Magickal Correspondences and Properties of Stones
Throughout history, people have attributed certain qualities and properties to gemstones. Some stones have been considered lucky, others harbingers of misfortune. The Old Testament of the Bible contains references to amethysts as stones of spiritual power. Soldiers in ancient Rome wore bloodstones for protection. Sometimes the color determines a gem's correspondences. For example, sapphires are associated with the deep blue sea. Other connections stem from long-ago practices involving gems. Jade, which contemporary magicians use in prosperity spells, was traded by the early Egyptians and used as a form of money.
Hebrew legends tell that the emerald was one of the four stones presented to King Solomon (along with lapis, topaz, and carbuncle). These stones represented his authority and wisdom. In Egyptian and Greek mythology (as recounted by Albertus Magnus), emeralds were originally discovered in a griffin's nest.
Much of what modern witches know about the magick of gemstones is rooted in antiquity. As early as four thousand years ago, hieroglyphics described the use of gemstones for medical purposes. The best-known early literature on the subject is The History of Jewels by a thirteenth-century philosopher named Albertus Magnus. The following list describes the generally accepted magickal uses for numerous gems.
Gemstone |
Magickal Uses |
Amber |
for physical and psychic protection |
Amethyst |
for meditation, enhancing and remembering dreams, calming emotions, increasing psychic ability; it ranges in color from deep purple to pink |
Apache tears |
a type of obsidian that many witches carry for luck |
Aquamarine |
for clarity and mental awareness, encouraging spiritual insight, stimulating creativity |
Aventurine |
to attract wealth or abundance |
Azurite |
for dream magick, to promote harmony |
Bloodstone |
for healing, strength, courage, and physical protection |
Carnelian |
to stimulate passion, sexual energy, courage, and initiative |
Citrine |
for clearing vibrations from other stones and crystals, to banish nightmares and improve psychic abilities |
Coral |
to attract love or increase affectionate feelings; enhances self-esteem, calms emotions |
Diamond |
to deepen commitment and trust, especially in a love relationship, to absorb and retain energies and vibrations, for strength and victory |
Emerald |
to aid clairvoyance and divination; to promote healing, growth, mental and emotional balance |
Fluorite |
to strengthen the conscious mind and mental skills |
Garnet |
for protection, to deepen kindness, to relieve depression and alleviate fears |
Hematite |
for grounding, to help stabilize emotions |
Jade |
for prosperity, longevity; to enhance beauty and health |
Jasper |
red jasper is good in love spells to stir up passions; brown jasper is excellent for healing purposes; poppy jasper breaks up blockages that prevent energy from circulating through the body |
Lapis lazuli |
for opening psychic channels, dealing with children, stimulating the upper chakras; ancient Egyptians used it to charge power meridians on the planet |
Moldavite |
to energize psychic talent, quicken spiritual evolution, open the upper chakras; moldavite is regarded as an extraterrestrial stone because it resulted from a meteor collision with the earth nearly 15 million years ago |
Moonstone |
to enhance the vividness of dreams and dream recall, to calm emotions |
Obsidian |
one of the favorite stones for scrying mirrors; sacred to the patroness of witches, Hecate |
Onyx |
for banishing and absorbing negative energy, grounding, and stabilizing; to help break deeply ingrained habits |
Opal |
for protection, to encourage psychic ability and visions, to attract love |
Pearl |
to strengthen self-esteem, for balance in love relationships, to increase femininity, to enhance happiness |
Quartz (clear) |
to retain information, to amplify the energy of other stones, to transmit ideas and energy, for psychic awareness |
Quartz (smoky) |
for endurance, to hold problems until you are ready to deal with them |
Rose quartz |
to attract love and friendship, for emotional healing and balance, to amplify psychic energy |
Ruby |
to stimulate the emotions, passion, love; to open your heart to divine love; to boost vitality |
Sapphire |
to increase spiritual knowledge and connection with the Divine, for wisdom, insight, and prophetic vision; star sapphires provide hope and clarity of purpose |
Tiger-eye |
for abundance, self-confidence, the freedom to follow your own path |
Tourmaline |
green and black tourmaline are good for cleansing, healing, and absorbing negative vibrations; pink and watermelon tourmaline attract friendship, love, and fulfillment; use them to transmit messages and energy |
Turquoise |
for protection, healing, prosperity; to ease mental tension and emotional anxiety |
Amber isn't really a stone; it's hardened resin. According to lore, amber came from the tears of a setting sun, and as such it's still considered a solar/fire stone. Witches also use it in healing magick, to capture disease in the same way as it once captured insects.
Stones are usually available in a wide range of qualities. A large or gemquality stone isn't necessary for most spells. Use your intuition and let yourself be drawn to choose the right stone for the job.
