The black obsidian stone's meaning and usage date back to the Paleolithic era. It was originally used to craft tools like daggers, knives, and arrowheads. Since then, it has become a highly favored stone by healers, shamans, artists, jewelers, and others.
Black obsidian metaphysical properties are well-suited to cleansing exercises. It's most useful when confronting inner darkness. Do you carry heavy feelings or struggle to cut yourself free of negative energies or thoughts? Do you often feel angry, spiteful, jealous, or bitter? Many things cause those feelings. To completely purge them from your life, you have to confront them. That's when an obsidian stone's energy helps.
Use it to cut through the conflicts and traumas that tie you to unhappiness as an obsidian knife would cut a string. Black obsidian has more benefits for exploring inner darkness and conflict than any other stone.
It's a must-have in any crystal collection for its strongly protective stone qualities. There's no single, correct way to use it, either. Chakra healing, spiritual cleansing, Feng Shui, meditation, shadow work, and other rituals benefit from including the magical properties of black obsidian.
What Does Obsidian Mean?
Obsidian is a mysterious stone that's intrinsically linked to the idea of darkness. One glance at black obsidian stones makes it easy to see why. Raw obsidian's meaning is closely tied to where it originates. Lava rises from the black depths of the earth, bursts into the world, and turns into something beautiful to behold.
That's the type of obsidian's meaning and energy. It helps you bring your most fiery, difficult thoughts and feelings to the surface and guides you toward becoming a polished, stunning version of yourself. If you want to purify your life and sense of self, black obsidian makes for a trusted companion.
What Does Obsidian Do?
Black obsidian's meaning ties in closely with the ideas of detoxification and purification. Certain properties of obsidian make it invaluable in turning your life around. It feels impossible at times to change your way of thinking, and it is impossible if you don't let go of the things that continue to hold you back.
Obsidian is forged beneath the surface of the Earth. Molten-hot lava erupts from volcanoes and spews everywhere. When that same volcanic lava cools rapidly enough, it forms obsidian. Its explosive origin makes it perfect for pulling up the burning, painful things within your mind and soul that you push away. Rather than let them continue to burn you from the inside, black obsidian forces you to look at them resulting in deep soul healing.
It may not be a pleasant experience. Looking at your darkness isn't something that most people enjoy. When you take responsibility for your feelings and their influence on your life, you can move forward. That's the true power of black obsidian. It aids you in doing something incredibly difficult instead of avoiding it. Everyone can benefit from that, regardless of their level of negativity or how much strife they've experienced in life.
Black Obsidian Stone Benefits for Shadow Work
Since black obsidian is so well suited to confrontation, purging, and moving on, it's important to discuss the idea of "shadow work". These things are all one and the same. If you want to invite more positivity into your life, look at your shadow self and do the hard work to understand them.
What Is Your Shadow Self?
Dr. Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, and psychoanalyst coined the idea of shadow work or a shadow self. He founded analytical psychiatry and did a great deal of work with personality and the concept of "self". The self, as seen by Jung, is in a near-constant state of development. A person's life journey is to reach their potential and continue to uncover the conscious and unconscious aspects of themselves.
This idea leads neatly to the formation of a shadow. In essence, a shadow self consists of all the things you reject. Behaviors, thoughts, feelings, desires, and anything you repress can form your shadow self. This concept exists across several different theories, like MBTI (also an offshoot of Jung's work).
There's something in the existence of a shadow self that makes sense. After all, children get told not to express certain things or behave in particular ways. It begins early. You learn to push down feelings for a variety of reasons and that you shouldn't do this-or-that. Those ideas build up for years, and when you experience one of those feelings, thoughts, or impulses it takes on a negative connotation. You push it further down.
That doesn't work forever. Your shadow self tends to rear its head when you experience stress or reach a low point. It causes an increase in angry, bitter feelings. Are you prone to jealousy? Do you lash out at people or withdraw and pull away from them? All of these things are potential symptoms of your shadow self peeking through.
How Can an Obsidian Gemstone Help?
With an understanding of what your shadow is, you can work on your self-awareness and handle it. How do black obsidian's magical properties fit into this? Black obsidian benefits people who seek to pull themselves out of the darkness. It's a powerful stone that imbues you with the sharp psychic energy necessary to challenge your shadow self.
