Gemstones and Healing: Obsidian
CATALOGING THE GEMS
I evaluate a gemstone in a number of ways. First, it falls into one of these categories: Heart Stone, Grounding Stone, Guard Dog Stone, High Energy Stone, Trauma Stone, Mental Stone, Stress Tone, Luck Stone, Psychic Stone, Money Stone, Arthritis Stone and Master Healer Stone. I created this system over the years because each stone has unique skills. Some, like the Master Stones, are diverse, multi-skilled and affect more than one chakra in our aura. With this blog, we’re going to look at Obsidian. It is a “Trauma” stone and a “Stress” stone, a “Guard Dog” stone and a “Strength” stone. As you can see, Obsidian has many skills and attributes that can be utilized in a moment of crisis.
TRAUMA STONE
Every person encounters trauma in their life. It’s just a question of when and what shape it takes form to shake us up. Trauma is especially harmful to our Adrenal glands. When a sudden accident, an assault, a near loss of life, a war torn situation, or any other major tragedy, our cortisol levels shoot sky high. The only problem is if the trauma is ongoing (as in rape and incest, as examples), cortisol levels get “stuck” and there is a cascade of events that take place after that. No gemstone I know can lower a cortisol level. What you need to do if you have been in a life-changing trauma, is seek out a Functional Medicine physician. Their website is: http://www.functionalmedicine.org/findfmphysician/index.asp. Get you cortisol levels checked. There are ways to lower it back to normal. Trauma may include PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder. You can have a ‘war’ in your dysfunctional family that you had to survive for eighteen years of your life, or you went to another type of ‘war’ in Afghanistan or Iraq, as another example.
Trauma stones can help assist us in dealing with everyday living while living with the ‘hell’ inside ourselves caused by high cortisol levels. The gemstone can equalize the playing field from the standpoint that it aids us in knowing what’s going on inside of us and that we don’t want to harm others outside of us with whatever feelings of anxiety, anger or fear that we’re wrestling with. It can help us make the right choice and not over react with others. And that’s an important step in harnessing this awful ‘storm’ that occurs because of PTSD inside us.
STRESS STONE
There are some gemstones that can work with us to ABSORB, TRANSMUTE or REFLECT what is going on in our environment that we recognize as ‘stress.’ Stress is determined by the individual. What is stressful for one may not be seen as stress by another person. These gemstones work to STOP the stress from reaching us. They might be small, but they are mighty. And while it would be prudent to remove yourself from the stressful situation, if you have to remain in it, wearing such a gemstone can be helpful.
GUARD DOG STONE
These gemstones have the capacity to ‘signal’ you that you’re in a situation that may be threatening to you–even if you don’t perceive it as such. Often, we are distracted and walk into a place or with a group of people that aren’t good for us on some level. It could be that there’s a “psychic vampire” (a very needy, victim-styled individual, the “poor me” variety), or there’s drugs, or a ‘coyote’ or potential robbery going to take place or you name the circumstance–all you need to do is read the newspaper to understand where I’m going with this). A Guard Dog gemstone’s whole reason for being is to “bark” a warning to you. To somehow get through your distracted lower mind, your left brain that is attached to this third dimensional reality and get your attention that something is WRONG. It helps you to see what is “out of place,” so that you can remove yourself before anything happens.
STRENGTH STONE
These gemstones connect with our deeper core values of this personality in this lifetime BUT, they also connect with our SOUL who has far more strength built up in it as a result of hundreds of thousands of lifetimes. This is the phenomenal magic of Strength gemstones. They are able to ACCESS this vault of built-upon and earned spiritual strength so it can help us get through some present difficulty/test/initiation that we’re putting ourselves through in this lifetime at this moment. It ‘feeds’ us so that we don’t give up, despair or want to check out because the life lesson is “too hard” to deal with. Not all people are strong spiritually speaking. We have baby spirits to ancient spirits in human body on this Earth. No one is created equal. And we’re all working on collecting that very necessary soul strength so that we can take on tougher and tougher challenges–and work through them successfully instead of failing them.
This cache of strength is accrued by living thousands upon thousands of lifetimes. It is there, like a cosmic “IV”, much like a blood transfusion for a human body, it is a strength/energy transfusion into us in our present incarnation when we need it. Certain gemstones can access this cache and give us the necessary strength to continue forward and work through the gauntlet we’ve chosen. This gemstone is like the marathon runner at the 26th mile when it is the hardest mile of all–and the finish line is so close. These gemstones take us the last mile of our own marathon in Life and help us pass over the finish line.
