Alternative Names: Also known as Ocean Sapphire, Water Sapphire, Cordierite or Dichroite; some minerologists now consider Iolite to be an obsolete name.
Origin: India
Mineral Species: Cordierite
Mineral Group: Silicates
Chemical Formula: Mg2Al4Si5O18
Hardness: 7-7.5
Crystal System: Orthorhombic
Colour: Grey, blue, blue-violet
Typical Appearance: Short prismatic, striated crystals. Commonly granular to compact, massive.
Birthstone: Libra, Sagittarius & Taurus
Chakra Alignment: Throat, Third Eye and Crown
Element: None
Origin of Name & Mythology: After Pierre Louis A. Cordier (1777-1861), French mining engineer and geologist, who first studied this species.
Iolite is associated with the element water. It is balancing in general, and particularly balances male-female energy. As such, it can add harmony to relationships, as well as aiding self-acceptance. It promotes leadership and allows us to embrace responsibility. It is considered to be useful in stimulation of visions and dream work, and is used in this capacity in Shamanic healing.
Iolite allows us to maintain a state of awareness while in meditation, and enhances mediumistic abilities and spiritual communication. Iolite crystals exhibit the phenomenon pleochroism, where there is a colour variation in relation to the direction within the crystal. Most Iolite on the market is found in shards rather than intact crystals, but still has the characteristic, and when used in healing, the crystal can be strongly directional even when the symmetry of the crystal is not visible. In meditation, held one way it forms a protective shield of light, allowing one to look outward from the self (on a psychic or spiritual level), while remaining invisible, similar to a 2-way mirror; the other direction allows for inner reflection. When used in physical healing, it can aid the regeneration of tissues, and align the Subtle Bodies.
It is purported to be a good aid in overcoming addiction, including co-dependency, as it helps us to see the reasons behind the addiction. When used to fight addiction, Iolite is said to show the true causes of addiction and help us to let them go. It is particularly associated with alcoholism due to its power to detoxify the liver. It is also said to relieve migraine headaches.
