The Cottage October/Samhain Issue
Gem of the Month


Obsidian

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ENERGY: Projective


PLANET: Saturn


ELEMENT: Fire


DEITY: Tezcatlipoca (Aztec, "Smoking Mirror" or "Shining Mirror")


POWERS: Protection, Grounding, Divination, Peace

MAGICAL/RITUAL LORE: Obsidian is simply lava that cooled so fast that the minerals contained within didnt have time to form. It is a naturally occurring glass.

The Ancient Aztecs fashioned flat, square mirrors of this black glass for use in divination. According to legend the famous Dr. Dee, a magician-alchemist hired by England's Queen Elizabeth I, may have used one of these mirrors in his scrying sessions.

It was a popular material for fashioning stone knives, spear points and arrowheads, and when used for these purposes, it is often known as "flint." Such arrowheads have magical properties.


MAGICAL USES: Obsidian is a grounding, centring stones. Hold it ini your hands or place your bare feet on two small, polished pieces when you're flighty or can't seem to get your physical life in order. Remember - the physical is the path to the spiritual. Each is a reflection of the other.

Obsidian is effective when carried or used in protective rituals. One involoves surrounding a white candle with four obsidian arrowheads that each point to one of the directions. This sets up aggressive energies which guard the place in which it is set up.

Spheres of obsidian, still fashioned in Mexico, are fine scrying tools. If you don't have good results with quartz crystal, try a piece or sphere of obsidian. For some, the blackness of the stone allows easier access to the subconscious mind.



-- From Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem and Metal Magic By Scott Cunningham