Obsidian is a protective, stabilizing, and grounding stone. It is said to dispel negativity, alleviate depression, and protect us from emotional and physical harm. Obsidian is believed to help us to see what changes we need to make in our lives, no matter how difficult, and it gives us the power and wisdom to move forward. It allows us to become aware of our flaws and gives us insight into how correct them. Obsidian is said to keep negative thoughts at bay, help us to find hidden abilities, increase self-discipline, enhance concentration, and conquer obsessions. It is thought to foster honesty, loyalty, and responsibility. Obsidian is associated with the Zodiac sign of Sagittarius.
The following article about Obsidian was written by Stephanie Pflumm.
Obsidian is an important gemstone in the history of human development. Many of our first tools were fashioned from this natural glass. Its history as a protection stone comes from its earliest use in fashioning knives, arrowheads & tools for preparing food.
This member of the rhyolite family of rocks is almost identical to ordinary glass. It exhibits the same single optical refraction as glass & has the same conchoidal (breaks straight) fracture patterns.
Obsidian was the actual flow of volcanic lava, cooling so rapidly that no crystalline structures could form. This also means the final gemstone is different depending on the gases, minerals, water or other inclusions available in the area where the lava flow ceased.
All Obsidian contain alkaline & aluminum silicates & trace amounts of potash. Under the microscope, tiny enclosures (like those found in Aventurine), spherical or elongated cavities or embedded crystals often make up a large part of a stone that appears primarily black. Milky Quartz embedded in a black Obsidian creates the beautiful Snowflake Obsidian.
This glassy gemstone occurs all over the world. The most beautiful jewelry specimens are found on the European island of Lipari. A lava stream 100 feet deep & an 1/8th of a mile wide stretches from town to the sea.
Hungary, Iceland, Mount Ararat & the Caucasus in Asia have abundant sources of the gemstone. In North America, Obsidian has an ancient history as an ornamental & practical stone. It was fashioned into masks, vases, knives & even razors.
The Hill of Knives (Cerro de las Navajas) was mined for hundreds of years before the Spaniards conquered Mexico. Some noteworthy deposits have also been found in Nevada & California.
Obsidian's use as a power tool is as ancient as its use for practical tools. Mayan priests used “Smoking Mirrors” to predict their future. It was also used for healing wounds (many of which were inflicted by Obsidian weapons) & alleviating pain. Gemstone healing today still recommends Obsidian for pain relief.
Protection & grounding are some of the strongest energies available in this stone. Obsidian can protect you from physical or emotional harm. It will also help you see your flaws clearly & provide insight into correcting those flaws.
Keeping a stone with you helps prevent negative thought patterns (good road rage stone) & can transform negative energies in your personal space.
Obsidian is an excellent divination device as well. Some practitioners have better luck utilizing the stone's black depth to reach their subconscious mind than with a traditional Quartz Crystal tool.
The gemstone may help you find forgotten abilities within yourself & attain a warrior spirit. Use it to change harmful communication patterns or overcome an obsession.
As a healing gemstone, Obsidian provides relief from pain, stops the flow of blood & can begin healing on a cellular level. Improved circulation & preventing hardening of the arteries in the legs (especially for smokers) is another healing benefit . Its circulation energies can even help warm those hands & feet that seem to be constantly cold.
In addition to carrying the above qualities the following individual Obsidian gemstones bring these extra energies:
APACHE TEAR - brings comfort in time of grief, brings understanding of the trauma & helps provide insight & acceptance. It is said that Apache Tears were shed by women when their warriors were driven off a cliff by the calvary.
BLACK (Gray, Brown) OBSIDIAN - used for divination, brings sincerity to your actions, stimulates initiative & independent thought.
BLUE - activates the throat Chakra, increases telepathic abilities, assists in making speeches & helps with astral travel.
BLUE/GREEN - allows you to speak from the heart & to understand other’s words with your heart, balances the mind & the spirit.
GOLD SHEEN - also used for divination, provides insight into the root of a problem, brings out inner beauty, reflects what you are needing in your life (not just material needs).
MAHOGANY - grows the physical, emotional & intellectual centers, provides strength when needed, eliminates energy blockages & relieves tension.
RAINBOW - attracts light & love, useful in divining those aspects in your life (especially love).
RED - enhances physical energy, balances male/female attributes, awakens sleeping abilities.
SILVER SHEEN - another divination Obsidian, allows you to see through the layers to the real issues, teaches you to use all the energies that come into your life, even the ones that may be undesired, good grounding stone for astral projection, assures that you will “come home”.
SNOWFLAKE - opens the Crown Chakra, helps you recognize unnecessary patterns in your life, provides a way out of unwanted conditions, promotes awareness of the beauty around you.
This information was taken from ORE Features, a publication written by Stephanie Pflumm, reprinted with permission.
ORE's Featured Gemstone: Obsidian
Obsidian was one of the gemstones I researched during the first year of ORE FEATURES. During the five years that have passed since starting my crystal studies, I began to discover there was quite a bit I did not know about this darkly beautiful gem.
