Properties
Type: Rose quartz
Colour: Pink
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Taurus
Planet: Venus
Element: Earth
Candle Colour: Pink
Guardian Angel: Ashmodiel
Chakra: Heart
Herbs, incenses and oils: Vervain, echinacea, feverfew, geranium, mugwort, strawberry and ylang ylang
Flowers: Apple blossom, daisy, lilac and rose
Associated crystals: Amethyst, moonstone and jade
Adonis, lover of the Greek goddess Aphrodite (Venus in Roman lore), was attacked by Ares, god of war, in the form of a boar. Aphrodite rushed to save him and caught herself on a briar bush. Their mingled blood stained the white quartz pink. Zeus took pity on them and restored Adonis to Aphrodite for six months of the year. Because of this myth, rose quartz has become a symbol of reconciliation in love. It later became an appropriate gift to signify love among Roman youth.
Rose quartz is associated in modern ritual with Isis. An astrologer dropped a piece into the waters surrounding Isis’s temple at Philae, Upper Egypt, as a way of maintaining contact with this place when she was back in England.
The crystal of gentle love, rose quartz has an affinity to the heart chakra. It is the crystal of peacemaking and is associated with practical gestures of concern. Rose quartz is lucky for those born under the sign of Taurus.
The ‘heart stone’, rose quartz is the crystal of reconciliation. It indicates you may become a peacemaker either within your family or at work. But be sure not to be hurt by the combatants. It also indicates blossoming love and friendship or a gentler enduring love after the first passion of a relationship has faded or after a betrayal, again indicating the possibility of reconciliation.
Rose quartz is essential for healers: it will ease pain or tension, cuts or bruises, and emotional wounds, such as grief, stress, fear or anger. It keeps away nightmares and helps to avoid addictive behaviour, especially food disorders associated with a poor self-image. Rose quartz can, initially, release suppressed emotions. If you can allow these feelings to flow from you, perhaps symbolically casting very tiny rose quartz shards into flowing water, you will experience a sense of freedom.
Circle a picture of a war-torn place with a piece of rose quartz while you recite a prayer for peace. Bury a piece in a polluted area.
Rose quartz is an excellent stone for bringing peace. If a phone call unexpectedly becomes confrontational, circle a rose quartz anticlockwise around the phone as you speak to absorb negativity.
It is also good for ongoing protection against intrusion or spite. Place a large piece of unpolished rose quartz with a pointed end in your personal work space. You can normally have the point facing a wall, but when an unwelcome intrusion comes your way, turn the crystal toward the unwanted visitor. The crystal will not harm, but merely act as a barrier. The intruder may stop, look puzzled as if trying to remember why he or she wanted to bother you, and go off.
Known as the children’s stone because youngsters will instinctively choose rose quartz out of a number of different ones if they have a headache. An unpolished chunk of rose quartz beneath a baby’s cot will soothe restlessness and fretfulness. It is also good for teenage angst; a rose quartz can help a girl through the early stages of blossoming womanhood as it is very good for increasing healthy self-love and self-esteem.
Rose quartz is an excellent stone for animals who have been obtained from a rescue centre, who may be traumatized, or for strays. It is also useful for pregnant animals and their young. Water in which a rose quartz crystal has been soaked for eight hours can be given to calm a hyperactive animal.
One of the most useful crystals, rose quartz is available in all sizes and shapes. Even a small tumbled piece is powerful in fertility magic.
This is excellent for grounding after psychic work. Spheres are good for love divination. In love magic, it can act as a talisman to attract a lover or for deeper commitment. Rose quartz is used in fertility magic: place one in half an eggshell and leave on a window ledge from the crescent to the full moon. On the night of the full moon, prick the rose quartz with a tiny silver pin prior to lovemaking. Leave the rose quartz and pin in the eggshell until noon the next day, then wrap them all in white silk and keep in a drawer until the next crescent moon, when the spell is repeated.
Cleanse and recharge rose quartz frequently if the colour begins to fade by sprinkling it with a few drops of rose water.
Properties
Type: Pink or red tourmaline. Complex silicate of boron and aluminium, composition varies
Colour: Pink to red
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Taurus
Planet: Venus/Mars (for redder shades)
Element: Water
Candle Colour: Dark pink
Guardian Angel: Ashmodiel
Chakra: Heart/root
Herbs, incenses and oils: Aloe vera, barberry, valerian, vetivert and ylang ylang
Flowers: Amaryllis, hydrangea and rhododendron
Associated crystals: Green fluorite, ruby in zoisite and pink spinel
See also
Pink tourmaline was the favourite crystal of Tz’u Hsi, the last Empress of China. When she died, her head was supported by a pillow made of pink tourmaline. Pink tourmaline is also called rubellite.
Though you are by nature caring, you may have heard one too many hard-luck stories from a particular individual. You may need to show tough, rather than unconditional, love.
Pinker shades of tourmaline are excellent for a person who has not experienced healing before, to allow the power to flow via their heart. Pink tourmaline steadies the heart and is effective for chronic lung complaints. It is good also for allowing female/anima energies to find expression in both women and men.
The redder the stone, the more powerful its energies. Redder shades will unblock a sluggish root centre, allowing the life force to flow freely. Red tourmaline energizes the whole system and relieves chills, coughs and colds, muscle spasms and weakness. Use it for empowerments to translate good intentions into practical action in charity work.
Pink tourmaline in all shades is helpful for girls and also boys approaching puberty. It helps broody animals that cannot have young.
Pink tourmaline increases self-image so that we are able to open ourselves to friendship, love and praise. At home or work, pink tourmaline will help you to make difficult decisions or deliver bad news with compassion. It is associated with all forms of learning, training and study.
It is an effective block against powerful negativity. Use pink tourmaline for channelling from higher planes, especially wise teachers who have chosen to work with humankind from the spirit world.
Revitalize pink tourmaline with still mineral water or by burning a barberry candle.
Properties
Type: Organic, calcareous skeletons of sea creatures
Colour: Red, orange, salmon to paler pink and white
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
Planet: Neptune
Element: Water
Candle Colour: Orange
Guardian Angel: Rahab
Chakra: Heart
Herbs, incenses and oils: Allspice, cloves, cumin, kelp, pine and sweetgrass
Flowers: Sea lavender, hibiscus and oleander
Associated crystals: Red jasper, amber and carnelian
See also
The Ancient Greeks believed coral was formed from the severed head of Medusa. Other legends say the mother goddess may be found in a tree of coral in the ocean. Highly polished coral can shine with a translucent beauty and is often used in jewellery.
Coral is not used in divination.
Primarily a fertility stone for women, coral also eases menstrual cramps and aids a regular monthly flow. In older women, coral warms arthritic bones and joints and aids tissue and bone regrowth. Use coral in rituals for less polluted seas.
Coral brings luck to the home and protects it from inclement weather. It is the stone of all who work on or near water, bringing good fortune and guarding them from harm. It also helps all who rely on the land for a living.
Traditionally worn by children to prevent falls, coral is a good amulet against accidents, especially in the early years and near water. It was used in rattles to ease children’s teething pains, but can be used as an amulet rather than to bite on. Some modern Wiccans and goddess devotees hang coral on an infant’s cradle to ask for the protection of the Goddess.
Coral is central to sea rituals and is important in love and sex magic. Brighter shades of coral will attract passionate love. It is also good for creating psychic invisibility when you need to keep a low profile and for discovering the intentions of others. Coral is an effective fertility charm.
Recharge under the crescent moon at night.
Properties
Type: Cryptocrystalline quartz
Colour: Ferrous oxide impurities give varying shades of pink
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Pisces
Planet: Moon
Element: Water
Candle Colour: Mauve
Guardian Angel: Varchiel
Chakra: Heart
Herbs, incenses and oils: Lemon verbena, lily of the valley, mimosa, rosewood and violet
Flowers: Crocus, cyclamen and pink roses
Associated crystals: Milky quartz, pink moonstone and rose quartz
See also
Since the sixteenth century, magicians have worn chalcedony as an amulet to banish dark phantoms and visions, especially at night. White chalcedony is used by new mothers to increase their milk supply, and pink to protect the baby from harm in the early days of life. Pink chalcedony is a Goddess stone.
Pink chalcedony signifies that the secret fears that may keep you awake are unfounded and that you should talk about them to a trusted friend. They will then begin to lose their power over your life.
Pink chalcedony relieves shock and trauma. It is an excellent stone for helping first-time mothers when they are giving birth. It is helpful also for post-natal problems, especially after a prolonged birth or one involving medical intervention, such as forceps or Caesarean section.
Pink chalcedony will make it easier to cope with difficult children or relations. Use it if you work for a large or impersonal organization: it will help you to settle in more easily and create a home base for yourself.
It can ease the tensions of children who feel unloved, such as at a time of divorce. It will help a foster, step or adoptive child who has conflicting loyalties or is afraid to love again.
It can be used in rituals to increase self-love and self-esteem. Use it in gentle banishing magic: allow the stone to absorb your regrets and then hold it under flowing water.
Use running water to recharge chalcedony.
Properties
Type: Spodumene with lithium. Flat crystals with deep striations, occasionally colourless from some angles. Semitransparent
Colour: Pink to lilac or pinky violet, streaked with white
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Taurus
Planet: Venus/Pluto
Element: Earth
Candle Colour: Pink
Guardian Angel: Amatiel
Chakra: Heart
Herbs, incenses and oils: Lilac, chamomile, lavender, rose and ylang ylang
Flowers: Crocus, primrose and violet
Associated crystals: Amethyst, purple fluorite and sugilite
Discovered at the beginning of the last century, kunzite has rapidly become known as the woman’s stone and is loved particularly by goddess worshippers.
Kunzite suggests it is important to flow with life and to allow events to unfold and resolve themselves, rather than confronting issues.
For women, kunzite relieves hormonal problems – premenstrual, menstrual and menopausal. It eases problems in pregnancy, the early days of motherhood and lingering post-natal depression. Kunzite relaxes tense muscles and relieves tension headaches, panic attacks, mood swings and psychosomatic illnesses. It is beneficial for addictions, phobias or compulsions linked with low self-image. Kunzite counters man-made pollutants, and is useful against both chemical toxicity and that from the unwise use of radiation.
Put kunzite in a charm bag when travelling by car, both to counter road rage in others and to calm your own tensions in traffic. At work, place kunzite in your workspace as an effective counter against undue pressure. It will also relieve the effects of noise, harsh lighting and inefficient air conditioning.
Kunzite helps girls and boys to contact their gentler side. Give it to adolescent girls to assist them through early menstrual problems and fears. It helps babies to get used to the world after life in the womb. It aids animals that are pregnant for the first time and counters potential aggression towards new offspring.
Good for developing intuition in men and women, kunzite helps to make contact with angels, spirit guides, nature devas and the spirits of nature. Use it to work with power animal energies, especially creatures of the night or those that live underground.
Kunzite fades in sunlight, so recharge it under the light of the early waxing moon.
Properties
Type: Calcium boron silicate. More wedge-like than crystal quartz. Crystals are diamond-shaped in cross-section
Colour: Pink, clear or white
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
Planet: Uranus
Element: Air
Candle Colour: White/deep pink
Guardian Angel: Sahaquiel
Chakra: Crown/brow/heart
Herbs, incenses and oils: Aloe vera, gum arabic, benzoin, bergamot and rosemary
Flowers: Almond blossom, flowering cherry and wild daffodil
Associated crystals: Apophyllite, phantom quartz and rose quartz
Danburite is a relatively recent discovery. Under the Gaia hypothesis, the earth is a living entity that serves the needs of every age and provides healing for all ills of the mind, body and psyche from the plants and minerals on her surface. A crystal of the New Age, danburite addresses modern problems.
Look at any experience as part of a wider pattern in order to maximize opportunities and minimize problems. Few things happen by accident or cannot be redeemed.
Use danburite to draw spiritual healing powers through your body from angelic or divine sources. An all-body healer and gentle energizer, danburite will help detoxify the body, calm the mind and increase self-esteem. You need only a small piece, as its energies, though gentle, are very concentrated.
Danburite dramatically increases tolerance levels and so is helpful if you live or work with difficult people or situations. It creates a spirit of cooperation and helps you to stay calm and to complete the task at hand with the minimum of personal stress. A piece by the phone seems to deter unwelcome salespeople as well as nuisance-callers.
Danburite helps children to play together and is good for play-school and after-school play scheme organizers. It also helps maintain a harmonious atmosphere among animals and humans in kennels, stables or catteries.
A focus for channelling angelic and spirit guide energies and wisdom, danburite also increases the ability to see other dimensions.
Wrap danburite in a piece of pink silk and leave in a drawer for twenty-four hours.
Rhodocrosite with pyrites and quartz crystal.
Properties
Type: Manganese carbonate. Opaque
Colour: Rose pink with white or paler pink banding. Can be lighter pink or almost red. Rarely, transparent pink crystals
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Candle Colour: Bright pink
Guardian Angel: Sandalphon
Chakra: Heart/solar plexus
Herbs, incenses and oils: Anise, cedarwood, copal, orange, rose and nutmeg
Flowers: Pink carnation, sweet pea and hibiscus
Associated crystals: Rhodonite, rubellite and garnet
Rhodocrosite is sometimes called the Inca rose because the Native Americans in the Andes believed it contained the blood of ancestral great rulers. Therefore, it is the stone of power and of powerful love.
Drawing rhodocrosite in a reading signifies that in love or in family relationships you may have to fight for what you want and need. This will bring greater happiness in the end than accepting second best.
It is a powerful healing stone, especially for problems that result from emotional causes or low self-esteem, such as food or alcohol abuse, anorexia or bulimia, or over-reliance on tablets or drugs. It relieves asthma and aids detoxification of the liver and blood. It is also used in IVF and artificial insemination to help the body to accept the implant.
Buy one to strengthen the love ties if you move in with or marry your lover. Also use it to call back a partner who has moved out or who works away. When you begin college or work at a new place, rhodochrosite can help you make friends and feel less lonely.
Rhodochrosite is reassuring for children who are fostered or adopted. If children are away from home, it will encourage self-reliance and independence while maintaining links with home. Put it in the sleeping place of a missing animal; it may call them to return.
Use it to draw back an errant lover, to deepen love ties and to increase telepathic communication with lovers, family and pets.
Smudge the crystal with rose-scented incense.
Properties
Type: Chain silicate
Colour: Reddish to salmon or rose pink with black patches and veins
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Planet: Venus
Element: Earth
Candle Colour: Rose pink
Guardian Angel: Hael
Chakra: Heart
Herbs, incenses and oils: African violet, angelica, rose, tansy and vervain
Flowers: Poppies, carnation and red and pink roses
Associated crystals: Pink chalcedony, mangano calcite and rhodochrosite
The fire of rhodonite is tempered by the softening influence of Venus and the grounding power of the earth, so it is a slow-burning fire that can defuse stronger, less controlled forces. For this reason, rhodonite has come to be called the burning rose (rhodon is Greek for rose).
Let go of the past; forgive what you can and try to forget the rest. Your peace of mind is more important than trying to please those who may never be content.
Recommended for healing wounds and scar tissue, relieving autoimmune conditions, ulcers, lesions and skin conditions, especially allergies. It is also good for mental scars. It prevents you from repeating old mistakes that hurt you before and will do so again. Rhodonite can be used as a focus for sending positive energies to people injured or made homeless by war or hurt by buried landmines.
Rhodonite can help to heal family bitterness and serious rifts with the wider family. It encourages patience when others are being inefficient or unusually slow. At work, carry rhodonite to ensure that your abilities are given due credit. It is a stone associated with musicians and singers and with peacemakers and peacekeepers. It is for people in service industries and also helps shift workers to harmonize their rhythms.
It helps a child to shine and develop their unique talents. It can be useful for children and teenagers who have trouble controlling their temper or are prone to swearing. It is soothing for any creature with a skin condition and for lizards and snakes.
Rhodonite keeps away negativity, both psychic attacks and the spite of others.
