THE TWELVE GEMSTONES OF THE APOCALYPSE

The great vision in the twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelation

where the woman appears clothed with the sun, with the moon under her
feet and a crown of twelve stars upon her head, is a prelude of a
coming event: the celestial Jerusalem descending from heaven. The New
Jerusalem consists of gold ("clothed with the sun"), each of its
entrances is made out of one pearl ("the moon under her feet"), its
surrounding wall rest on 12 foundation stones adorned with the
twelve gemstones ("a crown of twelve stars upon her head").
The correlation between stars and gemstones is an indication of the
high spiritual level we are confronted with when dealing with
gemstones. It is the level which may appear before our inner eye when
we look at the essential differences between human beings, animals,
plants and rocks. The human being has its ego on earth. In animals we
may observe a wisdom far greater than ours, but there is a complete
lack of personal responsibility: the ego of the animals, their wise
group soul, is in the astral world. In the plants we have before us
pure life forces, gently touched by astrality in the flowering
processes. The astral body of the plants is in the astral world. The
plants' ego is in a still higher world, the lower Devachan. Finally,
in the crystal we may have the feeling that a shade of life processes
is around it at the moment of crystallisation. The etheric part of
the crystals is in the astral word, the astral "body" in the lower
Devachan, the ego in the higher Devachan.
The feeling that the physical appearance of crystals is connected
with spiritual beings of a very high level, may account for the
magical attraction which gemstones have had throughout human history.
Modern spiritual approach should bear this in mind.
Jasper, the first of the twelve gemstones, consists mainly of silicic
acid. In fact, the whole circle of apocalyptic gemstones is,
chemically, composed either of silicic acid or silicates, i.e.
combinations of silicic acid. What is the character of silicic acid?
It is the main component (60%) of the earth's rocks, especially of
the continents. That means that it provides, unselfishly, the
foundation on which we stand, walk and live. On the other hand the
purest form of silicic acid, rock-crystal, is of such a high
transparency that even ultra-violet rays pass through. In the
technical sense, mankind has learnt to use this unselfish
transparency of silicic acid to produce glass from quartz sands. It
is significant that unselfishness is the basic feature of the twelve
gemstones. In jasper the pure silicic acid is coloured by extremely
fine grained particles of iron oxide. Iron is the bearer of the ego
force in human blood, oxygen is the life substance. It might be
concluded that in jasper we have that kind of unselfishness which is
permeated with and borne by ego-force, the kind of unselfishness
which is found in the life and work of the greatest artists. It is
the unwavering condition of creative work. Strikingly, jasper is one
of the two gemstones which characterise the highest divine being in
chapter four of the apocalypse: "A throne stood there in heaven and
one who sat on the throne. His appearance blazed like jasper and
carnelian. And a rainbow shining like emerald encircled the throne."
Jasper is totally opaque. In the circle of the twelve gemstones there
are six opaque, or nearly untransparent, and six totally translucent
rocks, the opaque always facing a translucent one. The translucent
gemstones are, in a sense are more connected with thinking, the
opaque with the forces of the will. Each two opposite gemstones are,
in a sense, complementary in their qualities. Between the two may
arise for our inner eye a congenial quality which is connected with
realm of feeling.
Chrysolite, opposite to jasper, is the seventh gemstone of the
apocalyptic circle. Jewellers call it peridot. It has a high
transparency and a beautiful golden green colour. According to a
jeweller's book on gems (Mab Wilson) " there is no blue in the green,
even in the darkest version of itself. Place it in the shade and it
still remains sun-touched".
Chemically it is an iron magnesium silicate. Where do we find the
combination of iron and magnesium playing a major role in nature? In
chlorophyll, the green substance of the leaves in which the sun
produces oxygen out of carbon dioxide.

