Solar Eclipse - 1st August 2008.

The solar eclipse that takes place on August 1, 2008 will be a total eclipse of the Sun with a magnitude of 1.039 that will be visible from a narrow corridor through northern Canada (Nunavut), middle of Russia, western Mongolia, and China. It belongs to the so-called midnight Sun eclipses, as it will be visible from regions experiencing midnight sun.

In Siberia, the total eclipse zone will pass through populated places, including the "capital of Siberia" Novosibirsk, and the cities of Nizhnevartovsk, Barnaul, Biysk. Greatest eclipse duration will be reached near the town of Nadym in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug in Northern Siberia.

A partial eclipse will be seen from the much broader path of the Moon's penumbra, including eastern North America and most of Europe and Asia.

Event	Time (UTC)
Beginning of the general eclipse	08:04:06
Beginning of the total eclipse	09:21:07
Beginning of the central eclipse	09:24:10
Greatest eclipse	10:21:08
End of the central eclipse	11:18:29
End of the total eclipse	11:21:28
End of the general eclipse	12:38:27

In India

A partial solar eclipse will be seen in India tomorrow while the north-eastern parts of the country will see quite a large fraction of the disc of the Sun, eclipsed by the Moon.

"The partial eclipse will be seen in the north-eastern region, starting from about 4 PM," Director Nehru Planetarium, Rathnasree, said.

The biggest and the last phase of the eclipse will be visible from most parts of the country, except Nagaland and Mizoram, where the eclipse ends after sunset, she said.

The maximum obscuration of the sun will occur at Sibsagar in Assam.

The eclipse can be viewed from all over the country. In Delhi, the eclipse will start at 4:03 PM and end at 5:56 PM. It will be maximum at 5:02 PM.

In Mumbai it will from 4:27 PM to 6:03 PM, while in Chennai it will be visible from 4:40 PM to 6:07 PM and in Kolkata it will be seen between 4:18 PM and 6:02 PM where it will be relatively free from cloud cover.

The southern parts of India will see between 20-40 per cent of the diameter of the sun, while the northern parts of the country will see between 40-70 per cent of the diameter of the sun, at maximum of the eclipse.

Nasa to provide live coverage of solar eclipse

The solar eclipse, which is to take place tomorrow, can be seen by viewers around the world, including India, as Nasa, the US space agency has made arrangements to telecast live images of the rare celestial event.

Nasa in partnership with the Exploratorium Science Centre, San Francisco, and the University of California at Berkeley, will transmit coverage of the total eclipse in a live streaming webcast.

Nasa TV will cover the eclipse, to be visible in parts of Canada, northern Greenland, the Arctic, central Russia, Mongolia and China, from 1530 IST to 1745 IST.

The coverage will originate from China, considered one of the best observation locations because of the weather conditions there.

Viewers all across the globe can see the eclipse as it happens on Nasa TV and by logging on to www.Nasa.Gov.

NASA coverage will feature views from telescopes and a live educational show during the eclipse.

The next solar eclipse -- a partial one -- will occur on January 26, 2009, but the phenomenon will be marginally visible from eastern and southern India.

Olympic Logos 1869 to 2008

Adi Sankaracharya : The Voice of Vedanta

In the eighth century, a young sanyasi became ancient India’s greatest philosopher and theologian. Adi Sankaracharya was the leading exponent of Advaita Vedanta, a philosophy that has influenced thinkers till today.

The Voice of Vedanta

In a short life of just thirty two years, Adi Sankaracharya left an indelible mark on Hindu thought and religion. At a time when Hinduism was on a decline, he placed it once again on firm spiritual foundations. Beginning from Kerala he traveled ceaselessly across the Indian subcontinent, becoming a spiritual uniting force of the land. He also established the monastic order of the Sankararacharya mathas.

This is the fascinating story of a child prodigy, brilliant debater, beloved teacher, revolutionary thinker and social reformer.