Shadow work is done in numerous ways. What works for one person may not work for another, so search out a method that suits you or combine several. Keep your obsidian stone with you or nearby through all the stages of shadow work.
- Meditate - As you work on uncovering your shadow self, meditation helps bring clarity and focus. An important part of shadow work is being able to focus on and eliminate negativity. "Focus" is a keyword. Black obsidian's metaphysical properties make it a potent companion in meditation. Its impressive grounding effect helps you stay in the moment and not get carried away with other thoughts. While meditating, hold your obsidian, wear it, or place it nearby so you're surrounded by its strength.
- Ask Questions - Part of facing your shadow is identifying it. That means searching out your triggers. Ask yourself what things you need to let go of, what past events come to mind often or hold you down, and determine when those things surface. You can meditate on the answers to those questions or contemplate them when you feel centered. Use a pendulum with black obsidian to access the solutions with ease or keep black obsidian's metaphysical properties close by using it throughout your home.
These suggestions are only the beginning of shadow work, but they give you somewhere to start. It's a long process, and the metaphysical properties of obsidian can help guide you.
Once you've started to identify and process parts of your shadow self, black obsidian also acts as a ward to keep new negativity away. Putting in the work to purge it from your life is difficult - you don't want to allow it back inside.
How Does Shadow Work Change Your Life?
The benefits of shadow work with black obsidian don't come immediately or all at once. It's a process that takes time and a great deal of self-reflection and analysis. However, if you put in the effort, you'll be rewarded.
As you begin your shadow work, it's important to remember that the goal is not to banish it entirely. That's how it started existing in the first place. Instead, find out how to embrace the parts of yourself you repressed for so long. Doing so results in great self-awareness, acceptance, and self-love.
Don't throw away the feelings altogether - identify them, accept them, and use them positively. Free yourself from the negativity, not the power. Take anger, for example. It can twist you into a person you don't want to be and cause you to hurt others. That isn't the only thing it can be, though.
Direct your anger toward the things that need to change and use it to mold yourself and the world into something positive. Use it to improve. The obsidian stone benefits those seeking that kind of exploration and it can be a steady, guiding hand on your journey.
Obsidian & Chakra Balancing
Chakra work is beneficial to everyone, whether you're a beginner or a long-time metaphysical healer. It gives obsidian crystal healing properties a chance to shine, too. Much like shadow work, identifying and handling blockages and balancing in your chakras provides an understanding of your negative emotions and experiences.
What Are Chakras?
Chakras are the centers of energy for your body. There are over 100 chakras in the body, but seven main chakras. The main chakras are the focal point of most chakra healing exercises, as blockages in those seven chakras are more pronounced. The seven main chakras are:
- Crown Chakra - Found at the top of your head, the crown chakra helps you to find your purpose and holds the connection between you and the universe.
- Third Eye Chakra - The third eye chakra controls intuition, imagination, and instinct. It's located between your eyes.
- Throat Chakra - The throat chakra is located in the throat and affects your ability to communicate and express yourself.
- Heart Chakra - The heart chakra is in the heart, of course. This chakra is all about love and compassion.
- Solar Plexus Chakra - Found in the stomach, the solar plexus chakra gives you a sense of control over your life and manages self-esteem.
- Sacral Chakra - This chakra is found below the belly button or navel. It primarily relates to how you handle your emotions but also controls sexual energy and creativity.
- Root Chakra - The root chakra, or base chakra, is located at the base of your spine. It's the chakra that black obsidian is heavily associated with. This chakra controls your sense of stability and security. In essence, it's your foundation. The obsidian stone's meaning and its unmatched grounding ability make it invaluable in undoing chakra blockages. If you feel unbalanced in life or like something is just "off" then you'll benefit from examining your root chakra.
The Obsidian Gem's Meaning for the Root Chakra
As stated above, black obsidian has a deep link with the root chakra, sometimes called the base or Muladhara chakra. This chakra can become blocked or unbalanced, meaning there's a lack of or too much energy flowing through it. Both scenarios cause issues.
