Black Obsidian – A Guide to the Meaning and Metaphysical Properties
Obsidian is a dark and mysterious stone, often referred to as ‘the mirror’ due to its self-reflective properties. While you do find various obsidian colors, black is by far the most interesting and mystical in appearance. We’re going to explore the black obsidian meaning. We’ll consider how the obsidian rock is formed before going on to look at its metaphysical obsidian properties. Along the way, we’ll also consider some of the ways you can make use of this stone’s unique properties in order to grow and develop your spiritual abilities.
Back to Basics
The origins of obsidian are quite unique in relation to crystals, as you see, it technically isn’t a crystal at all. It’s not a mineral either, although it is often referred to as being a mineraloid. That’s because it doesn’t form beneath the Earth’s surface in the same way other crystals do, but rather through the rapid cooling of lava.
As such, we find deposits of this stone pretty much everywhere that has or had an active volcano. Some obvious places come to minds such as Iceland, Greece, Italy, and the US, but you’ll also find deposits in areas that haven’t had an active volcano for thousands of years, such as Scotland.
In the US, there are large areas known as ‘Obsidian flows’ which people hike on. These are remnants of lava streams that were once running from the mouth of volcanoes.
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Ancient Use
Black obsidian rock has been valued by species much older than that of modern humans. We find evidence of tools being created from this stone as far back as 700,000BCE.
It’s amazing to think that the rock has continued to be used for that entire time, as we find examples of stone age civilizations using it, as well as more modern examples, such as 12,500BCE and even in the modern-day where we use the stone to fashion incredibly sharp knives.
Every major continent and the civilizations you’d find upon them has made use of the stone. From jewelry to weapons to decorations, it’s served a range of purposes and held a variety of different meanings.
For example, the Ancient Egyptians imported the black obsidian stone from the Eastern Mediterranean, while Milos, a Greek island, was a major source of the stone for that part of the world. Even on Easter Island, the massive Moai statues have obsidian eyes.
With the ancient uses of this stone in mind, we can finally begin to piece together the meaning that it carries and see how this relates to the properties of the stone today.
Black Obsidian Meaning
Obsidian black or dark grey in color carries unique spiritual meanings that make it stand out from other stones. The name itself comes from a Roman called Obsius who was apparently the first one to find examples of this stone in the Roman world. The word translates as meaning ‘of Obsius ‘, as a reference to his discovery.
However, the spiritual obsidian meaning is rather more mystical. Certain variations of the black stone are often referred to as ‘the mirror’. It is said that this stone can help you to see yourself as you truly are, including seeing deep within yourself to what lies beneath the surface.
It’s often described as being a watcher of your soul, as it can help protect you from negative emotions and energy.
For example, if you’re prone to anxiety, addiction, impatience, or often feel yourself becoming irritable, it’s possible that negative energy is draining you, or you’re trapped in a negative space without realizing it. One of the obsidian properties is that it can serve as a form of protection against these effects.
Using Black Obsidian
There are a variety of ways you can make use of black obsidian. Some people choose to create or buy black obsidian crystal balls. These don’t function in the same manner as normal crystal balls, after all, you can’t see into the beyond seeing your own reflection, but they do serve another purpose.
Working the stone in this manner creates a sort of black hole, which is exactly what it looks like. The ball attracts negative energy and therefore cleanses your house, office, or other personal areas, leaving only the positive energy behind.
Black obsidian also serves as a grounding stone. Due to the way it is created, it possesses Earthly energy that has been concentrated over long periods of time in the fires of volcanoes, before being cooled by Mother Earth’s breath.
Keeping this stone on your person, either in stone form or as jewelry, allows you to hold a deep connection to the Earth, enabling a steady stream of natural energy.
We’re now going to take a look at how you can combine meditation and the black obsidian properties to truly benefit from the energy that this stone can offer.
Meditation
Serving as a grounding force, it’s important to access the power of this stone during a state where your body, mind, and spirit unite into one conscious thought. Meditation is the simplest version of this state, and everyone can learn how to carry it out.
To begin, make sure you have a quiet, relaxing space where you won’t be disturbed. Background noise isn’t a major issue as you can tie it into your meditation. You just don’t want people knocking on your door, barging in, or your phone ringing. You can lie or your back or sit, but just make sure you’re in a comfortable position.
With the stone in your hand or on the ground in front of you, close your eyes and begin to take slow, deep breaths. Focus on each breath and try to pinpoint the exact moment where the breath in stops and the breath out begins, and vice versa. If your mind begins to wander, simply return your conscious thought to the breaths.
Soon, you’ll reach a state where your mind feels blank. You can now begin to focus your mind on the stone. Black obsidian gives off subtle, warm energy, and you should feel this rising into your body. It might start at your arms or your feet or your chest but pay attention to the starting point and simply follow it.
Visualize the energy as being red in color and see it traveling across your body. Focus on the cleansing properties that the stone and its energy possess and simply allow it to work its magic. Whenever you feel that it’s over, you should feel energized and potentially in a better mood.