In the ranks of crystals with metaphysical properties, few are as famous or as distinctive as amethyst.

One of very few stones with its unique purple colouration, amethyst is a form of quartz that contains iron and other trace minerals within its structure.

Why Would You Use Amethyst?

Amethyst, along with Amazonite, is one of relatively few gemstones with the specific purpose of improving intellectual and cerebral thought.

There are many stones that are purported to enhance psychic powers (such as Tigers Eye), and many more that improve emotional intelligence, but the numbers of stones that have specific positive effects on the intellect are much rarer.

Perhaps this is because, for much of western culture, intellectual thought has been something that was highly praised as a skill that had to be learned in schools, and used as a status symbol among those who were wealthy enough to pursue higher education!

While higher education is excellent (and amethyst won’t grant you intelligence all on its own) it can certainly help you to apply your intellectual powers to any situation you might face.

You’ll find that keeping an amethyst crystal close by, either in the home, on a piece of jewelry or in your pocket, can’t help but keep your head clear.

The complexities of the modern world make it so easy for even the brightest and best of us to fall afoul of the dreaded brain fog – but amethyst can help keep all your ducks in a row, so to speak.

It’s as though the crystal’s energies are able to peel away the veils that otherwise cloud good judgment and straightforward though.

Likewise, those of us who work in places where concentration is hard to come by, but accuracy and detail are key, often do well to turn to amethyst for a little boost.

Because amethyst comes in so many shapes and sizes, it’s very easy to include in your surroundings in one way or another, and is also very versatile for those folks looking to use their abilities in craftsmanship to fashion something out of it.

Widely available and widely beloved, amethyst is easily sourced – it’s like it’s trying to reach us all to share its superb gifts of clear thinking and rationale.

It can help you think both soberly and critically about the situations you face, which will lead you to far greater success in handling them.

It is worth remembering that Amethyst gained its name from the Ancient Greek word meaning “not intoxicated”.

It was said to prevent against drunkenness, and that its bright colour came from the god of wine, Dionysus, pouring out his wine over a clear crystal in mourning.

Because of this, amethyst has long been said to promote sobriety – both in the literal sense of preventing drunkenness, and in the metaphorical sense of developing an ability to think more clearly and not be clouded with emotion of any specific sort.

How Will Amethyst Help You?

Amethysts are the great problem-solvers of the crystal world.

Because of their ability to help you cut through difficult situations and understand what you are really seeing in front of you, they make it possible to get through difficult choices and decision-making processes as painlessly as possible.

Taking a step back from emotions in both ourselves and other people can prove especially tricky.

While incredibly valuable, emotions can skew our thoughts, or the thoughts of others, in ways that lead to spur of the moment actions with unfortunate or even hurtful outcomes.

Having clarity of mind when tensions are high or you feel an argument is brewing is so valuable, and if you are a natural empath or otherwise highly sensitive to your emotional environment, keep an amethyst stone by to root you in reality and solid facts.

This won’t lower your compassion or make you robotic, you’ll be relieved to hear, but it can definitely ensure that you don’t get high strung or bowled over by negative or intense energies from others.

This can overcome good and bad emotional excesses too – for instance, a moment of passion can be pretty intoxicating, but amethyst can give us the clarity of mind to not commit to a romantic encounter we might later regret.

More broadly speaking though, an amethyst stone is good to have by to help you find the words to say in difficult situations. Rather than feeling like you’re about to trip over your own tongue, you’ll instead be happily surprised with how easily you articulate ideas of peace and mediation.