Mohs hardness scale: 7.5–8
Picture Emerald as a smoky cat, her gaze flashing verdant as she looks over her shoulder at you. Her uncompromising eyes beckon as she heads into the dark forest of yourself. In this place, this soul-womb, you can find your deepest truth and your truest love. From here you can see into the future . . . or get stuck in the morass of your own stories. Emerald takes you into the woods, where you will either compost your past and find new growth, or molder, stewing in your own toxicity. She’ll watch from the shadows as you decide the path forward. Choosing the path is, in and of itself, an initiation. Begin your journey and Emerald will become a bright lamp, a grow light, and a true guide.
Ritual 
In Taoist Stone Medicine, Emerald is said to be specific to the eyes, helping you to see truly. When you need clear vision, sometimes it helps to view the world out of a different set of eyes. To do so, imagine embodying one (or more!) of these animals:
Seeing the world as your animal would, ask yourself these questions:
What’s the essence of this situation? What am I, in human form, not seeing?
Reflection
Women from Cleopatra to Halle Berry have been mesmerized by Emerald’s lustrous liveliness. In ancient Rome, Emerald was associated with Venus, Goddess of Love. The Incans and Egyptians used Emerald as sacred adornment to connect with eternal youth and healing. Hildegard von Bingen wrote that Emerald held the power of “viriditas,” a word used to describe the greening of growing things.
Yet the Taoists suggest caution. They teach that Emerald is powerful and should not be used unconsciously. This seeming contradiction offers a meditation on love itself. Passion, for a project or a person, is a powerful force. But without self-love, external passions can become consuming.
Have you had times in life when your lust for something outside yourself drained your energy and left you feeling empty?
All the green of nature is concentrated within the Emerald.
Hildegard von Bingen