THE HISTORY OF OBSIDIAN
Obsidian is glass, pure and simple. You might think of it as, “mirror, mirror on the wall…” Glass is something we can look OUT of to see something OUTSIDE of ourselves. But glass also REFLECTS. We can see our own reflection in glass, too. This magnificent, multitalented gemstone has an inward/outward looking ability that few other gemstones possess. And that’s why it’s such an important stone for us to utilize. People who are working diligently on upgrading themselves as human beings can utilize this stone’s many skills to make that evolutionary jump from one point of consciousness to another. It’s that powerful. But you have to be willing to do the work, too.
Obsidian is created by volcanic action. It is an igneous gemstone, created by fire and birthing lava from deep within Mother Earth. Who better to be a stress, strength and guard dog or trauma stone than one created in the bellows and fire of a volcano? It is produced by felsic lava that is erupted out of a volcano and is rapidly cooled. It has no crystal growth inside it!
Obsidian is found around rhyolite lava flows. Rhyolite is another gemstone I’ll tackle in the coming months. These obsidian flows have a high silica content, but there is lack of crystal growth. This is why Obsidian blades created by earlier humans, could reach a very fine thinness and not break or chip when utilized. In ancient times, spears, arrow heads and blades were “napped” to create these sharp Obsidian instruments.
Obsidian is 5 to 5.5 on the Mohs scale. Diamond is a 10 and the hardest gemstone known on Earth. Obsidian is translucent and the colors are black, gray, dark green, pink, yellow-gold, and red. It is MgO, Fe3O4 chemically. It is about 70-75% Silicon dioxide, SiO2. And around the world, it is known as “volcanic” glass. Obsidian is not a true mineral because as glass, it has no crystalline structure. Geologists refer to it as a “mineraloid.”
Historically it was called Obsidianus because it resembled an Ethiopian stone called Obsius. Interestingly, no Obsidian has been found older than the Cretaceous age on Earth. This is because the breakdown of Obsidian is caused by water. Obsidian has a very low water content, usually less than one percent. If exposed to ground water, Obsidian becomes progressively hydrated and will eventually dissolve into granules and grains.
The Stone Age cultures around the world used Obsidian because it could be fractured/napped, to create a sharp, thin blade. In Turkey, blades were mined and created in the 5th century B.C.L. It was also polished and used as MIRRORS in the ancient times. In the Americas, there’s lots of Obsidian artifacts. In Meso America archeologists have found a sword known as a “macahuitl” and it had a sharp Obsidian blade that could cause terrible damage to another human being. Easter Island has edged tools and also the eyes of the Moai (statues) had Obsidian placed within them.
Obsidian has been used as blades for surgery and surgical scalpels only 3 nanometers thick! In a study, it was found that an Obsidian surgical blade caused narrower scars, fewer inflammatory sells and less granulation of tissue in rats versus the use of a metal surgical scalpels.
The color is dictated by other impurities. Iron and Magnesium create a dark green to brown or black color. Very few are colorless. Snowflake Obsidian occurs because of small white inclusions and it produces a blotchy white and black pattern across the surface of the gemstone. When there are gas bubbles from the lava floor, they can produce a golden sheen (golden sheen Obsidian). A highly colorful sheen of blue, purple, gold and pink is known as Rainbow Obsidian. It is also known as “Apache tears,” and is usually found in tumbled form. The reddish-brown splotchy type is called Mahogany Obsidian and is very beautiful.
Obsidian is found around the world. In the USA, the Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park has deposits. Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Oregon and Washington also have obsidian deposits. And so does Virginia.
THE ASTROLOGY OF OBSIDIAN
Ruled by Pluto, this is truly a stone of transformation because it can REFLECT who and what and where we are as a human being. This is a gemstone for those who are ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work on improving their spirituality. This is not for the faint-of-heart. Because it is glass, we will not only have the ability to look INTO ourselves to see what is weak and strong, but also to look OUTWARD to perceive others. This is a vital component in knowing who is attracted to you and why. Obsidian gives the person another set of “cosmic eyes,” to look more deeply into the people they are surrounded by. And if you don’t like what you’re REALLY seeing, just remember, it is REFLECTION of you! And if you are one of these people who is willing to make the internal changes and thereby, change your outer reality, Obsidian is just the gemstone to help you do this.