Revitalize rhodonite with the light of a pink candle, a fibre optic or lava lamp.
Properties
Type: Calcium carbonate. As mangano semitransparent to translucent. Optical or icicle calcite is transparent, with inner rainbows
Colour: Pink of varying shades, mainly pale. Mangano has white bands
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Taurus
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Candle Colour: Pale pink
Guardian Angel: Achaiah
Chakra: Heart
Herbs, incenses and oils: Lemon balm, chamomile, lavender, lily of the valley and rose
Flowers: Lily, pale-pink roses and snowdrop
Associated crystals: Amethyst, pink chalcedony and rose quartz
If you shine ultraviolet light on mangano, it will glow bright pink in the darkness. Mangano is associated with fairies and with gentle earth spirits who care for damaged plants or wounded animals.
Mangano calcite says be gentle with yourself; let go of guilt for matters you could not have changed. Pink calcite says you spend so much time helping others they may not realize your vulnerability. Ask for support: you will realize your value and others will feel needed.
Mangano fosters both compassion towards others and self-esteem. One of the gentlest stones, mangano calcite (along with all pink calcite) is effective for chronic problems or illnesses. It is particularly helpful for people who have been inadequately mothered or whose mother has died, even years later. Use when healing babies and children, for post-natal depression and for anyone who is physically or emotionally traumatized. Pink calcite will relieve a place that has been vandalized: bury pieces in the soil or circle them around the area on a map.
Mangano helps to restore emotional security after a burglary or crisis in the home. At work, it will lower stress if you are under pressure.
These crystals ease fretful babies, help mother-child bonding and small children overcome fears. They encourage mothers to care for their young.
Use all pink calcite for fairy magic and for working with mythical creatures, especially the unicorn. Mangano calcite is useful as a focus in mother-goddess rituals and those to release our inner child. Pink calcite also strengthens rituals for first love and self-esteem after betrayal.
Use crescent moonlight or play music of natural sounds, especially the ocean, to revitalize both of these crystals.
Properties
Type: Magnesium aluminium oxide. Usually transparent and sparkling. Some spinel is artificial
Colour: From pale to bright pink, including a bright pink with orange
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
Planet: Pluto
Element: Fire
Candle Colour: Deep pink
Guardian Angel: Riehol
Chakra: Throat
Herbs, incenses and oils: Acacia, cedarwood, mimosa, deerstongue and gardenia
Flowers: Dog rose (pink), freesia and rosebay willowherb
Associated crystals: Pink chalcedony, ruby and sapphire
The name spinel derives from spina, the Latin for spine, because of its sharp, eight-sided crystals. Red spinel is often mistaken for a ruby and pink for a pink sapphire. The famous Black Prince’s Ruby in the Imperial State Crown is in fact a spinel. Henry V wore it on his helmet at Agincourt; the helmet shielded him from an axe blow by the Duke of Alençon.
All may not be as it appears, so check carefully before signing up for any deals or making major commitments.
Pink spinel eases anxiety conditions, phobias or obsessions, especially those connected with low self-esteem or childhood trauma. The stone provides a gentle consistent energy, so is helpful for people who tire easily or who have chronic debilitating illnesses. Use pink spinel for pre-conceptual care and health of both would-be parents. The paler the pink, the gentler its properties.
More protective than it might appear even in gentler shades, pink spinal should be worn by quiet, kind people whose opinions or wishes are sometimes ignored or overridden.
A good-fairy crystal, pink spinel makes an excellent present at a naming ceremony as it endows the child with the continuing love and protection of the giver. The crystal is not suitable for animals.
Pink spinel is a powerful love token that carries the love of the giver. Therefore, it is a wonderful emblem if love is relatively new and the couple must spend time apart or live a distance away.
Polish pink spinel very carefully with a pink cloth, rubbing away all negativity. Pass a clear crystal pendulum over it to energize.
This sparkling yellow sun crystal will melt away pain, doubt, sorrow and tension.
Properties
Type: Quartz. Some citrine is heat-treated amethyst or smoky quartz
Colour: Pale to golden yellow, honey, dark orange
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Gemini
Planet: Mercury
Element: Air
Candle Colour: Lemon
Guardian Angel: Raphael
Chakra: Crown and solar plexus
Herbs, incenses and oils: Almond, bergamot, lemon verbena, lily of the valley and papyrus
Flowers: Daffodil, peach blossom and primrose
Associated crystals: Yellow diamond, golden topaz and yellow zircon
Until the sixteenth century, citrine was an umbrella term for all sparkling yellow stones, including stones such as topaz. Called the sun stone, citrine is said to hold pure sunlight and never to absorb any negativity. As a stone of Mercury, the Roman messenger god, it holds the clear sunlight of early morning, not the heat of noon. Regarded as the merchant’s stone, citrine has been famed for improving communication, increasing selling power (owing to the influence of Mercury) and for attracting money or business. A citrine was placed in the cash register or put with the accounts; now it is put near the computer.
Heralding joy in every aspect of your life, citrine says it is time to communicate your ideas and needs clearly, especially in situations at work. Try new activities and visit new places. Make time for any creative talents you have, as they may prove lucrative.
Citrine is excellent for the liver, spleen, gall bladder and digestive system. It reduces toxicity in the body, relieves back pain and eases skin problems and allergies. It is an effective remedy for depressive illnesses or phobias; it will help you to think clearly and put your problems in perspective. The positive energy of citrine drives away darkness and night fears and protects against negative people.
A crystal of hope, citrine can be placed on an image of children in need or of an area of intense poverty or famine. Leave the citrine on the picture from dawn until noon, then wrap the crystal and picture in yellow or white silk and leave it covered until the next dawn. Repeat this process for three consecutive days. As you set the crystal on the photograph, name the positive energies you wish to send to the place. You may also wish to use citrine to bless any material gifts you send to such places.
Citrine will clear any dark spots at home caused by restless ghosts or negative earth energies. Keep a citrine inclusion (tiny crystals in rock) in a room that seems dark, cold or unfriendly. Citrine is excellent for workers in the media and the arts.
Citrine helps children and teenagers to feel loved and is good for blending together the tangled relationships that can arise in step-families. It also helps keep open channels of communication with teenagers.
Citrine helps pets, particularly rescued animals, settle into a new or temporary environment.
Associated with the crown and solar plexus chakras, citrine releases joy and brings spiritual powers into the everyday world. Citrine was supposedly a powerful transmitter of solar healing energy in Atlantis.
Citrine is excellent for prosperity rituals. Charge a citrine with energies of abundance by burning a yellow candle next to it at dawn. Keep the energized crystal in your purse to attract money to you.
Citrine will make you more intuitive and help you distinguish between free-floating anxiety and your inner voice that advises you as to the right action. It is also very good for automatic writing (where you ask a question and allow your hand to write freely). It draws wisdom from the collective memory bank via your own psychic powers.
Use citrine in creative visualization to help bring a desired object or goal from your thoughts into the everyday world. Hold the citrine in your power hand (the one you write with) while picturing in your mind the desired result coming nearer. Carry the charged citrine with you as a reminder as you put your plans into action.
Citrine does not absorb negativity but transforms it into positive energies. Therefore, it is a crystal that can keep on energizing and protecting for a long time. This makes citrine useful if you are under a lot of pressure or are away from home and feel vulnerable.
Leaving citrine in sunlight from dawn until noon will fill it with extra radiance, especially on the summer solstice (21 June in the northern hemisphere and 21 December in the southern hemisphere). However, do not expose citrine to intense sunlight too frequently as it may start to crack.
Properties
Type: Chalcedony quartz. Opaque
Colour: Yellow, often mustard or burnished colour through sandy and brown. Sandy picture jasper is mottled and looks like an abstract landscape
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Planet: Saturn/Earth
Element: Earth
Candle Colour: Sandy yellow
Guardian Angel: Sofiel
Chakra: Root
Herbs, incenses and oils: Hyssop, chamomile, fennel, hops and patchouli
Flowers: Cactus, tulip and wallflower
Associated crystals: Lemon chrysoprase, leopardskin jasper and mookaite
See also
These earth-coloured jaspers are among the most revered among indigenous peoples and have entered the modern spiritual world as icons of earth awareness and the inter-connectedness of all life.
Yellow jasper signifies that others may be envious of what you are and have achieved: do not let any pettiness stop you from doing what you want. Brown or sandy jasper suggests you take the practical point of view and are not tempted by short cuts.
Yellow jasper helps the digestive system, especially the liver, gall bladder and large intestine. It relieves nausea, fat intolerance, chronic indigestion and bloating after eating. All jaspers effectively absorb pain.
Use brown and sandy pieces to protect you against and clear your body of environmental toxins and impurities, especially if you live in a town. They are helpful for problems with balance and for chronic back pain. Jasper will empower earth-awareness work and acts as a deterrent to litter louts.
Yellow jasper protects you against spiteful neighbours and work colleagues. Place it near your workspace to prevent others from gossiping about you in your absence. Use brown jasper to improve your skills and to keep calm when carrying out any DIY, home renovation or car maintenance. It is good for established businesses and to keep you on track for completing work that is detailed without making small errors.
Yellow jasper reduces sibling rivalry and protects sensitive children against jealousy. Brown and sandy jasper relieve chronic conditions in animals and help animals from hot places settle in a temperate clime.
Use brown jasper in magic to keep your feet on the ground while your spirit is in the air. All types of jasper are good for Native American rituals and for learning from other indigenous traditions. Jaspers are also earth energy transmitters and are effective even in a high apartment or office building. Yellow jasper can be used as a psychic barrier against a gossiping or bitchy colleague or relation.
Leave in sunlight in a tray of sand or earth.
Properties
Type: Quartz with golden rutiles inside
Colour: Clear, occasionally smoky, quartz with golden-yellow to brownish-red needles that can form patterns within the crystal
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Candle Colour: Gold
Guardian Angel: Galgaliel
Chakra: Solar plexus
Herbs, incenses and oils: Basil, frankincense, garlic, nutmeg and orange
Flowers: Aster, broom and heather
Associated crystals: Iron pyrites, obsidian and tektite
The rutiles within the quartz were believed to be crystallized sunlight or gold belonging to dragons. Rutilated quartz was regarded as an angel stone because it was said to contain the spirits of angels. The rutiles are sometimes called the hair of Venus.
This stone represents your inner treasure store of resources and experience that can help you when making life changes. Believe in yourself and look for the hidden benefits in any situation.
Rutilated quartz helps to slow chronic diseases such as bronchitis or asthma. It assists regenerating tissues and brain cells and improves the condition of blood vessels and veins.
In older people, it increases sexual desire and power and will ease mid-life crises in both sexes. Placed on the solar plexus chakra, it will unblock sluggish centres or energies and help to balance the entire system. Environmentally, it is good for healing areas affected by nuclear waste or pollution.
Rutilated quartz protects those who live in or near town centres. It helps counter ageism in the workplace and strengthens the unemployed or those forced into early retirement, encouraging them to explore new avenues of employment.
This crystal eases loneliness in only children and also helps children to cope with family crises and reversals in fortune. Nursing mothers can also benefit from rutilated quartz. Use rutilated quartz to bring love to those who are physically unattractive. It is an excellent crystal for crossbred animals.
Rutilated quartz is good for contacting guardian angels and channelling angelic wisdom. It encourages telepathy between people and increases clairvoyance. Use rutilated quartz for scrying in intense sunlight. It is a useful stone to convert wishes into reality. Place a crystal under the pillow to bring creative solutions in dreams. It is an excellent stone for past-life focus.
Leave for twenty minutes on a stone circle or on a stone in an ancient hillside. Otherwise, keep it with gold objects in a bag overnight (a tiny gold earring would suffice).
Yellow calcite’s slow, gentle healing powers are good for absent healing.
Properties
Type: Calcium carbonate. Semi-transparent
Colour: Yellow/gold or honey
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Pisces
Planet: Neptune
Element: Water
Candle Colour: Yellow
Guardian Angel: Barakiel
Chakra: Sacral
Herbs, incenses and oils: Lemon balm, eucalyptus, kelp (seaweed) and star anise
Flowers: Honeysuckle, sea lavender and water lily
Associated crystals: Fluorite, sugilite and aragonite
See also
Orange, pink, green, and blue calcite
Calcite was used in Ancient Egypt for ritual bowls, cups and objects, to pass the gentle healing power into the food, drink or offerings. It was believed to amplify the power of prayer. Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from calcite, and their fabulous shapes in different caverns have led to legends growing up of animals or witches turned to stone. The most famous is the Witch of Wookey Hole Caves, in Somerset, England.
Calcite in all its colours and forms, except for clear calcite, indicates the need for patience and for allowing life to take its course. Golden yellow/honey calcite tells you to believe in yourself and maximize every opportunity to influence others quietly: your success and influence will grow each day.
Pale yellow calcite means you may find yourself having to accept put-downs of others temporarily, but time will vindicate you. White or cloudy calcite reminds you to take a step each day towards what would make you happy or any changes you desire.
Despite its various colours, all calcite has common properties, although the different colours can be used with their own chakras. Yellow calcite works through the sacral chakra, melting rigidity and calming fears.
Calcite, especially in its warmer shades, helps hormonal imbalances and painful muscles and joints. It also heals abuse and sorrow from the past that may linger, clouding the present and future. Calcite, especially golden yellow and cloudy white, is good for absent healing rituals. Yellow calcite helps the spine, bones, pancreas and spleen, the detoxification of kidneys and decalcification of joints and bones.
Calcite releases and clears personal negativity so makes the user resistant to the hostile vibes of others. Honey calcite will deflect spite and gossip. Optical spar helps the user to see through deceit.
All forms of calcite, especially the clearer ones, have the power to help the user to break out of patterns of action that can see him or her repeating mistakes or being constantly attracted to the wrong kind of person.
Calcite will help with the slow transformation of a run-down urban area or war-torn city.
As a stone of balance and integration, calcite in all its colours can ease tensions in close relationships and help the user to blend different priorities and demands on time harmoniously. Calcite gradually releases gentle energies in the home and workplace that keep conflict to a minimum and enable people to work and live together tolerantly.
Pale yellow or honey calcite helps teenagers to study and calms exam nerves.
Honey calcite, like green, is good for chronically sick animals and for those who have been ill-treated.
Because of the double refractive powers (if you draw a straight line and look at it through a clear or optical calcite, you see two wavy lines), calcite has long been regarded as a magical crystal that would double existing power, strength, health, prosperity and good fortune. It is often called the wish stone.
It can be brittle, so recharge by smudging.
Properties
Type: Aluminium oxide
Colour: Chrysoberyl is clear yellow, honey or yellowy green or brown; Alexandrite is deep or emerald green in daylight and ruby red in artificial light
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Planet: Sun/Venus (alexandrite)
Element: Fire/earth
Candle Colour: Gold/emerald green (alexandrite)
Guardian Angel: Seratiel
Chakra: Crown (alexandrite); solar plexus (chrysoberyl)
Herbs, incenses and oils: Neroli, avocado, aloe vera, bergamot and sagebrush
Flowers: Daffodil, poppy and yellow iris
Associated crystals: Topaz, emerald and ruby
Yellow chrysoberyl, discovered in Brazil in the seventeenth century, became regarded as the stone of great leaders, especially in Spain and Portugal. Alexandrite was first found in the Ural Mountains in Russia on the birthday of Tsar Alexander II in 1830. Because it displayed the colours of imperial Russia, it became an icon of Russian sovereignty.
These stones are not used for divination.
Yellow chrysoberyl will relieve exhaustion. It is also excellent for diarrhoea, stomach ulcers and other intestinal disorders. It will assist a gentle weight-loss programme.
Alexandrite soothes problems with the head. It is also good for inner-ear problems and for relieving tinnitus and seasickness or any motion sickness.
Yellow chrysoberyl prevents others from manipulating you, whether psychically or psychologically. It fosters a strong work ethos in a workplace and is good to set near a colleague who is idle or constantly chatters. Alexandrite is good for regenerating enthusiasm and will protect you if you are travelling in mountain or hill country. Both crystals can help healers not to become overloaded by the troubles or negative energies of others.