I knew that Obsidian was a member of the volcanic Rhyolite family. Its rich silica formula and quick cooling conditions make it more like a natural glass than a crystal. As my travels and lessons progressed, I met new (to me) members of the Obsidian family that fired my curiosity and imagination.
Where do those silver, golden and rainbow sheens that dance along the surface of what appears to be ordinary black Obsidian come from? Why do some have this sheen and others don't? Now is as good a time as any to find out why.
Air and gas bubbles are common in magma or lava, it is in these types of cavities that many crystals form as the heated matter slowly cools. These bubbles also form in Obsidian, but the minerals rarely have the opportunity to crystallize because cooling occurs so rapidly.
Lava flows that create Obsidian are composed of a wide variety of minerals; Aluminum, Iron, Postash, Silica, Soda, Magnesia, Lime and a few others depending of the location the flow originates from. Sometimes, in bubbles called spherulites (because they are round) and lithophysae (or long) by geologists, minute feldspar and other mineral crystals will form. While too tiny to affect the outward appearance of the gemstone, when the spherulites and lithophysae form along a perfect plane this playful sheen appears along the surface of the stone.
In Northern Chile a new form of Obsidian has been found. A light yellow gemstone with three different crystalline inclusions; pleochroic columns of Indialite (a type of morphed Iolite), Sillimanite and Feldspar. I am currently trying to track down pictures and more information on this stone.
Snowflake Obsidian is another family member whose appearance is altered by a quick formation of crystals. Quartzy (not a real word) crystals called Cristobalite form in bursts of radiating clusters that are a striking white against the black Obsidian. Apache Tears are nodules of Obsidian (mostly likely formed as droplets and tears as the lava spewed and flew from its source) that are transparent and easily confused with Smoky Quartz.
Obsidian can be found anywhere in the world. Geology and mineral references are full of places where cliffs and sometimes whole mountains consist entirely of some form of Rhyolite. Pliny's ancient encyclopedia dubbed this dark stone Obsidian for a Roman named Obsius. The text credits Obsius with first finding the gem in the area currently known as Ethiopia. However, human history with Obsidian is much older than the Greeks early civilization.
In the Western hemisphere it has a very old and sacred tradition. In many of the central and Southwestern American cultures it was honored as an important tool (knives and arrowheads) and a powerful divine source (scrying mirrors, balls and masks). The Mayans carved images of their god Tetzcatlipoca (translates as "shining mirror") from the gem.
You can still take advantage of Obsidian's depth to connect with the divine, either through meditation or scrying (trying to see the future) with the stone. Sheen Obsidians are the best for meditation. This gemstone has a sharp sense of truth and cuts straight to the source of issues and challenges. Its aggressive nature can be unnerving in a meditation meant to calm. Gold, silver and the rainbow sheen crystals offer a more gentle vibration because of their more crystalline structure which is more conducive to entering desired altered state of mind.
However, this sharpness is highly effective when attempting to see past the shadows that guard the future and spirit worlds. Polished black Obsidian mirrors are considered some of the finest scrying tools. Priests of Tetzcatlipoca used them in rituals to determine the affect weather would have on crops, the outcome of battles and other critical unknowns. Queen Elizabeth I employed a magician-alchemist of her time named Dr. Dee. Dr. Dee used a famous black Obsidian mirror while working for the Queen. In 1971 that mirror allegedly was in the collection of a Prince Alexis Soltykoff, but I was unable to find any later reference for its location, only its reputation.
When you reach the point in your spiritual path that you are ready to face the greatest blocks to your growth, Obsidian is the perfect companion. You will learn to cut through the excuses and see your strengths and flaws in precise clarity. You will learn that what makes you weak will teach you strength and what makes you strong can actually weaken your step. There will be no tolerance for self-delusion once you open yourself to this crystal teacher.
Snowflake Obsidian is an equally precise, but somewhat gentler teacher of these same lessons. Again the higher crystal vibrations, provide for a more gentle acceptance of the hard facts. Plus you can use its snowflake patterns to meditate on the destructive patterns in your choices and learn new, more constructive ways to choose.
If you work with creative energies or often find yourself in vulnerable situations, Obsidian is a great protector and grounder. Use it as a shield against harmful energies and intentions when you are healing or reading. When you are open to the powerful forces of the great mystery, this gemstone provides a firm anchor in addition to its shielding energies.
Obsidian's history in healing is as ancient as its practical and magical legacy. Many traditions have used its dark healing energies to draw pain and illness from the body. Pre-historic and even later, healers on the battlefield used the stone to stop bleedings. Often from wounds caused by the same stone being used for treatment.
You can use Obsidian to undo the damage of emotional or physical shock. It brings those images and memories that we fear into the light where they can be cleansed from our spirit. It may be useful in overcoming the effects of obsessive compulsive disorder, helping you to cut through the confusion that causes your thoughts to get stuck in useless patterns.
Apache tears are excellent for working through grief. Their compact, yet complete size makes them easy companions. Obsidian's insistent truthful energies will keep you from falling into grieve driven guilt traps and guide you correctly through the grieving process. These volcanic tears are part of a Native American legend that you can read about in my first article on Obsidian.
This information was taken from ORE Features, a publication written by Stephanie Pflumm, reprinted with permission.
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