Adi Shankara also known as Sankara Bhagavatpadacarya (”the teacher at the feet of God”), and Adi Sankaracarya (”the first Shankaracharya in his lineage”) was the first philosopher to consolidate the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta, a sub-school of Vedanta. His teachings are based on the unity of the soul and Brahman (not to be confused with Brahmin, which is a social class designation of the caste system), in which Brahman is viewed as without attributes. In the Smarta tradition, Adi Shankara is regarded as an incarnation of Shiva.

Adi Shankara toured India with the purpose of propagating his teachings through discourses and debates with other philosophers. He founded four mathas (”monasteries”) which played a key role in the historical development, revival and spread of post-Buddhist Hinduism and Advaita Vedanta. Adi Shankara was the founder of the Dashanami monastic order and the Shanmata tradition of worship.

His works in Sanskrit, all of which are extant today, concern themselves with establishing the doctrine of Advaita. Adi Shankara quotes extensively from the Upanishads and other Hindu scriptures in forming his teachings. He also includes arguments against opposing schools of thought like Samkhya and Buddhism in his works.

Buddhism : Contentment, Joy and Living Well

The basic fact is that all sentient beings, particularly human beings, want happiness and do not want pain and suffering. On those grounds, we have every right to be happy and to use different methods or means to overcome suffering and to achieve happier lives. Zit is worthwhile to think seriously about the positive and negative consequences of these methods. You should be aware that there are differences between short-term interest and long-term interest is more important. Buddhists usually say that there is no absolute and that everything is relative. So we must judge according to the circumstances.

Lord Buddha Statues

Our experiences and feelings are mainly related to our bodies and our minds. We know from our daily experience that mental happiness is beneficial. For instance, though two people may face the same kind of tragedy, one person may face it more easily than the other due to his or her mental attitude.

We believe that if someone really wants a happy life then it is very important to pursue both internal and external means; in other words, mental development and material development. One could also say ’spiritual development’, but when I say ’spiritual’ I do not necessarily mean any kind of religious faith. When I use the word ’spiritual’ I mean basic human good qualities. These are: human affection, a sense of involvement, honesty, discipline and human intelligence properly guided by good motivation. We have all these qualities from birth; they do not come to us later in our lives.

Indian Music (Sangeet) and Indian Musical Instruments

Sangeet, as Music is commonly called in India, has a religious, mythological, cultural and ancient history. The seven tones like the seven wonders create the most melodious and magnificent combinations called Raga in Indian music. Explore more!!

The mystic India has an age-old history of music. Music here is not limited only to the songs or sweet tunes heard today. It traces its origin to the very first sound created on the heart of earth. That sound which is known as Naad or Brahma Naad was the first indivisible sound created and heard. At the heart of music is the eternal silence. It is so said because the first sound, Naad, was created or heard only when the silence was pierced. It is significant that to produce Naad, there must be ‘aaghat’ which means to strike or to wound. So only when the silence is wounded, the Naad is born. It is a willing surrender of the silence to the pain of wounding that creates the sound of music. This definition of the origin of music has no date defined. It simply co-insides with the creation of the Universe.

The Chants of Veda followed this foremost creation of sound. Using only three notes, these Vedic chants were performed. These were the first musical sound to reach the human ears. It is said that in the period when the four Vedas were written, the integrity of a human being was so potent that he could hear the voice of the Almighty. And Vedas were first heard, registered then reproduced in a written form. Therefore the Vedic chants accompanied by the humming of the nature and enveloped by their own echoes were the first music on this land.
The earliest written reference of Indian music is found in the great scholar and sage Bharat’s illustrious book Natya Shastra. There he has discussed, defined and elaborated on the different types of performing art. Regarded as the fifth Veda, Natya Shastra is a landmark in the written history of fine arts including music. As sage Bharat writes in his opening chapter that it was Brahma who ordered him to write this book. Collecting all references regarding music, dance and drama from the four Vedas, Brahma asked him to write a play that would inspire the gods to fight against the demons. In different chapters he describes minutely the techniques of dance and drama accompanied by songs, solo or played on different instruments. In one of the chapters he describes Raga as the colour that fills the heart and mind of man. He also defines the basic structure of Ragas.

