Al-O

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"You were in Eden, the garden of God;

every precious stone was your covering, 

sardius, topaz, and diamond, 

beryl, onyx, and jasper, 

sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; 

and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. 

On the day that you were created they were prepared."

 ~ Ezekiel 28:13 (ESV)

"The Saphire Colour, that Orient Blewe, 

Like in colour to the heavenlie hue, 

Is much fairer than Wann Colour to sight, 

For therein is more of Aier Water and Light" 

~ Elias Ashmole, Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum, p. 65 

"Mrs. Obama dazzles in designer sapphire dress[:] ...All eyes were on the First Lady at the State of the Union address..." (Source); "Like all blue stones, in the East, the sapphire is regarded as a powerful charm against the evil eye", Jean Chevalier & Alain Gheerbrant, Dictionary of Symbols [Penguin, 1996], p. 826). "Michelle Obama Stands Out in Sapphire at the State of the Union[:] There she is, First Lady Michelle Obama, gleaming like a sapphire amidst a sea of navy and black suits at [the]State of the Union." (Source) On Michelle-O compared with Jackie-O (and the black and white Isis), see here.

(Michelle-O: Source)

"Sapphire (Greek: σάπφειρος; sappheiros, 'blue stone'...) is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide (α-Al2O3). Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, copper, or magnesium can give corundum blue, yellow, pink, purple, orange, or a greenish color. Chromium impurities in corundum yield a red tint, and the resultant gemstone is called a ruby. ... Etymologically, the English word 'sapphire' derives from Latin sapphirus, sappirus from Greek σαπφειρος (sappheiros) from Hebrew סַפִּיר (sappir) from Old Iranian sani-prijam, from Sanskrit, Shanipriya (शनिप्रिय), from 'shani' (शनि) meaning 'Saturn' and riya' (प्रिय), dear, i.e. literally 'dear to Saturn'. The Greek term for sapphire quite likely was misapplied, and instead, used to refer to lapis lazuli." (Source) "Lapis is the Latin word for 'stone' and lazuli is the genitive form of the Medieval Latin lazulum, which is taken from the Arabian لازورد lāzaward, meaning 'heaven' or 'sky', since the sky is blue; therefore, it is the 'stone of heaven' or 'sky stone'." (Source)

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"Flying over the unlit side of Saturn's rings, the Cassini spacecraft captures Saturn's glow, represented in brilliant shades of electric blue, sapphire and mint green, while the planet's shadow casts a wide net on the rings. On the night side (right side of image), with no sunlight, Saturn's own thermal radiation lights things up. This light at 5.1 microns wavelength (some seven times the longest wavelength visible to the human eye) is generated deep within Saturn, and works its way upward, eventually escaping into space. ...The northern hemisphere is about twice as bright as the southern hemisphere. (Courtesy NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)" (Source)

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"Saturn at opposition Sunday, 28 April 2013 at 03:14 CDT[:] Saturn will be well placed for observation, lying in the constellation Libra, well above the horizon for much of the night. Regardless of your location, Saturn will reach its highest point in the sky at around midnight, local time, an optimal positioning that occurs when it makes its closest approach to the point in the sky directly opposite to the Sun – an event termed opposition, the exact moment of which will be 03:14 CDT. Since the Sun reaches its greatest distance below the horizon at midnight, the point opposite to it is highest in the sky at the same time. At around the same time that Saturn passes opposition, it also makes its closest approach to the Earth – termed its perigee – making it appear at its brightest and largest in the night sky." (Source)

(Image Source; On Mellons, see HERE.)

"SATURN 2013 Software Architecture Conference[:] In 2013, the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Architecture Technology User Network (SATURN) Conference will celebrate its ninth year. Each year SATURN attracts an international audience of practicing software architects, industry thought leaders, developers, technical managers, and researchers to share ideas, insights, and experience about effective architecture-centric practices for developing and maintaining software-intensive systems. SATURN 2013 will take place in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from April 29 to May 3, 2013." (Sources 1 & 2)

