Obsidian Stone

Obsidian is a magical, singular and extremely powerful stone. Handled with care, it can open the doors to a wonderful world while protecting you from the lowest vibratory frequencies. Let yourself be tempted by the beauty of this very special stone and discover its powerful protective powers in the world of crystal healing.

Obsidian Stone History

During the prehistoric era, obsidian stone was used to make tools and weapons. This magmatic rock has existed for over 36,000 years. Still exploited by some Indian tribes, obsidian is a stone that served the first peoples in their development.

In a region of Iraq once called Mesopotamia, obsidian blades dating back more than 5,000 years have been found during archaeological excavations. Although obsidian stone can be found in many places around the world, it is considered the stone of Mexico. The reason is that its main extraction was done in this country for thousands of years.

Since its existence on Earth, obsidian stone has been found mainly on the Asian, African and European continents. However, the first deposits date back to 21,000 BC and are located in the United States and Mexico.

For some civilizations, the obsidian stone symbolized death. It was often used in ceremonies and rituals to accompany the deceased into the afterlife, and more broadly, to honor them. Among the Egyptians, obsidian was used to make sharp blades. Even sharper than glass blades, obsidian blades were used to incise corpses during embalming rituals. At that time, the Egyptians sold this small black stone for a fortune.

For the ancient Latin American cultures, obsidian played a very important role. 1200 years before Christ, obsidian stone was used by the Olmecs of Central America to make weapons, tools, ornaments and decorative objects. It was also used in medicine to fight viruses, bacteria and tissue damage, as well as for cranial surgery. It was used extensively for bartering, which greatly favored the development of the Aztec Empire and its expansion to El Salvador and Nicaragua. The Aztecs considered it a magic stone and used it to make mirrors in which they read the future.

Today, the obsidian stone is still used by crystal healers for its properties, but it is also used to make jewelry such as obsidian necklace, but also obsidian bracelet. In addition to its virtues, obsidian has become a very beautiful jewel to wear.

Origin and Composition of Obsidian Stone

The obsidian stone was named after Obsius, a Roman of ancient Rome who is said to have first discovered it in Ethiopia. Some linguists believe that the name "obsidian" comes from the Latin "obsidio" meaning "ringed", referring to the cracks and hollows that can be found on the stone in its natural state.

Obsidian is a stone of volcanic origin of black, red, gray or dark green color. This stone is highly charged in silica. Its color can vary according to its hematite and magnetite content. It can be both translucent and transparent, while having a vitreous luster and a particular texture.

Characterized by its break at the same time frank, smooth as well as curved, the obsidian stone is known as conchoidal. It has a fairly high hardness, varying between 7 and 7.5 on the Mohs scale, which can allow it to scratch crystals such as glass. Its density is around 2.65.

Known for its originality and abundance around certain volcanoes, it is possible to find obsidian stone in Armenia, the United States, Japan, Iceland, Mexico, Peru, Indonesia, Russia, Guatemala, Hungary, Turkey and Greece.

Obsidian Properties

Mental Properties

In crystal healing, the obsidian stone is a stone that must be used with care due to its rather powerful properties. The obsidian is a stone of protection of a very important strength and which acts very quickly. Ideal for fragile people, it allows to protect them against negative energies. For example, wearing an obsidian pendant can provide the wearer with a protective shield.

Therapists place the obsidian stone between their hands and at the root chakra. It allows them to protect the mind from all instabilities. It also allows to fight against the surrounding negative energies. If you place an obsidian near your bed, it would also have for virtues to remove all the mental tensions.

The obsidian stone makes you want to go ahead and change things. It accompanies you to take the good decisions. To do this, it removes negative thoughts, stress and anxiety from your mind. All these negative feelings are immediately replaced by a pleasant feeling of well-being and serenity.

Obsidian is known to be very supportive and comforting. Thus, it offers you the courage to overcome the difficult trials of life. It protects you from the evil eye, curses and all surrounding negative energies. It tempers excessive and violent behaviors. And finally, it increases tenfold your mental strength in everyday life.

Physical Properties

On the physical level, the obsidian stone allows to relieve the articular pains, the cramps and the muscular tensions. It protects the heart and the whole cardiac system. Thanks to its detoxifying power, it regulates blood circulation and purifies the body.