Chrysoberyl can help older children to retain information. The crystals are not used with animals in these forms. A formation that resembles a cat’s eye occurs in chrysoberyl, the original cat’s eye (see cat’s eye.
Yellow chrysoberyl seems to have some of the magical properties of the more ancient and now little-used yellow beryl. It can be used to make mirror rituals or divination more powerful. Use alexandrite for channelling wisdom from devas, the higher nature essences and from the guardians of mountains. Alexandrite helps you to use flower and gem essences more effectively.
Recharge both kinds with a sage smudge or incense or in a green place on a sunny day but out of direct sunlight.
Properties
Type: Quartz. Combination of amethyst and citrine. Transparent, sparkling
Colour: Natural mix of yellow and purple
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Gemini
Planet: Mercury
Element: Air
Candle Colour: Pearl grey
Guardian Angel: Ambriel
Chakra: Crown
Herbs, incenses and oils: Lavender, lemon-grass, lemon verbena, lime and sweetgrass
Flowers: Lilac, wild rose and Michaelmas daisy
Associated crystals: Amethyst, citrine, smoky quartz
Ametrines were given as tribute to the Queen of Spain during the seventeenth century by a conquistador who received the Anahi Mine in Bolivia as a dowry. However, ametrine has become popular in magic and healing only fairly recently.
Trust your intuitive faculties. You may need to negotiate on behalf of yourself or others and tread a middle way for a while.
Ametrine will cleanse and balance the aura, replacing negativity with positive energy. This two-in-one stone is good for all healing work as it can remove pain or blockages – physical, psychic or psychological. It infuses the body with light and life. Ametrine helps to break bad habits and reduce cravings, especially smoking. It is good for repairing the ozone layer and rebalancing the ecosystem, also for bringing hawks and doves closer when there is threat of war or unrest.
Ametrine helps workaholics to rebalance their lives to make room for personal and spiritual needs. It also eases a return to work after a break.
The adolescent’s stone, ametrine helps to get teenagers out of bed and keeps them out of trouble. It is good also for adolescent animals.
Ametrine makes it easier to contact angels, spirit guides and power animals. It helps draw these higher energies into our lives without becoming overwhelmed or losing our balanced view of the world. Ametrine is also helpful for the early stages of astral projection or out-of-body experiences; it allows you to retain connection with and awareness of the everyday world. In full moonlight, visualize a door in your ametrine. Walk through that door into other dimensions, whether the starlit sky, deep forests of myth or into a past world.
Revitalize ametrine on the night of the full moon around sunset.
Properties
Type: Plagioclase feldspar/silicate. A translucent quartz form is sometimes called the Oregon
Colour: From gentle orange to a vivid tangerine. Feldspar type flashes opalescent golden yellow and orange; the more common kind is softer orange with a red or golden sheen
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Candle Colour: Gold
Guardian Angel: Galgaliel
Chakra: Solar plexus
Herbs, incenses and oils: Bay, frankincense, saffron, St John’s wort and tangerine
Flowers: Dandelion, marigold and sunflower
Associated crystals: Citrine, fire opal and topaz
Believed to have a piece of the sun, sunstone was prized by magicians, who used it to attract the sun’s strength and its associated power. It is associated with the legendary phoenix that appeared at the first sunrise and was said to become flame and rise anew from the ashes every five hundred years.
You can be optimistic that everything will turn out well in the near future. You may have an unexpected chance to take the lead.
An energizer, sunstone is good for cell regeneration. It is effective against Seasonal Affective Disorder, all winter ills or chills, depression and despair. It increases sexual potency in men. It is excellent for reducing anxiety, fears and phobias of all kinds: it helps distinguish real danger from imaginary fear.
Sunstone will bring sunshine into the home on a cold or wintry day or when there has been unhappiness. At work, sunstone is the crystal of leadership and is good if you have a sudden chance to deputize for someone in a higher position. It will foster unselfishness in a group situation and reduce rivalry.
Sunstone helps shy or fearful children to be more outgoing and calms those with an overactive imagination. It helps to maintain the health of tropical birds, fish and reptiles.
It is an excellent charm to attract good fortune, prosperity and promotion. In weather magic it helps to bring sunshine. Use sunstone to represent the god or animus energies and a moonstone for goddess or anima energies.
Revitalize sunstone for an hour on either side of the noonday sun. Leave it out on the summer solstice from dawn until noon.
Believed to have a piece of the sun, sunstone was
Properties
Type: Dimorphous calcium carbonate. Usually twin crystals in clusters
Colour: Yellow/honey-coloured
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Virgo
Planet: Earth
Element: Earth
Candle Colour: Honey
Guardian Angel: Jehoel
Chakra: Heart/root
Herbs, incenses and oils: Caraway, clary sage, moss, ivy and thyme
Flowers: Evening primrose, greater celandine and honeysuckle
Associated crystals: Coral, green fluorite and yellow calcite
See also
Aragonite is named after Aragon, Spain, where it was discovered. It is like the warm winter sun, especially in its yellow and honey shades. It is also found in hot springs and so is regarded as a stone of the earth mother, from whose womb the warm waters flow.
If you can find one the right shape, yellow aragonite indicates that you should for now be content with your life and/or relationships, even if they do not seem exciting. They contain the seeds of true happiness that will unfold over the years.
It is good for bones, especially the spine and teeth, and for absorbing necessary nutrients, notably calcium. Yellow aragonite will warm you in the winter and offers resistance against colds, flu or viral infections, especially respiratory ones, and against the super bugs that lurk in modern hospitals. It also seems to help restore natural immunity if you have taken a lot of antibiotics. Use to increase recycling activities in your neighbourhood.
Aragonite helps you to avoid hasty words or actions, which you may regret. It helps you to feel secure within yourself and remain unaffected by the mood swings of others. Keep a cluster at work to defuse stress. Use aragonite when you feel overwhelmed by responsibilities at home or work.
An aragonite cluster in the bedroom will keep away nightmares and night terrors. It is good for animals and birds who live in cities.
Use yellow or colourless aragonite in all outdoor rituals and to connect with nature. Aragonite increases knowledge in herbalism. It is also a good focus for Goddess rituals and for channelling higher energies.
Leave it in very gentle sunlight for an hour.
Properties
Type: Island silicate
Colour: Golden yellow, the finest is Imperial topaz
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Candle Colour: Gold
Guardian Angel: Uriel
Chakra: Solar plexus
Herbs, incenses and oils: Bay, frankincense, orange, St John’s wort and desert sage
Flowers: Buttercup, marigold and sunflower
Associated crystals: Chrysoberyl, citrine and tiger’s eye
See also
White and blue topaz
A stone of the sun and of royalty and master magicians, the finest golden topaz (known as chrysolites, along with peridots) were found on Serpent Isle in the Red Sea. Pliny called the island Topazos, after the Greek for conjecture. Earlier, the Ancient Egyptians had granted the islanders the sole right to gather the stones, which, it was said, could be seen only at night, when they shone brilliantly. The name means fire in Sanskrit. Topaz increases in power with the moon, being at its greatest potency at the time of the full moon.
Golden topaz is not used in divination.
As a stone of the sun, golden topaz will fill your body, mind and aura with light and warmth. It is especially helpful for arthritis and rheumatism and has an affinity to the gall bladder, pancreas and liver. It is beneficial for all digestive disorders, particularly those affected by stress. Associated with gradual and permanent weight loss, it reduces the desire to binge-eat and/or crash diet. It also relieves nervous exhaustion. For insomnia, an hour before bedtime drink water in which a topaz has been soaked.
Topaz will help guard a home against fire and burglary and its inhabitants from domestic accidents. It also deters others from envying you and your achievements and so is protective against spiteful neighbours, jealous work colleagues and office intrigues.
It helps to stop sleepwalking and sleep disturbances. It is not suitable for animals.
Golden topaz is used in prosperity rituals and as a money and love charm. Traditionally worn to attract a wealthy lover, today it is used to attract one who is spiritually rich. Psychically, golden topaz is also a stone of astral travel. It was believed to confer invisibility on its wearer in the Near and Middle East in ancient times.
Revitalize towards sunset at the full moon when sun and moon are both in the sky.
Properties
Type: Chalcedony with nickel. Opaque
Colour: Lemon yellow to yellowy-green
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Gemini
Planet: Mercury
Element: Air
Candle Colour: Lemon yellow
Guardian Angel: Raphael
Chakra: Solar plexus
Herbs, incenses and oils: Lemon, lemongrass, lime, mint and tea tree
Flowers: Lemon blossom, narcissus and primrose
Associated crystals: Bowenite, pale citrine and prehnite
See also
Alexander the Great wore a chrysoprase on his belt to bring victory. While he was resting after a battle in Egypt, a cobra stung the stone, saving his life.
Be particularly alert to what is going on behind the scenes, especially at work or in your social life. Double-check what you are told and avoid listening to gossip.
Lemon chrysoprase sharpens physical vision and provides a mental focus, cleans the system of impurities, improves skin and muscle tone, helps with weight loss and increases mobility. It also reduces nausea, especially in pregnancy, and helps re-establish fertility and hormonal patterns after a long period of artificial contraception.
It helps with legal problems, especially relating to property. At work, it helps you to think fast, to argue eloquently under pressure and to see through deception.
It can break the cycle of night terrors in young children and counter bad influences in teenagers. It helps pets who are jealous.
The more yellow shades of chrysoprase were used as an invisibility charm, so it can be a potent amulet if you need to keep a low profile. As a charm, it seems to deter drunks from bothering you on late-night trains, buses and taxi ranks or in city centres.
Add it to your bath water; visualize negativity swirling away with the waste water.
Amber is a stone of courage, personal power and harmony.
Properties
Type: Organic gem made from fossilized resin from coniferous trees that grew thirty million years ago
Colour: Translucent, yellow or golden orange, sometimes brown, often containing fossilized insects or tiny plants. Occasionally black, violet, green or blue
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Candle Colour: Gold
Guardian Angel: Verchiel
Chakra: Solar plexus
Herbs, incenses and oils: Saffron, frankincense, bay and St John’s wort
Flowers: Sunflower, dandelion, marigold
Associated crystals: Blood agate, carnelian and sunstone
Because insects, plants and even tiny animals are found petrified inside its crystals, amber was thought to contain the essence of life and so became known as the stone of the mother goddess.
Amber has been found in Palaeolithic graves and was the material for early amulets. Called the honey stone, or petrified sunlight, in China amber was thought to contain the souls of many tigers and the power of many suns. Another Oriental legend claims amber is drops of petrified dragon’s blood. In the Classical world it was believed that amber was formed by the setting rays of the sun upon the sea. A Christian legend says amber was the solidified tears of birds at the crucifixion.
The Vikings called amber the ‘tears of Freyja’, after their goddess of love, who once sold her favours to the dwarves in return for an amber necklace. Thus, amber became a symbol of passionate love, female sexuality and fertility. In Wicca and in shamanism, it is used as a gateway to other realms.
Amber indicates that this is a time for deciding what you want. As a stone of prosperity, it indicates that your efforts may at last be recognized.
Amber stimulates the body’s self-healing abilities. If you are working as a healer, it will prevent you from absorbing negative energies. It helps to improve short-term memory, relieves stomach ailments, soothes sore throats and inner-ear complaints and aids digestion. It strengthens the spine, lungs and central nervous system, and speeds cell regeneration. It is also good for speech problems.
On an emotional level, amber is an excellent crystal for relieving depression and anxiety. It increases inner radiance and strengthens a sense of self-worth. Its magnetic properties have made amber an important stone for attracting love, and an amber necklace or pendant is said to attract lovers. On a more general level, it transforms negative into positive energy.
Amber protects against modern technological pollution. It also helps to safeguard ancient sites from vandalism and from unscrupulous developers. Place your amber in the setting sun on top of a photograph of a site for a few minutes and send your wishes for the place through the crystal. Amber cleanses the seas and is valuable in rituals for areas that are under threat from erosion or from high tides.
Amber attracts prosperity and success. It melts rigid or confrontational attitudes in others and is excellent if a workplace is fiercely competitive.
The crystal helps shy children to relax in social situations. It will also protect them from spite and sarcasm in the classroom and in the playground.
Amber is useful to help older animals trigger their self-healing powers.
Amber was used by Roman gladiators as an amulet to protect against both danger and fear. A stone of courage, it will help you to face opposition.
Amber provides a good focus for past-life work. Burn an orange candle after dark and gaze through half-closed eyes into the depths of the amber crystal.
For astral travel, hold amber up to sunlight, creating a doorway of radiance within the amber. Visualize yourself passing through it. Then lie down, placing the warm amber on top of your clothes in the centre of your stomach, a few inches above your navel, on the solar plexus chakra. Close your eyes and, in your mind, follow the amber path through the doorway. Carry amber in a charm or lucky bag to increase your psychic powers. Place a piece of amber on a magical altar for power and protection and when you are going to channel the wisdom of the Goddess.
One of the oldest gems collected by humans, amber is valued for its connection with the earth and the sun. Here, a large piece of amber is surrounded by marigold, with which it is associated.
In fertility magic, a rounded amber and pointed jet crystal are put in a red cloth bag, tied with three red knots and placed under the bed during lovemaking.
Charge amber in sunlight at noon for a few minutes, especially at the summer solstice.
Properties
Type: Dimorphous calcium carbonate that usually grows as twin crystals in clusters. Semi-transparent, translucent
Colour: Orange through orangey-brown to brown
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Planet: Saturn
Element: Earth
Candle Colour: Orange or golden brown
Guardian Angel: Sagdalon
Chakra: Sacral
Herbs, incenses and oils: Clary sage, cedar, pine, sagebrush and wheatgerm
Flowers: Clematis, honeysuckle and wisteria
Associated crystals: Brown zircon, orange calcite and orange celestine
The orange and brown shades of aragonite are spiritually and magically symbolic of underlying structures and connections. Some mollusc shells are made up of aragonite: it is layers of aragonite that give the abalone shell its pearl-like lustre and beauty. This shell is much loved by Native Americans for smudging or smoke magic.
You may feel that you have been waiting patiently for a long time. Maybe you were waiting for a lucky break or perhaps freedom after a time of heavy work or family responsibility. Persevere a little longer and you will find unexpected help or relief.
Healers benefit from holding an orange or brown aragonite before beginning a session, to allow their energies to centre and to shut out daily concerns. It is healing for many parts of the body, but especially for ovaries and the prostate gland, and for the central nervous system. It is excellent for jagged nerves, frayed tempers and unsettled stomachs, especially when caused by lack of rest or not taking regular meal breaks.
Aragonite will encourage impatient children to wait and take their turn. Carry when training animals, especially horses. An aragonite cluster will improve timekeeping for family members and in the workplace. Use for procrastinating family members who put everything off until tomorrow.
Use orange or brown aragonite to make rituals environmentally friendly and focused and not just psychic shopping lists. Include aragonite in medicine-wheel ceremonies, smudging, earth-energy connections, dowsing and rituals to the earth goddess.
Bury in a pot of earth for twenty-four hours.
Properties
Type: The metal is found as polished nuggets; copper oxide is orangey-red crystals or sparkling strands, sometimes with green. Cuprite is the name given to copper pyrites
Colour: Orangey red (with green), gleaming, sometimes also bronzed beautiful polished nuggets
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Taurus
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Candle Colour: Emerald green
Guardian Angel: Anael
Chakra: Crown/heart
Herbs, incenses and oils: Magnolia, mallow, mimosa, vanilla and yarrow
Flowers: Amaryllis, fuchsia and pink orchids
Associated crystals: Emerald, malachite and schalenblende (zinc)
Copper is sacred to many of the love goddesses, including the Sumerian Innana, the Mesopotamian Queen of Heaven, Astarte and Ishtar, and the Greek goddess Aphrodite and her Roman counterpart, Venus.
