amulets.

Agate is thought to be particularly useful in preventing

children from falling and is also worn by adults to avoid stumbling.
An agate held in the mouth relieves thirst. It was once used to
reduce fevers by applying it to the forehead. Held in the hand the
agate calms and refreshes the body and helps it heal minor health
problems
Agates were popular talismans in the Middle East to ensure the
healthy state of the blood. In ancient Britain they were worn to guard
against skin diseases. Triangular-shaped agates were used in Syria to
avert intestinal problems.
In ceremonial magic, agates were engraved with serpents ormen
riding on snakes. Worn as an amulet this magical jewel prevented
snake, scorpion and insect bites and stings.
The agate is sometimes used in protective spells and rituals and
was once thought to be a sovereign guard against sorcery, demons
and fiendish possession.
In Asia, agates were used much as quartz crystal is today. To
ascertain future trends the scryer gazed at the markings on the stone,
allowing the deep mind to project its psychic impulses to the conscious
mind.
The numerous types of agate-vaguely distinguishable by color
or markings-are used in various types of magic. Though any type of
agate may be worn for the above uses, these particular stones have
traditional energies. Here's a list of some of the major ones and their
magical attributions:
BandedAgate: (Energy: Projective, Element: Fire) Protection. Restores
bodily energy and eases stressful situations.
Black Agate: (Energy: Projective, Element: Fire) Another protective
stone. Wear for courage and successful competitions.
Black and White Agate: (Energy: Receptive, Element: Earth) Worn
as an amulet, this stone guards against physical dangers.
Blue Lace Agate: (Energy: Receptive, Element: Water) Wear or
carry for peace and happiness. Place in your hand to de-stress. Lay
one on your desk or other work station and gaze at it when in stressful
situations. In the horne, a blue lace agate surrounded with flaming,
light blue candles calms the psychic atmosphere and reduces household
or family quarrels.
Brown or Tawny Agate: (Energy: Projective, Element: Fire) Once
worn by warriors for victory in battle, the brown agate is used today
Amber is perhaps the oldest substance used for human adornment.
Beads and pendants of amber have been found in northern
European gravesites dating back to 8000 B.C.E. (before the common
era; the nonreligious equivalent of B.C.)
It is not a stone, but fossilized resin of coniferous (cone-bearing,
like modern pine) trees of the Oligocene epoch. It often contains
fragments or complete specimens of insects and plants that accidentally
fell into the sticky resin millions of years ago.
Because amber, unlike gemstones, is warm to the touch and often
contains insect fragments, it was thought to possess life. The early
Chinese visualized the souls of tigers transmuting into amber upon
their earthly deaths. It was sacred to worshippers of the Mother Goddess
in classical times because it was believed to contain the very
essence of life itself-the animating principle.
Because amber is a fossil, it has associations with time, cycles and
longevity. Similarly, since it was once a living substance, it is related to
Akasha. This is the 'fifth element', which governs and binds together
Earth, Air, Fire and Water, and, in a sense, is the ultimate source of
them. Akasha is also symbolic of life and living things (plants,
animals, humans).
In some contemporary Wiccan covens women-usually High
Priestesses-wear necklaces consisting of alternating amber and jet
beads. Though reasons for the use ofthese materials vary, it is said that
these two stones represent the Goddess and God, the feminine and
masculine principles, the projective and receptive forces of nature.
They also heighten magical effects.
Amber rubbed against wool or silk becomes electrically charged.
Its old Greek name was elektron, from which we derive our modern
word electricity.