The Saturnian Liquid: "Let those who aim to purify Mercury by means of salts, faeces and other foreign bodies, and by strange chemical processes, understand that though our water is variousy composed, it is yet only one thing, formed by the concretion of divers substances of the same essence. The components of our water are fire, the vegetable 'Saturnian liquid,' and the bond of Mercury. ...[I]t is a chaos or spirit, because our fiery Dragon, that overcomes all things, is yet penetrated by the odour of the Saturnian liquid, its blood growing together with the Saturnian sap into one body... It may thus be very properly described as chaos... From this chaos I can extract everything -- even the Sun and Moon -- without the transmutatory Elixir. It is called our Arsenic, our Air, our Moon, our Magnet, and our Chalybs: these names representing the different stages of its development, even unto the manifestation of the kingly diadem, which is cast out of the menstruum of our harlot. Learn then, who are the friends of Cadmus; who is the serpent that devoured them; what the hollow oak to which Cadmus spitted the serpent. Learn who are the doves of Diana, that overcome the green lion by gentleness: even the Babylonian dragon, which kills everything with its venom. Learn, also, what are the winged shoes of Mercury, and who are those nymphs whom he charms by means of his incantations. (Thanks to Jim Brandon for the lead, Source; Cf. Here.) 

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Poisoned Jewelry: "Revealed: Children's jewelry that contains toxic cadmium which causes cancer STILL on sale after federal crackdown[:] Federal regulators failed to pursue recalls after they found cadmium-tainted jewelry on store shelves, despite their vow to keep the toxic trinkets out of children's hands...More than two years after the AP revealed that some Chinese factories were substituting cadmium for banned lead...There are no known injuries or deaths due to cadmium in children's jewelry, but contaminated jewelry can poison in two ways: slow and steady through habitual licking and biting, or acutely through swallowing. The CPSC estimates that several thousand kids are treated annually at U.S. emergency rooms for accidentally ingesting jewelry. Once in the body, cadmium stays for decades. If enough accumulates, it can cripple kidneys and bones-- and cause cancer. Contaminated jewelry is surely less prevalent in the U.S. than before its widespread presence was first documented. However, rings, bracelets and pendants containing cadmium and marketed for preteen girls were purchased over the last year." (Source)

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"Sephirot ..., meaning emanations, are the 10 attributes/emanations in Kabbalah, through which Ein Sof (The Infinite) reveals himself and continuously creates both the physical realm and the chain of higher metaphysical realms (Seder hishtalshelus). The term is alternatively transliterated into English as Sefirot/Sefiroth, singular Sephirah/Sefirah etc. Alternative configurations of the sephirot are given by different schools in the historical development of Kabbalah, with each articulating different spiritual aspects. The tradition of enumerating 10 is stated in the Sefer Yetzirah... As altogether 11 sephirot are listed across the different schemes, two (Keter and Daat) are seen as unconscious and conscious manifestations of the
same principle, conserving the ten categories. ... The 'Sefirot' (סְפִירוֹת), singular 'Sefirah' (סְפִירָה), literally means 'counting'/'enumeration', but early Kabbalists presented a number of other etymological possibilities from the same Hebrew root including: sefer (text), sippur (recounting a story), sappir (sapphire, brilliance, luminary), separ (boundary), and safra (scribe)." (Source)

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(Prometheus was said to have worn a "Sapphire Ring": Victoria Finlay, Jewels: A Secret History, p. 257.)

"Prometheus is an inner satellite of Saturn. It was discovered in 1980 ...from photos taken by the Voyager 1 probe... In late 1985 it was officially named after Prometheus, a Titan in Greek mythology. ... It is also designated Saturn XVI (16)..." (Source) Cf. Here, here, and here.)

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In Jewish folklore there is a book named the Sefer Raziel HaMalekh (The Book of the Angel Raziel, 'Secrets of God'). "...The first part states that they were imparted by Raziel to Adam when he was driven from paradise (2a); the third part (34a) says they were communicated to Noah before he entered the ark. The book was engraved on sapphire-stone and handed down from generation to generation until it, together with many other secret writings, came into the possession of Solomon; the Book of Raziel, however, was the best preserved of these works (15, 34a)." (Source)

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"Aaron's Rod[:] A rod which, in the hands of Aaron, the high priest, was endowed with miraculous power during the several plagues that preceded the Exodus. In this function the rod of Moses was equally potent. Upon two occasions, however, the singular virtue of spontaneous power, when not in the grasp of its possessor, was exhibited by Aaron's Rod. At one time it swallowed the rods of the Egyptian magicians, and at another it blossomed and bore fruit in the Tabernacle, as an evidence of the exclusive right to the priesthood of the tribe of Levi... In commemoration of this decision it was commanded that the rod be put again 'before the testimony' (Num. xvii. 10). A later tradition asserts (Heb. ix. 4) that the rod was kept in the Ark of the Covenant. The main fact, however, is thus confirmed, that a rod was preserved in the Tabernacle as a relic of the institution of the Aaronic priesthood. ...It was made of sapphire..." (Source)

