Hematite: Grounding, scrying, and energy
Hematite is a silver-black stone with a mirror-like sheen. It is the mineral form of Iron oxide and in its raw (or untumbled) form can leave a red stain on skin or clothing if it is handled without gloves. The untumbled form of hematite is not nearly as pleasant to look upon as its tumbled counterpart. Pagans enjoy this stone for its metaphysical properties of healing, grounding, and divination. Among this community, it is hailed as an excellent stone (often the stone) for grounding after ritual and certain magical rites.
To talk about grounding, we must first define it in relation to magical workings. This can mean one of two things. First, in relationship to witchcraft, grounding can be opening ones self (often the aura or magical self) up to the earth as a channel for that energy to begin a magical working. The second definition is exactly the opposite in that the practitioner releases or directs any excess energy they have summoned back into the earth, therefore bringing his or her consciousness back to the physical plane.
This stone grounds effectively because of its projective nature. When the practitioner holds the hematite in his or her projective hand and channels the proper intention into it, it will respond to the will of the practitioner. If he or she is intent upon raising their own energy, this stone connects them to the earth (because that is where stones come from) and they will be able to channel the amount of energy they need. However, if the practitioner is intent upon releasing the excess energy they have allowed to build up in ritual or spell work, this stone will effectively release it back into the earth, usually where this energy has come from.
For a practitioner who has other stones to help ground energy, hematite has two more uses in ritual. It is an aid in healing and also be used as a divinatory tool. This stone is unique in the world of crystals and stones in that it can heal’ itself. Tumbled and shined, hematite can be scratched with a harder stone such as quartz, but if the practitioner simply rubs over the scratch, he or she will see it diminish greatly or disappear all together. That is one reason it is lovely for healing. It is also said that if this stone is put directly on an area of the body that needs healing that it will draw the illness out.
For divination, tumbled hematite’s exceptionally shiny surface is excellent for scrying. However, a larger piece must be used than can be found in most
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