Use a copper nugget for divination. You will experience a gentle but steady increase in your life of whatever it is that you need, whether money, love, health or happiness. Allow your heart to rule your head.
An all-purpose healer, copper has a natural ability to conduct electricity and so can harmonize the body’s energies and clear any blockages or imbalances. Copper sends healing into the wearer’s energy field. It detoxifies the system when worn next to the skin. It relieves rheumatism, arthritis, stiffness and swellings of hands and feet (use a copper ring or bracelet). Copper will maintain health and increase the metabolic rate to help weight-loss programmes. It also prevents travel sickness. Copper amplifies the energy of other crystals.
Copper attracts money and good luck to both home and business. Traditionally, a pot filled with copper money was incubated in a warm place in the family home. (You can use copper discs or money from museum shops.) Copper also increases tact and balances extremes in emotion or points of view.
Copper relieves carsickness in children. It is also beneficial to an animal that is not able to settle in a new home.
Wear a copper ring to attract love and fertility. Copper wands can be used to direct energies and attract power from the cosmos (sometimes copper wands are topped with clear quartz crystals).
Copper should be worn on the left side of the body by right-handed people and on the right by left-handed people.
Recharge copper under full moonlight.
Carnelian fills the wearer with confidence.
Properties
Type: Chalcedony. Translucent
Colour: Orange to red, occasionally yellow or brown
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Candle Colour: Orange
Guardian Angel: Michael
Chakra: Solar plexus
Herbs, incenses and oils: Copal, frankincense, juniper, orange and rue
Flowers: Carnation, chrysanthemum, peony
Associated crystals: Amber, coral and orange or red jasper
Carnelians were used in Ancient Egyptian magic as protection for both the living and the dead. A carnelian in the form of the tjet, symbol of mother Isis, was placed on the neck of a mummy to ensure the protection and rebirth of the spirit in the afterlife. Another carnelian amulet was the Eye of Horus, which is still believed in parts of the Middle East to offer protection against the evil eye. A stone of courage, in Roman times a carnelian was engraved with the head of a lion or a great leader.
Associated with the solar plexus chakra, this crystal energizes your system and fills you with confidence and courage. Carnelian removes doubt and despair and reminds you of your unique strengths.
This may be a good time for independent action, whether emotionally or at work. Do not undervalue yourself or accept second-best treatment. Now is the time to work out what would make you happy and how this can be achieved. Carnelian is above all a crystal of personal happiness and fulfilment; if you believe in your unique talents and follow your personal goals rather than those set by others, you can achieve anything.
Carnelian warms and cleanses the blood and kidneys, stimulates a healthy appetite and increases physical energy. A stone both of fertility and male potency, carnelian can relieve PMS and menopausal symptoms and overcome sexual anxieties that prevent orgasm. Carnelian relieves addictions of all kinds, especially problems centring on food that may be linked with low self-esteem. It also alleviates arthritis, especially in men (coral is better for women).
Carnelian will aid in preserving ancient sacred sites and old buildings and reviving the energies if they have become derelict or forgotten over time. Bury carnelian in the soil or pour water in which carnelians have been soaked in sunlight on to the earth.
Carnelian brings abundance in every way to the home and family. It aids decision-making and all forms of buying and selling. It is good for builders and DIY enthusiasts, and guards against falling masonry. Traditionally a protector against fire, storm and malevolence of all kinds, carnelian can be placed near entrances to the home, to garages and outbuildings, and on your desk at work to radiate positivity. Carnelian defines and strengthens your identity, so that your true self shines through without fear or the need to conform to the expectations of others.
Carnelian inspires courage without aggressiveness, and acts as a balancer for sensitive children and teenagers. A carnelian attached to a collar or put in a pet’s water bowl will quieten an aggressive animal. Carnelians also encourage timid pets to make contact with humans. Add a carnelian to a goldfish tank to keep the fish healthy and to attract wealth.
Use carnelian as a focus for past-life work and for finding a twin soul. It is good for all love and sex rites, especially to rekindle or increase passion that has faded in an otherwise loving relationship. Place a carnelian under each corner of the mattress. Fire magic is also more effective if you circle a red candle with carnelians. Carnelian will act as a shield from attempted psychic intrusion into your thoughts.
Cleanse carnelian with sunlight or under running water. Keep carnelian with other stones to cleanse them of negative energies.
Properties
Type: Calcium carbonate
Colour: Light orange through peach to rich orange
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Planet: Sun
Element: Earth
Candle Colour: Orange
Guardian Angel: Zerachiel
Chakra: Sacral
Herbs, incenses and oils: Musk (synthetic), heliotrope, lemongrass, rosemary and tangerine
Flowers: Nasturtium, orange blossom and peach blossom
Associated crystals: Aragonite, peach aventurine and orange celestine
Orange calcite is said to have been cast from the chariot of the Baltic sun goddess, Saule, as she drove her chariot across the skies and began her long journey to overcome the powers of darkness on the Winter Solstice (21 December in the northern hemisphere).
Attitudes are softening and others may be warming to suggestions you made that were rejected earlier. So it is now well worth resubmitting or suggesting ideas or plans dear to your heart.
Orange calcite is very gentle for gallstones and any liver or spleen problems and is probably the best crystal for helping to relieve a gallbladder attack. It is also helpful for any sexual dysfunction or fears and for healing the psychological scars of any sexual attack or abuse. Calcite helps to balance women’s hormones and eases aching muscles.
Create a warm, welcoming atmosphere at home by having dishes of orange calcite in areas where people sit. It also makes mealtimes and dinner parties congenial and friendly without destroying lively debate. At work, use orange calcite to break the ice with newcomers and create a relaxed atmosphere.
Orange calcite makes children feel safer. Use it to help pet hens, ducks or rabbits become more domesticated and responsive to their owners.
Use orange calcite for very gentle love magic, especially for kindling a sexual relationship that begins later in life.
Orange calcite is good for relaxing people who have asked for a divinatory reading. If you are giving readings to others for the first time, orange calcite will allow your intuitive insights to flow. Orange calcite can help you to pray if you are angry or frightened.
Though calcite is brittle, you can recharge it and yourself by soaking it in your bath by candlelight. It is relatively cheap to replace and when it crumbles you know it is time to bury it, with a little prayer of thanks.
Properties
Type: Sulphate. Transparent to semitransparent
Colour: Orange and yellowish
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Candle Colour: Orange
Guardian Angel: Sachiel
Chakra: Sacral
Herbs, incenses and oils: Neroli, chamomile, St John’s wort and sagebrush
Flowers: Dahlia, marigold and wallflower
Associated crystals: Amber, aragonite and orange calcite
Orange celestine is sometimes called celestite. In India, powdered celestine was cast onto ritual fires in tribute to the fire god, Agni. When it burns, a bright-red flame flares up.
You should feel confident to increase any demands you are making or go up a gear in putting plans into action.
Orange celestine will fill your whole system with warmth and gentle energy, improve your general health and keep you healthy so that you have the confidence and strength to tackle any situation. Water in which orange celestine has been soaked will help the gall bladder, liver, spleen and pancreas and make you less prone to food allergies. It is helpful for breaking over-dependency on food, alcohol, cigarettes or medicines. It will also help you detach from a particular person who may be sapping your confidence.
Orange celestine is good for all life changes, large or small, and will help you settle in to a new home, job or location. It will also help you find your directions when visiting or driving to an unfamiliar place.
Orange celestine helps a young child begin to become more independent, especially if he or she clings to their mother. It will benefit children who have school phobias or unusually strong fears about the mortality of their parents. Orange celestine is useful the first few times you leave a pet alone at home when you go to work.
Orange celestine encourages intuition and the development of clairsentience (sensing information psychically from the atmosphere of a place). It is good also for work with aromatherapy oils. Hold orange celestine in each hand when you are trying to see auras.
Even orange celestine/celestite does not like sunlight that is too intense. Instead, sprinkle over it water in which the rays of the setting sun have been reflected.
Properties
Type: Jasper (chalcedony quartz) and chert, sometimes with fossilized inclusions. Opaque
Colour: The colour ranges through large mottled patches of yellow, orange, brown, beige and white, and green
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Virgo
Planet: Earth
Element: Earth
Candle Colour: Dark orange
Guardian Angel: Harabael
Chakra: Root, sacral and solar plexus
Herbs, incenses and oils: Almond, dill, honeysuckle, lavender and moss
Flowers: Heather, flowering banksia or golden wattle tree and brown chrysanthemum
Associated crystals: Banded agate, brecciated jasper and leopardskin jasper
Mookaite is an Australian Aboriginal earth rainbow stone now used for general healing and magic. It contains sacred earth energies akin to those found at sites such as Uluru (Ayers Rock). It is the stone of the universal earth mother, Gaia, and a focus for the regeneration of the planet.
A wanderer’s stone, mookaite channels any restlessness into plans to expand your horizons either physically or mentally. Welcome any opportunities for change, however unexpected, or a modification to your present lifestyle or location.
With all those earth energies flowing within it, mookaite is a very active crystal, helping the body to heal itself, purifying the blood, strengthening the immune system and speeding the healing of wounds. It also settles imbalances in the stomach, glands and fluid levels and eases hernias or ruptures. It helps to heal the planet and to conserve ancient rock sculptures and earth-energy sites.
Mookaite shields against all negativity. It helps with house moves or major renovations. At work, it helps us see opportunities for change or improvement in working practices, and reduces the impact of distractions or obstacles. It prevents worries about the future or past failures diverting us from the task at hand.
Use mookaite to settle children or animals in new locations or situations.
Mookaite amplifies awareness of earth energies and spirits at ancient earth sites, while offering protection against being overwhelmed. Good to carry when dowsing, mookaite also protects the wearer from people who play mind games.
Recharge at sites of earth power, such as stone circles. Alternatively, use a sage infusion.
Red jasper protects against all forms of attack and malevolence and brings fertility and optimism.
Properties
Type: Chalcedony quartz. Opaque
Colour: Single colours and patterned. Varies from brick red through orange to brownish-red hue. Red includes poppy-coloured jasper and brecciated jasper (red with black or brown rock inclusions)
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Candle Colour: Red and burgundy
Guardian Angel: Samael
Chakra: Root
Herbs, incenses and oils: Cedar wood, dragon’s blood, fennel, ginger and mint
Flowers: All bright-red flowers, especially tulip, poppy and carnation
Associated crystals: Agate, bloodstone, tiger’s eye
See also
Yellow jasper, leopardskin jasper, green jasper, Dalmatian jasper and mookaite
Jasper is the stone of warriors. In Teutonic legend, the hilt of the magical sword of Siegfried, dragon slayer and ill-fated lover of the mystic Brünhild, was inlaid with red jasper to give him courage.
Traditionally, jasper was one of the most popular stones for making seals and amulets because it is durable but easily carved. Mark Antony had a red jasper seal ring with which, according to romantic legend, he marked his letters to Cleopatra. The Ancient Egyptians used red jasper for their protective amulets, especially the tjet (the ‘buckle of Isis’), which was an important fertility symbol and female power image. Some Native North American peoples call red jasper the blood of the earth and consider it particularly sacred.
Jaspers in any colour, but especially red or orange, indicate that you should tackle any problems you encounter head on, although without being aggressive. If you confront bullies or prejudice, opposition will melt away.
Red (and orange) jasper helps with menstrual problems and menopausal difficulties. It aids circulation and can warm cold limbs or aching joints and muscles. It also increases energy and stamina and is good for anaemia or toxicity in the blood. Jaspers are helpful for anyone who has been in hospital or convalescing for a long period or who has been chronically depressed. Use red jasper as a fertility crystal after a prolonged period of artificial contraception.
All jaspers, most powerfully in red, offer protection against physical threats and psychic attack and also stave off accidents or bad luck. Above all use, red jasper will return negative energies to the sender. If possible, use jasper next to the skin either on a cord around your neck or on a belt.
Red jasper is good for rituals or empowerments against the effects of drought in different parts of the world. Pour water over your jasper and let the water fall on the ground, naming the place in which there is drought and asking for its end.
Red jasper gets you going on cold winter mornings or when you are too tired to get out of bed. It helps to keep you cheerful and focused whatever the day throws at you.
Give red jasper to older children and teenagers to protect them from prejudice or spite from their peers or over-dominant teachers. Although it is too powerful for young children, red jasper is very effective when fighting for the rights of any disabled child.
It stimulates timid animals such as cats to defend their territory from more predatory animals. Red jasper helps new animal mothers to feel maternal about their newborn, especially if they initially reject the babies.
Red jasper is a powerful focus for sex magic and for increasing passion between lovers. It also sends out psychic defence vibes to keep you safe from all harm.
Pass your red jasper through the flame of a red candle to revitalize it.
Properties
Type: Chalcedony quartz. Fire agate, an iridescent form of brownish red agate, consists of plated crystals of iron over layers of chalcedony. Opaque
Colour: Single coloured red
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Candle Colour: Red
Guardian Angel: Asrael
Chakra: Solar plexus
Herbs, incenses and oils: Allspice, cloves, galangal, musk (artificial) and peppermint
Flowers: Gladioli, passionflower and poinsettia
Associated crystals: Jasper, garnet and ruby
See also
Agates have been used for thousands of years and in many cultures for magic and healing. The Vikings used a red agate in axe divination: they heated an axe head and placed the agate on the red-hot blade – where it fell indicated the direction of lost objects or hidden treasure. Fire agate was used in alchemy because it was believed to contain the essence of fire.
If you draw red or blood agate, you may feel passionately about an issue – or maybe a person. This is a good time to speak or act. If you draw a fire agate you may need to get rid of destructive factors in your life that are sapping your energy.
All red agates are excellent for blood and colon disorders, for energizing the system, for speeding up the metabolism, improving the efficiency of bodily functions and for burns, scalds and acute skin inflammation. Fire agate burns away disease and promotes the resolution of lingering illnesses and debility.
Red agate will bring desired or needed change to your life. It will galvanize you into action, providing a sudden but controlled surge of energy that will allow you to finish half-completed projects or chores. All agates are good for finding employment.
It will empower a girl who is menstruating for the first time. Use when mating animals.
Red agate amplifies smudging, incense burning, fire and candle magic. All red agates will create a powerful shield around your aura and cleanse it of pollution. Carry a red agate if you feel spooked.
Pass red agate through the flame of a beautiful red candle to recharge its energy.
Properties
Type: Hydrated silica, noncrystalline, containing iron. Translucent and milky, occasionally colourless and more transparent. Fire opals are usually common. Flame opal has a flickering red streak
Colour: Red, dark orange or yellow background colour
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Libra
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire/water
Candle Colour: Silver
Guardian Angel: Shamshiel
Chakra: Solar plexus/sacral
Herbs, incenses and oils: Barberry, cayenne, copal, hibiscus and rosemary
Flowers: Amara, aubrietia and begonia
Associated crystals: Moonstone, rainbow obsidian and ruby
Arabian legend tells that opals fell from heaven in lightning flashes. In his novel Anne of Geierstein, Sir Walter Scott described how the heroine’s opal glowed when she was happy, flashed red when she was angry and turned to grey ashes when holy water was splashed on it, soon after which she died. Opals were considered unlucky until Queen Victoria, who had opal mines in Australia, gave them as gifts to guests at a royal wedding. Fire opals are called the stone of explorers, conquerors and great leaders. Red opals are exchanged by lovers so that their passion will last.
Fire opal is not used in divination.
Fire opal is used to heal the intestines, abdomen and the kidneys and lower spine and back muscles. An energizer for the whole system, it is traditionally worn over the womb or genitals to increase potency, fertility and sexual desire. Fire agate can be used in rituals to prevent volcanic eruptions and large-scale forest fires in the dry season and to send strength to all who fight fires or work in the emergency services and face danger daily.
A bringer of joy, fire opal keeps you in touch with your instincts, and is useful when making decisions without all the facts. They attract custom and money to business premises, so keep one in a cash register or credit card machine. When a new business opens, hide a tiny fire opal above the main entrance. They also defend against fire, storms and arson attacks.