There are several warning signs of a blocked or unbalanced root chakra. You won't always experience all of them at once, but you'll likely notice at least one of them manifest in your life:
- Stress - Stress causes havoc in the body. It can cause several physical ailments, some of which turn into serious health problems. Excessive amounts of stress contribute to heart disease, diabetes, obesity, digestive issues, and other physical conditions. It shouldn't be left alone. Stress causes mental struggles in addition to physical ailments, so letting it go on too long sets you up for system failure. If you're experiencing a high amount of stress in your life and it isn't going anywhere, begin work to clear your chakra and find relief.
- Depression - Depression is linked to stress, but it can happen independently. It can make the world feel gray and like you're stuck in place, unable to move forward. This goes back to the earlier idea of black obsidian's metaphysical properties working to free you from what holds you down. Clearing your chakra and working through your depression (and its causes) can help you bring color and joy back to your life.
- Anxiety - Worries take over everything. They wait around the corner, ready to strike unprompted. Anxiety can freeze you in place as much as depression, and the two often go hand-in-hand. Use an obsidian gemstone's meaning and grounding ability to bring yourself back to reality. If it isn't possible to get rid of your anxiety, you can learn to control it rather than let it control you.
- Disconnected - Do you feel disconnected from reality or like you don't belong? If you're struggling to find your connection to yourself, the life you're living, or the universe, it's time to examine your root chakra. You might have low self-esteem and feel bad about yourself. Those are difficult feelings to deal with, especially if you experience depression and anxiety, too.
- Weight Fluctuations - A blocked or overactive root chakra causes issues with weight management. That might involve overeating or undereating - weight issues in general relate to the chakra.
- Pelvic Pain & Constipation - If you suffer from pelvic pain, constipation, or incontinence, clearing your root chakra blockage offers some relief.
The list above isn't comprehensive. As one of the seven main chakras, the root chakra controls several aspects of the mind and body. A blockage or issue won't appear the same way in everyone, but you'll know if something feels "off" inside yourself.
How does obsidian factor in? It's easy to see that many issues with the root chakra involve a lack of grounding. You lose connection to your body, the world, and reality and it causes numerous problems. That's exactly the thing that black obsidian healing properties can help with. It allows you to reconnect with yourself and examine the things that are holding you back. That's the only way to move forward.
Clearing a blockage in the chakra and balancing it again can restore your sense of calm and peace. Once you've achieved that, which might take a great deal of hard work, you want to hold onto it for as long as possible. Black obsidian is a guardian stone and a protector. You put in the work, reject negativity, and use allow obsidian's magical properties and impressive warding abilities to keep it away.
Use Black Obsidian for Chakra Healing
As with shadow work, there are multiple ways to incorporate obsidian's properties into chakra work. You can work on restoring balance to your root chakra on your own or call upon a metaphysical healer for help. Either way, black obsidian will be a central component in the process.
Certain parts of your body are more receptive to black obsidian's health benefits. The root chakra is found at the bottom of the spine, but that isn't the best place to place obsidian. Instead, put the stones on your feet or your groin area. You'll remember seeing "pelvic pain" listed in the symptoms of a root chakra blockage, so the areas are linked together. All chakras are.
Every part of your body affects the others, so of course all energy flowing between your chakras comes together. When there's an issue with one, your whole body and spirit feel it in some way.
If you need some ideas for how to engage or clear your chakras, there are a few things you can try:
- Meditation - You saw this listed earlier in the shadow work section, but meditation is something you can incorporate into any type of healing, metaphysical exercise. It brings clarity and focus. Both of those are immeasurably helpful when you're engaged in self-exploration and working through something painful. Make no mistake - clearing a chakra blockage can be painful, just as facing your shadow self is. It's often necessary to confront what's causing it to move beyond it. Meditation helps you create a safe space to begin doing that work, and black obsidian grants its protective energy to the ritual. It takes strength to find balance again, and black obsidian has enough power to share.
- Breathing Exercises - These can be used alongside meditation. Breathing is a way to center yourself and be more aware of your body. Obsidian's meaning and its ability to ground you can be an important asset here. Take deep breaths and direct energy toward your chakra root.
- Visualization - Find a comfortable place. That could be your bed, yoga mat, or anywhere you can relax and focus. Hold black obsidian in your hand, wear a necklace to tap into an obsidian pendant's meaning, or place the crystals elsewhere in the room. Close your eyes and visualize healing energy flowing through your body and to your chakra root. Incorporate breathing exercises into this and let your body relax. You'll know when it's working - the energy shift is palpable.
