Onyx is the birthstone for the sign Leo. It also is widely known as the gemstone for the 7th year and 10th year of a couple’s marriage. It has the ability to guide anyone in their spiritual journey.
This stone is often mistaken for Agate due to the way it is formed. Read on to learn everything there is to know about Onyx and see if it is the right stone for you!
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Onyx is one of the most intriguing stones you may ever come across. Onyx is a variety of stone that comes from Chalcedony. Chalcedony is a silicate mineral, mostly made of calcite (similar to marble and granite) and it usually features contrasting layers of color.
Most people associate Onyx gemstones with a jet black color that includes some contrasting white layered bands. However, it is also found in other colors including brown, red, and white variations. Brown and White Onyx are usually referred to as Sardonyx, while the Red and White variations are recognized as Cornelian Onyx.
All variations of Onyx feature multiple layers, with the lighter layer of stone sitting on top of the darker layer. This feature has historically made it a popular stone to use for engraving techniques as well as producing cameos.
Onyx gets its name through Latin from the Greek meaning for claw or fingernail. Onyx that is flesh-colored with white bands can sometimes resemble a fingernail. The English word “nail” is cognate with the Greek word.
Onyx was used widely in the past as bases and handles for gold items, as well as for stone inlay work. Black Onyx is often the most well-known variation of the Onyx gemstone. It’s a form of the stone that has a black base and white bands which sit parallel across the top surface of the stone.
Black Onyx works with the base chakra while Green Onyx works with the heart chakra. Black Onyx is known to be relatively expensive due to its rarity though it is the most common color. Historically, the stone was believed by many to be responsible for causing disagreements and conflict between friends. The Onyx element is earth. When wearing the stone it’s very easy to feel grounded or connected to the earth. It is a powerful gemstone that protects the mind and the body from the negative vibes that drain that wearer’s energy resulting in a positive emotional and physical well-being. It has countless healing and spiritual properties that date back hundreds of years.
Due to the power that the Onyx is said to have it is one of the most important black gemstones for your spiritual and mediative practices. As such, it should be well cared for and treated with respect.
Onyx has been used to strengthen the heart, the kidneys, the hair, the eyes, and the nails. It is believed that onyx can help those who endure sleeping disorders and has the ability to eliminate stress, apathy, and neurological disorders.
Onyx can be beneficial for eye ailments such as glaucoma. As a physical healing stone, it is very sought after. It is believed to assist with tonics for the nerves, Black Onyx is full of great grounding energy.
Onyx is a wonderful stone when used as a part of your daily meditation, it can help a person realize the true extent of their potential, particularly when your energy is at its lowest and the person may be lacking focus. The gemstone is said to cut through any foggy feelings and bring a sense of mental clarity.
It’s also great for when a person needs to make decisions, as it helps them avoid making decisions that are based too heavily on their emotions.
Onyx is a stone that is believed to offer its wearer very powerful vibrations of protection, willpower, focus, and strength. Many believers say that the onyx is there to drive motivation and to continuously push you forward in your life and grow in your journey. It is activated by your root chakra and solar plexus, as well as your third eye chakra.
The belief that Onyx can push you forward in your life allows the wearer to have the ability to fully ground themselves to the earth creating an immense sense of calm and safety.
In addition, the stone is believed to carry the ability to give its wearer a jolt of energy that is needed to start pursuing their dreams and protect them along the way. By carrying or wearing the stone on a daily basis a person will be able to shield their aura from negative energies attaching to them.
It is a fact that this stone has spiritual properties; which include:
Onyx may impart self-confidence, helping you to be at ease in your surroundings. Onyx is believed to banish grief, enhance self-control, and stimulate the power of wise decision-making. It can encourage happiness and good fortune. Onyx may also treat disorders of the bones, bone marrow, and blood. The stone is known for being one of the most powerful mediums with which to channel energy, making it an excellent stone choice for healers to use when it comes to emotional, mental, and physical healing. The physical healing properties of Onyx are connected to our root chakras.
It is believed to assist our bodies in alleviating the symptoms of a number of issues that are typical of a root chakra that is imbalanced. These issues can include swelling in the lower half of the body, complications, and issues associated with menstruation. It can also include fatigue, sluggishness, and an inability to focus, issues related to the bladder, gastrointestinal problems, pain, cramping, and a sense of tightness in the lower back, feet, and ankles. Most of these problems are believed to be the result of the root chakra being clouded with negative smog. Onyx is believed to be one of the only gemstones that have the ability to alleviate these issues and their associated symptoms by keeping it close to the body under the chakra is cleared.
When it comes to emotional mental issues, Onyx is believed to assist in cleaning worries and concerns that stem from negativity. On a regular basis, we seem to find ourselves faced with emotions that are too difficult to process or that we don’t know how to handle. These emotions can include sadness or anger. While these emotions may not be inherently negative we tend to use them in ways that are negative such as feeling a sense of resentment.
Onyx won’t necessarily remove the negative emotions it is believed to help channel them into a better purpose. Instead of pushing these emotions to the side, the stone can help us to better see these problems. Acknowledge them, and better accept them by working through to feel unburdened by the feelings.
Following are the metaphysical properties of Onyx stone:
Onyx is believed to drive out feelings of deep loss and memories of events that may have been traumatizing during the course of someone’s life. The stone absorbs all the hurt and restlessness allowing relief into the person’s state of mind by driving those events away and replacing them with a feeling of peace and tranquility. Some events they may never forget, or even want to forget but it does help if the memories hurt less. Onyx stone has the ability to aid in their healing journey.
The Black Onyx gemstone brings the deepest and truest reflection of your soul. It filters the shallow perception from the people that surround you and it lets them see the depths of your personality. The Onyx is also a mysterious crystal that guides you in your spiritual journey bringing the hope of light out of the tunnel of darkness.
