The Fall of Money & Amethyst: February's Gemstone                        

This month is how beads could replace money, and February's birthstone amethyst.  Scroll down, or click one of the links below on the html version to go to a certain section. 

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The Fall of Money - Buy Beads, Fast!
Amethyst for February - The Royal Popestone
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The Fall of Money - Buy Beads, Fast!       

"Could the Banking Collapse of October 2010 lead to Abolition of Currencies?"  “Global Death Toll in Rush to Empty last ATMs reaches 5,000”.  Could headlines like these become reality?

Could beads once again be the main unit of exchange?  The US already has over 10-trillion dollars national debt.  That’s ten followed by 12 zeros, $10,000,000,000,000 - or over $116,000 per US family (see it increase daily: http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock).  The Federal Reserve and Bank of England are already printing money.  This is start to the end of the system.

95% of all the money created is interest-bearing debt.  "In the absence of the gold standard, there is no way to protect savings from confiscation through inflation. There is no safe store of value." - Alan Greenspan – 1966.  Don’t be fooled by deflation propaganda – the US and Europe rely on imports and foreign-US dollar & Euro reserves.

There is no reason why money should take the form of sterling or dollars or be issued by the banks. Money is only a medium of exchange.  It could be anything, as long as users trust that everyone else will recognize its value.  During the Great Depression, businesses in the US issued rabbit tails, seashells and wooden discs as currency.  In 1971, the mayor of Curitiba in Brazil, kick-started the city’s economy and solved two major social problems by issuing currency in the form of bus tokens. People earned them by sorting litter: thus cleaning the streets and acquiring the means to commute to work.

For thousands of years around the globe, beads have been used as a medium of trade. Three ancient shells recently re-found in a museum archive, may be the world’s oldest known beads.  Estimated to be over 100,000 years old and originally from Israel and Algeria, each has a hole made through its center.  In China during the Zhou Dynasty, 1122-255 BC, bronze Chuan "bead" or "string" money was widespread.

Native Americans in California, used small disks shaped from sea shells strung in strings, each an exact diameter for counting.  As recent as the Middle Ages they used bracelets and necklaces to trade for other items.  However, the purpose of exchange was not to accumulate more than others, but to generate and strengthen social relationships.

In Thailand, seeds, bracelets and pebbles were used as a medium of exchange from 300 BC.  And in Africa, beads have been traded for thousands of years in the temples of Egypt, the markets of Morocco, and by the Nigerian Kings.  Beads played a big role in the European scramble for Africa.  In the 18th Century African middlemen carried beads to the heart of the continent, bartering them for gold, incense, ivory and slaves. Between 1500 and 1867, 15-million African slaves were shipped to Europe and the Americas in exchange for a mere handful of beads. 

Roman eye-beads from Syria that were buried in the desert for over 2,000-years, are today painstakingly dug out of the sand one-by-one by poor Africans.  Then traded with merchants in Mopti, who assemble a strand of several dozen for sale to collectors.

Perhaps your beads and the jewelry they make could become your most valuable asset.  Semi-precious beads and pearls are inflation proof, like gold and other limited resources.  So even if they don’t replace money, they’re an immediate purchase!  And if they do…

Amethyst: The Royal Purple Pope Stone                  to top
Amethyst is the Birthstone for February, the purple variety of quartz. If it was not so widespread, amethyst would be very expensive. Its name comes from the Greek, meaning "not drunken". Perhaps due to a belief that amethyst would sober the effects of alcohol, or maybe referring to its wine-like color. Although amethyst is always purple, it comes in shades of pale lilac to deep purple. Deeper colors are more valuable, “milky” amethyst is the cheapest.
                     
According to Greek mythology, Dionysius, the god of intoxication, was angered by an insult from a mere mortal and swore revenge on the next mortal that crossed his path, creating fierce tigers to carry out his wish. Along came unsuspecting Amethyst, a beautiful young maiden on her way to pay tribute to the goddess Diana. Diana turned Amethyst into a stature of pure crystalline quartz to protect her from the brutal claws. Dionysus wept tears of wine in remorse for his action at the sight of the beautiful statue. The god's tears stained the quartz purple, creating the gem we know today.

Purple has long been considered a royal color, featured in the British Crown Jewels and a favorite of Catherine the Great and Egyptian royalty. Leonardo Da Vinci wrote that amethyst could dissipate evil thoughts and quicken the intelligence. Because amethyst was believed to encourage celibacy and symbolize piety, it was very important in the ornamentation of Catholic and other churches in the Middle Ages. Amethyst is still the stone of bishops who often wear amethyst rings. Even in Tibet, amethyst is considered to be sacred to the Buddha.

   Healers and New Agers believe certain gemstones heal on a metaphysical level, because of the earth's energy that has been absorbed by these stones. Amethyst is considered to have healing powers of purifying and pacifying - with the ability to transform lower energies into higher, healing at all levels of mind, body and spirit. Amethyst’s sobering and calming qualities associate it with peace. It is known to calm those with constant rigorous mental activity. Called "nature's tranquilizer", because it also relaxes the whole nervous system. Amethyst reduces negativity and brings mental strength, stability, and vigor. Plus understanding to all that is transitional, especially death and rebirth, providing peace of mind when a loved one is lost. As an elixir, amethyst can help toothache, bone and joint discomforts and problems with the stomach and digestive tract. It has also been known to treat various types of blood disease and balancing blood sugar.

In yoga, amethyst aids the 6th Chakra, the Third Eye, center of the body’s spiritual power. Because amethyst heightens awareness, both spiritual and psychic - increasing intuition and psychic development and transition from a normal state of consciousness to a deeper awareness. Amethyst is mined in South American and African countries. African is the best, but mined in smaller sizes. Very dark amethyst, mostly in small sizes, is also mined in Australia.                                     to top

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