Swar: The first component of any music is the ‘Swar’. Origination from the word ‘Ra’ meaning light, Swar means the one, which is self-effulgent. It is the different Swaras that constitute the basic and the complex forms of music. A Swar should not be taken as the equivalent of note. A note is a fixed pitch, one which not possible to change. Whereas Swar is comparable to tone which is more fluid and elusive. Swaras are therefore the tonal registers that create any vocal or instrumental composition known as raga, based on some basic rules.
There are seven Swars in the Indian classical music. They are,

1. Shadaj (Sa)
2. Rishabh (Re)
3. Gandhar (Ga)
4. Madhyam (Ma)
5. Pancham (Pa)
6. Dhaiwat (Dha)
7. Nishaad (Ni)

Each of these Swars is believed to be taken from different birds and animals. Shadaj is the peacocks voice at the highest point of rapture, Rishabh is the sound produced by the cow to call her calf, Gandhar is the bleat of the goat, Madhyam is the cry of the heron, Pancham is the Swar of Koyal, the Indian nightingale, Dhaiwat is the neigh of the horse and Nishaad the trumpeting of the elephant. These seven Swars are in ascending pitch. Between these seven Swars there are 22 microtones called shruti. These Shrutis have hair breath distinction and cannot be differentiated by an untrained ear. These seven Swar are the main Swar and are called the Shudh Swar (Pure Tones). Between two successive Swars there is a musical interval in which a slight variation of these two Swars can be placed. These fill-in tones can be Komal (flattened) or Teevra (sharpened). These in-between Swars are called the Vikrit (distorted) Swars. There are all together 5 Vikrit Swars and they are:-

Sa/ Komal Re-Re/ Komal Ga- Ga/ Ma- Teevra Ma/ Pa/ Komal Dha- Dha/ Komal Ni- Ni

These basic, flattened and sharpened notes together form innumerable compositions called Raga with various combinations based on a set of rules practiced for centuries.

Raga, Tala, Laya: Raga, literally meaning ‘that which charms’ is melodious a composition based on a basic set of rules. A Raga comprises of Aaroh, Avaroh, Pakad, Bandish and Jhala.

Aaroh: Aaroh is the ascending of the Swar in any Raga. It comprises of minimum five Swar.
Avaroh: Avaroh is descending order of the Swars. This also has at least five Swars.
Pakad: Pakad is the tune that highlights the Vadi (the Most important Swar of the Raga) and the Sanvadi (the second most important Swar of the raga) Swars.
Aalaap: Aalaap is the slow presentation of the swars highlighting the main characteristics of a particular raga.
Gat: Gat is main gait of any raga that follows the Aalap.
Bandish: Bandish is the various couplet like combinations that is sung or played after the Pakad.
Jhala: This part of a Raga is the fastest. It is to mark the end of any performance.
Tala: Tala literally meaning the palm is the term for the beat in Indian Music. The first and foremost tool to define a Tala was the human palm and therefore the name automatically originated from there.
Laya: Laya literally means the flow. And here it denotes the speed of the tala. From slow to fast, there are basically three Laya, Vilambit (prolonged or slow), Madhya (medium), and Drut (fast).

However there are limited Tala and Laya, the number of ragas in Indian Music is very high. To classify these Ragas, there are basically three systems. The easiest is to classify them by the number of Swar in the Aaroh and Avaroh. A five Swar Aaroh or Avaroh is called Audav, the one with six Swar is Shadav and those with all seven are Samporna (complete). There can be different numbers of Swar in Aaroh and Avaroh. They are named accordingly. For example if there are five Swars in Aaroh and six in Avaroh, then the Raga is Audav- Shadav.
The second type of classification is based on the theory of a 19th Century Musician Madannul Mausiqi. He made a set of Six major ragas and called them the janak Raga or the Parent Raga. These six Ragas are, Bhairav, Malkaus, Hindol, Sri, Deepak, and Megh. These six Ragas also represent six seasons. All these six ragas have their consort Ragas called Ragini. Married to each other, they produce 8 Son Ragas. These Son ragas have their own Ragini and the chain goes on, giving birth to innumerable Ragas.

