenomenon of healing and spirituality. So taking these facts into consideration, it’s possible that the “Magi star” mentioned in The Bible could be some reference to the sun.

“I, Jesus have sent my angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendent of David (the beloved), the bright morning star.” (Revelations 22:16)

Yogananda certainly seemed to have believed that sunlight was important. And in his book “The Second Coming of Christ,” he even went so far as to suggest that the phenomenon which he referred to as “Christ Consciousness” is in some way dependent upon the understanding of sunlight. By that, I mean he likened the phenomenon which he referred to as “Christ Consciousness” to “the sunlight which passes through a crystal ball.” However, when using this metaphor, he likened the understanding for the “sun itself” to the understanding for “God the Father,” as mentioned in The Bible. And he likened the understanding for the “sunlight” which emanates from the sun to the understanding for “the only begotten son (sun),” as mentioned in The Bible. The “crystal ball itself” he likened to the understanding for “Holy Ghost,” which also represented the understanding for what he referred to as “the cosmic intelligent vibration.”

Elsewhere, Yogananda did mention that crystal balls have absolutely nothing to do with the understanding of religion. But he could have said this for the reason he wanted others to understand the fact that his references to the crystal ball in his metaphor for “Christ Consciousness” was really some reference to “natural gemstones,” and were not meant to be some reference to “reconstituted (melted) quartz crystal” used to make crystal balls.

In his “Self Realization Fellowship” teachings, Yogananda also mentioned he believes that the “ultra-violet rays” of the sun have healing abilities. In fact, he actually encouraged others to take 30 minute to an hour long sunbaths, everyday. Whether or not he believed others should use sunscreens is really anybody’s guess.

Science has proven ultra-violet rays can be harmful to health in the sense that they cause damage to DNA cells and are responsible for the deadly disease referred to as cancer. However, science has also confirmed the fact that ultra-violet rays can also be beneficial to health in the sense they help to destroy harmful bacteria found on our body; a fact which was also mentioned by Yogananda.

There are three different types of bands of ultra-violet rays referred to as “bands A, B, and C.” Science seems to be of the opinion all three of the different types of bands of ultra-violet rays cause damage to DNA cells, and are responsible for causing each of the various forms of cancer.

Then again, all of this is not meant to suggest the “titanium dioxide” found in sunscreens works the same way outside of the gemstone as it does inside of it. And unfortunately, during the time of the writing of this article, this is still a relatively “new” understanding for me. So I really haven’t even taken the time to buy any of the items that I need in order to test all of these different theories that I have regarding the ways in which I can attempt to apply this wisdom.

I certainly don’t buy into the fact that one needs to be able to afford a sapphire in order to be able to tap into the healing power of the sun’s rays. Then again, neither do I assume there might be some way of tapping into the power of the sun’s rays using “lesser gemstones.” I have been on the spiritual path for long enough to understand that sometimes I can get the best idea in the world, and it never seems to work in the way I expect it to work.

By that I mean, it is possible there is some value to the understanding of this wisdom which is applicable to the use of gemstones, and it is possible there is some value to the understanding of this wisdom which has nothing to do with gemstones. So if there is some value to the understanding of this wisdom which is apart from the use of gemstones, then I am more likely to go with that theory first.

Despite the fact ultra-violet rays are invisible to the naked eye, the color “violet” is associated with the understanding for “the third eye chakra” and the “crown chakra” in Hinduism. The simple understanding of this fact gives me “two different types” of ideas to test. While it is true I may understand a lot more than most people do on this subject, that doesn’t mean I am always successful when it comes to testing all of these various ideas I have. However, just because I am unsuccessful doesn’t mean I ever give up. For as Yogananda once said “A winner is a loser who never gave up.”

Copyright 2013 by Mark Clement. Permission is granted to quote, copy, or store this article, as long as no text is changed and it is disseminated freely and the author (meaning Mark Clement) gets credit.

Further Reading:

1. Autobiography of a Yogi – Paramahansa Yogananda
2. The Second Coming of Christ – Paramahansa Yogananda
3. The Healing Powers of Gemstones – Harish Johari

Other Sources:

Yogananda’s article, “A Beginner’s Meditation,” in which he mentions the spiritual eye.

Link that represents a more “in-depth” understanding of the spiritual eye as described by Paramahansa Yogananda.

Astrogem’s article, “What the Yoga Masters have to Say” regarding the healing properties of gemstones as mentioned by the ancient seers (rishis).

The chapter “Outwitting the Stars” from Yogananda’s book “Autobiography of a Yogi.”

The chapter “Sashi and the Three Sapphires” from Yogananda’s book “Autobiography of a Yogi.

Self Realization Fellowship article “Health and Healing.”