Spiritual Meaning of Lapis Lazuli
Lapis lazuli — the deep blue stone flecked with gold — has been the symbol of heaven, divine truth, and royal wisdom since the earliest civilizations, used by the Egyptians, Sumerians, and every major ancient culture as the stone of the gods.
The Stone of Heaven
Lapis lazuli (from Latin lapis — "stone" + Medieval Latin lazulum — from Arabic lazaward — from Persian lāzhward — from the Lājward region in Afghanistan, still the primary source after 6,000 years; the deep blue stone with gold flecks of pyrite — the "fools gold" that looks like stars against a night sky; one of the most prized materials in all of ancient history: Egyptian royal jewelry and sarcophagi, Sumerian royal burials at Ur, Mesopotamian cylinder seals, the eyebrows of Tutankhamun's golden mask, the hair of Egyptian gods painted in blue, ground into the ultramarine pigment used by Renaissance painters for the Virgin Mary's cloak — the finest and most expensive blue in medieval art).
Truth, Royalty, and the Divine
Lapis was the preeminent status stone of the ancient world precisely because of its color: deep, genuine, unfading blue — the color of the clear sky, of divinity, of royalty, of truth that does not change. In Egyptian cosmology, the gods had hair and beards of lapis (the stone of the divine; the god whose hair is the night sky). In Exodus 24:10, when Moses and the elders ascend Sinai and see the God of Israel: "under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself" — likely lapis lazuli (the "sapphire" of the ancient Near East being predominantly lapis). The Sumerian Descent of Inanna: the goddess's first act of descent was to put on her crown of lapis lazuli — the stone of divine authority. In crystal healing: the throat chakra (Vishuddha — truth-speaking, communication, the divine word); and the third eye chakra — lapis enhancing inner vision and truth-perception.
Key spiritual meanings of Lapis Lazuli
- 6,000 years of reverence
- the continuous use from Afghanistan to Egypt to Rome — the oldest prestige stone in the world
- The gods' hair
- Egyptian cosmology painting the divine with lapis blue — the stone literally of the divine nature
- Stars on a night sky
- gold pyrite on deep blue — the heavens captured in mineral form
- Moses and the sapphire pavement
- the divine throne floor "like a pavement made of sapphire" — likely lapis lazuli
- Inanna's lapis crown
- the first act of divine descent adorned with the authority-stone of heaven
- Ultramarine
- the Virgin Mary's blue in medieval art was ground lapis — the most expensive and sacred of all pigments
- Throat and third eye
- lapis activating truth-speaking and inner vision — the stone of divine communication
- Spiritual meaning
- the heaven stone, the color of divine truth, the royal blue that points from the earthly to the eternal sky
Frequently asked questions
What does Lapis Lazuli mean spiritually?
Lapis lazuli — the deep blue stone flecked with gold — has been the symbol of heaven, divine truth, and royal wisdom since the earliest civilizations, used by the Egyptians, Sumerians, and every major ancient culture as the stone of the gods.
The Stone of Heaven
Lapis lazuli (from Latin lapis — "stone" + Medieval Latin lazulum — from Arabic lazaward — from Persian lāzhward — from the Lājward region in Afghanistan, still the primary source after 6,000 years; the deep blue stone with gold flecks of pyrite — the "fools gold" that looks like stars against a night sky; one of the most prized materials in all of ancient history: Egyptian royal jewelry and sarcophagi, Sumerian royal burials at Ur, Mesopotamian cylinder seals, the eyebrows of Tutankhamun's…
Truth, Royalty, and the Divine
Lapis was the preeminent status stone of the ancient world precisely because of its color: deep, genuine, unfading blue — the color of the clear sky, of divinity, of royalty, of truth that does not change. In Egyptian cosmology, the gods had hair and beards of lapis (the stone of the divine; the god whose hair is the night sky). In Exodus 24:10, when Moses and the elders ascend Sinai and see the God of Israel: "under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, as clear as the sky…
What are the 8 spiritual meanings of Lapis Lazuli?
1. 6,000 years of reverence: the continuous use from Afghanistan to Egypt to Rome — the oldest prestige stone in the world 2. The gods' hair: Egyptian cosmology painting the divine with lapis blue — the stone literally of the divine nature 3. Stars on a night sky: gold pyrite on deep blue — the heavens captured in mineral form 4. Moses and the sapphire pavement: the divine throne floor "like a pavement made of sapphire" — likely lapis lazuli 5. Inanna's lapis crown: the first act of divine descent adorned with the authority-stone of heaven 6. Ultramarine: the Virgin Mary's blue in medieval art was ground lapis — the most expensive and sacred of all pigments 7. Throat and third eye: lapis activating truth-speaking and inner vision — the stone of divine communication 8. Spiritual meaning: the heaven stone, the color of divine truth, the royal blue that points from the earthly to the eternal sky