Nephrite
The Stone of All Five Virtues
Some ideas spring up in cultures that appear quite different. For example in Confucianism and in Chivalry there are 5 virtues or constants that are each fortified by this beautiful stone. In the Eastern tradition the 5 constants of Confucianism are benevolence, justice, proper rite, knowledge, and integrity. In Western tradition, the 5 virtues of chivalry are fidelity, honesty, courtesy, prowess, and generosity. Identical, no; Similar, yes. There are the values of the culture to which we belong and there are the personal ethics that we craft a life around. Nephrite is the softer of the two Jade stones, it is more accepting of detail and nuance. It is used in many varied cultures to speak of ethics in all its beauty.
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream and not make dreams your master;
If you can think and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build’em up with worn-out tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!
Magic of Nephrite
General
Element: Water
Gender: Unknown
Sabbat: Unknown
Planet: Venus
Chakra: Heart
Zodiac: Pisces
To Clean: Water, Peppermint
Birthstone: Not Applicable
Spellwork
Protect
Cleanse
Heal
Dream
Luck
Healing
Kidney
Detox
Restore
Bones
Anorexia
Customs of Nephrite
Tradition
Nephrite stone can be helpful in dream work, both for lucid dreaming and for the recalling of dreams.
Tradition
Consider using a jade tipped pendulum for help with ethical conundrums.
Science of Nephrite
Geology
Name: Nephrite
Family: Jade
Minerals: Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Silicate Oxide
Formula: Ca2(Mg,Fe)5Si8O22(OH)2
Strunz Classification: Silicates
Lattice: Monoclinic
Cleavage: None
Fracture: Splintery
Mohs Hardness: 6
Color: Green
Luster: Dull
Primary Location: China, New Zealand
Sacred Story
When time began, there was chaos on the earth. Monstrous creatures roamed, demons mucked about, but there was one particularly evil being with a hunger to rule. At this time, the Jade Emperor was an ordinary immortal without the power to defeat these forces. He traveled to the sacred mountain cave to cultivate Tao. Then he passed 3,200 trials, each trial lasting about 3 million years. Coming out of his retreat, he witnessed an evil glow emanating from the heavens. Investigating this eery glow, he saw that the monster was overcoming the gods. He challenged the beast and through his wiser cultivation of Tao and benevolence, the mighty creature was defeated and the gods proclaimed the Jade Emperor the supreme sovereign of all.