LIBYAN DESERT GLASS

What’s all the commotion?

29 million years ago a mysterious silica-rich natural glass, called Libyan Desert Glass (LDG) was formed. Also known as Libyan Gold Tektite or Great Sand Sea Glass, this fascinating stone is found between sand dunes in western Egypt's southwestern corner of the Great Sand Sea (modern day Sahara Desert, in what is Western Egypt and Eastern Libya), glittering as glass gems under the radiant desert Sun. This golden glass, usually yellow in color, but can range from being clear, milky, bubbly yellow, or even an amber orange, are found spread over several square miles. While P. Clayton was the first to discover it in 1932, it has a long tradition that dates back to Ancient Egypt (more on that later in the article).

What makes these stones mysterious to the scientific community, and what makes them obsessive to the metaphysical world? Let’s find out!

As hard to imagine as it is, some things remain an unresolved scientific mystery, even in this century where we dream of colonizing Mars, and have vast technological advances, including reinvention of our commerce system with cryptocurrencies (yes, we were catching Elon Musk’s SNL debut and his “to the moon,” with Dogecoin, too!). One among these mysteries is our very own Libyan Desert Glass. The question that baffles the scientific community, and that which has created various surrounding hypotheses revolves around Libyan Desert Glass’…origin. 

It is known that Libyan Desert Glass is a glass, due to its silica-rich composition, which is also termed as Lechatelierite in this case, because of its quality of being not only a silica glass, but also an amorphous SiO2, non-crystalline mineraloid. Which means that it doesn’t have the traditional crystal structure, though sometimes it is placed in the quartz mineral group. Major and trace element presences are relatively uniform in Libyan Desert Glass, though few cristobalite inclusions do occur in it, but it is otherwise glassy. Cristobalite is a kind of silica that is found in small octahedral crystals and is the main component of Opal. What makes this fascinating all on its own accord is, Libyan Desert Glass is a naturally occurring glass. Since the sand beds where glass is formed are almost entirely made up of silica, naturally occurring glass is very rare. Why? Where a glass is as pure as 90%+ silica, it takes extremely high temperatures to convert the silica to a glass form. So, things are usually added to silica to cajole it down from the extremely high temperatures needed to melt it. Fluxes are used to obtain a lower melt temperature, as melting pure silica requires temperatures above 3100° Fahrenheit. To form Libyan Desert Glass, at all, requires this level of extreme heat, concentrated at the pure silica. The creation itself is of a tremendous high energy event, which adds to its rarity and reverence.

Before we explore the varied origin hypotheses speculated of Libyan Desert Glass, it is important to know the distinction between tektites and impactites, also called impact glasses. 

Tektites VS. Impactites

During a massive meteorite strike, the terrestrial ground and the extraterrestrial object are attempting to inhabit the same space at the same time. At that moment, there's an explosion that leaves a crater and plenty of other formations and deposits, as evidence. The effect is so powerful that certain pieces of the earth's crust are not only thrown into the air, but also heated into molten rock that acts like liquid glass. When droplets of the molten rock, as liquid glass, move through the atmosphere, they are quickly cooled into solids, though they often maintain their droplet shape.

Impactites

Impactites or impact glass, is a term used to usually categorize materials that are created by meteorite impacts. This includes molten or melted rocks, shocked minerals, and shatter cones. Shocked minerals are when the crystalline structure of quartz or another mineral are deformed along planes within the crystal during the event of pressure shock. Although there is a lot of pressure in this situation, the temperature isn't too high. Shatter cones are distinctive cone or fan-shaped structures in rocks with horsetail-like radiating fracture lines. Nuclear blast zones and meteorite impact systems are the only two places where they can be seen. These shatter cones result as a consequence of a massive impacting object or a large explosion producing a high-pressure, high-velocity shock wave.

Tektites

Tektites are non-volcanic, spherical, pitted bodies of silicate glass formed by massive hypervelocity meteorite impacts with terrestrial rocks. They've been identified as "splash droplets" from large meteorite impacts on Earth. Tektites vary in color and age based on when they were discovered. Tektites are mostly black in color, but they may also be light green or greenish yellow (hint hint, Moldavite). The age ranges from 35.5 million to 750,000 years. They are distinguished chemically by exceptionally high silica contents, which range from 70 percent in Australasian tektites to 98 percent in Libyan Desert Glass.

While they both, Tektites and Impactites, seem similar, as they were created by high velocity events, and involve similar terrestrial or extra-terrestrial components, Tektites:

are natural glasses (silicate-rich) formed from terrestrial material that was melted and displaced by the impact of an extraterrestrial body. Composition analysis of tektites suggests that they are end products of shock melting or vaporization of terrestrial soils, sediments or rocks, during impact catering. They are typically small glassy free-forms of previously melted material that often show evidence of aerodynamic shaping while they were molten. Because of this, they are considered to be droplets of molten rock thrown high into the atmosphere, and outward over large distances from the original impact site. 