The third and the most widely accepted system of classifying a raga is the one set by Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande. He developed a theory according to which all Ragas were generated from a set of ten ‘thaat’. This was basically like the Parent Rag system; only the Ragini did not exist. And that alone could give birth to hundreds of Ragas.

Instruments

Music is created either by playing on an instrument or by human voice. Although there have been a number of musical instruments of mythological, historical, devotional and regional values, yet the human voice surpasses them all. The most perfect form of music is created when a trained vocalist performs. It is the supreme creation. This supremacy of human voice over the thousands of charming and melodious musical instruments is because the control on human voice is the maximum. It can go up and down on various pitches completing the musical journey in the most fluid manner. The gap that is heard between two Swars in an instrument is not found in the human voice. That gap here is bridged by a wave that joins one Swar with another. It is believed that each and every instrument tries to approximate the ideal perfection of a human voice. A good and trained voice needs no accompaniment, it creates music alone. However, down the ages a number of musical instruments are refined, remodeled and experimented to give a huge range of sound. Based on the method of playing, there are four types of musical instruments.

Tantu Vadya:
Tantu Vadya or string instruments are those in which music is produced by plucking, rowing or striking the strings. Popularized in the world over by the maestro Pandit Ravi Shanker, sitar is one of the most common Indian string instruments. Veena, Sarangi, Santoor, Sarod and Esraj are other common and melodious string instrument. Sarangi is the string instrument that is bowed, and produces no gaps between two Swars. Therefore it matches the human voice most closely. To play these string instruments, one must sit on the ground and hold it in traditional slanted way. The strings, one or all are then plucked to produce vibration and in turn music. Right from the posture to playing the correct notes, playing a string instrument is a complex yet an enjoyable practice.

Susir Vadya
Susir Vadya or wind instruments have an age-old tradition and history in Indian culture. The first excavation of the Harrapan civilization gives us remains of a flute like instrument.

Flutes

Over the ages, the flute, the main wind instrument of India carries an unchanged look. Made of bamboo, it captures the whistling sound of the soft breeze when it travels in woods.

Pungi

Shehnai

Apart from the flute, shehnai, been and nadaswaram are other popular Indian wind instruments. Mastering the art of playing these wind instruments does not come easily, but once learnt, people experiment with its sounds and notes to produce yet unheard melodies.

Avanada Vadya
Avanada Vadya or percussion instruments have many different shapes and rhythms in India. From the rustic tribes to the cultured and educated folks, the drums are used as the main musical instrument. The ‘nagadas’ of the tribes were initially and perhaps even today for relaying messages and dancing. In the urban society a more presentable form of drum called tabla is used. A tabla is a set of two drums and is played with fingers of both the hands.

Drum of Shiva

Dholak

Dholak, pakhawaj and mridangam are the other well-known percussion instruments of India. Any music, folk, tribal or classical sounds incomplete without the beats of these instruments.

Ghana Vadya
Ghana Vadya or strike instruments like gongs, cymbals and bells are the temple instruments of India. They are plates or discs of metal, mainly brass, which are struck together to produce matching beats to the singing and drums. In religious singing cymbals are essentially used. The famous Ghana Vadya of India are Kartal, manjeera and Jhanj.

Hand Kartal, Kartal and Manjira

For Indian Musical Instrument Visit: Shalin-India.com

Posted in Culture & Traditions, Gifts, Life Style, Music, Religion & Beliefs, Vedas | Tagged Aaroh, Alaap, Avaroh, bandish, bansuri, been, Bhairav, Chants of Veda, cultural, Deepak, drums, east indian music, Esraj, famous indian music, gat, geet, Hindol, hindustani classical music, hindustani music, history of indian music, hundreds of Ragas, indian music, indian music notes, Instruments, Jhala, Laya, Malkaus, Megh, Music, music of india, musical instruments, mythological, Natya Shastra, Pakad, pungi, raga, raga indian music, Ragini, religious, sangeet, sangeet music, Santoor, Sarangi, Sarod, shehnai, Sri, sur, Tala, the music of india, Vedas, Veena

Meditaion Chakras, Kundalini and Consciousness

Charkras are centers for our consciousness; they are wheels for the train of life. By concentrating on them, I can make them strong and healthy. Everything emanates from the center and goes back to the center. When a point extends it becomes a circle. When I extend my center i.e. my consciousness, then my inner space spreads out in a circle inside me and out of me it spreads into my surrounding. When I grow in my qualities, my surrounding also grows in its qualities.

