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Features and Facts About Spirit Quartz In 2001-2002, a mystical new variety of quartz found its way onto the world market. It has many names, including Cactus Quartz and Druzy Quartz; but the most appropriate name associated with the stone is African Spirit Quartz or simply Spirit Quartz. The features of spirit quartz are spectacular and mesmerizing. Typically, one crystal is actually the combined manifestation of hundreds, sometimes thousands of smaller micro-crystals. The smaller micro-crystals typically spiral around a shaft that peaks in a commanding, well-defined termination. Spirit quartz comes in a spectrum of colors, including rich purple amethyst, violet amethyst, milky clear and golden citrine. Amazing ametrine (combinations of amethyst and citrine) are not uncommon. Few quartz specimens worldwide possess the 'bling' of thousand-pointed spirit quartz. The extra 'bling' in spirit quartz is because of the presence of two crystalline structures in one stone - jasper (a 'hidden' crypto-crystalline silicate) and quartz. The presence of the jasper creates a hidden matrix that affords multiple crystallizations to occur within one stone. Iron is often present in the composition of spirit quartz as well. If the iron is un-oxidized, the Spirit Quartz will appear purple and be considered amethyst. If the iron is exposed to heat and oxidizes (rusts), it will turn a golden color and be considered citrine.
Ametrine, crystals with partially oxidized iron, is common.
Spirit quartz comes from Southern Africa. It is harvested from one of the largest quartz crystal deposits found in the world. A huge swath of land, more than 50 kilometers long and 25 kilometers wide accounts for where it can be found. Anywhere within this region, if one digs three feet down, they will hit some spirit quartz. The indigenous name of the region in Southern Africa is Mpumalanga, which means 'Land of the Rising Sun'. It is on the Eastern coast of modern-day South Africa north of Kwa-Zulu/Natal province and itself extends north to the border of Mozambique. The Ndebele and the Nguni The indigenous of this region are the Ndebele. The Ndebele are a branch of the Nguni, the Bantu-speakers found South of the Limpopo River that includes the Xhosa, Zulu, and Swazi. The story of the Ndebele is related to the mission of Spirit Quartz, and must be shared to overstand the importance of this sacred stone... The Ndebele, as a people, are survivors of centuries of atrocity. These atrocities actually began well before the arrival of Europeans to Southern Africa, and this history is a painful and sometimes hidden legacy for African people. The revealer of this history, the last Sangoma of the Zulu - Credo Mutwa, says his life was seriously threatened by Africans who did not want this story told. This summation can be reviewed in depth in Credo's monumental publication: Indaba My Children... The name Nguni means 'Refugee', 'One Who Wanders without a Home'. Their plight is a legacy of an egomaniacal king named Munumutapa, 'King on the Mountain'. He had heard legends of the Ma-iti, strange light-skinned men who traveled by boat from Phoenicia centuries ago and established a cruel empire with millions of slaves and harlots. They lived in a fortified city not far from the coast, but their city-state was destroyed in a violent revolt led by a hero named Luba. Munumutapa wanted to have the power and prestige that the Ma-iti commanded, so he began conspiring with the strange, light-skinned men in robes that would sail along the coast occasionally. These men, called the Arabi, were always looking for young boys and girls to sail away with as slaves. Munumutapa proposed to provide the Arabi with all of the slaves they desired if they gave him the weapons to conquer his neighboring nations. Based on this economic system, he founded the wretched Zima-Mbje, a strong fortress with an ominous tower called 'The Eye'. From the heights of the Eye-Tower, Munumutapa would scan the distant lands, casting an evil eye on the peoples he would soon conquer and sell to the Arabi. Hundreds of clans were captured wholesale, and Zima-Mbje prospered at the expense of the collective security of the region. There was actually 5 Munumatapas, each successive King claiming the name of the founder. The Ba'tswana and Lunda of Southeastern Africa; the Lukundi in the Congo; as well as the Mambo on the Western side of South Africa all fell victim to Zima-Mbje. The whole region of South Africa - from the Southeast radiating North into the Congo river basin and West to the Atlantic - became destabilized and a source of slave labor for Zima-Mbje. Not all slaves were exported. Women were sent to 'The River of Crocodiles' to sift sand for gold. Men were sent to Thaba-Nzimbi - The Mountain of Iron - to mine iron ore. Nothing was sacred; elephants were killed for ivory, leopards killed for their pelts, sacred trees uprooted for their wood. This condition persisted for generations. It was in this social climate that the Nguni were formed. The various enslaved from all of the clans came together and overthrew Munumutapa the Fifth, a degenerate King who was part Arabi, part Hottentot, part Bantu. The Nguni destroyed Zima-Mbje (the ruins of Zimbabwe today), and cursed the region so that no one would dwell in those structures ever again. However, the lessons that came with Nguni inception was not internalized. The Nguni repopulated and resettled the lands, living traditionally in a clan-based system. There were several clans in the area, all engaged in agriculture, trade, and commerce. These included the Mthethwa, the Tsonga, and the Ndwandwe. In the early 1800's the Mthethwa and the Tsonga federated in alliance to bolster their economic trade. This put them in conflict with the Ndwandwe, and this set the foundation for war and strife among the Nguni. Battles broke out and the Ndwandwe defeated the Mthethwa and killed their chief Dingaswayo. This caused the Mthethwa to ally themselves with another up-and-coming clan - the Zulu. The Zulu had already been absorbing smaller clans under the leadership of their power-hungry leader Shaka. However, once the Mthethwa allied with the Zulu, they became a major powerhouse in the region. They engaged and defeated the