These are the notable differences between Tektites and Impactites:

• Since tektites often have an aerodynamic aspect to their origin, they are usually symmetrical in shape, uniform in their chemical make-up, and have VERY LOW water contents. Contrastingly, impactites or impact glasses are usually irregular in shape, less uniform in their chemical make-up, and have HIGHER water contents. 
• Tektites are found at four geographically constrained areas, which are referred to as “strewn fields.” Tektites being found within these strewn fields, is a part of their identification. Because, varied geochemical and isotopic studies have concluded these tektites extraterrestrial impact origin, along with the traceable presence of the original impact craters involved. 
• While impactites or impact glasses are known to occur at impact craters on Earth, either originating from high energy meteorite impact events or other high energy events such as airbursts, as we will discuss further along, the major difference is that impact glasses are found directly at a crater, whereas tektites occur in a strewn field away from the source crater, because they have the aerodynamic aspect of their creation. 

* Key-take away:

Differences:

• Water content is often 10 times higher in impactites or impact glasses than in tektites
• Impactites or Impact glasses occur directly at the source crater, whereas tektites occur in strewn fields
• The gas bubble pressure within tektites aligns to an altitude of up to 70 kilometers, whereas the pressure of impact glass is at surface level

Similarities:

Both are produced by impact melting of terrestrial surface rocks, whether in the case of tektites the source of the impact being extraterrestrial, and in the case of impactites, it could be either an extraterrestrial object, like a meteor, or a terrestrial event such as airbursts.

I’m all caught up on what Tektites and Impactites are, now what’s the deal with Libyan Desert Glass? Why is its origin such a mystery?!  I hear you, let’s get to it:

Origin Hypotheses

1. The Meteor Hypothesis

One hypothesis for the source of Libyan Desert Glass is that the silica was heated at the Earth’s surface millions of years ago as a result of a meteor impact. The extraordinary heat used to melt the silica is thought to have been produced by that catastrophic event. The biggest flaw in this hypothesis is that an extraterrestrial object descending to Earth from the upper atmosphere takes just a few minutes to hit the surface. It is thought that there could not have been enough time for the meteor to heat up enough to fuse the silica into the glass discovered on the desert floor. To make glass of the standard of Libyan Desert glass, you'll need a lot of time and a lot of concentrated heat. Since, as we had discussed above, glass, in the quality of Libyan Desert Glass, is as pure as 90%+ silica, and it takes temperatures of ranges 3100° Fahrenheit, to melt silica to achieve that glass form. And, a meteor falling to the surface of the earth from the upper atmosphere, in 15 minutes time or less, is hardly enough time to heat it up to a point to sustain that heat once landing on the desert floor, to create that shift from silica to glass.

But, there is substantial other evidence that the meteor hypothesis is most likely because:

While Libyan Desert Glass differs from other impact glasses in that they occur most often directly at or inside an impact crater, no conclusive crater has ever been discovered for Libyan Desert Glass. However, evidence for an impact origin includes the presence of schlieren and partially digested mineral phases such as lechatelierite, which is a high-temperature mineral melt of quartz, and baddeleyite, which is a high-temperature mineral melt of quartz.

Owing to the occurrence of platinum-group element variations, there is some clear support for the presence of a meteoritic component in the dark streaks or layers of the desert glass. An osmium isotopic analysis verified this, with osmium abundances and isotopic values indicating the existence of a meteoritic variable in Libyan Desert Glass. The iron oxidation state means that iron exists in a more depleted state in the layers with higher iron content, implying that any or all of the iron in these layers is directly obtained from the meteoritic projectile and is not of terrestrial origin.

Another perplexing factor with the origin of the Libyan Desert Glass are the terrestrial elements involved. The glass's original terrestrial material source also remains an enigma. The abundant levels of rare earth elements (REEs) point to a sedimentary precursor rock, while trace element abundances and ratios point to an upper crustal source. No sands or sandstones from different sources in the area appear to be good candidates to be the sole precursors of Libyan Desert Glass, according to this data. Surface sand compositional evidence shows major variations from the average Libyan Desert Glass composition. Additionally, the presence of mullite in Libyan Desert Glass samples recently verified the high-temperature involved. These geochemical measurements were critical in determining the Libyan Desert Glass's origin as a kind of impact glass, as well as providing useful information about the source material.