("The 182 carat... Star of Bombay, housed in the National Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C., 

is a good example of a blue star sapphire." Source; Image Source)

("The 330 Carat Star of Asia, housed in the National Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C., is an excellent example of a blue star sapphire." Source; Image Source)

("The Star of India is a 563.35 carat...star sapphire, one of the largest such gems in the world. ...It is almost flawless and is unusual in that it has stars on both sides of the stone. ...In 1900, wealthy financier J.P. Morgan donated the Star of India to the American Museum of Natural History on Central Park West in Manhattan." It, along with several other precious stones (including the "Eagle Diamond") was stolen on October 29, 1964, but later recovered. Source; Image Source)

(Closeup of Saturn's Hexagon Source)

("For Hearts Long Lost. And Full of Fright. For Those Alone In Blackest Night. Accept Our Ring and Join Our Fight -- Love Conquers All -- With Violet Light!" ~ Star Sapphire Corps Oath, DC Comics,  Source; Image Source; "Sappho...An ancient Greek poet known for her love lyrics. ...The word lesbian is derived from the island of Lesbos, the birthplace of Sappho..." Source; Cf. here, here, and here.)

("Star Dust": "a song about a song about love"; Source; Image Source; Cf. "'Deep Purple' was the biggest hit written by pianist Peter DeRose, who broadcast, 1923 to 1939, with May Singhi as 'The Sweethearts of the Air' on the NBC radio network. ...lyrics [were added] in 1938: 'When the deep purple falls over sleepy garden walls | And the stars begin to twinkle in the sky | In the mist of a memory you wander back to me Breathing my name with a sigh...' Larry Clinton and His Orchestra recorded one of the most popular versions of the song on 23 December 1938." Source)

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The Alchemical Sapphire Mirror: "The most immediate influence of [Heinrich] Khunrath's alchemical catoptics was on Stefan Michelspacher's Cabala, Spiegel der Kunst und Natur..., consisting of four engravings which present mirrors displaying alchemical visions. ... Apart from this Paracelsian alchemical treatise, Michelspacher also published an Optica... In the Cabala he explains that his visions appeared to him through the power of a radiating celestial fire in three distinct forms. The first mirror was a fiery sapphire, displaying the philosophical Mercury and Salt, while the second showed him the philosophical Sulfur. The third mirror was of a divinely rosy colour, all in flames, in the midst of which there appeared a very great 'arcanum', which was the philosophical fire through which all things come to maturation. Putting together the three mirrors, he made a fourth in which he saw God perfectly..." (Source: Urszula Szulakowska, The Alchemy of Light: Geometry and Optics in Late Renaissance Alchemical Illustration, pp. 99-100).

Following the Libnat ha-Sappir, "The Pavement of Sapphire," just a little bit farther, the traveler may notice the name of a, Argentium Astrum (the "AA" or Silver Star) rite incorporated by Aleister Crowley into his program of "Sex Magick." "The Star Sapphire is a magick ritual written by Aleister Crowley, which first appeared in his Book of Lies, Chapter 36, in 1913. It is a Thelemic version of the Ritual of the Hexagram, developed by members of The Golden Dawn. It is commonly considered to be a thinly veiled instruction for sex magick, although it can certainly be performed as a non-sexual exercise. The Star Sapphire is an official ritual of the A.'.A.'." (Source) On Crowley, see here, here, and here. For more on silver, see here.

(Lucifer-Venus, "Goddes of Love"; (Source)

"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." ~ Isaiah 14:12-14 (KJV)

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Iliaster, or Dis-aster? "'Lift up your eyes and look at the cloud and the light within it and the stars surrounding it. The Star that leads the way is your star.' (Gospel of Judas 57:19-20) Every eternal soul is connected with a star - a divine being that exists above this world. Judas is told to gaze on the cloud that is the manifestation of the presence of the Great Invisible Spirit. The stars of the saved...And Judas' star leads them all." (Bart D. Ehrman, The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot, p. 139).

