What Are the Benefits of Black Obsidian? How to Make the Most of This Glassy Gem

Co-authored by Emily Christensen and Dan Hickey

Last Updated: February 19, 2023 References

Beautiful and glassy, black obsidian has been used by healers and shamans for thousands of years because of its many healing and grounding benefits. Thankfully, you don’t have to be a shaman to enjoy the wonderful effects of obsidian. From communicating with spirit guides to plain old good luck, the benefits of this volcanic wonder are easy to come by when you add it to your crystal collection. In this article, we’ll walk you through all the great things about black obsidian, plus show you how to use it for the best results. If you’re ready to gaze into its shiny surface, keep scrolling!

Things You Should Know

Use black obsidian to find the source of physical, emotional, and spiritual ailments and empower yourself to work through them.
Carry, meditate with, or place obsidian around your home to enjoy benefits like blocking negative energy, grounding yourself, and good luck.
Cleanse your obsidian with moonlight or a sound bath every 2-3 weeks so it can ground and guide you to its fullest ability.

Section 1 of 5:

Black Obsidian’s Healing Properties

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Black obsidian provides insight into the causes of physical ailments. It’s been used by healers to diagnose and treat illnesses for thousands of years, and many individuals choose to hold, wear, or meditate with it to soothe their own bodies. It’s also a detoxifier that relieves tension and improves energy flow, especially in the lower half of the body.^{[1]
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Research source} Some of its specific healing uses include:
- Promoting good circulation and warming the extremities.
- Relieving arthritis and joint pain.
- Soothing menstrual and digestive cramps.
- Treating an enlarged prostate.
- Helping the absorption of vitamins C and D.
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Obsidian shows you your true self for mental and emotional healing. Black obsidian’s reflective surface aids with introspective work, helping you face the dark parts of yourself and accept yourself fully. It highlights your self-sabotaging patterns and shows you what needs to be cut from your life to release negativity, including toxic relationships or negative attachments.^{[2]
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- Black obsidian doesn’t absorb negative energy from you. Instead, it empowers you to find the root of your problems and deal with them yourself.^{[3]
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- Working with black obsidian helps with unresolved traumas and getting rid of emotional baggage that’s holding you back.^{[4]
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- Psychologically, obsidian is useful for managing and soothing mental and emotional illnesses like anxiety or depression.^{[5]
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Spiritually, obsidian strengthens and heals you so you can be whole. This stone helps you discover talents and capabilities you may not have known you had, including spiritual gifts like clairvoyance or prophesying. It revitalizes your soul so your inner energies can flow freely and anchors your spirit to your body.^{[6]
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- Obsidian stimulates personal growth in all aspects, including spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically.
- It won’t reveal to you exactly how to grow spiritually, but encourages you to explore the unknown and remove the obstacles in your way.^{[7]
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Section 2 of 5:

Black Obsidian’s Other Benefits

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Black obsidian protects against external negative energy. Over time, low vibrations from others can cloud up your auric field (especially if you’re a healer). Working with obsidian can release this psychic smog from your aura since it’s a powerful spiritual cleanser.^{[8]
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- Wear obsidian jewelry or carry a piece in your pocket for an easy way to ward off bad energy during the day.
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Obsidian has a strong grounding effect that calms your body and mind. Obsidian is made of cooled lava from deep underground, meaning it carries the peaceful, nurturing energy of the earth with it. It acts as a conductor, taking all of your excess or nervous energy and channeling it away to the ground to help you feel at peace.^{[9]
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- Black obsidian is also related to the root chakra, the lowest and most grounding chakra in your body that makes you feel secure.^{[10]
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Obsidian is useful for contacting spirit guides and loved ones. The vibration of black obsidian facilitates communication with your spiritual guides, guardian angels, or whichever protectors you believe in for guidance and strength.^{[11]
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Research source} By looking into its reflective surface in low light, you may even be able to see the image of a loved one, too (living or passed).^{[12]
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- Obsidian has been used by shamans and crystal gazers to contact the spiritual world for thousands of years.^{[13]
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- Reflective pieces of obsidian are useful for scrying. Scrying is the ability to foretell the future with reflective objects or surfaces like mirrors and crystal balls.
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Black obsidian is very lucky, especially for wealth. Obsidian has the ability to turn bad luck into good luck. It cleanses or deflects negative energy that might affect your decision making, thought processes, or emotions to help you make practical, lucky choices. This is extra valuable when you’re making financial or career decisions.^{[14]
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- Obsidian doesn’t help with love or romantic luck per se, but it helps you see yourself and your relationships clearly to make positive change.