It is too powerful for children and animals.
Fire opal aids sex magic and is effective in rituals to increase passion. It is excellent for working with the four elements and channelling the energies of the fire spirits in a positive way.
Like all opals, fire opal is very delicate and should be washed in a little water regularly to keep it hydrated as well as energized.
Properties
Type: Oxide, quartz. Chatoyant, reflecting light in wavy lines that gives it the eye appearance
Colour: Red with dark to light banding
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Candle Colour: Deep red
Guardian Angel: Nathaniel
Chakra: Root
Herbs, incenses and oils: Cloves, angelica, marjoram, mandarin and peppermint
Flowers: Chrysanthemum, geranium and scarlet sage
Associated crystals: Red aventurine, red jasper and golden tiger’s eye
Red tiger’s eye is traditionally used in amulets to repel the evil eye and to give the wearer courage and invulnerability. It was the stone of Hephaestus, Greek god of fire and metalwork, who created armour, weapons and jewels for the gods in his workshop beneath the volcanic Mount Etna.
A wonderful period lies ahead when you can direct your energies into any activity and are assured of success. Matters of personal creativity are especially favoured.
Red tiger’s eye helps tired blood to rejuvenate and restores natural rhythms to the female menstrual cycle. It also increases male potency. As with all tiger’s eyes, it sharpens eyesight, especially night vision. A good stone to promote healing after surgical intervention, it also relieves psychosomatic and depressive conditions.
Red tiger’s eye brings both money and good luck to the home. It is a very powerful protective stone against attack and accidents both in the home and while travelling, especially on trains and late-night buses. A useful stone of protection for hospital workers and surgeons and those in dangerous occupations. Red tiger’s eye is also beneficial for long-distance car, train and coach drivers.
Red tiger’s eye is a good survival stone against playground bullying. A tiger’s eye attached to a cat’s collar protects it from cat haters.
Red tiger’s eye, like all tiger’s eyes, increases clairvoyance. Use it as a charm for money, success and power when the need is urgent or the plan ambitious.
Leave the stone in sunlight from noon until the sun is low in the sky.
Ruby protects the home. It is a stone of long-burning fire, whether in love or in the desire to make positive changes and achieve fame or fortune in tangible permanent ways.
Properties
Type: Corundum/aluminium oxide
Colour: All shades of red, from rich deep transparent to light red
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Candle Colour: Rich red
Guardian Angel: Ariel
Chakra: Sacra/root
Herbs, incenses and oils: Basil, allspice, dragon’s blood, mint and rosemary
Flowers: Bougainvillea, poinsettia and red carnation
Associated crystals: Garnet, red tourmaline and red zircon
In ancient times the ruby was referred to as a carbuncle, though this also refers to garnet. Star rubies have a naturally occurring six-pointed star. The most valuable rubies are deep red with a slight blue tinge called, in folk tradition, pigeon’s blood.
Rubies are called the tears of Buddha. In Burma, legend tells that all the rubies in the world come from an egg laid by the dragon Naga. The star ruby is said to contain three helpful angels or spirits (see also the star sapphire). Rubies were said to darken if there was danger: Catherine of Aragon’s ring darkened just before she was cast aside by her husband, King Henry VIII. However, rubies also signify lasting love, and the fortieth wedding anniversary is called ruby.
Ruby is not used in divination.
Associated with the life force and life blood, ruby is a powerful energizer. It is good for circulation and for increasing energy and stamina. Rubies will also release suppressed anger or negativity in a creative way. Ruby relieves impotence in men.
Ruby guards the home and your possessions against fire, storms and intruders. It also protects the wearer against nightmares. At work, a ruby increases your profile and will attract money and new orders to a business if you are self-employed.
Ruby is too powerful for children or animals.
Use a star ruby for scrying. Focus on the place within the stone where the lines intersect and it is said you will connect with the Akashic records, the wisdom of humankind in all ages. Ruby brings prophetic dreams and it also provides a focus for prosperity rituals.
Wipe ruby carefully with a soft cloth and recharge under the light of the stars.
Properties
Type: Zoisite is a silicate and ruby a corundum
Colour: Red and black patches or swirls on bright green
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
Planet: Mars/Venus
Element: Earth/fire
Candle Colour: Green or green and red combined in a single candle
Guardian Angel: Rampiel
Chakra: Heart/root
Herbs, incenses and oils: Cedar, fennel, ferns, pine, rosemary and mountain thyme
Flowers: Gentian, poppy and red valerian
Associated crystals: Orbicular jasper, ruby and watermelon tourmaline
Ruby in zoisite is found in the African subcontinent, on rocky outcrops in the area of Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania. The combination of these two magical and healing crystals – the ornate ruby of civilized beauty and adornment with the wild yet soothing power of nature expressed in zoisite – has made ruby in zoisite popular for healing and to provide insight.
Ruby in zoisite is also used to make fabulous modern carvings that express the synthesis of the tamed and free spirit.
At heart you are a free spirit and may need more time and space by yourself to express your individuality outside your present work or domestic world.
A stabilizing crystal, ruby in zoisite slows down a racing pulse and heartbeat. It directs energy into calm harmonious waves that enable your body and mind to maintain their equilibrium under stress. Protective against viruses and infections, especially bacterial ones, ruby in zoisite will soothe any inflammation.
Ruby in zoisite reduces over-acidity in the body and increases fertility in women and potency in men. It is also useful to counteract obsessions. In convalescence it helps to stop a person overexerting themselves or returning to the bad habits that may have contributed to the illness in the first place.
Ruby in zoisite takes away excess emotional reactions, channelling enthusiasm into positive focused action at home or work. It is excellent for healing betrayal or lost love, and at work prevents passions breaking out either as inappropriate anger or sexual feelings.
Ruby in zoisite helps children and animals to learn social restraint while retaining their natural joy and spontaneity.
This crystal is wonderful for creating magical journeys in the mind and helps you produce visualizations either for your own psychic work or for leading a group.
Sprinkle ruby in zoisite with a rosemary infusion to revitalize its energies.
Properties
Type: Silicate
Colour: Burgundy and varying shades of red. Transparent or translucent. Also green and, less commonly, pink, orange or purple. Almandine garnets tend to have a violet hue in the red but some are brownish red
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Candle Colour: Dark red
Guardian Angel: Camael
Chakra: Root
Herbs, incenses and oils: Copal, cinnamon, dragon’s blood, ginger and pine
Flowers: Red geranium, dark red roses, tiger lily
Associated crystals: Bloodstone, red tiger’s eye and ruby
See also
According to myth, a garnet illuminated Noah’s Ark day and night when the skies were black with rain. In Eastern Europe, the garnet was said to protect against vampires. The garnet was worn by the Crusaders, who believed it would light the way home. In medieval times, almandine garnets were used in jewellery and also in church and temple windows. Garnet represents the eighteenth wedding anniversary.
Use the cheaper, round, dark-red, almost opaque garnet in divination. If you draw this stone, avoid anyone who is critical or discouraging if you are trying to achieve a goal that may attract envy or opposition.
Associated with the root chakra, garnet is one of the best crystals for reawakening survival instincts. Garnet is a steady warmer: physically, it heats cold fingers and toes, improves a sluggish circulation and relieves rheumatic joints. It also melts frozen feelings and paralyzing fear. Garnet can alleviate the acute pain of gallstones. Use it also for fertility and for stimulating healthy antibody growth against viruses and infections, especially winter illnesses.
Garnet is protective against those who would steal your possessions, ideas or credit for work. It overcomes writer’s block and lack of inspiration in any field.
Garnets traditionally keep children safe when they go swimming or are near water. Use a garnet if a pet is unhappy about staying at home when its owners go to work.
Focus on a garnet to attain what you feel passionately about: a job or a creative venture. Wear one as a psychic shield in crowded places or when you are vulnerable.
Charge it on moonless or cloudy nights.
Properties
Type: Chalcedony, a jasper variation
Colour: Dark green with red or orange or sometimes white spots
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Candle Colour: Red
Guardian Angel: Asrael
Chakra: Root/sacral
Herbs, incenses and oils: Basil, cinnamon, cumin, dragon’s blood and ginger
Flowers: Scarlet pimpernel, red carnation and snapdragon
Associated crystals: Amazonite, carnelian and red jasper
Bloodstone gets its name from the myth that, at the crucifixion, the blood of Christ fell on green jasper. Engraved bloodstone was used by the Babylonians in divination and by them and the Ancient Egyptians to magically defeat enemies. A mother goddess stone, it is associated with mother-and-child images such as Isis and Horus and the Black Madonna.
You may need to stand up for the rights of someone who is temporarily vulnerable, perhaps against prejudice, or on behalf of a younger family member or colleague.
Bloodstone is primarily a cleanser, both of the blood and the whole system. It is especially recommended for the liver, kidneys, bone marrow and intestines, and will help you stay on course if you are beginning a detox programme or a diet. An excellent women’s stone, bloodstone relieves menstrual and menopausal symptoms and helps women keep up their strength in labour.
Useful against bullies, emotional as well as physical, in the home and workplace. It will support you if you are a single parent or are the only carer of an elderly relation.
Sew a bloodstone crystal in the lining of the coat of a child who is being teased or bullied at school. Bloodstone helps animal mothers, especially first-time mothers during labour.
Use bloodstone in goddess rituals and for exploring past lives, especially in dreams. In storms and in weather magic, use it to give you courage to shed destructive habits and people. Bloodstone also attracts money. It is a good charm for athletes and for anyone who wishes to win a competition. Make talking stones by casting five or six into a bowl of running water (use a tiny hose from a tap). Put the plug into a sink, close your eyes, ask a question and hear the answer in the water.
Use running water or sunlight.
Properties
Type: Oxide, quartz, with flecks of hematite, goethite or iron mica that make it glint. Opaque
Colour: Red, orange and peach
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Planet: Mars
Element: Earth
Candle Colour: Deep red
Guardian Angel: Barakiel
Chakra: Solar plexus
Herbs, incenses and oils: Cedar, grey sage, rosemary, sweetgrass and white sage
Flowers: Columbine, red clover and tiger lily
Associated crystals: Carnelian, red agate and red jasper
See also
A stone of balance, it was the talisman of the Mississippi paddle-boat poker players. Wise Native American chiefs carried red aventurine power stones to help their people survive long treks to reservations when all seemed lost.
You may need to act as an anchor on reality for those around you who may be taking extreme positions.
Red aventurine is helpful in encouraging the body to burn fat efficiently and also to lower cholesterol levels. As a stone of balance, it is especially helpful to anyone who is trying to lose weight permanently after years of fluctuating weight. It also relieves eczema and fungal infections of the skin. Aventurine comes in many colours: the softer the colour, the gentler the result.
Red aventurine will redress the balance at home if one person does all the chores. At work, this crystal will allow you to achieve your ambitions without upsetting the equilibrium of the workforce, to be successful without being ruthless.
Aventurine prevents small boys being swept up in macho attitudes while helping girls to insist on equality of opportunity. It is also good for overweight pets.
Use aventurine in fertility magic or in charm bags for an urgent infusion of money or to fast track your career.
Pass it through a candle of a similar colour.
Tiger’s eye brings luck and good fortune.
Properties
Type: Oxide, quartz. Chatoyant (reflecting light in a wavy band)
Colour: Honey or golden-brown bands
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire/earth
Candle Colour: Gold
Guardian Angel: Uriel
Chakra: Solar plexus
Herbs, incenses and oils: Bay, blessed thistle, saffron, spearmint and walnut
Flowers: Buttercup, peony and sunflower
Associated crystals: Amber, carnelian and golden topaz
See also
Tiger’s eye is associated with the tiger, the king of beasts in Eastern myths. In Japan, the tiger was believed to live for a thousand years. Roman soldiers carried tiger’s eye so they would be brave in battle. The Ancient Egyptians used it for amulets to transmit the power of Ra, the sun god.
Lady luck is smiling on you. You may soon have more money, happiness, health and fulfilment. An excellent crystal to choose if you are involved in money-making ventures or planning a new project – if you keep your nerve. Tiger’s eye is said to contain the power of the sun and of earth and so can translate pure energy into material success.
Tiger’s eye slows down a hyped-up system while gently energizing a weak or exhausted person. It reduces cravings for excess food, tobacco, alcohol or stimulants. It helps digestion and eases ulcers, bruises and stomach and gall-bladder problems. It warms rheumatic joints and bones. Above all, tiger’s eye is an impetus for a balanced health, detoxification or exercise plan since it creates a steady, slow rhythm that is likely to lead to success.
Tiger’s eye traditionally protects against the evil eye: carry one when you are facing a potential verbal, mental or psychic attack by someone in a position of power or who has emotional influence over you. Breathe in the golden light and allow it to create the aura of a tiger so all will turn back from attempting harm. It is said that if you carry a tiger’s eye, by the end of the day any deception or a person’s untrustworthy nature will be revealed. It is also good for travellers.
Use in empowerments to help conservation of tigers and other endangered big cats in the wild, and for their care in conservation parks.
A natural luck and money bringer, tiger’s eye keeps potential shopaholics in check as it injects a reality principle into finances. It helps those who work with stocks and shares and is good for estate agents, bankers and insurance staff. It balances money-generating skills with what will actually work, and helps assess the reliability of would-be clients.
Tiger’s eye attracts success to a young person, especially in mid-teenage years, helping them not to be daunted by competition. It helps young entrepreneurs develop their computer and embryonic business skills that will bring them financial security. It counters stubbornness and deflects tantrums in toddlers.
Tiger’s eye is effective for overindulged pets that attempt to become domestic tyrants.
Use tiger’s eye in all prosperity rituals. As a money-attracting charm, keep a piece in a money pot and add a coin every day. Keep the pot in a warm place to incubate wealth. Use tiger’s eye for scrying by candlelight or in sunlight; it is good for accessing past worlds and the wisdom of the cosmic memory bank. Tiger’s eye stops you feeling spooked by powerful psychic energies or ghosts. Use one in a charm bag to prevent psychological or psychic vampires draining your energy.
Tiger’s eye loves late afternoon sunlight; use this to amplify its golden inner sun.
Properties
Type: Zirconium silicate. Transparent to semitransparent, occasionally more opaque
Colour: Golden brown
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Candle Colour: Gold
Guardian Angel: Verchiel
Chakra: Solar plexus/root
Herbs, incenses and oils: Acacia, benzoin, frankincense, orange and rosemary
Flowers: Scarlet sage, gold chrysanthemum and yellow alyssum
Associated crystals: Golden topaz, orange aragonite and orange/brown celestine
Romans prized the golden brown zircon that, like all orange and reddish zircons, was known as jacinth. According to the Roman writer Camillus Leonardus, jacinth increased ingenuity, glory and wealth and ensured travellers would not fall prey to diseases or attack. During the fourteenth century, it was worn as a protection against the Black Death, and it kept this role during the Great Plague of London in 1665. Brown zircon was believed to predict storms by glowing red.
Brown zircon is not used in divination.
An all-purpose healer, brown zircon will balance the pituitary and pineal gland. It eases bowel problems, especially those caused by stress or food allergies, for example irritable bowel syndrome, and also extreme constipation. Use it to relieve insomnia and also for delayed, irregular or scanty menstruation. It is very effective for chakra work: use it to activate the minor chakras on the soles of the feet (these chakras are ruled by the root chakra).
A natural bringer of prosperity, brown zircon is primarily a stone of safe travel: use it for commuting, for holiday travel and for business trips. Keep it in the car to guard against road rage and reckless drivers. Keep a zircon crystal in your luggage to ensure that your accommodation will be welcoming and comfortable.
Brown zircon gives children stability. Use it when an infant is learning to walk and to help older children become more agile. It helps animals to avoid picking up parasites, such as fleas and ticks.
This stone aids telepathy and helps to access the Akashic records, the collective wisdom of humankind, through meditation. Use it in rituals for the safe return of lost or stolen property.
Smudge zircon with sage or rosemary.
