SS Color Banner Amethyst
Terri Webster Schrandt

Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge: February’s #Amethyst Leads to Spring

After enduring a long, grey and white winter, I’m ready for some color! How about you? Rather than use the predictable reds or pinks typical for February in recognition of Valentine’s Day, I thought the purple tones of amethyst would be fun to explore.

Photo by Jonny Lew on Pexels.com
Photo by Anni Roenkae on Pexels.com
Shades of amethyst

Amethyst is the February birthstone. The Amethyst gem is also associated with the calming of physical passions. The gem’s purple colors represented the purity of spirit. In folklore, amethysts were used to aid in the healing of wounds.

The color purple is associated with wisdom and spirituality. It is believed the color purple was chosen because it also represents courage and bravery. The “Purple Heart” medal was awarded to servicemen and women who were wounded in battle and represents the highest honor for bravery in military service. The purple heart was the first US military decoration instituted by General George Washington in 1782.

amethyst meme

“The raindrops played across the coast all through the night, until the soft new day shrugged itself awake, tried on amethyst and lavender for a while, and finally decided on pale yellow.”

Gary D. Schmidt

The other day I woke up to a colorful dawn. After weeks of gray fog and snow still on the ground, the clear pink sky bathed the snow in odd, but beautiful amethyst hues.

Pink skies create amethyst snow
Pink skies create amethyst snow

“Amethyst is a meditative and calming stone that works in the emotional, spiritual, and physical planes to provide calm, balance, patience, and peace.”

Miranda Kerr

Our days are gradually getting longer and warmer if 49F for a daytime high is considered “warm.” As long as the sun is shining, the cold does not bother me.

With a few more weeks until spring arrives, I’m reminded of my previous life in Sacramento when by now, fruit and nut trees bloomed and filled the sidewalks with blossoms and the promise of spring. To meet today’s amethyst challenge I give you a few images from my former garden and neighborhood.

I was happy to re-home my beloved potted hydrangea to my bestie in Sacramento. She assures me it is getting loving care!

Out on a walk in my former neighborhood, I captured beautiful details of this Morning Glory.

morning glory
drops morning glory

In my current neighborhood, and found on my property in spring, lupines grow wild. Soon, soon…I must tell myself, the amethyst represents patience.

Lupine view of mountains at Mammoth Lakes
Lupine view of mountains at Mammoth Lakes
Silky Lupine

The Story of Bacchus and Amethyst

One of the most well-known notions of the gem’s protections involves amethyst’s presumed power to prevent drunkenness. A myth about Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, has promoted this belief. The story goes as follows:

Long ago, a beautiful maiden was on her way to worship at the Temple of Diana. However, she had the misfortune of crossing paths with the god of wine, Bacchus. Angered since he’d just suffered some slight, he’d vowed to take revenge on the next person he met. He spied the maid and unleashed his two guardian tigers upon her. As the great beasts bounded towards the hapless lass, the goddess Diana intervened. To spare her such a terrible fate, she turned her into a pure, clear stone.

Immediately, remorse seized Bacchus. To atone for his actions, he poured his wine over the stone, staining the crystal a deep, violet hue. And so, the maiden Amethyst lent her name to the crystal.

vase detail
Amethyst hues of a grape cluster; Detail on Vase

The French poet Remy Belleau created this story in 1576 as part of a poem on gemstone beliefs. Nevertheless, the idea that the stone could guard against drunkenness does go back to the Ancient Greeks. Amethystos means “not drunk” in Ancient Greek.

Another excuse to imbibe freely at the Superbowl party? Better wear my amethyst stones!

amethyst and silver earrings
Amethyst and Sterling Earrings
amethyst costume jewelry
Amethyst Costume Jewelry

Because we’ll be attending a Superbowl party with family, I may not get later links placed on the blog until Sunday night or Monday. You have all week to link your amethyst-themed posts for the color challenge!

“Love what you do and do what you love. Passion is the key that opens the door to joy and abundance.”

David Cuschieri

Photo Challenges this Week

Each week I am inspired by my fellow bloggers’ photo challenges. I find it fun to incorporate these into my Sunday Stills weekly themes.

Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders

Sunday Stills weekly challenge is easy to join. You have all week to share and link your post.

  • Please create a new post for the theme or link a recent one.
  • Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
  • Title your blog post a little differently than mine.
  • Tag your post “Sunday Stills.”
  • Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post.
  • I also recommend adding your post’s URL into the comments.

Sunday Stills is a wonderful community of bloggers and photographers who desire to connect with one another. Below are this week’s links from bloggers who shared photos of the various hues of the color amethyst.

With lots of variations of the color amethyst, I expect to see your posts filled with lively hues of purples! Come back next week when we share “All About Pets.”

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115 comments

  23. Maybe waiting for so long for Spring makes it more special, Terri. The stone I lost out of my engagement ring was about the colour of those amethysts. The replacement is much paler, but I’m still very glad to have it. Enjoy Superbowl! Not sure why but my son sits up till the wee small hours watching it too.

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  24. Terri,
    Purple is my favorite color and is one of the colors I can wear and feel good in. Your pictures are their usual awesome! I especially loved the Morning Glories and the amethyst snow. Glad it’s finally warming in Washington–spring is just around the corner! Enjoy! Joe
    My contribution is a picture of a purple ice plant taken on the Cali Coast last summer.

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  25. Lovely post!! Am I correct that the prompt is for photos, not writing? By the way, I’m in Western Washington, north of Seattle–attended WSU for a bit 🙂

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  27. Thanks Terri, I learnt something new again here, although I seem to remember reading about the meaning of purple at some stage, but the word wisdom jumped out at me. I love all your photos especially the pink sky over your house, it’s spectacular!

    I have been very active over the weekend (riding and trekking) and was unable to do a special post for this week, but the prompt made me think of my first time as Mother of the Bride (MOB) and how I chose a very unusual colour outfit and not what everyone was expecting from me at all! It was purple :). I actually went into the shop telling them what I didn’t want, a list of colours I didn’t like (and I’ll admit purple was one of them). I walked out having bought a two piece outfit that was beautiful and purple!! Everyone had expected me to go with something bright like orange (you know me) but the purple dress had that WOW factor I was looking for at the time. Here’s a link to a post I wrote after the wedding was all over which shows me in my lovely MOB outfit in case you’re interested!

    Victory – Final MOB update

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  38. Your colorful post inspires me to have a sober Valentine’s Day as we sit here in the living room, me on my blog and V on his phone. enjoying each other’s company. I loved the Greek mythology story about the amethyst. Your post is so interesting with all the beautiful photos and the quotes and great stories. I love the purple hues in the snow. I love your heading picture, too. 🙂

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  54. I love the amethyst snow in your snowy picture, Terri. I’m guessing the colours in the sky caused by the sunlight caused it? Can you imagine what it would be like if different coloured snow fell instead of the predictable white stuff? How much fun would it be if we had to guess?

    And the connection between amethyst and drunkenness? You leant something new every day, Terri.

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    • Thank you, Hugh! The pink sky was spectacular in and of itself but the violet snow was a bonus. A trick of the light. I like your idea of different colored snow would be a fun twist! I enjoy coming up with SS themes, because I learn something new as well!

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  58. Wow!
    That pink sky looks certainly out of this world and you have captured it so well.
    Thank you so much for sharing this amazing sky capture, along with other wonderful treats, with my challenge 🙂

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