2. The Volcano Hypothesis

Another hypothesis is that the silica was heated by volcanic eruptions. Commonly, either basalt glasses or very crude lower temperature glasses are observed (similar to the Obsidian class of glasses). Both of these types of volcanic glasses are distinct from Libyan Desert Glass. Researchers who have observed this area have suggested an alternative hypothesis, known as the Sol-Gel Hypothesis, as a result of this finding.

3. The Hydrothermal Sol-Gel Hypothesis

The researchers discovered accumulating signs of ancient volcanic activity by observing the geology of the desert surrounding the sources of Libyan Desert Glass. The location of these ancient volcanoes appeared to correspond to the plurality of the Libyan Desert Glass. Though, volcanic activity, with magma temperatures exceeding 2,372°F, is usually insufficient to melt silica into the form of glass used in the Libyan Desert.

There is, however, a method for making glass from silica that involves heating it repeatedly. Researchers believe the glass was created using a method known as sol-gel. Which is made up of small silica particles that melt and then eventually form glass, a process that may require several years of heating and cooling to complete. Opals are a type of sol-gel that are made up of silica-based particles and other minerals that are heated repeatedly in volcanic vents to form the rainbow-colored gems that we are all acquainted with. Since the conditions and content of the silica beds in the Libyan desert area are very different from those in Australia that generate opals, the Libyan glass does not look like opals.

This Sol-Gel hypothesis does have substantial evidence, however, it ignores the abundance of evidence for an impact origin of these glasses, such as the existence of schlieren and partially or fully digested minerals like lechatelierite or baddeleyite, as well as evidence for the presence of reidite, a high-pressure polymorph of ZrSiO4 that demands shock pressures on the range of 30 GPa, which is the typical rigidity of a rock.

4. Airburst

One of the more withstanding hypotheses is an origin by airburst, for the formation of Libyan Desert Glass. This hypothesis speculates that the glass formed due to melting caused by an airburst from an asteroid or another object that was burning up high in the Earth’s atmosphere.

This hypothesis has garnered weight due to the lack of an evident impact crater from any object having made contact with the ground in the surrounding desert area where the glass has been found. Additionally, it was earlier thought that there is an absence of substantial evidence of any damage from high pressure shock waves that would be present if there were an impact.

While both meteorite impacts and airbursts are catastrophic events, where high energy and high shock are at play, the considerably larger meteorite impacts, tend to be rarer occurrences, and airbursts are more frequent in occurrence. One example is the most recent airburst event that occurred over Chelyabinsk, Russia, back in 2013. This incident resulted in significant collateral loss as well as injuries to individuals. Despite the impact, and releasing 0.5 megatons of energy into the atmosphere, it did not cause melting or shock damage.

Some scientists believe that the Libyan desert glass was triggered by a 100-megaton airburst, which is 200 times greater than the Russian airburst. Modeling atmospheric nuclear explosions yielded the airburst concept. A massive airburst, like a nuclear blast, releases radiation into the atmosphere that can melt surface materials. To further cement their speculations, an airburst, would not leave a crater, either, just as there is an absence of one in the Libyan Desert Glass’ origin site.

So, what is the likely Origin? | Why I am inclined to lean towards a Meteorite origin:

The proof of a rare mineral called reidite (as discussed earlier), which only forms after a meteorite impact when atoms in the mineral zircon are compressed into a tighter structure... is the turning point in substantiating the Meteorite theory. Minerals of high-pressure origins, such as these, are characteristic of being formed during meteorite impacts, and not during airbursts. Zircon is a mineral that can be found in granite, sandstone, and other types of rock. It has been discovered on the Earth, the Moon, Mars, and in various meteorites. It's a common method for determining when rocks formed and their age. 

When looking for signs of shock deformation caused by a meteorite impact, zircon is also useful. Zircon deforms by subtly bending the crystal when subjected to low shock pressure. However, as the shock intensity rises, zircon reacts in a variety of ways, and reidite forms as a result of the increased extreme stresses. Zircon will re-crystallize if the rocks get too hot. As a consequence, a network of novice, small interlocking grains are generated. Zircon degrades to zirconia at temperatures above 1,700°C. Many zircon grains can be found in Libyan desert glass, all of which are smaller than a strand of human hair. Although the majority of the glass formations responded to zirconia due to the high sun, about 10% of them retain reidite proof. Reidite, on the other hand, is no longer active. Since reidite is unstable when heated, it reverts to zircon at temperatures above 1,200°C. It can only be salvaged if the shocked rocks don't dissolve. To determine whether reidite once existed in shocked zircons that were hot, a specialized technique known as electron backscatter diffraction is used. Analyzing the crystal orientations of the minuscule interlocking grains of reverted zircon is the key to finding traces of former reidite. As reidite reverts to zircon, it leaves behind a fingerprint that can be identified using orientation analysis. Reidite fingerprints were discovered in samples of Libyan desert glass using this process. Former reidite critical crystal orientation indications was found in all of the seven samples that were analyzed.