The old saying, “Mirror, mirror on the wall…who is the fairest of them all?” can be used to help us, not just keep us stuck in place in our unbending and unyielding ego. Pluto is the energy of transformation. And Obsidian falls into this category because it helps us see as well as perceive into ourselves. When we can consciously relate to the weakness and wounds we carry–and want to do something positive about healing ourselves, there is no better gemstone than Obsidian to help us do exactly that. It truly is a Plutonian stone because it takes no prisoners. It looks with an unflinching “eye” at ourselves. It won’t lie to you. It bares the truth of who and what we are–and where we’re at in our own soul educational path toward higher spiritual evolvement.
Obsidian is also a Guard Dog stone. It can ‘see/perceive’ even when we’re distracted or we’re BLINDED by another person or situation for whatever reason. It will send up a frantic signal of warning that is usually heard by the wearer. If you’re wearing Obsidian and get this alarm bell going off inside your head/body, listen to it. Stop, detach, look around and size up your situation. Then make a choice based upon full awareness of yourself and your surroundings.
Pluto, when it is active in our chart, demands that we transform–or else. It doesn’t take “no” for an answer. This is where Obsidian can be our strongest ally because it can turn into a Strength Stone and allow us to connect into our cache of soul strength to help us get through this gauntlet of testing and initiation in one piece.
Sometimes, in an incarnation, we’ve taken on a severe and terribly wounding trauma. Perhaps one has been raped or incested. Or lived through a war torn country as a child. Trauma is defined by the individual. The permanency of the wound, however, is deep and can cause a spirit in this incarnation to move into a severe out-of-harmony/balance, as a result of the inflicted trauma. To strive to get back to your center of harmony means you are consciously or unconsciously tackling the Trauma. And sometimes, the trauma happened so early to us, we have no conscious memory of it. This is where Obsidian can aid us. It can REFLECT via dreams. And the dream state, in my opinion, is the best possible way to work through a trauma. Obsidian reflects. It is a window into our trauma, our woundings, our past, and can bring it forward to the light of day and our consciousness in order to heal it.
Most of all, Pluto “cuts through” the dross of our stuckness and opens the wound to allow all the purulent and toxic material (our negative emotions) ooze out so the wound can cleanse and then close it. Obsidian is that cosmic “knife” that can cut through our fear of change and open up the wound so that the toxicity can drain out of us instead of poisoning us to the point of taking on a chronic dis-ease. Pluto “cuts us free,” like a ship that has been moored too long and needs to ‘sail.’ Pluto cuts the rotten, toxic foundation we’re standing on and releases it so that we can build a new, more sturdy and healthy foundation the next time around.
ASTROLOGY TRANSITS AND PROGRESSIONSWITH OBSIDIAN
Any transit of Pluto in hard aspect to any other position/planet in a person’s natal chart can utilize Obsidian. I’m of the belief that if I can ‘see’ what is causing the changes in my life, I’m better able to make an educated choice for a healthier outcome–than being blind, deaf and dumb about it. Those hit by Pluto and are flung into chaos will find by wearing the Obsidian necklace will act as a cosmic compass to find new footing and stability. It will help the individual see/perceive through the “fray” and see things more clearly rather than confusion that abound around them.
WEST DIRECTION
The West is the element water, dying and transforming. This is also the position of the Wounded Healer archetype; wounding and then working through the emotional trauma to come out the other end of the gauntlet to turn around and show others how to heal from a similar trauma. It is about our EMOTIONS. And it is our emotions where we get stuck and refuse to change when we really should. The West is about surrendering over to a higher power, letting go, releasing and having faith in the unknown that you will survive and get through the experience. This is the position of “grace” to accept one’s Fate and yet, try to improve upon one’s attitude toward it in a positive and graceful way.
It is our emotions that get us into trouble. We are incarnated into a human form with a certain set of emotions that are shaped by our first eighteen years of life. Those who come from a dysfunctional family background or a war torn country while growing up, have taken on some very deep and serious wounding. Only by getting in touch with these wounds can we open them up and allow the toxicity to drain out of them so we can finally heal up. This direction helps us to focus on just them. It’s a direction of a great deal of emotional pain as we work through that wounding a second time around, but the good news is, this time it will discharge. And then, true healing can begin and you can move on to a higher evolution spiritually. Plus, your compassion and understanding by taking on this wound is profoundly increased. There is a silver lining to this, after all.
Obsidian can cut open our emotional wounds and help it discharge its toxicity that keeps us in place and unable to grow and transform and change.
WHO SHOULD WEAR OBSIDIAN?
There’s a huge red flag for some people NOT to wear Obsidian. If the person is emotionally or mentally unstable or suicidal, they shouldn’t wear Obsidian. All it will do is INTENSIFY their symptom(s). This can send them into such a state of instability that they may do something to harm themselves or others.
