Gold is the heaviest of the naturally occurring minerals, nineteen times as heavy as water as compared to lead which is only eleven times heavier than water. This is why it is possible to pan it from stream beds. It crystalizes in massive forms, grains, flakes, dendritic forms, plates, nuggets, and, rarely, in octahedral, cubic, and rhombdodecahedral crystals. It may be found naturally alloyed to silver in a combination known as electrum from the Greek word for sunshine. This same word once referred to amber however. A cup fashioned from metallic electrum was said to emit rainbow flashes if filled with something poisonous. In very rare cases, it can occur in quartz crystals. It ranges from golden yellow and silver-white to orange-red.
From earliest times, gold was valued for its malleability and untarnishable color. Spiritual implications were drawn on these ideas so that in many cases gold came to represent immortality. In some cultures, it was thought only gold could bring about the resurrection of the dead and so it was included in burials. Possibly for this reason, the alchemical Philosopher's stone was thought to produce gold or immortality.
The Golden Calf of the Egyptian religion represented Osiris resurrected as Horus through Isis, the Golden Cow. Moses took the Golden Calf and burnt it in fire. Grinding it to powder, he mixed it with water and made the Children of Israel drink it. This is an age old Pagan custom. Drinking powdered gold in water was a supreme remedy and resurrection charm.
According to Pliny (79 AD), gold could cure a sty if it were rubbed on the problem. It first had to be wet from the saliva of a fasting person.
In medieval times, gold was still considered a cure-all. According to some, every infection was curable by white wine and angelica root mixed with lemon juice in which gold had been set for twenty-four hours. Paracelsus declared that pulverized gold would cure epilepsy, fainting, depression, and leprosy if eaten. Even late into the 19th century, doctors believed certain diseases could only be cured by gold. These included dropsy, syphilis, scrofula, and heart disease.
Magickally gold has been said to attract honors, wealth, and happiness to its owner. It can stabilize erratic emotions and amplify positive feelings. This metal also assists in attuning with nature and healing forces. Sometimes referred to as "the master healer," gold has a wide range of uses on the physical and mental bodies.
This metal is both receptive and cooperative, combining well with other stones, copper, and silver. The vitality of whatever stone or metal gold is combined with is easily relayed through the gold to the affected part of the body. It also has a stabilizing influence on the energies of whatever metal or mineral with which it is used. The rare, natural combination of gold and quartz is the most powerful form of either stone.
Gold allows for better control of emotional extremes and helps its wearer to deal with stress. For this reason, it can be a great aid to boosting self-confidence. The hemispheres of the brain are brought into balance with the use of gold, and it allows for improvement of character through learning. Gold assists with personal illumination and potential, eliminating ego problems and feelings. Feelings of depression, futility, and inferiority from the strain of too much responsibility can be eased with the use of gold. It can disperse self-reproach and calm anger. Thought forms are amplified, the higher the quality of gold, the better for this purpose.
Gold purifies and energizes the physical body. It acts as a regenerator of the nervous system, tissues, and the blood. The digestive, endocrine, and respiratory systems are improved with the use of gold. It has been used to treat arthritis, skin problems, pneumonia, eye problems, paralysis, rheumatism, nightmares, and spinal problems. Brain dysfunctions such as autism, dyslexia, epilepsy, and coordination are favorably affected by gold. This metal attracts positive energies to the aura and balances and develops the heart and navel chakras. It has been used to both open and activate the third eye and crown chakras.