Reidite is a rare mineral found only at meteorite impact sites. It can be contained in crater ejected material as well as shocked rocks. Former reidite has been detected in zircon from impact melt in previous tests, close to how it was discovered in Libyan desert glass. Every 10,000 years, a 100-megaton airburst may occur, but the geological record does not support the theory that this type of phenomenon caused Libyan Desert Glass to form. Furthermore, the reidite fingerprint suggests that the only feasible alternative is a meteor strike. However, there are still unanswered questions about Libyan Desert Glass, such as the site of the source crater, its size, and whether it has eroded away; without all of those as concrete evidence, it is still difficult to conclude in certainty.

Libyan Desert Glass is still a highly cryptic material. The mode of creation, whether airburst or impact, or a hybrid of the two, has yet to be determined. It seems that an origin by impact, or at least mostly by impact, is the most possible scenario. The discovery of shocked bedrock and strong evidence of physical association of meteoritic material with the target rocks, as seen by the admixture of meteoritic material in the glass, cement the prospect. Given the erosion rate in such places, the lack of a crater, or at least the fact that none has yet been found, is troubling but not difficult to justify. To understand Libyan Desert Glass solely by airburst raises the question of why high-pressure, high-temperature, and meteoritic additives are present. Furthermore, if Libyan Desert Glass was not created by impact of something extra-terrestrial with then terrestrial, why aren't there more comparable deposits on Earth, given that an airburst would be much more natural than an extra-terrestrial impact? Whatever the forming process was, all of this suggests the Libyan Desert Glass is rare, complicated, and a deep mystery.

While the Scientific world is still baffled by the origins, the Metaphysical world is obsessed for entirely another reason. Let’s explore that, shall we?

Regardless of the mysterious origin of the Libyan Desert Glass, the knowledge that it was created by forces upwards of 100-megatons, whether they be of a meteoric origin or an airburst, make their formation a tremendously transformative, catalytic, and high energy event.

A stone being created, nay, this glass only being able to have been created by such a high energy event, in that particular desert area in our world, that, too, as quickly, makes it something very special.

Apart from its varied metaphysical effects, and the reasons for its reverence (we will explore this next in the article), this singular knowledge of Libyan Desert Glass’ origin— being of a highly energized and transformative event (changing pure silica into golden glass, 29 million years ago, in a short period of time!), is enough to understand what an extraordinary piece of the natural world we hold in our hands! Libyan Desert Glass serves as a gateway for the natural and extra-natural world. Regardless of the added wonders of whether this glass has an extraterrestrial component or not (I am inclined to believe it does), the unbelievable opportunity to hold a 29 million old, extra-ordinary creation in our hands, itself, is nothing short of mind-blowing and a miracle. Get a piece of Libyan Desert Glass, and experience this wonderment for yourself! 

Egyptian Connection

However mysterious Libyan Desert Glass’ origin remains, its connection to ancient Egypt makes it even more appealing, due to the ancient Egyptians’ reverence of it.

The remains of Ancient Egypt and its once thriving culture have yielded relics and objects made of this naturally formed glass. This rare mineral was speculated to be worshipped by the pharaohs and their Gods in addition to its use as daily tools and weapons that were made from it. A very special pendant was found around King Tutankhamen's body when Howard Carter discovered his burial chamber in 1922. The scarab, a powerful and divine incarnation amulet and emblem of Ancient Egypt, was nearly accurately carved into the charm's base. By the ancient Egyptians use of this glass in King Tutankhamen's scarab pendant, it is discerned that it was regarded as "the Rock of God.” The stone's source and location remained a mystery for almost a decade after it was discovered.

This yellow-green scarab at the heart of Tutankhamen's (Tutankhamun) pendant, made of Libyan glass, is said to be older than Egyptian civilization itself, considering that the glass was created 29 million years ago, though the gem in which it is located was made much later by the ancient Egyptians.

To me, it is surreal how something that was used and touched by our ancestors so far back, is the very thing we, too, can experience, asserting a certain connection to the onset of humanity, to the past, even when those people themselves are long gone.

It is also interesting to note that Libyan Desert Glass was also used by prehistoric women, according to some accounts, since it was used for Paleolithic tools such as sharp blades dating back to around 10,000 years ago.

Why you should experience Libyan Desert Glass for yourself!

