Hematite

Hematite takes its otherworldly metallic sheen from the iron oxide of which it is made. Even way back in the “Stone Age,” when I had my rock tumbler, I could quite easily come up with a silvery pebble after tumbling and polishing hematite. Occasionally, hematite has a reddish color or red speckles on the surface. This may be why hematite is named thusly: the root of the word, haima, is the Greek word for blood. Hematite has long been associated with blood, blood rituals, and medicine for treating nosebleeds, menstruation, heart disease, anemia, kidney disease, hemophilia, birth, surgery, insomnia, lung problems, and fever. Native Americans use hematite in dentistry and to treat wounds and substance abuse. Ancient Egyptians ground hematite up and put it in medicines and unguents. Egyptians loved this glistening rock, and every person could have one (which wasn’t the case with emeralds). They frequently wore hematite as an amulet, believing it could render the wearer invincible.

Hematite is most frequently found in North America, Sweden, Britain, Switzerland, Italy, and Brazil. Hematite is almost like the “Magic Metals” previously discussed (see chapter two) because it contains high levels of iron, driving its blood-cleaning capabilities. It is also a protective rock and fortifies tissue regeneration. Hematite shores up self-image and self-belief. It also transforms negative energy into positive. Hematite is considered to be yang, a more male energy. My preferred aspect of this shiny wonder is that it assists with both legal problems and astral projection. Hematite is a creativity crystal and a marvelous mental enhancer, increasing the ability to think with logic, to focus, to concentrate, and to remember more clearly and completely. Hematite draws anxiety out of the body and creates calm. In addition to all of these aspects that project outward, hematite contributes to inner work: self- knowledge, deeper consciousness, and wisdom. Like the iron in the earth from which it is formed, hematite grounds. If you feel spacey or disconnected, you should wear hematite.

You now know that hematite can be found fairly commonly in North America and parts of South America, but you may not be aware that it can be found in plenitude on Mars! Yes, Mars has a bad case of “rust” dust due to the gray hematite in a massive patch on the surface near the Martian equator, proving that Mars had water or at least water vapor at some point. This has led to tantalizing theories from scientists about possible hot springs that were once active on our red neighbor planet. I discovered this while cruising the NASA Web site. How do they know it was hematite? Through an infrared-imaging system known as THEMIS (Thermal Emission Imaging System) I also discovered a quote by Victoria Hamilton, a planetary geologist at Arizona State University, explaining that “all materials vibrate at the atomic scale...each mineral has a unique infrared spectrum that identifies it as surely as the fingerprints of a human being.” Fascinating!