Published May 2017  •  Updated March 2024  •  Read Time: 8 minutes
Apophyllite is a beautiful crystal that is typically colorless, but can also be green, pink or yellow.  When colorless it looks very similar to Clear Quartz.  Of the two, Apophyllite is a more delicate and needs to be handled with care, and its energy is likewise gentle, very high and pure.  It isn’t a single mineral, but rather a group of three closely-related minerals, whose difference can only be seen on an atomic level.  Most of the time, when we think about Apophyllite, we are specifically thinking of Fluorapophyllite.  Most of the crystals on the market comes from Pune, India where it is mined as a secondary mineral alongside Basalt.  The minerals which grow in Puna form very lovely colorless and green crystals with excellent points and transparency.

Apophyllite Points

Apophyllite Meaning

Spiritual Healing Properties

Apophyllite has a very interesting vibration, both high and pure as well as intimately grounding and connecting. It activates our Third Eye and psychic gifts, sharpening our inner vision and bringing forth spiritual wisdom. It helps us to hear our Spirit Guides more clearly and to feel the presence of our Guardian Angels. It can also be used to contact other beings, such as extraterrestrials and inter-dimensional beings.  Green Apophyllite in particular is excellent in gardens where it attracts nature spirits.  It can also help us to recognize our personal impact and responsibility towards the environment.  Apophyllite is a carrier of the Akashic Record and can help us to better understand and heal the past, present, and future. When we feel disconnected from our spirit and True Self, it lights up our path and lead us back home to ourselves.  It is a phenomenal stone for meditation practices and astral/shamanic journeying. It has been successfully used in fire-walking, to hold the meditative mental state as well as to protect the physical feet.

Metaphysical Properties Apophyllite
Chakra Heart, Third Eye and Crown
Element Wind and Earth
Numerology 4
Zodiac Gemini and Libra

Emotional Healing Properties

Apophyllite has a sweet and steady presence that shines like a bright light in the darkness. It sings of universal love and healing, and promises us that we too deserve a beautiful life and inner peace. It brings us hope and encourages us to have faith in a better tomorrow. When we feel afraid, depressed, angry, overwhelmed or lost, it can help us re-center and find the our unshakeable core. It releases suppressed emotions and cynicism and helps us to heal our deepest inner wounds. Apophyllite encourages us to think about our emotions and patterns more critically and to articulate them out loud so they can be examined in the light of day. In this way, they can be seen clearly and their power/worth better gauged. Oftentimes, the crystal will help us to realize that the things we have given power to, do not actually deserve so much power over us. Apophyllite helps us to reclaim our power and to give it generously to the positive forces in our life. Apophyllite is a particularly good ally if we need to acknowledge and break negative patterns of using “outside things” (such as money, food, sex, alcohol, etc.) as a substitute to avoid dealing with our actual emotions and the reality of our circumstances.

Mental Healing Properties

Apophyllite encourages us to step back and take a wider perspective. It’s calm energy inspires introspection and gently motivates us to examine our own behavior and belief systems. It helps us to be more open and honest, and willing to abandon old systems that no longer serve us or accurately reflect what we now know to be true.  It reminds us that we can make mistakes, we can evolve, we can even change course radically.  Apophyllite helps us to be comfortable with apologizing and to be willing to reach out to others if we have been in error.  It also helps us to let go of a guilty conscience, once we have acknowledged our own part and done our best to make amends. It helps us to stay logical and reasonable, rather than being swept up by emotions. It does not tolerate victim-blaming or victim-wallowing. Instead it infuses our thinking with spirit and love, so that we see what is real, and, as a result, we are more able to make good decisions that serve the Highest Good.  Green Apophyllite also reminds us that we are not exclusively responsible for what happens in our life. While we do get to ‘play the cards we are dealt’, but rarely get to choose the cards themselves. We are part of a much greater system, both good and bad, and as such our successes and failures cannot be laid solely at our feet. Green Apophyllites asks us to be more compassionate to ourselves and others. It invites us to grow up, do our best, and call it good enough.

Physical Healing Properties

Apophyllite is recommended if we are suffering from the stress that comes with mystery illness.  We want to believe that modern doctors know everything and that every illness can be diagnosed and cured.  In reality, sometimes the body behaves in unusual ways and doctors can only treat the symptoms.  This crystal helps us to stay calm and to accept “what is” rather than railing against the unfairness and uncertainty of it all.  It reminds us that when dealing with a physical problem, we also need to take good care of our mental and emotional states.  When we are calm, it is always easier to handle whatever physical issues come our way.  Apophyllite is an exquisite crystal for reiki practitioners and other alternative healers, who need to be pure channels for healing energy to flow through.  It is also a lovely talisman for asthma, allergies and other respiratory problems.  Green Apophyllite is highly recommended for anyone who suffers from Nature Deficit Disorder to remind us to get outside.

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Apophyllite Mineralogy

Where does Apophyllite come from?

 Apophyllite deposits are relatively widespread, but good crystals are found in only a few locations.  The majority of the Apophyllite on the market is from India.  Other notable locations include Canada, Germany, Italy, Namibia, South Africa, United Kingdom and the United States.

Mining and Treatments

Apophyllite is usually mined in its primary deposit, often as a secondary mineral in a commercial Basalt mine.  In India, where the majority of Apophyllite crystals come from, the mines are in western India, near the city of Puna. The Basalt is crushed and then used as road-making material, gravel for train tracks and other construction purposes.  Artisanal miners mine the secondary minerals found growing in the veins and cavities within the Basalt.  Many of these minerals are delicate and so must be removed using hand tools.