Egypt

Howard Carter, a British archeologist, uncovered the intact tomb of King Tutankhamen, who ruled Egypt nearly 3,300 years ago, in 1922. Tutankhamen's burial chambers were brimming with ivory statues, gold objects, and a variety of precious jewels. Carter discovered a huge breastplate adorned with gold, silver, assorted precious jewels, and a strange gemstone inside a treasure chest (what we now know to be Libyan Desert Glass). The God Ra (Egyptian God of the Sun, Order, Kings, and the Sky) is depicted on the breastplate, with a winged scarab beetle made of this (Libyan Desert Glass) yellow/green gemstone bringing the celestial bark into the sky with the Sun and Moon.

Carter initially mistook this gemstone for chalcedony, a typical variety of mineral quartz. As British geographer Patrick Clayton visited the Great Sand Sea near the modern-day Egyptian-Libyan frontier in 1932, he discovered several unusual bits of glass in the sand. This glass appeared to be the same as the gemstone discovered in Tutankhamen's tomb's breastplate. Clayton assumed the glass fragments were quartz-rich minerals from a dried-up lake. In 1998, Italian mineralogist Vincenzo de Michele studied the optical properties of the gemstone in King Tutankhamen's breastplate and confirmed that it was, in fact, a piece of Libyan Desert Silica Glass, as we now know it.

It's one of the world's rarest minerals, located only in the Great Sand Sea north of the Gilf Kebir Plateau, one of the most isolated and barren parts of the Libyan Desert. Although archeological evidence indicates that an ancient system of caravan routes existed around the Gilf Kebir Plateau, it does not seem possible that the routes were used to look for or trade for the desert glass. It only adds to the mystery of how Libyan Desert Glass made its way into ancient Egypt's royal kingdom. It appears that the piece used to carve the scarab was found by accident or was sent to the pharaoh as an exotic gift (especially since it remains to be the only known example of where an Egyptian artist used this mysterious material).

For whatever exact reason the ancient Egyptians found the Libyan Desert Glass to be elevated enough for it to be the center piece in King Tutankhamen’s breastplate, how surreal is it that we, too, can experience its mystery for ourselves? An exotic, and highly prized stone by the Ancient Egyptians surely is something we, too, would want to experience! Perhaps, then, we’ll see its reverence, as well!

Terrestrial Meets the Extraterrestrial

In agreement of the Meteorite hypothesis, an airburst alone does not justify the creation of the desert glass, since when the researchers examined grains of the mineral zircon contained in the glass, they discovered that the supposed zircon grains are really reidite, a very rare mineral.

Reidite is chemically similar to zircon, but its crystalline structure is distinct and denser. Reidite can only form at very high pressures, such as those seen during major meteorite impacts. The low pressure of an airburst does not allow Reidite to develop.

According to the researchers, airbursts cause shock waves with pressures of thousands of pascals in the Earth's atmosphere. The shock waves in the earth during a meteorite impact will exceed billions of pascals, millions of times more intense than any airburst. The stray area of desert glass fragments discovered in the Libyan Desert can only be explained by a meteorite effect on the earth, causing enough pressure to shape the reidite and enough heat to melt the sand. Even though radiometric dating indicates the impact occurred about 29 years ago, the location of the impact crater identified with the Libyan Desert Glass remains unknown.

Similar to Moldavite (a Tektite exclusively found in the Czech Republic, when a meteorite struck the earth 14.7 million years ago), Libyan Desert Glass’ origin, though an inconclusive mystery, may still be one of Meteoric origins. The high energy involved in its formation, aligns with its transformational role in one’s life. When stones are formed in such cataclysmic, and high energy events (like with Moldavite: the effect was estimated to have a power of about six trillion megatons. This is equivalent to multiplying all of the atomic bombs on the planet by a million or so and then still not having enough energy to create Moldavite), the sheer magnitude of the energies at play, as well as the drastically fast timeline in which these materials get created, seem to play a large role in how these stones effect people’s lives. Both Moldavite and Libyan Desert Glass are seen to be transformative, disruptive, and rapidly catalytic stones, and their similar meteoric and high-energy origins seem to be a reason for that.

What makes both Moldavite and Libyan Desert Glass, along with other tektites, unique is the fusion of terrestrial and extra-terrestrial energies. 

What makes Libyan Desert Glass even more unique than the other tektite formations is, of course, its complicated extra-terrestrial origin, its age being almost twice that of Moldavite, and its terrestrial make-up having a complicated origin or source, as well, as it has been difficult to understand what exactly the originating terrestrial material was (as discussed in the sections above), other than the main component being Libyan desert sand.