- Baths - Baths are calming and cleansing all at once. They're helpful for spiritual cleansing but can also help when balancing chakras. Use essential oils, flowers, herbs, candles, and crystals to set the scene and energy level. When you're struggling with your chakra, you can put black obsidian crystals around your tub. You could also use other shapes. An obsidian star's meaning links it to guidance. If you're feeling stuck and like you can't move forward, place an obsidian star on your tub and work on visualizing or manifesting a new path for yourself.
These suggestions and exercises can be combined and expanded until you see the changes you want. Living with a blocked or unbalanced root chakra isn't just difficult, it's detrimental to your life and sense of self. It doesn't have to be that way. With the aid of the beautiful obsidian rock and its meaning, you can restore balance to your chakra and your body. Move forward freely and confidently.
A balanced chakra comes with benefits everyone could use, including higher self-awareness, increased self-esteem, greater confidence, and a renewed sense of purpose. There are physical benefits, too, just as there were physical symptoms. Root chakra healing may alleviate issues with weight, depression, anxiety, and stress.
How to Charge the Obsidian Gem & its Meaning
If you plan to use your obsidian gem in any sort of metaphysical ritual, whether it's to balance your chakra, engage in shadow healing, or anything else, you should charge the stone. Charging the obsidian stone increases the amount of energy it has and makes it easier to use. If you're new to crystals or have never charged one before, it isn't difficult. You'll unlock most obsidian stones' properties, so it's a worthwhile effort.
Begin by cleansing your crystal. Fortunately, black obsidian is non-porous, so you can use water for this step. You can dip your stone under running water to remove all negative energy or immerse it in a bath of salt water. Saging is also a potential cleansing method.
Once your crystal has been cleansed, you can begin charging it. There are a few ways to do this. You'll likely find that some methods feel "right" for certain crystals, while others feel charged with a different one.
- Sunlight - Taking your black obsidian crystal out into the sunlight will reaffirm its connection to the Earth. It will recharge naturally as it absorbs light. Black obsidian is perfect for confronting and dispelling darkness, so it makes sense that it would benefit from exposure to natural light.
- Moonlight - The moon has its own unique magical energy and a powerful effect on crystals. You can leave your black obsidian outside at night to expose it to the moonlight.
- Soil - This is another fantastic option for charging black obsidian. Find a safe spot outdoors and bury your stone. Obsidian is formed by lava, which of course comes from beneath the Earth's surface. It will be thoroughly charged and its metaphysical power heightened after some time in the soil.
Once your crystal is charged, it will be ready to use. Black obsidian imbues those who use it with a newfound sense of inner strength, and you'll need as much of that as possible for your quest to know and accept yourself.
Conclusion
In this day and age, you won't find a more valuable or powerful crystal than black obsidian. Its myriad of benefits includes something for everyone. There isn't a soul that walks the Earth that isn't a victim of negative, gloomy, or angry thoughts at some point. It can turn into a terrible cycle that you can't break on your own.
Sometimes support is necessary. In that case, you can turn to black obsidian as a guardian, a protector, and an energy you can lean on to lead you through the darkness. It won't allow you to ignore it, but it will help you beyond it and into the light that waits at the end.
Contact Us at Energy Muse for all of your black obsidian needs!
FAQs
You know a bit more about black obsidian and how it relates to the mysterious, metaphysical world, but it's natural to have more questions. The better you understand obsidian quartz's meaning and how it interacts with your mind, body, and spirit, the easier it will be to harness its power.
Use it wisely and effectively to see the greatest result. With that said, here are some common questions about black obsidian.
What Are the Benefits of Wearing Black Obsidian?
You won't find a more striking stone than black obsidian. It's beautiful to behold with its deep, black color and smooth surface. With a bit of polishing, it becomes something even more breathtaking. It's highly favored among jewelry makers and artists and can be incorporated into multiple different kinds of jewelry. If you can think of it, you can make it with obsidian.
Working with obsidian jewelry isn't difficult. It can be shaped and polished or used in its raw form to make necklaces, bracelets, earrings, pendants, hair jewelry, and so much more. Each piece of jewelry has the usual perks of black obsidian, but they have special elements, too, as they touch different parts of your body.
