Apache Tears by Rev. Carol A. Ingle (Raven)

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Apache Tears

 

Apache Tear is a transparent type of obsidian which lends comfort in times of grief and sorrow.Seems to shed the tears for one who is in sadness. Allows for an understanding of the stress in order to provide insight and acceptance. Promotes an attitude of forgiveness and release of grievances. Alleviates muscle spasms and helps eliminate toxins.

Obsidian helps to protect the very sensitive against depression. It is the stone of the soft hearted and gentle people of the world. Use obsidian to help block negativity of any kind. As a black gemstone, it symbolizes self control and resilience. Black stones have protective energies in the sense that black is the absence of light, and therefore, can be used to create invisibility.

Obsidian can be found anywhere that volcanic activity has occurred. Some of its important sources today are South America, Japan, Mexico, Afghanistan, and parts of the United States. The San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona, United States, produces an interesting banded variety of obsidian known as "Apache Tears".

With its glassy luster, obsidian is a distinctive stone. Obsidian is formed as lava from volcanic eruptions cools within the earth. The speed at which it cools prevents crystallization and the rock forms as solid volcanic glass.

Apache Tear Drop: Apache tear drop is a form of black obsidian. It is a calming translucent stone, found in Arizona and other parts of the US. It is composed of feldspar, hornblend, biotite, and quartz. It was formed by rhythmic crystallization that produces a separation of light and dark materials into spherical shapes, and is a form of volcanic glass.

There is a haunting legend about the Apache tear drop. After the Pinal Apaches had made several raids on a settlement in Arizona, the military regulars and some volunteers trailed the tracks of the stolen cattle and waited for dawn to attack the Apaches. The Apaches, confident in the safety of their location, were completely surprised and out-numbered in the attack. Nearly 50 of the band of 75 Apaches were killed in the first volley of shots. The rest of the tribe retreated to the cliff's edge and chose death by leaping over the edge rather than die at the hands of the white men.

For years afterward those who ventured up the treacherous face of Big Pacacho in Arizona found skeletons, or could see the bleached bones wedged in the crevices of the side of the cliff.

The Apache women and the lovers of those who had died gathered a short distance from the base of the cliff where the sands were white, and for a moon they wept for their dead. They mourned greatly, for they realized that not only had their 75 brave Apache warriors died, but with them had died the great fighting spirit of the Pinal Apaches.

Their sadness was so great, and their burden of sorrow so sincere that the Great Father imbedded into black stones the tears of the Apache women who mourned their dead. These black obsidian stones, when held to the light, reveal the translucent tear of the Apache. The stones bring good luck to those possessing them. It is said that whoever owns an Apache tear drop will never have to cry again, for the Apache maidens have shed their tears in place of yours.

The Apache tear drops are also said to balance the emotional nature and protect one from being taken advantage of. It can be carried as an amulet to stimulate success in business endeavors. It is also used to produce clear vision and to increase psychic powers.

Black obsidian is a powerful meditation stone. The purpose of this gemstone is to bring to light that which is hidden from the conscious mind. It dissolves suppressed negative patterns and purifies them. It can create a somewhat radical behavior change as new positive attitudes replace old, negative, egocentric patterns.

source:

Truth about Crystal Healing, Phyllis Galde

www.crystalcure.com

 

 http://www.sunnyray.org/Crystals-S.htm 

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

"Apache Tears" are small naturally formed droplets of obsidian or nodular obsidian (volcanic black glass) that range in color from black to smoky brown. Such nodules are also known as "Obsidian Pearls" or "Obsidian Drops," but throughout the USA Southwest they are known as "Apache Tears." Not surprisingly, these nodules can be found in locations where Apache Indians lived, especially Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico. The San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona, USA, is a famous source of Apache Tears as is the area surrounding Apache Leap Mountain. 
The name "Apache Tear" originated from a legend relating to the Apache tribe. According to the story, a band of seventy-five Apache warriors rode their horses off the edge of Apache Leap Mountain to their deaths in order to avoid capture by the US Army. When news of their deaths reached other members of the Apache tribes, the tears that were shed were turned into the obsidian Apache Tear

s which are found in the surrounding area in abundance. Allegedly, this sorrowful tale took place in 1875, but historians say there is no genuine historical basis for this story. 
Nevertheless due to the legend, Apache Tears are said to remove pain and relieve grief. They are good luck stones and are said to bring good luck to anyone who has one. That is because the Apache have shed enough tears already, and no more need be shed. Magically, Apache Tears serve as healing black obsidian stones. These stones are apparently used by some hoodoo practitioners who live out in the western states of the USA. 
Apache Tear gemstones appear to be opaque by reflected light, but are actually translucent if held up to the light. 
All obsidian is naturally occurring volcanic glass, not actually a true mineral. It can be found in places where volcanic activity occurred, including Mexico, South America, Japan, and Afghanistan. The hot lava forming the obsidian cooled rapidly within the earth.