The Allure of Jade

Although a great deal of what we know as metaphysics (healing with stone) originated in ancient Egypt, jade seems to be an exception. The Chinese used jade for almost two thousand years before it was found Egypt. It is commonly believed by many archeologists that Jade was transported to Egypt though trade routes and was never actually mined in ancient Egypt.

Jade is not mentioned in the Ebers Papyrus, and although in modern society it has been accredited with many healing properties from ancient Egypt, it is not commonly believed amongst specialists that any of these beliefs originated in Egypt. Most of the mystical beliefs surrounding jade came directly from the China.

In China, jade was and still is held as a precious gemstone. In the Shi Jin “Book of Songs” that was written in China around 1000 B.C., Jade is celebrated as a “delight” with the phrase “…this jewel this jade of my delight”. The literal translation from Chinese to English, for the symbol that represents jade is “precious/ornamental rock”.

Although jade was called many things and carved into numerous monumental and religious sculptures, such as the Pi Disc, which was used in ceremonies that worshiped the heavens, there is little evidence it was actually believed to have any power in and of its own until much more modern times.

Jade was called the stone of heaven for its beauty and ability to be easily carved. There are many terms associated with jade. Adjectives like green, apple, hard, soft, black, metallic, galactic, nebula, serpentine, pineapple, and many others are used to describe jade and many rocks that aren’t jade but resemble it. These adjectives are misleading when used to describe other stones since they allude that the stone is somehow related to jade. While some are more closely related than others, many are just a similar color or dyed to be a similar color for marketing purposes.

Serpentine is a relative of jade. One way of thinking about serpentine is if it was left in the ground to “cook” longer it would have formed into jade.

Properties attributed to jade by different cultures:

Egyptians – love, inner peace, harmony (when exactly they started believing this is unknown but it was after 1000 B.C.)

Chinese – gemstone of the loins, Gemstone of the Heaven’s (depending on the region in China, and Time Period), and protector of infants (used in jewelry given to new babies).

Native Americans – clarity and wisdom.