Ndwandwe in the Battle of Gqokli Hill and became the dominant force in Southern Africa. They conquered all of the Nguni between the Tugelo and Pongola rivers. Shaka was a merciless ruler. Here is some excerpts of Credo Mutwa's account of his leadership: Shaka spent the earlier years of his reign in consolidating his position and butchering all those who had ill-treated him and his mother so many bitter years previously. Shaka was terrible in his vengeance. He killed old men, babies and women, which was completely taboo in terms of the laws of his forefathers which prescribe that only men fit to defend themselves can be killed...Shaka surrounded himself with heretics and thugs like himself and he brought havoc to Zululand. He was a coward...Shaka was the first African chief to introduce foul tactics on the battlefield...But Shaka was a born law-breaker; his life befouled by acts of treachery. He did not care a tinker's curse about the lives of the Zulus - he used them only as a means to a selfish end, as mere tools for the glorification of Shaka...Towards the end of his life Shaka was completely mad. He suffered from shattering delusions of grandeur. He looked upon himself as a god...Why is Shaka always glamorized and glorified in history books? I have a strong feeling it is because Shaka, unlike Dingana, Mzilikazi and Cetshwayo, never once offered resistance to European encroachment. He was the first Zulu chief to offer hospitality and not the point of a spear to men like Charles Farewell...Shaka, basking in the sun of false greatness, continued to commit one terrible crime after another... His biggest crime is known historically as the Mfecane, the 'Scattering' or 'Crushing'. Shaka raided and terrorized clans throughout the region from 1815-1935. This caused massive social upheaval, displacement and the creation of refugee societies all over again. Several refugee clans were created as a result of the Mfecane, including the Matabele, the Mfengu, and the Makololo. Another major refugee clan from the Mfecane is the Ndebele. A Zulu general Mzilikazi broke away from Shaka and established the Ndebele kingdom in the area that today is known as Mpumalanga The Mfecane made South Africa ripe for European colonization. By the time the British arrived to Mpumalanga in the late 1800's the Ndebele were a weary and weak clan. After the first Ndebele King Mzikiwele passed, Lobengula assumed the throne. In 1889, Cecil Rhodes came to Mpumalanga and negotiated land, mining, and trade concessions from Lobengula. However, from interacting with them, Rhodes observed the weakened state the Ndebele was in and utterly conquered and destroyed the kingdom in 1893 to establish Rhodesia. From this point, the Ndebele were incorporated into the Apartheid economic system. Displaced from land rights, the men were relegated to forced mining and the women domestic servitude... What are the lessons of this painful, hidden legacy?
The Mission and Healing Potential of Spirit Quartz
The mission of African Spirit Quartz is now much clearer. The relevance of its mission is overwhelming; for there is no difference between the Zulu/ Ndwandwe battles and the battles between the Crips and Bloods, Eastside/Westside, etc. etc. African Unity is the healing force needed for the African world community and the planet as a whole. Spirit Quartz does many things. It impacts one in the realm of inter-personal dynamics. How one relates to others and fits in a communal social setting is what Spirit quartz addresses. It diminishes ego, showing one that he/she is just a micro-crystal-human on the spirit-quartz-of-community. Spirit quartz reminds us that one's beauty is how one humbly adds to the harmony of the collective. What are the personal qualities cultivated by such a healing? Cooperation, collective work and responsibility, patience, humility, generosity, honesty, integrity, unconditional love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and gratitude name a few. What a powerful, transformational stone African Spirit Quartz is to cultivate these much-needed qualities. Spirit quartz can be used to heal and mend family ties. Excellent centerpieces for the family dinner table, and must-haves for family reunions, spirit quartz sets a tone of reconciliation, forgiveness, and win/win resolution. Spirit quartz overcomes 'generation gaps' and promotes overstanding in elders, responsibility in adults, and respect in youth. There is more. Spirit quartz is an Umoja stone. Umoja means Unity or Oneness. Unity/Oneness manifests as a collective identity. Spirit quartz helps one heal, expand and harmonize one's collective identity. For example, to identify with the Crips makes one a Crip, and that person shares the collective identity of a Crip. However, that collective identity of a Crip pits one against others who - because of shared genetics and socio-economic conditions - are unconsciously part of the person's collective. Spirit quartz will help the Crip see that both he and the Blood are both 'African', thus harmonizing and expanding his collective identity. Whatever petty die-visions (divisions) that keep Africans apart melt away in the presence of African Spirit Quartz. African spirit quartz is the cure for 'Willie Lynchism' and 'Black-on-Black' crime and domestic violence. It dissolves projected self-hatred and cultivates love of self and others. A powerful meditation one can do to expand this healing force: On the days of New, Full and Quarter moons, hold a piece of spirit quartz with both hands and affirm 7 times: One Love If every African in possession of Spirit Quartz did this on these appointed days, it would help set a tone of unity and oneness within our African communities. However, Africans must also recognize that we are part of a global family as well and let part of our healing be to expand our collective identity to the family of humanity. This is an important responsibility. All indigenous people must reconnect with their indigenous ways and help heal the planet. Earth is in crisis and needs massive healing. African people hold a vital role in this healing. But first we must rekindle the African Spirit within us. That is the mission of African Spirit Quartz from the African perspective... One Love
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