This fusion of the extraterrestrial and the terrestrial makes the Libyan Desert Glass truly unique, in being able to expand our connections not only deep into our own planet, but also outwards into what exists around and apart from us.

It is thought that the darker, and the darker brown/green Libyan Desert Glass pieces contain more of the extra-terrestrial components to them.

The discovery of a meteoritic component inside dark streaks in the LDG has provided clear evidence for an impact origin of the glass, according to The Meteoritical Society, owing to dark streaks present in unusual LDG fragments providing useful knowledge about the potential projectile. 

They say that there are two types of dark streaks: (1) cloudy, brownish streaks with pronounced flow structures that contain clear evidence of an extraterrestrial component with enrichments in PGEs, Fe, Mg, Cr, Ni, and Co, as well as an extraterrestrial Os isotopic signature; and (2) grayish-bluish streaks with flow structures and enrichments in Mg, Al, and Co.

They go on to say that research based on the composition of dark streaks in LDG showed that a certain class of dark material is greatly enriched in Mg, Al, Co, Cr, Fe, Ni, and Ir as compared to light-yellow to greenish glass regions. The chondritic elemental ratios and enrichments in Co, Cr, Fe, Ni, and Ir have been taken as evidence for the existence of a meteoritic component in the dark glass, in accordance with Re-Os isotopic results.

Try exploring this for yourself in comparing the varied types of Libyan Desert Glass pieces! 

Metaphysical Aspects of Libyan Desert Glass

Libyan Desert Glass are thought to be highly protective crystals that will help you enhance your willpower since they are a radiant golden yellow color and contain the pulse of the Golden light— a strong spiritual energy. They are known to be effective manifestation tools as well as for enhancing spiritual healing. These unusual stones provide a powerful vibration in the solar plexus chakra, which is the seat of the will in the body. They, like all tektites and impactites, have a powerful aura that protects you from any harmful psychic energy that could be stored in the solar plexus or any other part of the physical and etheric bodies.

The Solar Plexus chakra zone functions as a psychic barrier, and these stones aid in this process by providing a deep resonance within the zone. Libyan Desert Glass is a beneficial stone for those who believe they do not belong on Earth and may have come from somewhere else in the world (similar to the mechanism of other Tektites, due to their extra-terrestrial origins).

Libyan Desert Glass is an energetically strong stone, probably because it embodies the vitality of the occurrence that gave rise to it (as we discussed earlier in the article). The color of the glass varies, but the color has no effect on the amount of energy it contains—except in the difference between non-brown/green ones and brown/green ones, since the latter are believed to have a more noticeable extra-terrestrial presence in them. In this case, the exact hue of yellow is unimportant since even light-yellow stones have a powerful vibration associated with the Solar Plexus chakra.

With all that is going on in our world, we can all accept that this is a moment of tremendous spiritual shifts and incredible physical activations of our light bodies. Our world is undergoing a profound transformation in which we are all tackling all of the dysfunctions and injustices that have existed for a long time, and there is undoubtedly a need for all of us to raise our energies by aligning ourselves and assisting our earth in aligning to more caring, inclusive, fair, and universally sustainable societies.

The high frequency energy that these stones provide is extremely beneficial in assisting one's continuing spiritual journeys. It has an incredible and highly mystical vibration that will assist us in reconnecting with ancient wisdom. These enigmatic stones contain the golden light and are excellent for meditation. They assist in past life explorations and are said to enable contact with entities from other worlds, including extraterrestrial beings.

This stone has a powerful, beneficial resonance in the solar plexus chakra, making it an excellent psychic defense stone. Their resonance keeps harmful psychic energy from building up in this zone. It also aids in the prevention of energy thieves (also known as Energy Vampires) from stealing your energy because it provides a powerful deterrent against these kinds of harmful events. It is also a powerful stone within the sacral chakra for increasing inspiration and creativity, and can stimulate those with the gift of clairsentience (enhanced ability to feel and sense energies), to have stronger abilities. They are potent stones to use in meditation because they can help you reach the field of the akashic records and learn more about lives you might have lived, especially in the area from which this stone emerged. Since these stones have a very high vibration and are claimed to enable you to communicate with extraterrestrials, it is assumed that this communication is connected to their extraterrestrial roots.

