Lepidolite - MD

Lepidolite is an uncommon mica which has become available on the mineral market in large quantities only in the past decade. The typical lilac to pink color is characteristic and is the only field test available to identify Lepidolite from other micas. Pink muscovite or very pale Lepidolite may confuse identification.

The Micas are an important group of over thirty significant rock forming minerals.

Item Size: Medium 3/4 - 1" (18-25mm)


GENERAL INFORMATION

Mineral Class: Silicates

Mineral Species: Phyllosilicates

Mineral Group: Mica (Subgroup: Biotite)

Chemical Formula: KLi₂AlSi₄O₁₀F(OH)

Composition:
10.07% - Potassium K
03.58% - Lithium Li
06.95% - Aluminum Al
28.93% - Silicon Si
00.26% - Hydrogen H
45.32% - Oxygen O
04.89% - Fluorine F

Environment: Lithia-bearing pegmatites

IMA Status: Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1792

Locality: Pala, San Diego County, California

Name Origin: LEPIDOLITE – From the Greek lepidion meaning ‘scale’ and lithios meaning ‘stone.’ MICA – German for ‘glimmer.’

Lepidolite Sources: USA, Czech Republic, Brazil, Madagascar, Dominican Republic


PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Cleavage: Perfect

Color: Colorless, gray, lilac, yellowish, white

Crystal System: Monoclinic

Density: 2.8-2.9, Average = 2.84

Diaphaniety: Translucent

Fracture: Uneven – Flat surfaces (not cleavage) fractured in an uneven pattern

Habit: Foliated – Two dimensional platy forms.

Habit: Massive – Uniformly indistinguishable crystals forming large masses.

Habit: Platy – Sheet forms (e.g. micas).

Hardness: 2.5-3 –Finger Nail-Calcite

Luminescence: None

Luster: Vitreous – Pearly

Specific Gravity: 2.84

Streak: White


METAPHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Affirmation: I move through all of life’s joys and sorrows, triumphs and traumas, with serenity and grace.

Chakras: All, especially heart and third eye

Number: 8

Zodiac Sign: Libra

Planet: Jupiter, Neptune

Element: Water

Beneficial for: Addictions; anorexia; emotional or mental dependency; bipolar disorders; nightmares; stress; obsessive thoughts; despondency; emotional stability; digestion; muscle relaxation; allergies; anger; depression; immune system; restructuring DNA; generation of negative ions; exhaustion; epilepsy; Alzheimer’s; nerve pain; sciatica; neuralgia; joint problems; detoxification of skin and connective tissue; menopause; illnesses caused by sick-building syndrome; computer stress; repetitive strain injury; tendonitis; nightmares; hyperactivity; insomnia; sleep disorders

Lepidolite is a high-lithium stone and is very useful in balancing one’s emotional body and calming the mind. It activates the heart chakra, releasing an expansive, loving energy through the auric field. Lepidolite is the cardinal ‘stop and smell the roses’ stone. It ends the ‘what ifs’ of the egoic mind and replaces them with a Zen-like quality of consciousness that simply experiences and appreciates present-moment reality. It beings an energetic sigh of relief to the aura, allowing one to let go of concerns – relax, release, and enjoy the gifts of life and consciousness.

Lepidolite is a stone of serenity, and it assists one in finding the path to harmonious action to seeing problems as opportunities to learn. It is at its best when life is most challenging, calming frayed nerves and setting one on the path of willing acceptance. As it assists one in finding a strong calm center unaffected by one’s external experience, it also provides an energy of enlightened awareness that keeps one ‘on the beam’ so one can handle the situation in the highest way, preserving integrity and well-being.

It is also a stone of spiritual purification. It assists one in accessing the Akashic record and perceiving and releasing past emotional trauma which one may still be unconsciously holding. It helps one disengage one’s sense of identity from the experiences one has had in the past, and instead encourages one to identify solely with the presence of the Creator and the present moment. Lepidolite enhances physical grace, encourages the eyes to see beauty, lends eloquence to one’s speech and teaches one to listen with compassionate, patient attention. If one is depressed, it allows for the willing descent into the grief beneath the depression, and the understanding that most of the suffering was not in the grief but in one’s resistance to feeling it!

One of the most effective ways to receive the stone’s calming influence is to take a ‘Lepidolite bath,’ placing one or more stones in a warm tub, lighting a candle and allowing the soft energies of the stone to permeate one’s energy field.