Obsidian is best worn by a person who is emotionally and mentally stable. That doesn’t mean this person doesn’t have wounds. They do. This is for a person who is interested in increased inner growth and spiritual evolution.
Stubborn, fixed people such as Taurus, Scorpio, Leo and Aquarius find Obsidian too much for them to be comfortable with, often times. Although, Scorpio, because it is ruled by Pluto, is more drawn to Obsidian than the other three fixed signs. Only a person who is consciously willing to make changes and grow as a human being, should wear Obsidian. Otherwise, it can make a person’s life a living hell because of the tug-of-war between staying in a fixed rut versus change that this gemstone starts plowing up the moment it is worn.
If you are in a situation where you want more insight into yourself and OUTER SIGHT into people you’re having to deal with, wear Obsidian. Further, it can raise a red flag when you are threatened. Act upon that intuition that it is mirroring back into yourself. Careers such as psychiatry, psychology, physician, healer, shamanism, police work, prison guard or any other job where “reading” a person is vital, Obsidian can work very well.
One of the areas Obsidian works in is the realm of metaphysics. Getting “hit” by a sorcerer can be avoided because the person’s alertness for “what is out of place” will be front and center. Knowing when a trap is laid by a sorcerer for a shaman is vital, and wearing Obsidian can help the shaman spot the entrapment. If a ‘spear’ or ‘hook’ of energy is sent to you by anyone, it can be DEFLECTED and REFLECTED back to the sender. This is a very important gemstone necklace for anyone who is doing energy work of any kind. Whether laying on of hands, polarity therapy, Reiki, shamanic or others energy careers, Obsidian is there to stand between you and the other individual. Most people are not sorcerers, but because they are out of balance energy wise and needy, they can stick an energy hook into one of your chakras and drain you anyway. Obsidian won’t let that happen. The energy bounces harmlessly off your aura and goes right back to the sender. Just desserts.
Those who are very “open” or overly trusting (think the Mutable sun signs of Gemini, Sagittarius, Virgo and Pisces here, plus those with a strong Neptune in their natal chart), can get the protection they need by wearing Obsidian. Again, the Guard Dog action of this gemstone send a red flag alert to the wearer that something is wrong and to remove yourself from the area or person/people. Obsidian stops the draining that can occur with this type of open individual. And they don’t feel like a wet mop after ten or fifteen minutes in the company of this energy guzzling psychic vampire of an individual.
When you need detachment and can’t quite get there, wearing Obsidian will bring that to you. Because Obsidian is able to MIRROR the situation, you ‘get it,’ and this can place yourself into a position of detachment. Instead of being hooked into the unfolding emotional drama or a storm kicked up by another individual or group. You’ll see the macrocosm and that will allow you to detach. If you have to deal with “drama kings/queens” then wear Obsidian. This will help you not only detach, but see/perceive why they are behaving in this fashion. It’s great for spotting a passive-aggressive individual. Many people don’t know when they are being manipulated by a PA, but Obsidian can turn the tables on them. This not only helps you move into a state of compassionate understanding, but gives you different and more healthy choices of how (or if) you’re going to interface with this individual or group.
One of the great and generally unknown skills that Obsidian brings to us is that of a being a long term healer. It is a “Strength” stone for a reason. Anyone with a chronic disease can be helped by this gemstone. It’s nature is to cut open pockets of toxicity within us. As they drain and discharge on an energy level, we start to regain our strength, our hope and a sense of starting to live again. It is a stone of regeneration when a person is trying to survive a long termed sickness or disease.
SPIRITUAL CONSIDERATIONS
Obsidian works with our root chakra. There are several colors of Obsidian and each works with different chakras in our aura. The dark brown/black Obsidian deals with our Root chakra. It rules situations with our family, our roots of who we are in a given lifetime. This is why it’s so important to help heal the family/parental wounds that are given to you in the first eighteen years of your life. This is the only type of Obsidian I would allow a sick person to wear. It’s the lowest common denominator and works with only one chakra, while all the other types of Obsidian engage two or more chakras. When you’re sick, you don’t need a lot of energy being stirred up. One chakra will be enough for that individual to work on.
Golden Sheen Obsidian works with the root chakra and the solar plexus. This third chakra helps define who we are as an individual personality–and not what others, family, spouse, want us to be. It is about the individuation process and those who are “self-aware” can use this particular type of Obsidian to really dig deep to get to your own, unique core personality. And the sheen really is symbolic of how we “shine” in the world. It’s not so much Ego centered/driven, as a desire to “light” the world with who and what you are creatively speaking.