All Apophyllites are natural, enhanced only by tumbling, cutting, and polishing.

Apophyllite Placeholder
Apophyllite

The Environmental & Social Impact of Crystals

Your crystals should have a healing energy that is clean, powerful, & makes a positive difference.

Mineral Family

Apophyllite was once considered a single mineral, but is now divided into three very closely-related minerals: Fluorapophyllite, Hydroxapophyllite and Natroapophyllite.  Of these, the majority are Fluorapophyllite.  Apophyllite is a phyllosilicate mineral. Silicates are minerals which contain the elements Silicon (a light gray shiny metal) and Oxygen (a colorless gas). Together, these two elements form a tetrahedron – a shape similar to a pyramid – with a Silicon atom in the center and Oxygen atoms at each of the four corners. These tetrahedra connect with other chemical structures, in six different ways, to form various minerals and rocks. There are six main groups of Silicate minerals, and these main groups are further subdivided into secondary subdivisions, such as Quartz and Feldspar.  Apophyllite belongs to the phyllosilicate group, whose tetrahedra connect at three corners to form hexagonal rings.

Cavansite’s energy works well with its family – other phyllosilicate minerals.  Try it in combination with Cavansite, Chlorite Quartz, Chrysocolla, Fuchsite, Kammererite, Lepidolite, Muscovite, Petalite, Prehnite, Seraphinite, and Serpentine

Apophyllite Formation and Crystal Associates

Apophyllites are typically formed as secondary minerals in the cavities of basalt rocks.  They sometimes also grow in metamorphic rocks and hydrothermal deposits.  During formation, the ratio of fluoride, hydrogen, and oxygen molecules determines which variety of Apophyllite is created.  In most cases, the balance leans more heavily towards fluoride and oxygen, which is why Fluorapophyllite is the most common member of the Apophyllite group.

Apophyllite’s energy works well with its “friends” – crystal associates formed in the same geological environment.  Try it in combination with Scolecite and Stilbite

How to distinguish between Apophyllite and Quartz

Apophyllite and Clear Quartz look very similar, but have different geological properties.  Apophyllite has a MOH’s hardness level of only 4.5 and can more easily break if it’s dropped or handled too roughly.  When Apophyllite breaks, it usually cleaves perfectly into two pieces.  Quartz has a MOH’s hardness level of 7 which is fairly sturdy.  When Quartz is damaged, it’s likely to chip, rather than to break cleanly.  This is because on an atomic level Quartz has equally strong chemical bonds in all directions, while Apophyllite has weaker bonds in one direction and when stressed it will break along the weaker line.

Mineralogy Apophyllite
Chemical Formula KCa4Si8O20 (F, OH) 8H2O
Cleavage Perfect
Color Colorless, pink, green, or yellow
Crystal System Tetragonal
Form/Habit Tabular, prismatic
Fracture Uneven, brittle
Hardness – Mohs Scale 4.5-5
Luminescence None unless heated
Luster Vitreous, pearly
Mineral Family Phyllosilicates
Specific Gravity 2.3-2.4
Streak Colorless
Transparency Transparent to translucent

History of Apophyllite

Apophyllite is found around the world, but has only recently been explored by the metaphysical community.  As a result, it is not included in any ancient or medieval lapidaries, texts that describe gemstones and their powers.  It was first scientifically described in the early 1800s.  Its name comes from the Greek words apo (“to take off”) and phyllazein (leaf) – a reference to the way that this mineral separates into thin layers when heated, due to a loss of water in its structure.

Apophyllite’s popularity in recent decades is directly related to the rise of the automobile industry.  This is because the mineral deposits are most often found within Basalt.  Basalt is an igneous rock which is one of the main ingredients used to make modern asphalt roads.  Basalt is currently mined in huge quantities and so the Apophyllite  is likewise mined as a beautiful secondary by-product.

Apophyllite is mined with basalt for highways

Apophyllite was originally considered to be a single mineral.  In 1978, the International Mineralogy Association determined it was actually two sub-species, Fluorapophyllite and Hydroxyanpophyllite.  In the former, the element of fluorine is dominate, while in the latter, hydroxyl (a combination of hydrogen and oxygen) is dominate.  In 1981, Natroaophyllite was added to the mineral group.  This third sub-mineral includes sodium instead of potassium in its chemical composition.  In 2008, the International Mineralogy Association decided that these three technical names were overly-complicated.  So the prefixes were removed and suffixes added.  As of now, the Apophyllite family of minerals is technically Apophyllite-(KF) [Fluorapophyllite], Apophyllite-(KOH) [Hydroxyapophyllite], and Apophyllite-(NaF) [Natroapophyllite].

All three sub-species look similar and can appear in a variety of different colors, making it very difficult to distinguish between them without a scientific lab.  Unsurprisingly, few collectors ever distinguished between the three sub-minerals, and instead all are labeled “Apophyllite.”  The vast majority of the mineralson the market are Apophyllite (KF).  This includes the stock carried by Moonrise Crystals.  Apophyllite-(KOH) is far more rare – the main deposit is in Virginia, USA.  The rarest form of all is Apophyllite-(NaF) which is found in very small quantities in a few Indian quarries that also produce the common Apophyllite-(KF).

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