Ba(UO2)2(PO4)2·10H2O
The Soham crystal — Kriya's flow made stone
The name uranocircite derives from two sources: "uran" referring to uranium, and the Greek word "kirkos" (κίρκος), meaning circle — a reference to the circular or ring-like form of its crystal aggregates. The mineral was first described in 1861 by the German mineralogist C. Peters from specimens collected at the Wolfgang mine near Bad Grund in the Harz Mountains, Germany.
Uranocircite is a barium uranium phosphate with the remarkable feature of containing ten molecules of water in its structure. These water molecules are not merely adsorbed on the surface but are integral to the crystal framework — part of the layered autunite-group structure in which uranyl phosphate sheets are separated by barium ions and hydration water. This makes the mineral hygroscopic and sensitive to changes in ambient humidity: as it loses water it converts to meta-uranocircite. The brilliant canary-yellow to yellow-green color originates from the uranyl (UO₂²⁺) chromophore, which absorbs UV and emits intense visible fluorescence.
First described in 1861 from the Wolfgang mine, Bad Grund, Harz Mountains, Germany. Uranocircite is a secondary mineral found in the oxidized zones of uranium-bearing granites and related hydrothermal veins, commonly associated with torbernite, autunite, and other phosphate uranium minerals. Additional occurrences are known from Portugal, the Czech Republic, and France, typically in granitic terrains where phosphate-bearing fluids have interacted with primary uranium ores.
This crystal contains naturally radioactive elements and emits low-level radiation. Owning radioactive minerals may be restricted where you live — some countries regulate them strictly, with legal limits as low as 1 becquerel per gram. Check your local law before acquiring or shipping one.
All radiation safety comes down to three words: time, distance, and shielding. Handle a specimen only briefly, keep it at arm's length, and store it behind glass or lead. Enjoy it visually, or for energy work at a distance — never worn as jewellery, slept beside, or held in prolonged contact.
The chief practical risk is not the dose from the shelf but radon — a heavy radioactive gas that sinks and pools in low, unventilated spaces. Keep specimens well-ventilated, or sealed in a gas-tight container; with radon's 3.8-day half-life it never builds without limit and clears within weeks. Stored sensibly, the real dose is tiny — far below what people willingly absorb at a radon spa.
How dangerous are radioactive crystals really? Usually far less than people fear — and the science of low-dose radiation is genuinely surprising. Our full guide covers safe handling and storage, how to read a dose, the truth about radon, and the radioactive beaches and century-old healing spas where people seek radiation out on purpose.
Read the full guide →Uranocircite contains barium — a toxic heavy metal. In addition to its radioactivity, barium compounds can be harmful if ingested or inhaled as dust.
Do not handle with bare hands for extended periods, do not crush or grind, and keep away from children and animals. Wash hands thoroughly after handling. Store in a sealed container away from living spaces.
Under ultraviolet light uranocircite produces one of the most intense yellow-green fluorescent responses in the mineral kingdom. The uranyl ion (UO₂²⁺) is the active chromophore — absorbing UV radiation and re-emitting it as brilliant visible light. The layered crystal structure amplifies this effect, making specimens appear to glow with inner fire.
The ten water molecules in uranocircite's structure are in dynamic exchange with the surrounding atmosphere. In dry conditions the mineral slowly dehydrates; in humid conditions it re-hydrates. This structural breathing — the crystal literally expanding and contracting in response to moisture — makes long-term preservation a curatorial challenge unique among uranium minerals.
"The yogic key will not lose its efficiency when I am no longer present in the body. Continue ceaselessly on your path to liberation through Kriya, whose power lies in practice."— Lahiri Mahasaya
This is the Soham crystal. In the Kriya tradition Soham — "I am That" — is not merely a mantra but the breath itself read as a cosmic circuit: the in-breath drawing energy up the spine, the out-breath releasing it down, the unbroken rhythm becoming a spontaneous meditation on the identity of self and Source. Uranocircite enacts that same double movement in the body, waking the kundalini and drawing it at once downward into the earth and upward toward the crown — not in sequence but as a single unified current up the sushumna.
The Soham FlowCentred at the Heart, the Anahata, it carries Life and Joy into that centre and lets them radiate outward in the Expanding way — through the layered bodies of the aura, widening the channel so the rising kundalini meets less resistance as it climbs. With its considerable power it is one of the most forceful heart-rooted kundalini openers in the mineral kingdom: a sustained, embodied current rather than a subtle shimmer.
"Love everyone, serve everyone, remember God, and tell the truth."— Neem Karoli Baba
Both radioactive and barium-bearing, uranocircite is always worked across the room rather than in the hand — and this is exactly how its field already functions. It opens from a distance, sending the kundalini current to the practitioner without physical touch; the energy radiates rather than passes through the skin.