Evidently, this gemstone has a close relation to sun, to light in

general. Magnesium fact is an element with an enormous light
potential. We experience the relation, as indicated by Rudolf
Steiner, between chrysolite and the sense of sight.
The qualities of jasper and chrysolite are clearly complementary.
Unbiased sensorial obversation is in urgent need of ego-conscious
unselfishness, the result in between the two poles being the way to
truth.
Lapis Lazuli takes the second place in the ring of gemstones. In the
text of the Apocalypse it is called sapphire, but there are some good
reasons to surmise that in the old days lapis lazuli was called
sapphire whereas the gemstone to which now the name of sapphire is
applied, was still relatively unknown in the Mediterranean area of
that time. The first reason in fact is that Roman and Greek authors
of the first centuries A.D. describe sapphire as heavenly blue with
gold specks. That is an exact characterization of lapis lazuli and
has nothing to do with what we now call sapphire. The second reason
is that sapphire in the present sense would be the only gemstone in
the ring which is not a silicate or a form of silicic acid. Finally,
if we introduce normal sapphire in the circle, it would present an
exception to the general order in which there is always a totally
transparent gemstone facing an opaque or hardly translucent one.
The most conspicuous property of lapis lazuli indeed is the heavenly
blue colour with the golden specks of very small pyrite crystals,
often compared with the blue sky and golden stars. It is the kind of
blue which expresses devotion, that form of reverence which goes deep
into the will forces. True and pure devotion should be rooted in
firm ground and should be borne by ego force. Both these aspects
appear in lapis lazuli. In its very complicated chemical composition
normal salt plays a part, and on the other hand we find in the golden
pyrite an expression of the ego force of iron which has conquered the
sulphur process, a true Michaelic impulse.
Beryl, facing lapis lazuli in the ring, is really in many ways is
opposite. It is a very hard (harder than quartz), totally
transparent, hexagonal columnar crystal with often a greenish hue
which however disappears when the crystal is heated. Chemically it is
a beryllium aluminium silicate. Beryllium is one of the most
resistant elements. It plays a major role in nuclear power plants.
Beryl's hardness and transparency, its upright columnar form (in
North America crystals of more than meters have been found), its
sunlike hexagonal symmetry, give a beautiful image of high
intelligence. In the story of the Holy Grail (the ancestor of the
Grail family is called Beryllus) we are told that devil cannot stay
for even a moment if this stone is present: there is nothing
adversary forces fear more than being seen through.
The very diverse qualities of lapis lazuli and beryl are highly in
need of each other in human life. Devotion in the will forces should
be guided by clear, high intelligence. On the other hand,
intelligence badly needs devotion. And what is between the two
extremes? It is the right way, that way which is called righteousness
in the Bible. In fact, it is the way of inner development as
described in Steiner's book "Knowledge of the Higher Worlds":
starting with the path of devotion and reverence and leading to the
highest levels of knowledge.
Chalcedony, the third stone of the circle, is essentially pure
silicic acid. Typical for chalcedony is its structure. It is an
extremely fine structure consisting of fibre-like crystals with in
between some disseminated opal-silica. The total aspect of this often
bluish gemstone is of an embracing gesture. This, in fact, is the
essence of chalcedony: it represents the embracing power of the soul,
an embracing power which is unselfish (silic acid), which is filled
with soul power (opal is the gemstone of the soul) and which is not
exclusive on the will side (chalcedony is not totally opaque like
jasper).
Topaz, the opposite of chalcedony, has a high transparency, is hard
and appears in a great variety of colours. "So rich and warm is its
golden tone one hesitates to call it a pastel" ( Mab Wilson). Topaz