Rainbow Obsidian has blue, violet, pink and yellow flashes of color in the black base. This is a “jack of all trades” Obsidian because it corresponds with the root chakra (black), brow chakra (purple), throat chakra (blue), heart chakra (pink) and solar plexus chakra (yellow). This is for a person who is “self-aware” and really wanting to do some serious, deep work on themselves. Because it involves so many chakras, I would not recommend this type to anyone who was ill. It will cause too much chaos and potentially worsen their condition. They are best serviced with “plain” black Obsidian, instead.
Another type is Mahogany Obsidian. It has a reddish-brown color splotched across the black surface. This type of Obsidian is a grounding stone because it is the color of soil and Earth. Anyone who is “spacy,” would do well to wear this particular type of Obsidian.
Snowflake Obsidian has white splotches across the black surface color. It has the crown chakra (white) working with the root chakra (black). For a person who is out of harmony or imbalanced for a variety of reasons, wearing Snowflake Obsidian can help bring them back into balance to a degree.
HEALTH RAMIFICATIONS
Since ALL our dis-eases come from our fouled and toxic emotions (either dragged in from past incarnations into this one or we’ve created a new batch in this present lifetime….), then it stands to reason that Obsidian can be a source of help.
Obsidian helps to protect us from toxic energy thrown off by others. It prevents emotional draining by others. It lends support to us when there’s a lot of stress and pressure. It can aid in regeneration after a long battle with a dis-ease or condition. For gentle, sensitive individuals who are too open and too trusting, this energy protect them from being worn down by the stress.
HOW TO WEAR OBSIDIAN
If you work in a stressful job environment, Obsidian can protect you from some of the pressure and tenseness that inhabits your office. I often recommend a “chunk” of obsidian that sits on your desk or in your office to keep the tension at bay. When you are in a confrontation of any kind, Obsidian can keep the energies in check so that you are not savaged by others who may not be so kind and diplomatic toward you. If dealing with a “drama king/queen,” this will be your best friend. Obsidian will reflect the drama person all the emotional energy they are sending out to you and you don’t want.
In any situation you’re unsure of the players, or you feel wary or threatened, wearing Obsidian may help guide your intuition to safer waters. If you are doing serious inner work with yourself, Obsidian is a gentle companion to light your way. It will ‘cut’ through the old wounds so that they can be opened and drained. The “surgery” we do upon ourselves is the most important step in our spiritual progress we can do in a lifetime. Consider Obsidian a light bearer into the darkness of our stuckness and wounds.
IN SUMMATION….
Obsidian is unique to the gem world. It’s considered a mineraloid and is not a true mineral. Like Opal, it has NO crystalline matrix contained within it. Unlike Opal, that contains 2-5% water within it, Obsidian is just the opposite with less than 1% water contained within it. You can consider Obsidian your cosmic “knife” to cut through the dross in your life on any level. It is also a 2-way mirror for yourself and to see/perceive others more clearly.
If you deal with drama kings/queens in your life, whether in your family or your career, Obsidian can handle this energy and mirror/reflect it back to the person who is out of control on some emotional level. There’s no need for you to be “splattered” by this chaotic, immature emotional energy if you’re wearing an Obsidian necklace.
This Guard Dog stone is exactly that. Obsidian is alert and watchful on your behalf. It will SEND you a strong, clear message that something or someone in your immediate vicinity does not have your best interests at heart. This gives you a chance to either leave or extricate yourself from that individual/environment/group. When wearing an Obsidian necklace, it’s working on several levels.
First, any incoming energy toward you (the left side of your body is where you accept energy into your aura) is reflected back to the person/place/thing if it’s not for your highest good. Secondly, it stops YOU from sending out less than healthy energy toward a person/place or thing, too. The right side of your body is your “send” side. Obsidian stops you from sending negative vibes or emotions out to another person. It’s a two-way street with Obsidian. And this is good because you’ll do less damage to others by wearing this necklace. Especially in situations with spouse/children/family where you really don’t want to get hook into old habit patterns of behavior, Obsidian is great in “cutting” that cycle if you’re wearing the necklace.
Obsidian can handle your dysfunctionality. We all are dysfunctional on the face of this Earth, so you have lots of company. Obsidian helps us deal with our wounds, cuts them open, discharges the toxins and supports getting on with our healing. For people who are “self-aware,” Obsidian is the surgeon’s knife going in to spotlight the wound, open it up, clean it out and heal it up. This is the healing scalpel in the gemstone world.
IMAGES:
Necklace photos by Eileen Nauman