Properties
Type: Gypsum that forms ‘roses’ in deserts
Colour: Pale brown or pinkish with silver/pearl glints
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
Planet: Pluto
Element: Fire
Candle Colour: Pale brown
Guardian Angel: Each desert rose contains its own guardian angel or deva. Close your eyes, hold the crystal, an image or a voice will form
Chakra: Root or heart (pink)
Herbs, incenses and oils: Copal, fennel, parsley, tarragon and witch hazel
Flowers: Flowering cactus, oleander and orchid
Associated crystals: Petrified wood, fossils and banded agate
Legend tells that desert roses are formed by lightning that liquidizes sand, which then solidifies. Because of this, desert rose was long regarded as a gift from the deities and spirits of the desert places and as solidified fire.
Listen to your inner voice and, if necessary, step back and take stock of your life before making any concrete or important decisions. This is the stone of inner gold, which represents your as-yet-undeveloped potential.
This is an excellent crystal for healing grief and abuse and for letting go of what holds you back from experiencing life to the full. It is good for viral infections, especially skin ones, such as warts. Desert rose also relieves nausea and so is good for travel sickness and an unsettled stomach caused by tension. Desert rose will calm panic attacks and aid phobias, especially claustrophobia.
Place a desert rose in the centre of the home for family unity. At work, it is good to help you to develop a particular area of expertize or responsibility and for long-term training. Carry a desert rose crystal to keep a low profile at a time of possible redundancies, sackings or general tension in the workplace.
Desert rose will help children who are shy to shine at a particular talent. It is a stone for very old and sick animals.
Desert rose can amplify fire magic, especially in transformation spells. It is good also for star magic, for accessing past lives and for contacting angelic or devic essences.
It is extremely delicate: cleanse by moonlight or by smudging with sage or sweetgrass.
Properties
Type: Volcanic glass that has started to crystallize and contains high levels of iron
Colour: Mahogany, brownish-red or orange-brown with black spots or black with brownish spots, depending on the degree of crystallization
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
Planet: Pluto
Element: Fire
Candle Colour: Burgundy
Guardian Angel: Cassiel
Chakra: Solar plexus/root
Herbs, incenses and oils: Copal, dragon’s blood, juniper, saffron and rosemary
Flowers: Blood rose, poppy and red nettle
Associated crystals: Pumice, rainbow obsidian and tektite
Mahogany obsidian is called the blood of mother earth or Pele. Pele is the mother of volcanoes and is often described as sitting in her cave beneath the volcano by the light of a single blue flame. Some Hawaiians still claim descent from her, so this stone is sacred.
Do not set yourself too high standards or judge yourself critically. You should not hold back from opportunities because you doubt your ability to cope and to succeed with a new situation.
A powerful but warming crystal that will melt away energy blockages and improve your circulation. It is helpful for painful teeth and gums and will speed recovery after a debilitating illness or crisis. Wonderful for deep skin healing and for all hormonal problems with older women. It also helps you to enjoy your sexuality, rather than worrying about technique or about not having a perfect body. It helps in areas of land that suffer from erosion or subsidence.
Mahogany obsidian is an excellent stone for helping you to make balanced decisions in any area of your life. It will guard the home from natural disasters such as floods, storm damage, hurricanes, earth tremors or whirlwinds. It is a stone for grandmothers, young or old, and for any women over fifty.
It helps children to resist dust mites. Place near an animal’s bed to settle them.
Use mahogany obsidian for connecting with earth energies, for past-life work and all forms of fire or candle magic.
Recharge in late afternoon or autumn sunlight.
Properties
Type: Oxide, chalcedony, cryptocrystalline quartz
Colour: There are a vast number of banded agates. Browns and fawns of all shades are very common
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Libra
Planet: Mercury
Element: Air/earth
Candle Colour: Dark yellow or fawn
Guardian Angel: Cassiel
Chakra: Root
Herbs, incenses and oils: Anise, ferns, lemongrass, sweetgrass and sagebrush
Flowers: Heather, lavender and pansy
Associated crystals: Leopardskin jasper, moss agate and tree agate
The ‘earth rainbow’, agate is a balancer. It celebrates the twelfth wedding anniversary.
Your dreams can come true if you take one practical step at a time, however small.
An all-healer, banded agate balances body, mind and spirit. It is good for the skin, stomach, colon, liver, spleen and kidneys. It shields the body from adverse side-effects of X-rays and radiation. It benefits all plant life.
Agate improves memory and concentration, increases stamina and encourages honesty. It is a stone of slow financial increase.
Agates steady young children so they do not bump into objects, and reassures animals.
Carry or wear an agate for psychic protection and to prevent you absorbing others’ negativity.
Bury agate in earth overnight.
Properties
Type: Fossilized trees in which the wood is replaced by a mineral, usually quartz or agate
Colour: Brown, grey, red or fawn. May be banded and include white
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Virgo
Planet: Earth/Saturn
Element: Earth/akasha
Candle Colour: Brown or grey
Guardian Angel: Zuphlas
Chakra: Root
Herbs, incenses and oils: Burdock, echinacea, fennel, sage and thyme
Flowers: Polyanthus, poppy and snapdragon
Associated crystals: Moss agate, rutilated quartz and tree agate
Legends abound of forests that were turned to stone by witches or wizards or reclaimed by a mighty flood.
Look to traditional sources of wisdom and those who are truly wise to answer any questions you have. You may become interested in healing or ancient spirituality.
A stone of transformation, it is useful for illnesses that are difficult to diagnose or treat, for progressive illnesses, and those linked with age. It is useful for mobility problems and aids the spine, bones and skeleton.
Petrified wood helps those living in old buildings and benefits homes with structural problems. At work, it counters ageism and is good for archaeologists, librarians, historians, and those who study ancient religions. Use it to protect woodlands and for reforestation.
It helps children to value tradition. It relieves ailments and crankiness in old animals.
Use it to connect with the wisdom of trees, to channel knowledge from wise spirit guides. It helps access past lives, to see into the Akashic records and to contact family ancestors.
Place near trees or tall plants for a few hours.
Properties
Type: Stone hollow balls with crystal centres
Colour: Grey, brown or black with crystals within
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Cancer
Planet: Moon
Element: Water/earth
Candle Colour: Silver
Guardian Angel: Gabriel
Chakra: Brow
Herbs, incenses and oils: Myrrh, eucalyptus, lemon, lotus and wintergreen
Flowers: Evening primrose, Michaelmas daisy and petunia
Associated crystals: Green garnet, moldavite and pietersite
The Ancient Egyptians thought geodes were the eggs of a bird. They are Goddess symbols.
Place a geode in the four directions to amplify your intuition and protect you from negativity.
Set two halves of a geode or amethyst and a citrine on your altar. They will amplify other healing crystals, herbs and oils and increase your spiritual powers. Use a pair as a fertility symbol or to help head problems.
Every home should have a geode to absorb sorrow, anger and fear and release gentleness.
Let a child choose a geode or buy one for a baby. They are good for nocturnal animals.
The ultimate shaman’s stone, geodes bring visions and altered states of consciousness.
Allow candlelight to shine on to the geode.
Properties
Type: Oxide, quartz. Variation of tiger and hawk’s/falcon’s eye. Chatoyant
Colour: Dark brown or golden brown with blue/blue-black
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
Planet: Jupiter
Element: Air
Candle Colour: Blue
Guardian Angel: Anpiel
Chakra: Crown/throat
Herbs, incenses and oils: Poppy, oakmoss, sagebrush, sandalwood and wintergreen
Flowers: Brown pansy, honesty and wallflower
Associated crystals: Apatite, desert rose and hawk’s eye
The Chinese called pietersite the eagle’s eye, because of its blue gleam, or the tempest stone. It is named after Sid Pieters, who discovered it in Namibia in 1962.
Aim high: do not fear leaving what is safe and predictable. You are your own anchor.
Pietersite has positive effects on growth hormones and regulates blood pressure and body temperature. It aids the lungs and eyes.
Pietersite is one of the best stones to help you to focus and prioritize if you are often interrupted. Use it if you work from home, job share or have a demanding family. It is helpful also if you need to relocate home, work or both at short notice or to travel by car in bad weather.
Place in an older child’s room to lessen chaos over lost items. It calms animals in storms.
A crystal to help you soar spiritually, especially if time for yourself is limited or too often cut short by other people’s crises.
Leave it briefly in a storm or heavy rainfall.
Properties
Type: The preserved remains of creatures that over millions of years have been changed to stone
Colour: Brown, grey, fawn, green and black
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Planet: Saturn
Element: Earth
Candle Colour: Pale brown
Guardian Angel: Semakiel
Chakra: Root
Herbs, incenses and oils: Aconite, amaranthus, barberry, moss and patchouli
Flowers: Foxglove, mimosa and red clover
Associated crystals: Amber, jet and petrified wood
See also
The most common fossils are ammonites, fossilized sea animals, which are sometimes called snake or serpent stones. Fossilized sponges are known as witch stones. Fossils have been revered in the magical practices of many lands, and legends explain their origin. For example, the Celtic Christian saint, Hilda, said that the ammonites on Whitby Beach were snakes which she turned into stone whose heads had broken off when she cast them over the cliff. Fossils have been found in Neolithic burial mounds in various parts of the world, perhaps left there as a way of easing the passage to the afterlife.
Fossils are not used in divination.
A symbol of long life, fossils contain the life force, which is released in healing in a gentle but potent way. Ammonites especially were traditionally used in labour to relieve pain and to ease the birth.
Fossils will help to bring tradition and character to a newly built house or apartment or one in a soulless area. They also create an organized home and increase domestic harmony. At work, fossils bring long-lasting success and stability to new or high-tech firms. All fossils are deeply protective.
Fossils are not used for children or animals.
Use fossils in ritual to represent the earth element. It is excellent as a past-life and past-worlds focus, for Atlantean and Lemurian visualizations and for an increased intuitive understanding of crystals and stones.
Revitalize fossils in any ancient place, best of all within the sound of the sea.
Properties
Type: Silicate; rhyolite with glassy inclusions. Opaque and uneven texture even when polished
Colour: Brown, grey or dark sandy with brown or black spots and swirls: resembles a leopard’s skin
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Gemini
Planet: Mercury
Element: Air/earth
Candle Colour: Yellow
Guardian Angel: Jehiel
Chakra: Brow/throat
Herbs, incenses and oils: Almond, dill, fennel, lavender and lemongrass
Flowers: Blue poppy, bramble flower and yellow iris
Associated crystals: Dalmatian jasper, orbicular jasper and tree agate
See also
A shaman’s stone, leopardskin jasper is connected with the wisdom and the spiritual power of totem animals, especially fierce predators. The crystal (sometimes alternated with jaguar, panther or leopard teeth) was worn in a necklace for Otherworld travel.
Drawing leopardskin jasper promises that spring is in the air, whether an emotional rebirth or practical steps towards the tomorrow you want.
Leopardskin jasper is a stone of regeneration: it can make you look and feel younger and more energetic if you carry it with you. It is useful for all skin problems, for skin growths and blemishes, especially viral ones. It helps deal with infections and promotes the speedy healing of animal bites or insect stings. It speeds emotional healing after trauma or a nervous breakdown.
Leopardskin jasper is potent for the conservation of endangered big cats in the wild and ill-treated domestic ones.
Leopardskin jasper brings what you need, not what you think you want. Use it for rekindling love that has become buried beneath domestic, career or financial concerns. It will help to lower your psychological and physical profile when you need to remain unobtrusive.
Leopardskin jasper strengthens the link between animals and children; buy one when you first acquire a pet. It is the ultimate stone for contented cats.
Use leopardskin jasper in charm bags and altars to connect you with all kinds of magical powers, especially with the power of the four winds and archetypal animal strengths. Use it for astral travel on the back of a wild cat, and for amplifying telepathic cat communication (try it at a wild cat conservation park as well as with your pet).
Leave it anchored outside on a windy day.
Properties
Type: Rocks with a hole right through them caused by running water
Colour: Brown, fawn, grey, white
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Planet: Earth/Saturn
Element: Earth
Candle Colour: Dark brown
Guardian Angel: Orifiel
Chakra: Root/brow
Herbs, incenses and oils: Comfrey, amaranth, oakmoss, patchouli and wintergreen
Flowers: Magnolia, mimosa and pansy
Associated crystals: Fossils, lava and pumice
The most ancient and magical of all healing stones, holey stones are also called holy stones, or hag stones. The most famous is the huge pre-Celtic Men an Tol at Morvah in Cornwall, UK, through which children were passed for healing. Holey stones were also called the Stone of Odin, because, in Viking legend, the Odin turned himself into a worm in order to pass through a hole in the rock to steal the mead of poetry and inspiration.
Use a small round stone for divination. This is a magical time when anything can happen, but you can be sure it will be good. You may receive unexpected good news.
An all-healer which draws out illness and protects against disease, holey stone is helpful for childhood ills and infections, especially chicken pox. Holey stone relieves cramps, stomach and bone pains. You can direct absent healing to a person, animal or place through the hole if held up to sunlight or full moonlight (do not look directly at the sun).
Holey stones will protect homes, workplaces, farms and farm buildings, warehouses and boats, if suspended on a red cord tied with three knots. Stones with three holes are especially powerful.
Holey stones are especially protective for children and animals and will prevent children from experiencing nightmares.
Gaze through the hole to see fairies and nature spirits and to glimpse the future. Use as a wish stone and use a pointed holey stone for dowsing.
Use flowing water, best of all the sea.
Properties
Type: Chrysoberyl, the original cat’s eye, and tiger’s and hawk’s eye. Also carnelian, diopside, selenite, tourmaline and moonstone. Translucent
Colour: Orangey-brown, yellow, golden, orange or green, but also creamy white
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Planet: Sun/Venus (green)
Element: Fire/earth
Candle Colour: Gold
Guardian Angel: Seratiel
Chakra: Sacral
Herbs, incenses and oils: Apricot, benzoin, frankincense, neroli and Solomon’s seal
Flowers: Freesia, oleander and peach blossom
Associated crystals: Hawk’s eye (blue tiger’s eye), peridot and topaz
From early times, cat’s eye was believed to protect against the evil eye, to attract fabulous wealth and to make the wearer invisible or to take the form of a cat. It was sacred to the temple cats in Burma, who were believed to be reincarnated priests, and in Egypt to the cat goddess Bast. Cat’s eye stones were made into thumb rings by medieval archers to give the bowman acute vision, especially at twilight.
Finances or fortunes are or soon will be on the increase, especially if you have suffered a loss or reversal. In the meantime, conserve your resources where possible.
Cat’s eye will increase your inner radiance and help you to love yourself. It can be used to aid vision, especially night vision, and mental clarity. It increases the healing effect of other stones.
The prosperity bringer, use cat’s eye at home and work to restore lost fortune or income or to find other sources of making money. It is a good stone for all those who work at night or travel after dark.
Cat’s eye is deeply protective of children, but younger ones sometimes find it creepy. It is an excellent stone for cats, especially pedigree ones.
Cat’s eye is good when you want to lower your psychological or physical profile. Gaze into the stone and visualize yourself surrounded by shimmering light. It is also good for scrying and for increasing your intuitive and clairvoyant powers.
Use a fibre optic lamp, twinkling Christmas tree lights or a brilliant starlit night.
Properties
Type: Quartz (also called Cairngorm). Translucent
Colour: Smoky brown or dark grey, tinted by natural radiation
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Planet: Saturn
Element: Earth
Candle Colour: Indigo
Guardian Angel: Torquaret
Chakra: Crown/root
Herbs, incenses and oils: Cedar, cypress, ivy, mullein and patchouli
Flowers: Brown carnation, mimosa and pansy
Associated crystals: Garnet, obsidian and rutilated quartz
A guardian against all forms of bad luck, particularly in the Alps, smoky quartz was traditionally made into crucifixes and set on bedroom walls to deter evil.
Smoky quartz promises a better tomorrow and light at the end of a very long tunnel.