Main Metaphysical Attributes:

• powerful stones to aid the willpower
• holds strong energy to aid manifestation
• encourage growth of personal abundance and prosperity
• in alignment with one’s highest good, Libyan Desert Glass assists one to manifest an increase in money, opportunities, and attributes to make one “shine”
• heighten spiritual growth and spiritual healing
• their high vibration may aid light-body activation
• improves creativity
• highly protective, especially protective against energy vampires
• provides spiritual grounding, like all tektites and impactites 
• especially beneficial to use during time of transformation or vulnerability
• the potent Golden ray embodied within Libyan Desert Glass is effective for ascension
• useful to connect to ancient knowledge
• increased synchronicity with events that bring success in the Material world
• opens spiritual vision to allow one to experience deeper spiritual awareness, and aids stimulation of one’s mental ability in alignment with one’s highest good
• bridge between worlds, helps establish connection with other worlds
• complete support of your spiritual transformation and journey
  
  
  
  

Libyan Desert Glass for Healers and Light workers:

Light workers have been using Libyan Desert Glass, and have found that these high vibration stones are a strong aid for ascension. A Lightworker is a conscious soul who has chosen to act in accordance with their soul. They understand that we are all connected and that their existence has the power to influence social change. They have taken a deliberate effort to dedicate their lives to doing what lights them up and, in addition, to lighting up the world with their presence and service. They recognize that their acts (no matter how large or small) have the ability to effect lasting impact in the world, bringing it together in harmony and prosperity.

Wearing this stone can be useful if you are a healer. You can use its energy to ensure that you do not imbibe any of your client's negative energy attributed to their affliction/s. The golden light emitted by this stone energizes and endows all of the chakras beneath the heart. This promotes a more efficient transfer of life force energy all over the body. Libyan Desert Glass healing properties are also related to its potency in all of the lower chakras, where its golden light is considered to be extremely powerful. Since it has a deep resonance in the solar plexus chakra, the energy of this stone is potent in all of the chakras. It has strong healing properties, making it an ideal stone for crystal healers to use to help their clients. Additionally, some consider Libyan Desert Glass as a good grounding stone because it directs some extra divine energies to the earth star chakra for grounding.

Libyan Desert Glass | Chakras and Elements

Chakras:

Soul Star

Crown (Golden Ray)

Third Eye

Heart (Green Ray)

Solar Plexus (Yellow Ray)

Sacral

Earth Star

Elements:

Storm 

Fire

Sacred Numbers:

3

Chemical Composition:

SiO2 (95% Silica + Al,Ca,Fe,K,Mg,Mn,Na,Ti)

Mohs Hardness:

6.5 - 7.0

The Libyan Desert Glass is aligned with three different rays, including the Golden, Green, and Yellow Rays. The Crown Chakra is associated with the Golden Ray, while the Heart Chakra is associated with the Green Ray, and the solar plexus chakra is aligned with the third ray, also known as the Yellow Ray. As a result of the stone's operation on three distinct chakras by three different rays, it aids in the resolution of multiple physical and emotional problems associated with the chakras. It resonates with the Heart Chakra and the upper heart chakra, filling one with happiness, enthusiasm, and passion for life. This stone is also beneficial to the lower chakras, providing good healing effects for issues relating to these chakras. With the aid of the Libyan Desert Glass's Golden Ray, all chakras below the heart are rejuvenated and revitalized. Use this stone to provide a stronger, more continuous supply of life force energy throughout the body.

Best Combinations for working with Libyan Desert Glass

1. Moldavite and Libyan Desert Glass— Yin and Yang (teaser: next article!)

Combining Libyan Desert Glass with Moldavite, the famed dark green tektite, will significantly raise your vibration. This strong energy mix will help you progress to a new stage of your personal transformation. Libyan Desert Glass are high-vibration stones, and when combined with other high-energy crystals, especially tektites, they can have a powerful compound effect. When it comes to Moldavite and Libyan Desert Glass, the latter helps to mitigate Moldavite's more abrasive effects.

Moldavite is the "disruptor" throughout the transformation process, while Libyan Desert Glass is the "calmer," allowing us to work through the issues needed to transform while Libyan Desert Glass aligns us with the next step, attracting all the abundances we need in our lives to fully thrive and be prosperous.

2. Tektites and Pseudo tektites

Libyan Desert Glass works well with tektites such as: Darwin Glass, Guangdong Tektite, Indochinites: Philippinite, Vietnamite, Thailandite, Tibetan Tektite; and of course, Moldavite.

Libyan Desert Glass also pairs nicely with Pseudo tektites, such as: Agni Manitite, Saffordite, and Columbianite.

All of these pairings off a compound effect in terms of grounding, protection, connection to other realms, and amplification of life force energy and catalysis for transformation.

3. Solar Plexus or Power Chakra Stones

Libyan Desert Glass is an excellent addition to all of the solar plexus or power chakra stones, especially the radiant golden stones. It's a powerful manifestation stone, and its vibration can help every other manifestation stone perform much better.