- Black Obsidian Ring’s Meaning - An obsidian ring has the meaning of the obsidian stone paired with the intrinsic spiritual nature of a ring. This effect can be doubled or even tripled depending on the other materials used in the ring. In and of themselves, rings represent an unbreakable commitment. That commitment could be toward another person, a cause, or even to yourself. If you're serious about your journey toward understanding yourself and leaving negativity behind, an obsidian ring is the perfect symbol of that path. Rings also have the added benefit of being near your palm or hand chakra, which controls how receptive you are to love and experiences. Much of obsidian's meaning is wrapped up in the idea of self-love and self-acceptance, so the palm chakra aligns well with that goal.
- Black Obsidian Necklace’s Meaning - An obsidian necklace's meaning can be stretched across multiple chakras. You can layer them with different lengths of chain, thread, or whatever material you're using. Low-hanging necklaces may reach your solar-plexus chakra, others touch your heart, and some may even sit flush against your throat chakra. There are unique benefits to all of these positions. As explained in the chakra healing section, energy flows through your whole body and between all the chakras. Black obsidian is perfect for the root chakra, but keeping it close to you, in general, is helpful and recommended.
- Obsidian Bracelet Benefits - In addition to its metaphysical uses, black obsidian offers many positive effects on your health, too. Wearing an obsidian bracelet lets you take advantage of a few of them. Obsidian acts as an aid to circulation and warms the extremities, so if you're prone to cold hands or fingers add an obsidian bracelet to your jewelry box. Similarly, obsidian relieves symptoms of arthritis and joint pain. Many people experience those aches in their hands, wrists, and arms, so a bracelet keeps obsidian where it can help the most.
What Can Obsidian Be Used For?
In addition to the shadow and chakra work mentioned earlier, black obsidian is also ideal for Feng Shui, spiritual cleansing, Reiki, and other types of energy healing practices.
In Feng Shui, it represents the element of water and focuses on bringing prosperity, financial opportunity, and success into your life and home. You can use it to cleanse negativity from your home in the same way you purge it from your body. It's a clever way to take advantage of its warding abilities.
Black obsidian is also very beneficial if you're undergoing spiritual cleansing. The actual rituals involved in spiritual cleansing are similar to those in shadow work and chakra healing and can involve meditation, baths, and other calming exercises intended to help you focus. In all spiritual cleansing methods, you can keep the stone close to you either by touching it, wearing it, or placing it in the room you're occupying. As long as it's near, you'll be able to experience its guiding energy. Different shapes add extra help.
Different types of energy healing also use crystals like black obsidian. Healers might place them in the room where healing is occurring, put them directly on the person they're healing, or hold them as they're performing the steps. Obsidian grants added power to chants and mantras, especially if they have a specific intention placed into them during charging.
Black obsidian is also used in mystical endeavors. An obsidian sphere's meaning or obsidian ball's meaning makes them perfect to use as a crystal ball. Obsidian increases clairvoyant energy and lets the user tap into the deeper, darker truths of the universe.
Where Do You Put Black Obsidian?
There are several excellent places in your home for obsidian. If you're practicing Feng Shui, you can place the stone in your entryway or near your front door. This plays into the idea of black obsidian keeping negativity from entering your abode. Your home is your sanctuary and should be a place of peace and calm - letting darkness through the front door won't work. Alternatively, you can put the stone at all four corners of your house and enjoy its grounding stone effect. Decorate with obsidian statues for added effect. An obsidian buddha has a meaning that links the peace of Buddha with the strength of black obsidian.
If you meditate, do yoga, engage in breathing exercises, or any other related practice, you can place your obsidian crystals in the room you're using. Putting them near your bed is also a great option. Black obsidian can aid in dreamwork and lucid dreaming, too - yet another metaphysical application for this impressive stone.
Sources
- https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/shadow-work#what-is-it
- https://energymuse.com/pages/black-obsidian
- https://moonrisecrystals.com/black-obsidian-meaning/
- https://www.healingcrystals.com/Black_Obsidian_Articles_9712.html
- https://www.healthline.com/health/what-are-chakras#about-chakras
- https://www.anahana.com/en/yoga/root-chakra
- https://ohanayoga.com/charka-balancing/