There is nothing special to do. Just be silent, centered in yourself, watching the Mandala, see the movement, remember the text and be aware of your feelings, of your thoughts. Chakra are commonly described, as above, as energy centers in the spine located at major branchings of the human nervous system, beginning at the base of the spinal column and moving upward to the top of the skull. Chakras are considered to be a point or nexus of metaphysical and/or biophysical energy of the human body.

Seven Energy Circles

The following primary chakras are commonly described:

1. Root (Sexual)-Chakra (Muladhara >>lower body)
2. Sacral Chakra (Swadhisthana >> Reproductive parts)
3. Solar Chakra (Manipura >> Navel)
4. Heart Chakra (Anahata >> heart)
5. Thought Chakra (Vishuddha >> throat)
6. Mind Chakra (Ajna >> eyebrow or forehead)
7. Crown Chakra (Sahasrara >> top of head)

KUNDALINI

Kundalini is the life-energy, the vital-force, the holy spirit, the universal power. This power is everywhere. It functions in the chakras and is always flowing up and down through all chakras. Through concentration on its flow it can become so strong and healthy that it never loses its power. Most of this power we don’t use, it is sleeping.

“I awaken my Kundalini.
My Kundalini unites me to the universe.”

CONSCIOUSNESS

When I understand my life, when I am able to use my energy in the right way, then I will be like a star, clear and bright, shimmering and pure.
“The star shines in the night and gives happiness. I am a star in my world.”

Posted in Life Style, Religion & Beliefs, Vedas, Yoga & Meditation | Tagged meditation, kundalini, chakras, mandalas, tibetan mandala, body meditation, charkras, conciousness, hindu mandala, kundali, kundalini awakening, kundalini energy, kundalini meditation, kundalini rising, kundalini serpent, kundalini shakti, kundalini yoga, kundli, mandal, mandala center, meditating, meditation circle, self meditation, spiritual meditations, tara mandala, the mandala, yantra, yoga mandala, root chakra, sacral chakra, solar chakra, heart chakra, thought chakra, mind chakra, crown chakra, consciousness, universal power.

Microsoft Promotes Live with Free Cross-Platform Play

As a follow-up to recent changes in Games for Windows Live that saw the service eliminate fees, Microsoft is also offering Xbox 360 owners free cross-platform play for a limited time.

The promotion covers all titles that include Xbox 360/Games for Windows cross-platform play, and allows 360 users with an Xbox Live silver membership to play online free of charge. A paid Gold-level membership is usually required for online play on 360.

Titles that can currently be played include Shadowrun, Lost Planet, and Universe at War: Earth Assault.

No word on when the promotion will end.

Sony Nintendo Talk Next-Next-Gen

We're barely even into the era of PlayStation 3 and Wii, but already, hardware makers are hard at work designing the next next generation of gaming consoles.

Speaking to Forbes' Chris Morris, top execs from Nintendo and Sony speculate on what the Game Machines Of Next Tuesday might bring.

Says Nintendo worldwide president Satoru Iwata:

Every hardware needs some revolutionary features. This time around, it happened to be we had a revolutionary user interface. Will it be the same for the next generation? I really can't tell. It's natural for the current customer to expect Nintendo is going to once again do something different. If the people are expecting so many different things from Nintendo, it's going to be difficult for us to go beyond that expectation again.

