Barite derives from the Greek barys, meaning heavy, and was reputedly used by Native Americans to travel from the physical to the spiritual worlds. Stimulating dreaming and dream recall and encouraging the pursuit of dreams, this stone assists in communicating your intuitive vision and heightens your ability to organize and express thought.
Strongly motivating, Barite assists people whose energies are scattered or exhausted by the processes of life to recoup energy and focus. Barite is a common mineral and makes very attractive specimens. It often is an accessory mineral to other minerals and can make a nice backdrop to brightly colored crystals. At times bladed or tabular crystals of Barite form a concentric pattern of increasingly larger crystals outward. This has the appearance of a flower and when colored red by iron stains, these formations are called "Desert Roses".
Because Barite is so common, it can be confused for other minerals. Celestite (SrSO4) has the same structure as barite and forms very similar crystals. The two are indistinguishable by ordinary methods, but a flame test can distinguish them. By scraping the dust of the crystals into a gas flame the color of the flame will confirm the identity of the crystal. If the flame is a pale green it is barite, but if the flame is red it is celestite. The flame test works because the elements barium (Ba) and strontium (Sr) react in the flame and produce those colors Most barite produced is used as a weighting agent in drilling muds. These high density muds are circulated down the drill stem and return to the surface between the drill stem and the wall of the well. This action effectively flushes the cuttings produced by the drill and carries them to the surface. Barite is also used as a pigment in paints and as a weighted filler for paper and cloth. It is the primary ore of barium. Barite's high density makes it opaque to x-rays. If it is given to a patient as a drink or enema it can be used to image the shape of internal organs by x-ray.
Sign of Barite:Aquarius
Over-sensitivity to cold or temperature change, confusion, memory, shyness, chronic fatigue, detoxification, vision, overcoming addictions, sore throat, calming the stomach.
A powerful transformer, it can bring about a catharsis and is best used under the supervision of a crystal therapist. Barite strengthens your boundaries and enhances your ability to stand alone. If you have been at the beck and call of others, or conformed to their ideals instead of your own, Barite sets you free. It is beneficial for friendships and insight into your relationships.
Notable Occurrences include Oklahoma, Connecticut and Colorado, USA; England and Germany. Barite occurs in a large number of depositional environments, and is deposited through a large number of processes including biogenic, hydrothermal, and evaporation, among others. Barite commonly occurs in lead-zinc veins in limestones, in hot spring deposits, and with hematite ore.
