What is Lemurian Quartz?

Lemurian Quartz aka Lemurian Seed Crystals

Lemurian quartz is highly sought after for its metaphysical healing properties.  It's often but not always characterised by distinctive striations on at least one crystal face. 

Lemurian quartz is found mainly in Brazil but deposits also exist in Peru and Colombia. 

Lemuria is believed to be a lost continent that once existed in the Pacific. It's claimed to have been wiped out by a cataclysmic event that caused the island to sink beneath the ocean.

The people of Lemuria are said to have used crystals for healing and clairvoyance.  It's believed they predicted what was to come so they used crystals to store and preserve their knowledge and traditions.

On many quartz and some corundum minerals small triangles can be seen on the surface of the crystal.  In metaphysical circles, these triangles are believed to transform the crystal into a 'record keeper'.   They're often visible on Lemurian quartz. 

Record keepers are crystals believed to be able to store and release information that has been programmed into them.

From a scientific perspective, the small triangles on the surface are part of the crystal's growth.

A crystal grows as atoms stack on top of each other in an organised repeating pattern.  The triangles are stacks of atoms that would have covered the entire face of the crystal had it continued to grow undisturbed. 

Although present on all crystals, they're not always visible because they're too small.     

The Mythical Continent of Lemuria

The history of the continent of Lemuria is very interesting.

It was first mentioned in 1864 by British lawyer and zoologist Philip Sclater.  He was trying to establish why so many different species of lemur existed in Madagascar yet were found in limited numbers in other parts of the world.

In an article for a science journal, he claimed lemurs originated in Madagascar but spread to Africa and Asia using a land bridge or continent.

He claimed the continent which he named 'Lemuria' has since broken up into hundreds of smaller islands.  He said some are now part of Africa and Asia whilst others have integrated with Madagascar and other islands in the Pacific Ocean.

In the "Geography of Mammals" published in 1899 Sclater wrote;

"This fact would seem to show that the ancient "Lemuria", as the hypothetical continent which was originally the home of the Lemurs has been termed, must have extended across the Indian Ocean and the Indian Peninsula to the further side of the Bay of Bengal and over the great islands of the Indian Archipelago."

In a popular book published in German 1868, the author spoke about how humans evolved from primates.  Africa and Asia were mentioned as well as the possibility of an island that once existed between the two continents.

When the book was translated into English some years later, the continent of Lemuria was mentioned as possibly being the cradle of humanity.

He went on to say, 

"The probable primeval home or "Paradise" is here assumed to be Lemuria, a tropical continent at present lying below the level of the Indian Ocean, the former existence of which in the tertiary period seems very probable from numerous facts in animal and vegetable geography. But it is also very possible that the hypothetical "cradle of the human race" lay further to the east (in Hindostan or Further India) or further to the west (in eastern Africa)."

Books such as these led to a widespread belief in the existence of submerged islands and continents around the world.  

The lost continent of Lemuria was mentioned again in a book published in 1888.  The author, a Russian medium, claimed Lemuria was the cradle of one of the seven races of humanity. 

Quite how the variety of quartz found in a few locations in South America became associated with the continent of Lemuria is not known.  'Lemurian Quartz' is a trade name that geologists do not recognise.

This quartz crystal was discovered in Brazil in the early 1990s.  The striations are the result of alternating crystal faces.

In crystal healing circles, the name 'Lemurian Seed Crystal' is also used.  Some claim 'seed crystals' are slightly different from regular lemurian quartz. 

Whilst lemurian quartz is best known for these striations which can often be felt and seen, they're not always present.

As with many crystals used for their healing properties, there's a significant amount of misinformation.

Regular quartz crystals with overinflated prices are sometimes sold as Lemurian quartz.