Birth Stone Information

Garnet - the birthstone for January

Garnet is a naturally occurring gemstone with vital power and energy, and lends vitality and strength. It aids in raising and directing the flow of kundalini energy and increases sensuality, as it is associated with the root chakra. Given as a gift, garnet symbolizes true and never-ending love and devotion.. Garnet invokes and releases one's creative ability and inner fire. The garnet is a symbol of friendship, love and devotion. It was believed throughout the ages that garnets bring luck in love and friendship and keep enemies away from their owners. It is found in Africa, Brazil, Canada, India, Madagascar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the USA. The Garnet is the birthstone for zodiac sign of Capricorn.

Amethyst - the birthstone for February

Amethyst is a form of quartz. It is one of the best stones to use for meditation. It guides the awareness away from self-centered thought patterns as it lures the mind towards a deeper understanding. Because of its calming mental effect, amethyst is a stone that can be used for over-worked, over-stressed, or over-whelmed mental states offering protection to those who wear it. It is one of the best stones to use for tension or migraine headaches. It is good for people who tend to be easily angered or suffer from recurrent nightmares and brings a peaceful balance of mental and emotional energies. A good stone for insomnia and intuitive awareness. Amethyst is found in Africa, Australia, Russia, South America, Brazil, Uruguay. Amethyst is the birthstone for the zodiac sign of Aquarius.

Aquamarine - the birthstone for March

Aquamarine is a member of the Beryl family of stones. Meaning -"sea water," it's not hard to figure out that it derives this name due to its color being similar to that of the ocean. The color ranges from very light to medium light blue, frequently with a light touch of green. The most desired color is the deeper shade of blue. Aquamarine is very durable and well suited for jewellery. It is often considered to have a soothing influence on married couples and its power to help husbands and wives work out their differences, makes it a good anniversary gift. A dream of aquamarine means that you will meet new friends. Aquamarine is found in Brazil, Africa and in all other continents. Aquamarine is the birthstone for the zodiac sign of Pisces.

Diamond (Hira) - the birthstone for April

Diamond, often called the King of Gems, is a woman's most favourite accessory and a man's emblem of power. It signifies purity and innocence and has always been associated with strength and good luck. It gives calm sleep and takes away nightmares. It can help you achieve material wealth and prestige. It is considered to be the most powerful when combined with other gemstones. The first wearers of diamonds were the Princes of India seeking magical protection and to display their power and wealth. Early Egyptians believed that the vana amoris, a.k.a. the vein of love, ran directly from the heart to the third finger on the left hand, which is why women wear their diamond rings on their the third finger to this day. Diamonds are found in India, Brazil, Russia, Australia and South Africa. Diamond is the birthstone for the zodiac sign of Aries.

Emerald (Marakatam) - the birthstone for May

Emerald is a gemstone from the Beryl family of stones having a stunning green color symbolizing serenity, success in love, wealth, happiness and peace of mind. It is a precious gem that promotes creativity and perception and also acts as a natural tranquilizer when you are worried or your mind is troubled. It Improves the memory, helps insomnia, strengthens the immune system, helps with eyesight, restores youth, aids neurological diseases, and heals ear problems. Emeralds are found in Colombia and are occasionally obtained from Brazil and Zambia in yellow-green, grey-green and spinach green varieties.. Emerald is the birthstone for the zodiac sign of Taurus.

Pearl (Mukta) - the birthstone for June

Pearl, often referred to as the "Queen of Gems," is a classic piece of jewellery. It is formed in shellfish as a reactant to an irritant such as a piece of sand. Cultured pearls are created by adding a piece of mussel or shell inside an oyster, which then creates a pearl as layers inside the shell grow over the alien substance. The prices of pearls vary widely as a result of luster, size, color, type and how they were cultured. Natural pearls are the most expensive, followed by cultured pearls with Fresh water pearls relatively less expensive. Pearls are said to help in self discovery and improve self-worth. Natural pearls are considered to be one of the nicest gifts you can give to your loved ones. It allows the wearer to see the love of the person who gave them the pearls. The Pearl is an emblem of modesty, chastity and purity, symbolizing love, success, and happiness and in many countries is used as a wedding gift. Pearls were once thought to be the tears of God. Natural Pearls have been harvested from the Red Sea, Gulf of Mannar, and the Persian Gulf. The coasts of Australia and Polynesia produce mostly cultured pearls whereas Fresh water pearls occur in many rivers in countries such as Austria, France, Scotland, Ireland, India and USA. The Pearl is the birthstone for the zodiac sign of Gemini.