Smoky quartz is excellent after illness or depression for gently restoring energy and optimism. It will melt all energy blocks in limbs, in the adrenal glands, pancreas and kidneys. It is also beneficial for kidney stones. It reduces anxiety, relieves psychological sexual blocks and can aid insomnia. Stand on grass or earth, holding your smoky quartz pointing downwards in your receptive hand and negativity will drain out of your body and mind. It is an unusually gentle crystal for opening your kundalini energy if you have become very tired or dispirited. Use it to direct light from the crown chakra into your body.
Smoky quartz protects the home and work premises. It guards vehicles from theft and breakdown and the driver against road rage.
This is helpful at night for banishing children’s nightmares and fears of the dark: let the child see the light of the moon or shine a tiny torch through the crystal. A pain reliever for older animals, it protects nocturnal creatures.
Use it by candlelight as a focus for astral travel: in your mind’s eye, create within the crystal a tunnel and doorway of light into other realms. It aids meditation if you find concentration difficult. Use it for channelling the wisdom of earth spirits at old sites. It is good for bringing peaceful dreams.
Leave it on a rock, preferably at a sacred site, for twenty minutes to absorb earth energies.
Properties
Type: Volcanic rock. Rough (male) or smooth (female)
Colour: Brown or grey towards black, also blue
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Candle Colour: Red
Guardian Angel: Samael
Chakra: Sacral/root
Herbs, incenses and oils: Basil, coriander, ginger, nettle and peppermint
Flowers: Bracken, heather and thistle
Associated crystals: Hematite and iron pyrites
Pumice is formed when lava is filled with gas bubbles as it spews out of the volcano. Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes, fire and magic, is the mistress of lava. Pumice is especially magical because it floats on water. Lava is magical because it involves the fusion of the four elements, the molten lava representing the element of water.
Pointed lava will draw out pain and illness: pass it anticlockwise round a candle and flick the pain in the lava towards the candle. Lava is good for chronic skin conditions, rashes and allergies of all kinds. Pumice is traditionally held by women in labour to ease the pain of birth. It is also used to absorb menstrual cramps and will relieve cramp in any part of the body.
Lava protects the home from lightning, fire and intruders. At work it will act as an amulet of protection against bad-tempered employers or colleagues and spiteful work-place gossip. Alternatively, have a pair of small pumice stones at home or work, one lighter coloured to attract good fortune, and a darker one near the door to absorb negative vibes. When the bad vibe stone feels heavy, float it away on water and replace it.
It is too powerful for children and animals.
A magical stone used in protection rituals, candle and fire magic and to encircle your bed at night to ward off malevolence or psychic attack. Whisper your secret desires and wishes into the holes in pumice, or call a lover, and set it afloat on running water. Banish sorrows by telling your pumice.
Pass clockwise round a red candle flame.
Obsidian arrows are regarded as a protective amulet to repel harm.
FAR RIGHT Obsidian is associated with thistles.
Properties
Type: Volcanic glass/magma with no crystalline structures
Colour: Black. Apache tears are dark smoky grey
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
Planet: Pluto/Saturn
Element: Fire/earth
Candle Colour: Burgundy
Guardian Angel: Uriel
Chakra: Root
Herbs, incenses and oils: Basil, mint, parsley, pine and sandalwood
Flowers: Primula, thistle and tulip
Associated crystals: Blue goldstone, moldavite and tektite
See also
Apache tears are named after an incident in Arizona. Soldiers ambushed a group of Apaches. Many were killed and the rest leapt over a cliff, rather than be taken. The women of the tribe wept at the base of the cliff and their tears were embedded in obsidian. It is said that those who carry Apache tears will never know deep sorrow.
From early times, obsidian was carved into arrowheads; obsidian arrows are still used for protection when set points facing outwards. Myth relates that the seven arrows of the Ancient Egyptian lion goddess Sekhmet were sometimes made of obsidian: she used them magically against wrongdoers.
Highly polished obsidian was used by the Mayans for magic mirrors. In Elizabethan times, John Dee had a similar divining mirror. Obsidian is often called the wizard stone.
Obsidian is a personal stone and is generally kept by one person, not given as a gift.
The more opaque obsidian is, the more concentrated its powers. In the polished form it is usually sold in, most obsidian is opaque, though shining. Apache tears, natural water-worn pebbles, are translucent.
Let old sorrows go; happier times are ahead and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You have a great deal of power you can use if you are not afraid to change the status quo.
A natural pain reliever, it improves circulation and is good for the arteries and the stomach. An excellent anti-shock crystal, obsidian lessens the power of phobias. It eases pain and blockages in the lower body, especially the lower spine and feet. Apache tears lift depression and relieve dark, stagnant energies.
All obsidian protects you from negative vibes and hostility at work or home. It is especially good for kind-hearted people who are innocent of the ways of the world. It is a traveller’s stone, especially if you travel by night.
Apache tears help in the preservation and regeneration of indigenous spirituality, especially Native North American.
Black obsidian dampens inner anger and frustration at others’ incompetence or stubbornness and creates the impetus for change. Use obsidian spheres as stress absorbers at home and work. Obsidian helps things to run more smoothly. Apache tears lift the crippling inertia that comes from grief after loss.
The Apache tear consoles a traumatized or grieving child. Hold it up to sunlight so that he or she can see that the light is still present. It likewise alleviates terrors of the dark.
Black obsidian desensitizes a pet that overreacts to noise and traffic.
It is a stone of prophecy and amplifies magical powers. Use obsidian arrows for psychic self-defence, usually four, five or seven. Face them inwards round you or a central obsidian crystal to draw power. It is also excellent for labyrinth work and for rituals of the Black Madonna, Isis and her infant son Horus, the sky God. Apache tears are good for vision quests or spiritual pilgrimages, inner or outer.
Recharge obsidian under any light source.
Properties
Type: Cryptocrystalline quartz with iron oxide impurities. Opaque
Colour: Black spots on a fawn or paler background
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Virgo
Planet: Earth
Element: Earth
Candle Colour: Brown
Guardian Angel: Thuriel
Chakra: Root
Herbs, incenses and oils: Cedar wood, fennel, mint, parsley and thyme
Flowers: Dandelion, dog rose and Michaelmas daisy
Associated crystals: Banded agate, leopardskin jasper and mookaite
The unusual appearance of this Mexican stone has led to it being adopted for healing animals and for veterinarians who practice alternative healing. Perhaps its pattern was nature’s clue to mortals, as it does work remarkably well in this sphere.
You may find loyalty from an unexpected source if a fair-weather friend has disillusioned you recently. Anything to do with animals is well aspected.
Dalmatian jasper will cleanse and gently energize the auric field. It also improves the state of internal organs and counters both constipation and irritable bowel conditions.
Use as a focus to help animals kept in badly run zoos, battery animals, those in circuses and all dogs that are badly treated.
Dalmatian jasper is the stone to strengthen family loyalties, tell true from false friends, and for seeing through financial scams. It encourages teamwork rather than rivalry in the workplace. It is excellent for all who work closely with animals, especially vets, alternative practitioners or those working in animal welfare.
Dalmatian jasper will overcome a child’s fear of animals. It is the ultimate stone for dogs and all pets. It is excellent for strengthening herbal and flower-essence remedies in animal treatment.
The best stone for telepathic communication with animals, for learning animal healing and as a protective amulet for animals.
Leave it in greenery or between the fronds of a pot of herbs for twenty-four hours.
Properties
Type: Organic fossilized wood that has been turned into a dense form of coal. Opaque, glassy
Colour: Black or occasionally very dark brown
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Planet: Saturn
Element: Earth
Candle Colour: Very dark purple or black
Guardian Angel: Cassiel
Chakra: Root
Herbs, incenses and oils: Cedar, cypress, ivy, hyssop and myrrh
Flowers: Asphodel, dark-red carnation and white lily
Associated crystals: Black marble, obsidian and black onyx
Like amber, jet is of great antiquity. Jet is sacred to Cybele, mother of the Gods in Classical mythology. Since the Bronze Age, jet from Yorkshire has been used for ornaments and jewellery. It has been found among grave goods for thousands of years. It became popular when Queen Victoria wore it after the death of Prince Albert. Jet was carried by sailors’ wives to keep their husbands safe at sea, a practice that dates back to Viking times.
Accept that you need to let past sorrows and regrets go. Protect yourself from anyone who drains your energies.
Jet is an excellent stone for skin problems, bites and stings, tooth pains, neuralgia, migraines, stomach pains caused by irritations of the colon or bowel and for colds. Use it to relieve labour pains and all pains or swellings in the lower body, legs and feet. Psychologically, it guards against nightmares and free-floating anxiety.
Jet is naturally protective, especially if there has been bereavement or divorce in a family. In home and business, jet will stabilize finances and help you to take practical steps to overcome debt problems. At home or work, place a piece of jet facing the outer door to keep negative people and vibes at bay. Leave a piece of jet in the hearth or near the centre of the home if you are going away, as an amulet and a sign of a safe return.
In earlier times jet was placed on the stomach of a newborn to provide lifelong protection from harm. Encourage a child to talk about any fears while holding a piece of jet and then bury the jet – and the fears. Jet will help ease an old animal into death.
Though a mother goddess stone, jet often represents the God energies in witchcraft and a piece can be placed on the altar next to the amber that symbolizes the Goddess. Like amber, jet is used as a doorway into other dimensions, especially the past.
Bury jet in soil overnight. Jet jewellery is traditionally only worn by one person.
Properties
Type: Chalcedony
Colour: Black
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Planet: Saturn
Element: Earth
Candle Colour: White
Guardian Angel: Semakiel
Chakra: Root
Herbs, incenses and oils: Aloe vera, ambergris (synthetic) copal, cypress and patchouli
Flowers: Wild cherry, edelweiss, Glastonbury thorn or blackthorn blossom and flowering ivy
Associated crystals: Jet, sardonyx and black marble
See also
Black onyx is either naturally black or has been heat treated. A stone associated with wizards and sorcerers, in the Middle East, onyx is believed to absorb sorrow. It was engraved with the image of Mars or Hercules in Classical times as an icon of courage.
Indicates the need to bring matters that have been dragging on to a satisfactory conclusion.
This stone has strong grounding properties. It is good for all problems with the ear, especially the inner ear, with balance and sensory and motor mechanisms within the body, for the health of the soft tissue and for feet. It is used to ease animal bites.
It is excellent for working against chemical and fuel emissions from factories and against chemical waste that pollutes rivers.
This is a very useful stone for helping those who are easily distracted to concentrate, for stopping nightmares and for protection after dark, both in the home and while travelling. At work, black onyx helps you to stand up for yourself in an argument or unfair criticism, especially from someone senior, without losing your temper. Onyx will also lower the sexual temperature in workplace encounters.
Older children may like this protective stone; some do not. It protects animals out at night.
Use it for grounding you in rituals and during astral projection. Used mainly in defensive magic to send back any form of negativity.
Leave your onyx to recharge in sunlight.
Properties
Type: Unclassified as yet, a quartz pentellerite. Opaque
Colour: Black/very dark green with lighter green orbs
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
Planet: Pluto
Element: Air
Candle Colour: Burgundy
Guardian Angel: Raziel
Chakra: Crown
Herbs, incenses and oils: Mullein, frankincense, myrrh and mugwort
Flowers: Fuchsia, oleander and poinsettia
Associated crystals: Moldavite, rainbow moonstone and tektite
Nebula was found in a wild area of Mexico. The stone resembles the sky seen through a telescope.
You may need to reassess a situation and see how far you can go along with principles you may feel are not reconcilable with your own.
Nebula helps us tap into healing powers and is valuable for unifying the whole self. A mother earth stone, it may help diseases created by environmental neglect and is a reminder of the sanctity of all life.
Nebula is a reminder of our responsibility for our own actions and words. It reminds us that each individual contributes to the morality and caring attitude of the whole.
Use nebula to explain to children their place in the universe. Nebula makes it easier to communicate telepathically with animals.
Use nebula for meditation, for astral travel and for channelling the wisdom of star guardians. We do not yet fully understand its healing properties.
Use starlight to recharge nebula.
Properties
Type: Volcanic glass/magma in which grey feldspar inclusions appear as the obsidian crystallizes. Opaque
Colour: Black with white spots
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Planet: Saturn
Element: Earth
Candle Colour: White
Guardian Angel: Shalgiel
Chakra: Crown/root
Herbs, incenses and oils: Cedar, cypress, lemongrass, sweetgrass and yarrow
Flowers: Sweet tobacco, snowdrop and white hyacinth
Associated crystals: Apache tears, black onyx and sardonyx
Snowflake obsidian is the equivalent of the Chinese yin/yang symbol, representing the unity of opposites. It is valuable in medicine wheels and magic circles. It is a charm against hard winters.
A stone that indicates new beginnings, hope after a setback and gentle gradual improvement in an area of your life that has caused you pain.
Snowflake obsidian will improve circulation, assist the processing of fat and encourage cell and skin regrowth. Use it for warming limbs, to help blurred vision, to soothe migraines and to dissolve depression. It will remove pain and energize at the same time. Use in empowerments for a fairer distribution of world resources and wealth.
A stone for spring-cleaning, it clears away illusions and prevents daydreaming. Use it to acknowledge and express your own negative feelings and needs without feeling guilty.
It guides children who are liberal with the truth and slow-moving, cold-blooded or naturally nocturnal creatures.
Add to a charm bag to give you protection and good fortune. It increases clairaudient powers and can be used to discover the truth about a person or situation. It assists accuracy when reading the I Ching.
Burn a tiny dark and a white candle in front of it until the candles are burned through.
Properties
Type: Palladium and pyrite discs in layers or platelets
Colour: Black or grey/brown with a gold sparkle. May have a rainbow sheen
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
Planet: Uranus
Element: Earth/fire
Candle Colour: Burgundy
Guardian Angel: Cassiel
Chakra: Balances all the chakras
Herbs, incenses and oils: Clove, bergamot, hyssop, lemon balm and nutmeg
Flowers: Almond blossom, edelweiss and gardenia
Associated crystals: None
Female stones are smooth and round, male stones are angular and uneven, feel heavier and are more crystalline. They work best as a pair. Androgynous stones can be used singly. Known in North America for hundreds of years, they were introduced into crystal lore comparatively recently.
Boji stones are not suitable for divination.
Hold a boji stone in each hand to balance chakras. The male stone may feel better in the right or left hand. Hold a single stone in your receptive hand. Use to cleanse and rebalance the aura. Hold your boji stone/s every morning for energy and harmony. They relieve discomfort if one is held over the painful spot and are good for cell and tissue regeneration after illness. Use them to send healing to the planet. They unbalance other crystals, so store separately.
Boji stones protect you from emotional vampires.
They are too powerful for children or animals.
Good for past-life work and for astral travel, boji stones bring out innate healing powers.
Expose to the light, if possible the sun, once a week. They love full moonlight. Charge through handling.
Properties
Type: Natural glass, formed where lightning or meteorites struck sand, fusing it into glass. Smooth and shiny outside, glassy inside
Colour: Black/dark grey
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
Planet: Jupiter/Pluto
Element: Fire
Candle Colour: Grey
Guardian Angel: Jehoel
Chakra: Brow
Herbs, incenses and oils: Allspice, basil, dragon’s blood, ginger, juniper and star anise
Flowers: Hollyhock, red thistle and blood-red roses
Associated crystals: Moldavite, meteorite and obsidian
See also
Tektites were associated with the gods of thunder and lightning. It is carried by some people in areas of UFO activity to prevent alien abduction.
Tektite can signify spiritual change or development, perhaps owing to an experience or illumination.
Use for skin disorders, the autoimmune system and for illnesses that drain the body of strength.
Tektite should be buried near your front and/or back doors to guard your home against fire, storms and hostility and to attract abundance. In your career, use tektite to kindle your inner power to make change.
It is too powerful for children and animals.
Tektite is associated with the healing energies from the guardians of the Pleiades, a group of stars within the constellation Taurus. Some myths recount that the Mayans came from the Pleiades and were guardians of the solar system. Tektite is excellent for all star magic, lucid dreaming and dream recall.
