July 13th, 2016

I've spent some time the last few days researching the stones I acquired on our June vacation, and I am pleased now to share my research. I'll probably spread posts out over the next few days, but to get things started, let's consider Snowflake Obsidian. For other posts related to this crystal, check out Obsidian and Apache Tears.

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Snowflake Obsidian

Physical Characteristics: Obsidian is a naturally-occurring volcanic glass. It is most commonly black, although other colors can also be found.

In Nature: A chemical instability in Obsidian causes the stone to crystallize gradually. It does this unevenly throughout the stone, with these areas becoming radial clusters of grey-white Cristobalite crystals. The Cristobalite resembles snowflakes, especially when tumbled.

Chemical Composition: SiO2 + MgO, Fe3O4

Mohs Scale Hardness: 5 - 5.5 (middle)

Can be Found: Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Italy, Japan, United States (e.g. Yellowstone), etc.

Healing Properties*: In the body, Snowflake Obsidian is most commonly used to manage problems with the skeleton, symptoms of mental illness, and blood circulation.

Magickal Properties: My mother's cousin gifted me my piece of rough Snowflake Obsidian, and she told me when she did that it is a stone of centering, which it is. This makes it a good anchor in chaotic situations. The stone is useful for removing negative energy from a space, and could be beneficial during shadow work or at other times when harmful thoughts and emotions need to be dealt with. Likewise, it is useful when cleansing a space because of its ability to absorb negativity. It helps to foster inner peace in the face of turmoil, and is generally protective in nature. A stone of balance, the black and white of Snowflake Obsidian represents the union of opposites.

Chakra Association: First (Root) chakra

Element: Earth

Energy: Receptive

Planetary Association: Saturn

*Magickal healing should never take the place of seeing a doctor and following any recommended prescriptions, actions, or other advice. Magick works best in tandem with physical efforts, anyway, so don't skimp on those check-ups!

New Stones and Grid

I bought a few stones while we were on vacation, and I was also gifted a few. I saw lots of really neat ones, but I'm happy with what I restricted myself to.

These are the two I bought, actually from the rock shop in Wall Drugstore. Above is an opalized Ammonite fossil, and below is a piece of South Dakota Bubblegum Agate. The Ammonite was a little expensive, but I've never had any Opal before, so I was okay with that.

These two were gifted to me by a cousin of my mom's, who is an avid crystal collector. The top one is a chunk of rough Aventurine, and the bottom is a chunk of rough Snowflake Obsidian.

Then somewhat out of the blue, I got a message from a friend of mine (whose name and pseudonym I will leave out of this particular story) who was having some trouble with a malevolent entity in her household. I was out of the house at the time, but when I got back, I put together this crystal grid to help deal with the issue.

The crystals are all situated on a circular rug which gives the grid a clear boundary. In the center, my Generator Quartz is sitting on its box to tie together the energies of the other stones and send them out. Around it is a blue circle my friend crocheted a while back to act as a taglock, and then I have two more Quartz points facing the Generator for extra power. On either side are some olive leaves to bring in the power of Athena, and I also added the bird skull I found at Mabon because I felt drawn to include it.

In a ring around that, I alternated Tiger's Eye (and a Fluorite, because I only had three Tiger's Eye) with Smoky Quartz, Ametrine (I couldn't find my Citrine last night, although it has since turned up), Red Jasper, and Rose Quartz, and in the final outer ring are all the protective stones: Snowflake Obsidian, Black Tourmaline, Obsidian, Onyx, Apache Tear, and enough Tektites to bring the total stone count in that ring up to 12.

I was really happy with how it came out, and it seemed to do its job, which was to send protection and energy to my friend, who was really drained by the whole ordeal. 

Today, things have gotten largely back on track, so I took it down as it was a little obvious in the middle of my floor. I cleansed each of the stones before I put them away; I don't know that they would have picked up a lot of negativity all the way over here, but it seemed like a good practice, anyway.