Ruby (Manikya) - the birthstone for July

A Ruby, considered to be one of the most precious and perfect gemstones, is actually a Sapphire with trace amounts of chromium giving the Ruby its bright red color. It symbolizes the sun, freedom and power. It is well suited for all jewellery applications as it is an extremely hard and durable gemstone. Top quality Rubies are highly prized, and in larger sizes are frequently valued above all other gemstones, including Diamonds. It increases energy levels and will stimulate love if worn close to the heart. It protects sensitive natures, health and wealth, controls passion, stimulates blood circulation, gives calm sleep and takes away nightmares. In the ancient language of Sanskrit, the Ruby is called "Ratnaraj," or king of precious stones. Rubies are found in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Burma and Cambodia. Ruby is the birthstone for the zodiac sign of Cancer.

Peridot - the birthstone for August

Peridot is a green gemstone that is as popular today as it was in the past. It is considered to have the power to drive away evil spirits and that power was even more intense when the stone is set in gold. They are receptive and promote protection, health, wealth and sleep. Peridot is worn or carried for general healing purposes. Its deep green hue suggests its use in wealth - attracting spells. Peridot is found in Burma, Pakistan, China and USA. Peridot is the birthstone for the zodiac sign of Leo.

Sapphire (Nilam) - the birthstone for September

Sapphire is the Gem of Destiny. It is extremely hard, durable and is considered very valuable. It will bring out the best within you and help make your dreams come true. It has always been associated with luck in romance and is said to bring peace and happiness. It relieves mental depression and stimulates motivation and goal orientation. This stone will help you with the heart and stomach, stimulating the pituitary glands, strengthening the eyes, reducing fever, and nose bleeds. Sapphires are found in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Vietnam, Madagascar and Africa. Sapphire is the birthstone for the zodiac sign of Virgo.

Opal - the birthstone for October

The Opal, Eve of the Gods, is a stone of hopes, love and romance and a stone to grant wishes and personal happiness positive actions and achievements. It is a mysterious gem, as each one appears different in its delicate beauty. It has always been one of the most popular and esteemed gems, known to absorb, carry and pass enormous amounts of energy. The Opal is not a particularly hard stone, so care must be taken to preserve the natural beauty of this gem. Beautiful Opals have featured in many of the Crown Jewels of Europe and they remain popular with heads of state and the rich and famous. Opal is found in Western USA, Mexico, Australia, North, Central and South America and Indonesia. The Opal is the birthstone for the zodiac sign of Libra.

Topaz - the birthstone for November

Topaz is a stone that can be readily available in a variety of colors, with the popular ones being white and blue. Being very hard, it is well suited for all jewellery applications. It controls anger, balances diseases of emotional origin, calms stress, restores physical energies and also enhances creative power. It will bring light and warmth into your life and protect against external stress. Topaz is available in Africa, Asia, Mexico, Russia, South America and USA. Topaz is the birthstone for the zodiac sign of Scorpio.

Zircon - the birthstone for December

Zircon is considered to be a very brilliant stone because of its high refractive index. It is also very hard and well suited for a wide range of jewellery uses. An important identification mark for all Zircons, (except the green) is a strong double refraction easily seen under the loupe at the facet edges.. Blue and Green are the most desirable Zircons. Zircon is said to aid sleep, bring prosperity, and promote honor and wisdom for its owner. It can be used as an amulet for travelers. It brings the wearer financial success and protection from being struck by lightning. In the symbolic Kalpa Tree of the Hindu religion, Green Zircon represents the tree's foliage. Zircon is found in Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar and Australia and is one the birthstones for the zodiac sign of Capricorn, with the other one being Turquoise.