Onyx – a Stone of Inner Strength, Confidence and Protection

Onyx – a Stone of Inner Strength, Confidence and Protection

Onyx is associated with Saturn and Earth, as well as with the zodiac sign Leo and especially Capricorn.

Color: Onyx occurs in a variety of colors and shades – black, white, gray, brown, red, green, blue and yellow, often with characteristic parallel bands.

Chakras: for all chakras; where possible, it is traditionally combined with other minerals whose energy is believed to enhance its effect.

 Deposits: Brazil, India, Madagascar, the USA, Mexico; in Bulgaria – the Eastern Rhodopes

Commercial form: In trade, all dense black-brown chalcedony varieties may be offered as onyx. It can be found polished as beads, pendants and massage stones, and set in rings, brooches and other jewelry. It is also often used in construction.

Description: Its name comes from the Greek word onyx, meaning “fingernail.” A 17th-century author recounts an old legend according to which onyx was hardened sap from a tree called onyx.

Legends: Black Onyx is known to have been used for at least 5,000 years. Onyx was one of the most highly valued stones in Antiquity; around the world it has been used as a magical stone whose power was believed to increase through symbols engraved or inlaid on it. For millennia, healing effects on the eyes have been attributed to it. In ancient times, magnificent cameos were carved from onyx, and surviving examples are regarded as unsurpassed works of decorative art.

It has been found in Native American burial chambers, as well as among the Greeks and Romans.

The ancient Egyptians knew various techniques for coloring onyx in order to enhance or alter its shades.

In the Middle East, people have used it for centuries as an anti-stress stone because they believe it absorbs negative energies and relieves tension.

Onyx seals were very popular among the ancient Romans. The stone was also used to make small figurines and beads.

An English church has used onyx for healing purposes for many years; the name of the Greek healer Asclepius (the Latin Aesculapius) is even engraved on it.

In the past, people hung onyx around their necks in order to cool sexual passions and gain spiritual strength and inspiration.

To this day, it is worn in India and Persia as protection against the evil eye. In the East it is also used to counteract the harmful aspects of the North Node of the Moon.

According to one very ancient legend, a demon is trapped inside onyx. This evil being could leave the stone only at midnight. But while it remained imprisoned there, it had to obey the will of the stone’s owner.  In many cultures, onyx is regarded as a stone of bad luck that causes failures, discord, arguments between friends and nightmares. Perhaps this belief comes not only from the legend of the trapped demon, but also from the idea that it is not advisable for a person with an unfavorable Saturn to wear onyx.

Healing properties: Onyx is traditionally used for physical or psychological ailments whose cause is believed to be rooted in past lives.

Onyx is considered a stone with a strong influence on the skin and is traditionally said to help even with abscesses. It has been used for fungal problems, inflammation and sunburn: onyx water is prepared and the affected areas are washed with it several times a day, after which an amber ointment is used.

Onyx is believed to strengthen the resistance of the biofield.

After use, it is washed with warm water.

Qualities:

As a stone ruled by Saturn and Earth, onyx is believed to help balance emotions and develop self-control. It is also said to balance the masculine and feminine polarities within each person.

Because it is a Saturnian stone, it is associated with spiritual inspiration, resolving problems from past lives and helping a person accept the transformative challenges of this life. It is traditionally believed to protect from black magic and evil spirits. It is also said to help recall physical events from the present life or a past life.

Working with black onyx is believed to help balance karmic debts. It is also said to open inner doors so that you can hear the voice of the gods.

It may calm stress by strengthening self-control and attracting good luck and inspiration.

Onyx can help you feel safe and worry less. Use it to break down the negative energies that others send toward you. It can transform these vibrations before they have harmed you.

Sources used:

Stein, Diane. Gemstone Healing. Sofia: Aratron, 2005.

• Conway, D. J. The Magical Properties of Gemstones. Sofia: Aratron, 2008.
• Kivrin, Vladimir. The Healing and Magical Properties of Crystals. Sofia: Paritet, 2014.
• Miteva, Gergana. Ivan Mitev. Encyclopedia of Healing Minerals: A-Z: Second Expanded Edition, Haskovo: Oponent Publishing House, 2004.
• Barbara Ann Brennan, Hands of Light, Sofia: Kibea, 2000.
• Nelson, Mary, Jane Scrivner. Healing with Stones, Sofia: Mont, 2011.