Peridot

Wistful envy suffused my face as I walked the aisles of the local Woolworth’s variety store.  My favorite red Keds (the ones with the rubber toes) barely made a sound on the polished wood floors.  It was an August afternoon in the mid-1960s and thoughts of my upcoming birthday filled my head.  I made a beeline for the jewelry section with its collection of inexpensive silver necklaces arranged next to a simple engraving machine, but those popular customized baubles were not my quest.  I was headed for a glitterier prize nestled in the fake-velvet display cases, right there on the row between July and September: a small metal ring with a chip of green stone carefully labelled Peridot- the birthstone of August.  I loved everything about this dime-store treasure: its strange name; its unique shade of green that was not quite emerald, not quite aquamarine; its perfectly round shape. Peridot.  The tiny stone winked and twinkled up at me. My hopes rose as I noticed my mother hovering nearby.  Perhaps this little ring would find itself among the birthday presents surrounding the chocolate cake with chocolate icing that was sure to come.

August disappears today, going out with its usual blaze of heat and glaring sun, and peridot is the perfect symbol for this summer month. The ancient Egyptians called peridot the Gem of the Sun and attributed its origin to an exploding star.  Like many a semi-precious stone, peridot carries symbolism beyond its designation as a birthstone.  Peridot is associated with protection from fears and nightmares.  Peridot’s glowing, neon-like color evokes images of growth and vitality. Ancient cultures attributed powers of spiritual discernment and purpose to the peridot. Just being in the presence of a peridot could sharpen one’s thinking and inspire innovation.¹  Mystical powers or not, these green-infused assets are appealing whatever the source.

As symbols go, peridot is not widely recognized or terribly significant. But its pale green glow can still instruct.  Its fragile beauty can still remind me that light exposes and weakens fears and nightmares. Its unobtrusive presence does not negate its strong message. Purpose and spiritual acuity are to be prized.  A peridot has some powerful messages beneath its surface.

All these heavy thoughts were far in the future to a pre-teen girl. That day, a peridot ring meant only a birthday and a hoped-for treasure.  A week or so later, a small box, just the right size for a ring, appeared among my presents.  I wore my peridot just as proudly as any princess would sport a priceless jewel.  The nickel-based metal soon turned my finger gray and the gem’s sparkle faded, although some of the peridot’s power did work its ways into my life as I grew and matured.  I was a child often beset by anxiety and fears, but when I wore that cheap piece of peridot, I wore a symbol of my value within the nurturing world of my family. Maybe that shining ring was just what I needed to energize my life that August.  Maybe a beautiful symbol on the outside encouraged me to dig down a mite deeper to discover an inner beauty hidden beneath the freckle-faced and painfully shy girl who, even then, longed for a faith that was real and vital. I outgrew that little ring and I can’t recall most of the simple hopes and wishes of my girlhood.  But the longing for spiritual insight and the Presence of the warm glow of God, that I do recall.  Those hopes and dreams, and faith, remain.

As I type today’s essay, I look down at my right hand. A peridot ring sparkles there, a birthday gift from several years ago. Every August, I put aside my rose-shaped ring and replace it with this peridot one.  As gems go, it is still not an expensive, prized stone.  It is not worthy of big insurance policies. I have never worried that some thief will tear this ring off my finger and gleefully run away with a valuable prize. But all through the month of August, my ring provides a green gift of love and life during a month not known for lushness or verdant growth. Today, it is not just its color and shape but its symbol that captures my attention. I think of that childhood ring and this current one and ponder the meanings of a stone that is precious, not semi-precious, to me. What are the talismans of faith, shards of green from long, long ago, that still glow with beauty from that August to this one? For what am I still hoping and wishing?  Can the peridot clarify my own renewed purpose? What kind of symbol might I need to energize me in this fading season?

Typically, as I prepare to turn my calendar to September, I remove my peridot ring and replace it with my customary rose one.  This year calls for another response, a break in my habit.  These questions of faith and discernment need to linger awhile.  Purpose and hope need light and space and attention.  The Gem of the Sun might not carry special powers. A gem, well it is truly just the product of geologic forces of heat and pressure, of chemical reactions and time. As symbols, gems are only meaningful if we make them so. Symbols, however, are not exclusively the property of cultures or history.  They can be intensely personal and integral to our spiritual quests. I christen the peridot anew: Gem of the Spirit. Those tough questions may explode into starry new thinking and unexpected insights may appear in the Spirit’s light.  I open myself to a new symbolism that can inform and stretch my spirit. God is the creator of all things precious. My peridot reminder will stay on my finger a little longer this year.

Reflection Questions:

For what are you still hoping and wishing?  What kind of symbol might energize your spiritual life this year?

¹ Information on peridot comes from various online sources, including Wikipedia, which is also the source of the photo (public domain).