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"Paracelsus named [the] cosmic essence the Iliaster, which literally means 'the star in man'" (Dennis Hauck, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Alchemy, p. 159). "[T]he first body, the Yliaster, was nothing but a clod which contained all the chaos, all the waters, all minerals, all herbs, all stones, all gems. Only the supreme Master could release them and form them with tender solicitude, so that other things could be created from the rest." (Source)

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"Aristotle held that the universe was divided into two parts, the terrestrial region and the celestial region. In the realm of Earth, all bodies were made out of combinations of four substances, earth, fire, air, and water,... whereas in the region of the universe beyond the Moon the heavenly bodies such as the Sun, the stars, and the planets were made of a fifth substance, called quintessence." (Source) For more on the Gospel of Judas, see HERE.

("Bombay Sapphire" Gin: The "...sapphire-coloured bottle that 

bears a picture of Queen Victoria on the label." Source, Image Source; 

I almost called it "Victory Gin" by accident.)

("Jan. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today BECK'S opened a pop-up 'jewelry store' in Beverly Hills to celebrate BECK'S SAPPHIRE, the latest innovation in high-end beer." (Source)  "Beck's logo...[is] a key..." (Source) ; Image Source. On another "Beck" [Glenn], see HERE and here.)

                                     

(Ruby, Sapphire: Aluminum & Oxygen [Al2O3], Chris Pellant, Rocks and Minerals [Smithsonian Handbook], p. 82.)

("Al Green turned down President Obama" Source; Image Source)

"Crowley's comment regarding The Star Sapphire in The Book of Lies states: 'The Star Sapphire corresponds with the Star-Ruby of Chapter 25; 36 being the square of 6, as 25 is of 5. This chapter gives the real and perfect Ritual of the Hexagram.'" (Source)

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"Michelle Obama wows in a ruby red Jason Wu dress at the Inauguration Ball[:] First Lady Michelle Obama wore a Jason Wu dress to the Commander in Chief's ball in Washington, Jan. 21, 2013. ...The chiffon dress with velvet details featured criss-cross ruching in the front that came together in a keyhole..." (Source cf. "[T]he first lady chose a ruby red chiffon and velvet halter gown. ...Jay-Z was...in a Tom Ford suit, tie and a scarf." Source)

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"Ruby" (definition) "c.1300, from Old French rubi (12c.), from Medieval Latin rubinus lapis 'red stone' (cf. Italian rubino), from Latin rubeus 'red,' related to ruber (see red)." (Source)

(Ruby Star: Source)

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Speaking of the Wizard of Oz ("Oz" = "strength" or "an he goat", Kenneth Grant, Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God, p. 219), it's a twister (of sorts)! Maybe it's the Wiz himself. "Tropical Cyclone Oswald (South Pacific) 01.22.13[:] NASA Sees Tropical Cyclone Oswald Weaken Over Queensland's Cape York Peninsula[.] NASA's Aqua satellite documented the formation of Tropical Storm Oswald in the Gulf of Carpentaria on Jan. 21 and the landfall on Jan. 22 in the southwestern Cape York Peninsula of Queenstown, Australia. Oswald has since become remnant low pressure area over land." (Source; Thanks to John Cole for this information.)

 (Jack Ruby ["Jack Ruby" = fake ruby, James Shelby Downard] shoots Lee Harvey Oswald, Source)

And now, let's go back to rubies.

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"The Delong Star Ruby resides in the Natural History Museum in New York City. Weighing 100.32 carats, it is a beautiful deep purplish red in colour, Burmese origin, and has an extremely sharp 6-rayed star effect." (Source) "The Six-rayed Star ...combines the Isis...and Horus...symbolism (the Mother, and the Child of the Mother) in a transcendental unity that is glyphed by the Star of Will (Thelema), which is the Star Ruby and the symbol of the Great Work accomplished" (Kenneth Grant, Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God, p. 57).

("Five views of the Eagle diamond" Source)

"The Eagle Diamond was discovered in Eagle, Wisconsin in 1876 by a man named Charles Wood while he was digging a well." It was later acquired by "... Tiffany’s in New York City for US$ 850. It remained at Tiffany’s until World War I. J.P. Morgan bought the diamond, and presented it as a gift to the American Museum of Natural History, in New York City. It was placed in the J.P. Morgan exhibit along with the Star Sapphire of India and the de Long Ruby until it was stolen on October 29, 1964 by Murph the Surf." (Source)

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"NOT MY PRESIDENT[:] John Diamond of Arlington, Va., spent part of the day handing out fliers inviting people to a 'disinauguration ball'...'Not my president,' said the fliers, which featured the classic Obama 'O' logo as part of the word 'not.'" (Source)

See also Loren Coleman's post "Gemstones are Forever"

Coming soon: Follow-up post, more sapphire.
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