It allows the skin to heal and regenerate faster. Thus, it improves the quality of the skin on the long term. 
Obsidian also has a positive action on the digestive system. It relieves stomach pain and abdominal cramps. Women can use it to relieve pain related to the menstrual cycle.

It soothes back pain and protects the spine. Ideal for the cold people and for those who always have the cold hands, the obsidian has heating properties. Finally, the obsidian stone allows to fight against all forms of addiction.

For example, if you have already started the process of quitting smoking, you can wear an obsidian on you to increase your mental strength tenfold and detach yourself from this harmful substance that is tobacco. In a more general way, obsidian favors the absorption of vitamins, which contributes to the strengthening of your immune system.

Spiritual Properties 

In crystal healing, the obsidian stone brings a very consequent energy on the spiritual level. It allows the wearer to find inner peace and calm of the soul. Obsidian frees the mental plane to remove all notions of confusion and leave the full opening to the intellectual. Obsidian is also well known for its openness to the celestial world. Many psychics use an obsidian ball to facilitate communication with the parallel world.

On the one hand, the obsidian stone acts on the root chakra. Located at the base of the spine, the root chakra enhances a sense of security and grounding to the Earth. It allows you to focus your attention on the present moment, without being distracted by extraneous thoughts. When open and balanced, the root chakra focuses on the primary needs of eating, sleeping, working, surviving and protecting yourself. It offers you a sense of abundance, dynamism and renewed vitality.

Considered the mother earth connection, the root chakra promotes fighting spirit and well-being. If you always feel distracted, preoccupied and stressed, you can wear a stone that balances the root chakra such as obsidian. Its powerful energies help to bring order to your life and get back to basics.

On the other hand, obsidian is linked to the throat chakra. This chakra allows to improve communication in all its aspects: listening to oneself and to others, oral expression, tolerance and benevolence. It promotes creativity, objectivity, respect and sincerity. Naturally, this ease of communication improves the quality of relationships with your loved ones.

When this chakra is blocked, it manifests as fear, especially fear of abandonment, a great lack of self-confidence, and a tendency to lie compulsively. Shy people will also be able to enjoy the benefits of the obsidian stone. By opening the throat chakra, obsidian can help you step out of your comfort zone and express yourself calmly in public.

Stones and Materials to combine with Obsidian 

The best thing about black stones is that they work well with all materials. You can wear them with silver, white gold or white gold jewelry to give them a cool, minimalist and elegant feel. That said, you can definitely wear them with yellow gold, rose gold or vermeil jewelry to give them a more luxurious look. Whether you go for a classic or sophisticated look, obsidian is a beautiful black stone that works well in any situation.

Like humans, minerals emit energies that are not always compatible with each other. In this case, obsidian is a rather solitary stone that does not appreciate the presence of other minerals. As a powerful protective stone, obsidian tends to neutralize all energies that come its way.

There is no point in wearing it with any other stone, as its energy will inevitably overpower the others. White crystal is the only stone that can have a positive effect when associated with obsidian. Indeed, white crystal amplifies the power of other minerals, especially during the recharging ritual.

However, not all soothing and spiritual stones are compatible with obsidian. If there are two stones that you should absolutely avoid wearing with obsidian, they are the tiger's eye and the shiva lingam.

How to clean and recharge Obsidian Stone

After a certain time, the obsidian stone will have given you all its energies and will not have the same effects as on the first day. To preserve its powers as long as possible, you just have to learn how to purify and recharge your stones correctly. The cleaning of the obsidian can be done with water, earth or incense. If you wear it every day, don't hesitate to purify it once a week because obsidian acts like a sponge: it absorbs all negative energies.

To unload all these bad waves, it is enough to plunge it in a container of distilled water or spring water during some hours. Never use tap water to clean your stones, it could damage them prematurely. To finish the purification process, you can gently wipe your stone with a soft, clean cloth to avoid scratching it.

To recharge your stone, you can expose it under the rays of the moon or the sun. Depending on the obsidian you have, you will have to choose sunlight or moonlight. To know the right procedure, go directly to the page dedicated to the table of purifications and recharging of stones.

Anyway, a few hours of recharging are enough to find all its benefits. You can place your stone on a cluster of quartz to optimize this recharging ritual. Once recharged, your obsidian stone will offer you again its powerful virtues of protection and anchoring.