For Manifestation and Golden stone power:

Citrine, Yellow Apatite, Amber, Madagascar Phenakite, Golden Agni Danburite, Golden Orthoclase

4. Crown Chakra Stones

The etheric “web” or matrix where past life information is thought to be stored is referred to as the Akashic records, and combining Libyan Desert Glass with high vibe stones that effect the Crown chakra can be a great way to access these insights effectively. 

For Akashic Records:

White Heulandite, Phenakite, Mystic Merlinite, Danburite, Russian Natrolite, Petrified Wood, Shaman Stones, Preseli Bluestone, Cavansite, Goethite or Chiastolite

5. Root Chakra Stones

Libyan Desert Glass, when combined with genuine Greenlandic Nuummite, will help you expel any strong karma that is preventing you from achieving your highest good. This stone combination can help you overcome limitations imposed on you in a previous life. When you're ready to confront whatever deep dark past life mysteries are holding you back, you can use Nuummite to help you get there. Nuummite is both grounding and defensive, so it's a double effective approach to healing when you're in a potentially vulnerable energetic situation.

Other stones that may benefit by the vibration of Libyan Desert Glass to stimulate Root Chakra healing include:

Jet, Garnet, Tibetan Morion Quartz, Apache Tears Obsidian, and Vesuvianite (Idocrase)

How to Work with Libyan Desert Glass

With Libyan Desert Glass being a transformational stone that provides powerful boosting energies that specifically align with one's solar plexus, sacral, and third eye chakras: it is particularly a great stone to work with when one begins their momentum forward into transformation, after having begun or journeyed far-along in their shadow work.

When one embarks on their own personal journey with this rare glass, star qualities within oneself will emerge and begin to shine. One’s personal will, will soon undergo a "rebirthing" process, reshaping it with true interstellar energies. One will note a greater sense of power over oneself and one’s decision-making capacity.

Libyan Desert Glass aids in the ascension process by aligning one's powers with those of the ether. Similar to how Libyan Desert Glass incorporates terrestrial and extraterrestrial energies, it works with us in a way to bridge our inner self to the outer-self— to bring forth our successful transformation and help us to shine in this world. Additionally, this stone helps us access ancient knowledge, and make connections with the beyond. And, most importantly, it will cause you to flourish in your mind, body, and spirit.

It is believed that the ancient civilizations of the Middle East had a number of very deep views regarding their faiths and beliefs about the afterlife. As a result of these practices, many people have had strong supernatural enchantments or curses cast on them by very powerful shamans at different times in the past. Libyan Desert Glass is believed to be able to free you from the shackles of this past life magic. I don’t know the merit of this belief, but there are some potent ways to use Libyan Desert Glass, such as:

• using them during meditation, when they may help access the Akashic Records
• given Libyan Desert Glass’ connection to the Golden Ray (connection to crown chakra) and potent spiritual energies, clear meditative states are achieved
• working with them passively and/or actively, may help heal karmic issues, as well, especially if you may have had a past life in the Middle Eastern, Egyptian, and Libyan regions
• wearing them as jewelry is a great way to keep the energies within your auric field for longer times, which will be effective and transformative; additionally, this method will help you grow deeper into your consciousness and make grander strides forward
• if you are performing any ritual ceremonies that are related to Past Life Regression, or relating to past life issues, in general, this is a great stone to keep by you
• it is also a great stone to keep by your desk or your work area, as it actively helps attract abundance; as well as helping enhance mental focus and creative energies
  

The Overall Take-away from our discussion:

I hope this discussion was helpful in understanding why the Libyan Desert Glass is so highly sought after and prized. This mysterious stone is magnetic to both the scientific and the metaphysically inclined communities. While the scientific world may not definitively agree on the stone’s origins, the metaphysical world certainly understands its immeasurable value. I regard this stone akin to Sunshine. It is a must-have stone at any point of your personal spiritual evolution, and its wonders are meant to be experienced. Often during the path of spirituality, we may have had a hard past, and may have endured so many hardships. It becomes all too easy to think, wow, is this all that life is? Suffering and loneliness? It truly is not, and this life is meant to also be cherished, enjoyed, and radiantly prosperous, too! Yes, even in the spiritual and light-working path. This stone, the Libyan Desert Glass, helps remind us of exactly that— that our happiness, success, wishes and desires deserve time in the Sun, too! It brings all such joys into our lives, and liberates us from shackles— karmically inflicted ones or self-inflicted ones. It lights a warm fire in our lives, and helps us to take the leap, and allow ourselves to be truly happy. After all, don’t we all deserve some Sunshine and happiness in our lives, too? We certainly do!

Get a piece of Libyan Desert Glass, and experience its magic for yourself!

Thank you for reading.

Until next time,

Sherley Jennifer of ThrowinStones