is a fluor aluminium silicate. Fluor is one of the fiercest elements,

aluminium is next to silicon, the most common element in the Earth's
crust. It is the essential component of clays and clayey material.
In topaz we may recognise the colourful, immensely variable world of
mankind's ideas. There is a connection between idea and taste. There
are as many diverse and divergent tastes as there are ideas.
Certainly, one cannot act tastefully in life, if one has no ideas.
Rudolf Steiner indicates that there is a connection between topaz and
the sense of taste.
The relationship between topaz and chalcedony is, again, quite
obvious. What are ideas more in need of than being furthered and
protected by the enveloping qualities of our soul forces? It is only
by these forces that they can grow and develop. And in the human
breast, the realm of our feeling capacities, peace may arise, that
kind of peace which is an active and productive force and not only
the absence of conflict.
Emerald, the fourth gemstone, is essentially beryl. Why does it take
such an outstanding place among the gemstones if it is in fact only a
beryl? Because of its colour! Emerald green is a colour in itself,
and emerald will not change its colour even by considerable heating.
This colour is due to the presence of extremely fine disseminated
chromium. Chromium, the highest superlative of iron.
If we think of the high intelligence represented by beryl and the
highest ego force represented by chromium, we easily see why emerald
may be called the gemstone of the Christ.
In the already quoted passage (see jasper) of Apocalypse chapter 4
the throne is encircled by a rainbow of emerald. Seemingly a
contradiction in itself because a rainbow contains all colours
whereas the green of the emerald is one unique colour. From a
spiritual point of view this is not a contradiction: The highest ego
which of course is unique, comprehends the total number of human egos
in all their individual colours.
Chrysoprase, opposite, but really very much opposite emerald, is a
totally opaque gemstone, in fact a chalcedony beautifully green
coloured by finely disseminated nickel oxide. It has a green colour
in which blue is clearly present, the kind of green which arises from
the dark and is underway to the light. Nickel is the metal which
makes iron tough. Both the colour and the peculiar character of
nickel characterize man's endeavour to go the way of inner
development.
It is interesting to note that chrysoprase in a gemstone quality was,
until recently only found in Saxony, in the middle of Europe
(together with bright red jasper and amethyst it is found in the
gemstone clad chapels which Charles IV of Bohemia had built in Prague
and in his castle Karlstein in the middle of the fourteenth century).
In the last decades however chrysoprase of high quality has been
found and successfully mined in Queensland.
The relation between chrysoprase and emerald is obvious. The way to
higher development is necessarily the way to the higher ego, that is
to Christ. On this way arises the true faith, that means the faith in
ourselves, in our higher ego, in Christ.
Sardonyx, the fifth gemstone, consists of very fine-banded layers of
white chalcedony and red carnelian. Already from Roman times, both
sardonyx and the quite similar agate-jasper were the famous material
from which cameos were cut using the red layer as foundation and
sculpturing the portrait in the white chalcedony layer, or vice
versa. In really typical sardonyx there is such an extremely finebanded sequence that we are reminded of the phenomenon of sound
vibration made visible in stone.
In fact, our listening is a sequence of lively attention and silent
concentration in our soul. It becomes clear why Rudolf Steiner
indicated that sardonyx is related with the sense of hearing, and is

at the same time the gemstone of inspiration.

Hyacinth, facing sardonyx in the ring of the twelve gemstones, is a
marvellous fiery red, totally transparent stone. In chemical terms it
is zirconium silicate. Zirconium is an element with an enormous light
capacity. In the previous century zirconium light was used in the
same way as magnesium light. At the same time, zirconium is an
element with great resistance (it is used in nuclear plants) and a
good transparency: it is the raw material for production of enamel.
Evidently hyacinth has a relation to light, but in a totally
different way than chrysolite. The latter is more connected with sunprocesses, the former has the light in itself, even to the extent to
produce some radioactive radiation.
The capacity to produce light from inner sources may in a way be
considered as an image of the capacity of imagination.
The relation between sardonyx as the gemstone of inspiration and
hyacinth as the gemstone of imagination is of course clear, also in
the sense that imagination (the transparent hyacinth) has a closer
connection to our thinking, and inspiration (the practically
untransparent sardony) is distinctly linked to the forces of the
will. The way which leads to imagination and from imagination to
inspiration is the way which makes our one-sided view of the world
whole again. Between hyacinth and sardony there is the way of
wholesomeness. The Bible uses the word "soteria", translated by
salvation.
by Simon van der Heide Haarlem, Holland