Obsidian- Stone of Truth



Posted: Monday, June 06, 2005

by
Wild Rose's Garden for the Soul

History: Obsidian is a kind of volcanic glass. It is shiny and black, and can only be found in the area around volcanoes. When a volcano erupts, it spurts melted rock called lava.  If the melted rock is mostly silica, and it cools at just the right speed, it can turn into naturally made glass, obsidian.

Discovered by Obsius in Ethiopia, obsidian is named after him.  However, it has been used for thousands of years for many purposes.  In the Stone Age people preferred obsidian tools, because they were sharper than flint.  Sharp shards of obsidian were formed into arrowheads by Indians, who obtained large quantities of obsidian from Obsidian Cliff in Yellowstone National park. The Aztecs used a great deal of obsidian for tools, including sacrificial knives, the eyes of carvings of their gods, and even mirrors.  Obsidian has also been used for jewelry, fishhooks, and almost any type of cutting instrument. Even today some surgeons use obsidian knives in eye surgery.

Obsidian can be used for dating. It weathers slowly at a uniform rate, and the thickness of the weathered layer is measured microscopically and gauged against known standards to give a date in years.  In 1967 archaeologists working at the site of Tlapacoya, southeast of Mexico City, uncovered a well-made blade of obsidian associated with a radiocarbon date of about 21,000 BC.

Deposits: The obsidians of Mount Hekla in Iceland, the Eolie Islands off the coast of Italy, and Obsidian Cliff in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, U.S., are all well-known occurrences. Obsidian is also found in Hawaii, Japan and Java. Dark pieces found in Arizona and New Mexico are called Apache Tears.

Description: Obsidian is a natural glass of volcanic origin that is formed by the rapid cooling of viscous lava. Obsidian is extremely rich in silica (about 35 to 80 percent) and is low in water. Obsidian is made of the same minerals as granite but cooled so quickly that they do not have time to crystallize.

Obsidian has a glassy lustre and is slightly harder than window glass. Though obsidian is typically jet-black in color, the presence of hematite produces red and brown varieties, and the inclusion of tiny gas bubbles may create a golden sheen. Obsidian in attractive and variegated colors is used as a semiprecious stone. 

Varieties: Black patterned obsidian with greyish-white inclusions which resemble snowflakes is often called snowflake obsidian.  Other colors include: brown, gray, red, blue and green, clear, orange, yellow.

Care and treatment: Obsidian is fairly fragile. Avoid sharp blows as it will crack.

Hardness:  5

Energy:  Projective

Magical Properties:  A stone of protection, Obsidian will bring out the Warrior Spirit in you. It can help to deflect negative energy from you, and also help keep your thoughts from turning negative. Emotionally beating yourself up can be just as damaging as when it comes from someone else.

Obsidian reflects the dark and absorbs the light.  Reflect negativity (don’t take things personally) and only absorb the good. This does not mean to ignore the bad. Obsidian can not reflect negative energy without first acknowledging its existence and it can teach you to do the same.

Its mirror like surface reveals its special ability to provide clear insight into problems.  With the help of Obsidian you can see past all the fog and get to the truth of the matter.  It will also help you see your own flaws honestly and provide insight into correcting those flaws.

Obsidian’s ability to hold a good cutting edge and it’s quick transformation from one substance to another can help you to cut away harmful behavior patterns or life situations and achieve profound changes very fast.  This is a powerful stone so use it for this purpose with caution. Some people do not adjust well to change and may be better suited to a slower process.

This is a great tool for scrying.  It can strengthen prophesy and desire to see new horizons.

Healing Properties: Its energies can help with circulation for those hands & feet that seem to be constantly cold. It is also good for vision problems, weight loss and healing old wounds from violent acts.

Element: Fire

Planet:  Saturn

Careers: Entrepreneurs, Inventors

Keywords: protection, reflection, insight, truth, prophesy, warrior, strength

Copyright © Wild Rose’s Garden for the Soul, LLC.  All Rights Reserved

Wild Rose is a gifted spiritualist, healer, author and artist. She has spent her life studying world religions, healing, history, divination, magic and just about everything related to the spiritual.   Wild Rose is also an advisor to the esteemed Holistic Health and Healing Arts School, Brutus of Windhorse at http://www.brutusofwindhorse.com

Visit Wild Rose’s Garden for the Soul at http://www.wildrosesgarden.com for more articles, information, spiritual guidance, healings and more. This web site is an ever growing part of her quest to share her knowledge and experiences so that others may benefit from them as well.

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