Leave outside in stormy weather, particularly when lightning is flashing. Or leave out at night in late August, during the meteor showers from Pleiades.
Properties
Type: Hydrated silica, noncrystalline. Opaque
Colour: Grey/blue to black; red, orange, green, blue flashes
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Cancer
Planet: Saturn/Mars
Element: Fire/water
Candle Colour: Silver
Guardian Angel: Gabriel
Chakra: Root/crown
Herbs, incenses and oils: Cypress, ivy, mugwort, myrrh and sandalwood
Flowers: Lily, white carnation and white lotus
Associated crystals: Black pearl, obsidian and jet
See also
According to legend, opals were tears of happiness shed by Zeus after he defeated the Titans. The earliest opals, about six thousand years old, have been found in a cave in Kenya.
Black opal is not used in divination.
Black opal absorbs pain or illness and replaces it with healing rainbow light. It eases chronic bone problems or weakness and body tissue disease. Use it to counter side-effects of X-ray or laser treatments and to reduce the toxicity of chemicals.
It transforms restricting fears into optimism and eagerness. It establishes order and helps us to formulate logical steps towards completing tasks.
It heals grief and helps children cope with their experiences of evil. It is not suitable for animals.
It is very magical for women, enabling them to contact their deeper wisdom. Use it for all women’s mysteries and for channelling the wisdom of the Crone Goddess, for night astral travelling and for scrying by silver candlelight.
It is very delicate: recharge by rehydrating in water.
Properties
Type: Organic. Opaque
Colour: Lustrous black
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
Planet: Moon
Element: Water
Candle Colour: Silver
Guardian Angel: Raguel
Chakra: Sacral
Herbs, incenses and oils: Calamus, ambergris (synthetic), moonwort, lemon balm and violet
Flowers: Jasmine, night-scented stock and iris
Associated crystals: Black opal, rainbow obsidian and apache tears
See also
Chinese myth says that the heavenly dew produced from the dreams and memories of men by the full moon fell into the sea. Oysters came to the surface and the dewdrops fell inside and hardened into pearls. The black ones are sad thoughts transformed into beauty and hope by the moon mother. Black pearl is associated with the dark of the moon.
Black pearl in not used in divination.
Black pearl clears infections, especially lung or chest congestion, and protects against passive smoking. It is good for solid masses (organs, tissue or dense bone mass). It helps perimenopausal and menopausal women as it controls mood swings.
A bringer of abundance, good luck and prosperity, it protects against accidents, especially near water.
Black opal helps children who are afraid of the dark. It eases animals with very poor eyesight and is good for guide dogs.
A power stone, black opal has been used throughout magical history as a God stone (a white opal is the Goddess stone). It amplifies power magically, and an amulet of black opal attracts good fortune.
Keep away from heat or dryness. Polish with a silk cloth. Recharge with a dark pointed amethyst.
Properties
Type: Twinned crystals of iron and aluminium silicate crosses
Colour: Black, dark reddish- or yellowy-brown, streaked with white, weathering to dull grey
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
Planet: Pluto
Element: Four elements
Candle Colour: Burgundy
Guardian Angel: Riehol
Chakra: Root
Herbs, incenses and oils: Basil, ambergris (artificial), all spice, pine and sagebrush
Flowers: Foxglove, lily of the valley and primrose
Associated crystals: Banded agate, mahogany obsidian and petrified wood
Staurolites were thought to be a gift from the fey folk and associated with fairy magic. They are said to be crystallized tears that fairies wept when they heard of the crucifixion. For centuries staurolites have been carried as protective charms. The cross represents the meeting of the four elements.
Staurolite is not used in divination.
A very personal stone that will help you to balance your energies, strengthen your skeletal formation and heal aspects of life that are holding you back.
Staurolite will give you inner security that enables you to follow what you believe in. It is good for those who strive for the greater good, campaigners, aid workers and carers. It protects travellers.
Use for children who have chronic illnesses. This stone is helpful for all beasts of burden.
It is a powerful focus in any form of elemental magic. It is also helpful for personal power and good fortune. Use it wisely for personal gain.
Bury staurolite in a pot of earth or sand or in the garden for twenty-four hours.
Properties
Type: Chalcedony with bands of sard
Colour: White and black, sometimes with reddish brown
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Candle Colour: White
Guardian Angel: Zagzagel
Chakra: Root
Herbs, incenses and oils: Anise, basil, cumin, cinnamon, musk (synthetic) and juniper
Flowers: Geranium, hibiscus and red tulip
Associated crystals: Black onyx, brecciated jasper and jet
Sardonyx has been used for cameos, jewellery, mosaics and statues. It is associated with the god Mars, the hero Hercules and with saints. Stones containing bands of black, white and red were said to signify humility, virtue and courage. A sardonyx talisman would bring marriage within the year.
To achieve what you want, you may need to negotiate through official channels and fill in what seems to be unnecessary paperwork.
It eases back and spinal pain, menstrual cramps, bowel or bladder problems and cleanses the body.
Sardonyx will bring healing between a couple or parents and children. It is good for legal matters and for obtaining justice. It offers the courage to be yourself, not intimidated by others.
Children can benefit if they do not fit in with the crowd. It helps find lost animals: hold it in your power hand and call the animal.
Sardonyx is used in fire or candle magic and to mend family/marital rifts. Make a stone pile or cairn of tiny pieces, naming a step you must take for each piece. Add a stone and repeat the steps every day.
Sprinkle a clockwise circle of rose petals or pot pourri round it and leave from dusk to dawn.
Properties
Type: Plagioclase feldspar
Colour: Grey, also blue, green and black (with grey). High-quality labradorite has iridescent flashes of red, blue, green, gold and silver
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
Planet: Pluto
Element: Ice (the fifth element in the frozen north)
Candle Colour: Burgundy
Guardian Angel: Raguel
Chakra: Solar plexus
Herbs, incenses and oils: Basil, hyssop, lemon, mugwort and tea tree
Flowers: Gardenia, blackthorn blossom and snowdrop
Associated crystals: Rainbow moonstone, satin spar and snow quartz
Named after Labrador, labradorite is associated with many of the ancient magical practices of the region, including knot rituals. Finnish labradorite was sometimes buried in fields as an offering to the powerful spirits of the land. In northern lands, labradorite is said to have fallen from the Aurora Borealis. Spectrolite, a black iridescent labradorite, called shamans’ stones, comes from Finland.
It may be a good time to strike out alone, whether in business or to follow a private dream – such as taking a short holiday to a place none of your family wishes to see.
Labradorite strengthens the immune system and repairs the aura. It is helpful for improving vision, especially at night, and so is a crystal to take with you for night driving. It also counters stress and psychological over-dependence, whether on other people, medicines, food, alcohol or tobacco.
Labradorite will help if your home life has entered a rut or you feel that the fun has gone out of your life. At work, labradorite eases changes whether of job, management or work practices. It is inspirational for fiction writers, playwrights and composers of songs or music.
It helps children to express their imaginations creatively and to develop a sense of humour. It is a stone for guard and guide dogs.
It inspires novice and experienced psychics, especially if they feel out of touch with their gifts. Labradorite brings creative dreams.
Recharge when there is a rainbow in the sky or use a perspex rainbow on your window.
Properties
Type: Iron oxide, a very heavy stone
Colour: Brilliant silvery black, steel-grey metallic, also dark red or reddish brown, with a red streak
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Candle Colour: Silver
Guardian Angel: Asrael
Chakra: Solar plexus/root
Herbs, incenses and oils: Dragon’s blood, ginger, juniper, parsley and saffron
Flowers: Passion flower, red tulip and snapdragon
Associated crystals: Bloodstone, red agate, iron pyrites
Like iron pyrites, polished hematite was traditionally used for magic mirrors, which supposedly had the power to reflect back negativity. Hematite was also considered powerful for divination purposes. In Ancient Egypt it was used magically in protective amulets (it was used as the ceremonial pillow to magically uplift the head of the deceased). The Ancient Egyptians also used hematite for healing diseases of the blood. Roman soldiers rubbed the red powder that came from the stone on their bodies to make them invulnerable. Some hematite has a reddish streak which, in rough-cut pieces, leaves a mark when rubbed against a harder stone: this led to the myth that the stone bled.
Start from where you are now, as you are now, and avoid falling into the old traps.
Hematite is one of the most powerful stones for self-healing and, if held over a painful place or the solar plexus chakra, will draw out pain, illness and muscle weakness, and calm racing blood pressure or pulse. As a stone of balance, it is helpful to counter excessive menstrual bleeding.
Known sometimes as the lawyer’s stone, hematite will help with all legal wrangles or matters of injustice and is especially good for neighbourhood or boundary disputes. It also banishes irrational fears and helps you to avoid becoming too emotionally involved with the problems of others. Hematite overcomes fears of flying and reduces jet lag.
It is too heavy for children and animals.
Hematite stimulates astral travel, while providing grounding and protective energies. It is good for all forms of psychic self-defence, land boundary and home protection.
Smudge hematite with sage or cedar.
Properties
Type: Magnetic and alloyed with nickel and iron
Colour: Black, grey, brown
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: All
Planet: The universe
Element: Spirit or Akasha
Candle Colour: Gold
Guardian Angel: Michael
Chakra: All
Herbs, incenses and oils: Blessed thistle, frankincense, hyssop, myrrh and sandalwood
Flowers: Madonna lily, lotus and papyrus flower
Associated crystals: Lodestone, iron pyrites and hematite
The vast majority of meteorites originated in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, where there are many rock fragments. One of the most common types of stony meteorites is chondrite, which is unchanged since the solar system itself was formed 4,560 million years ago and is unlike any rock on earth. For thousands of years, meteorites that blazed across the skies and fell to earth were considered gifts from the deities. Some contained rich deposits of iron or crystals such as olivine (peridot) or even, occasionally, diamonds. However, they were sometimes regarded as a sign the gods were angry: meteorite showers opportunely appeared over Ireland when St Patrick was trying to persuade pagans that the Christian God was all-powerful. Meteorites symbolize akasha, the name given to the synthesis of all four elements to make something greater.
Meteorites are not used for divination.
Meteorites can be used to send healing to an absent person. They provide the impetus to give up a bad habit or overcome a phobia, especially if you have failed in the past
Used traditionally to protect against fire, meteorites have in the modern world been used as an amulet against bombs or hijacking.
Their energies can be too unsettling to make them suitable for children and animals.
Primarily a magical stone, meteorite fragments contain unique energies that can aid you in any life transformation. Good for channelling information about possible life in other galaxies, for protection against unfriendly alien encounters and encouraging more positive experiences of otherworldly beings, especially in dreams or meditation. They help would-be and practising astrologers to improve their accuracy.
Meteorites hold energies well, so recharge only on the night of a lunar or solar eclipse, even if you cannot see it from where you live.
Properties
Type: Iron sulphide
Colour: Silvery or dark grey/black with golden glints as chunky cubes, scattered through a cluster or polished as dull golden
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Planet: Mars/Pluto
Element: Earth
Candle Colour: Silver or grey
Guardian Angel: Camael
Chakra: Solar plexus
Herbs, incenses and oils: Copal, cinnamon, dragon’s blood, ginger and mint
Flowers: Bracken, flowering thorn and thistle
Associated crystals: Gold, hematite and lodestone
Also known as fool’s gold, from Palaeolithic times iron pyrites was regarded as a magical fire stone because it emitted sparks when struck. The Mayans and Aztecs used polished pyrites mirrors for divination. It has been a shamanic stone of power in a number of cultures.
Work with the polished golden nugget. This stone indicates that increased prosperity is coming your way through your own past efforts. Beware those who would spend your money for you.
Iron pyrites is good for relieving lung disorders, improving digestion, cell and bone health, and helping the body fight infections, viruses and fevers. It is protective for nurses, doctors and pharmacists and will help prevent carers of the chronically sick or elderly becoming ill and exhausted. Iron pyrites is good in rituals to restore the earth’s rapidly depleting mineral sources.
Use pyrites for brainstorming sessions, for all creative thinking and to give your ideas practical applications. Shiny gold pyrites in your workspace will repel negativity. At home and work, iron pyrites attracts good fortune and prosperity and brings harmony between people who live or work closely together.
While not used for children, iron pyrites can help animals with skin problems and is good in the care of reptiles and insects.
Place iron pyrites in front of a mirror you are using for divination or scry directly into one by candlelight. Use for any channelling work connected with UFOs or aliens, for psychic protection and in all fire and candle rituals.
Pass it over the flame of a grey or silver candle.
Properties
Type: Opaque, naturally magnetized iron oxide. Occasionally gleaming
Colour: Black, dark grey
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Planet: Saturn/Mars
Element: Earth
Candle Colour: Purple
Guardian Angel: Attarib
Chakra: Root/solar plexus
Herbs, incenses and oils: Cedar, cypress, patchouli, sandalwood and thyme
Flowers: Cactus, flowering wild garlic and wallflower
Associated crystals: Copper, hematite and iron pyrites
For thousands of years, and in different cultures, the lodestone has been valued in folk-magic and medicine. It was traditionally added to charm bags to attract luck (especially in gambling), money, love, passion and fidelity. During the Middle Ages, one lodestone would be set in a woman’s wedding ring and another given to the groom. It is also called magnetite. The male lodestones are pointed, the female square or rounded. Buy a pair that attract each other.
Lodestone is not used in divination.
Use male lodestones for men, and female stones for women. They absorb pain or feverishness, infections and headaches. Lodestones also clear blocks within the circulation, improve vision, regularize the heart, alleviate rheumatism and make wounds heal faster. They are good for overcoming male impotence. A lodestone on a woman’s thigh pointing towards the womb is said to ease labour pains.
You can draw money into your home and success into your work life by keeping a lodestone in your handbag or wallet with a few coins. For protection, set a male lodestone, point outwards, towards the door or the direction of hostility. It will effectively absorb negative vibes.
It is too intense for children and animals.
The male-female attraction has made the lodestone a symbol of love and sex magic. Place a pair on your bedside table facing one another and bring them closer over a three-night period before sleep to attract love into your life. For increasing male potency, sprinkle an oil with associations with love (for example, sandalwood, rose or jasmine) over your lodestone. Hold the stone in your left hand, close your eyes and visualize successful lovemaking. Place the lodestone under the mattress before making love.
Lodestones, traditionally, are soaked in water on a Friday morning until noon, left in sunlight to dry, sprinkled with iron filings and kept in a red bag when not in use.
Properties
Type: Zinc sulphide. Opaque
Colour: Yellow brown/silver grey banded, blue, undulating look
Symbolic associations
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Planet: Saturn
Element: Earth
Candle Colour: Silvery grey
Guardian Angel: Aftiel
Chakra: Root
Herbs, incenses and oils: Bistort, laurel, magnolia, oakmoss and tea tree
Flowers: Foxglove, night-scented stock and lupin
Associated crystals: Copper, hematite and iron pyrites
Black and Grey
Though it has been known since the Middle Ages, zinc has only recently been adopted in healing and in magic. It sometimes replaces lead, Saturn’s traditional metal, whose dangers are now well understood.
Schalenblende is not used in divination.
A health bringer, schalenblende triggers the immune system to break down destructive material. It strengthens brain and red blood cell function, improves the sense of smell and taste and aids vision. It reduces exhaustion, panic and insomnia, assists wound healing, and promotes the health of the prostate gland, genitalia and reproductive organs. It is a good amulet for preconception care. It acts as a radiation and pollutant shield.
Zinc is a psychological insulator against the effects of sudden change. It is the stone of arbitrators, estate agents, trades union representatives, miners and geologists and anyone who works with computers or designs software. Place zinc near your computer as an anti-virus amulet.
Zinc is not suitable for children and animals.
Magically, it has replaced lead both as a fertility charm and in banishing magic to remove sorrow and destructive tendencies from one’s life. Use it also for rituals concerning property.
Pass schalenblende over a silver-grey candle.