Section 3 of 5:

How to Use Black Obsidian

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Incorporate obsidian into your meditation routine when you’re anxious. If you feel like your head is in the clouds or you’re faced with a new challenge, grab your obsidian and go to your preferred meditation spot. Hold the obsidian in your lap and focus on thoughts that will help you release your anxiety.^{[15]
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- “I embrace this new challenge and am prepared to do my best.”
- “I release my anxiety into this obsidian.”
- “I will stay grounded in the face of uncomfortable changes.”
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Keep black obsidian nearby while you journal or do self-reflective work. Set a piece of it next to you on your desk, wear it as jewelry, or hold it while you self-contemplate. Its reflective properties will help you identify and release any internal blocks or negative habits that are holding you back from personal or spiritual success.^{[16]
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- Looking inward may not always be comfortable, but the obsidian will guide and protect you while you face your shadows or unresolved traumas.
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Add obsidian to your home’s feng shui to filter out negative energy. To harmonize the energies within your home, keep a piece of obsidian near your front door to block low vibrations from entering. Try placing smaller pieces on top of door frames, windowsills, or in all the corners of your home, too. Keep a piece in your living room to maintain good energy while you entertain guests, or in your bedroom to keep you grounded and safe while you sleep.^{[17]
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- If you work from home, put obsidian in your office space to filter out negativity from unpleasant calls, emails, or messages.
- Try placing obsidian near your TVs and computers to keep toxic energy from the news or social media from infiltrating your house.^{[18]
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- There’s no bad or wrong place to put black obsidian in your home—if your intuition senses that it’s needed in a particular area or room, go ahead and place it there.
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Wear obsidian jewelry to ground and protect you throughout the day. Put on a black obsidian ring, bracelet, or necklace before you head out the door to keep a protective shield around you and your aura. If jewelry isn’t your thing, carry a piece in your pocket, backpack, or purse for the same effect.^{[19]
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Research source} The jewelry will keep you grounded and connected to the earth, especially if you feel nervous or scattered.^{[20]
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Use black obsidian to balance your root chakra. Wear or sleep with obsidian to passively soothe your root chakra throughout the day or night. To actively target it, meditate while you hold the stone to your lower back or pelvic area where the chakra is located. Clear your mind and feel the energy passing between the stone and your chakra, and then up your body throughout the rest of your chakras.^{[21]
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- The root chakra is a swirling ball of red energy located at the base of your spine.
- The vibrations of black obsidian and the root chakra resonate very strongly and provide a connection between you and the earth.^{[22]
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Sleep with black obsidian to aid your dreamwork. Before you go to bed at night, meditate with your obsidian and set a clear intention for your work—maybe you need to wake up with a solution to a personal problem, or you want to communicate with someone far away or who has passed. When you’re finished, place the obsidian next to your bed, sleep with it under your pillow, or wear obsidian jewelry overnight.^{[23]
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- The clearer and more well-intentioned your goal is, the more likely you are to achieve it.
- It’s OK if your first attempt at dreamwork is unsuccessful. Keep trying and make sure to keep your intention clear and front of mind.
- Obsidian is also useful for sharpening your dream recall and lucid dreaming abilities.^{[24]
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Hold or touch obsidian while meditating to boost your physical health. If you’re feeling generally unwell or ill, meditate while holding black obsidian to gain clarity on what’s ailing you. Your meditation might reveal you’ve been overworked, suffering from bad sleep, or engaging in other unhealthy habits that are running you down. If a specific area of the body is in pain, place the obsidian there while you meditate and channel your energy and focus to that spot.^{[25]
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- Try visiting a crystal healer, like a reiki practitioner, to perform more complex healing rituals for you or to guide you through your own self-healing.

Section 4 of 5:

How to Care for Black Obsidian

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Cleanse your black obsidian every 2-3 weeks to clear it of bad energy. Cleanse it with method that doesn’t involve water—obsidian is only a 5.5 on the Mohs Hardness Scale, meaning that prolonged exposure to water might degrade the quality of the stone.^{[26]
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Research source} Some simple and effective cleansing methods include:
- Leaving your obsidian on a natural surface that receives direct moonlight overnight.
- Placing obsidian in direct sunlight for about 30 minutes.
- Smudging your obsidian in sage or palo santo smoke for 30-60 seconds.
- Activating a tuning fork to the “Om” frequency (136.1 Hz) and touching the tip of it to the obsidian so it resonates with the vibration.^{[27]
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Physically clean obsidian with water and gentle soap if necessary. If your obsidian crystal or jewelry is smudged or dirty, wipe it clean with a soft cloth, water, and a mild soap or detergent. Use as little water as possible—obsidian shouldn’t be wet for long, but a quick cleaning is unlikely to do any damage. Avoid using bristled brushes since they can scratch its glassy surface.^{[28]
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Store obsidian in a fabric-lined box away from sunlight and moisture. Obsidian scratches easily, so wrap it in a natural fabric like silk, suede, or leather if you’re storing it with other crystals or put it in its own lined box for protection. Store it in a spot where it won’t sit in direct sunlight for days on end and especially where it won’t get wet (too much water will make it brittle).^{[29]
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- Scratches diminish obsidian’s glassy and reflective surface, but they also change how it conducts energy.
- Obsidian is very sharp when it cracks or breaks, so handle it with care!

Section 5 of 5:

Where does black obsidian come from?

Obsidian forms when volcanic lava flows cool very rapidly. The fast cooling usually happens because the lava flow encounters a lake or ocean, which gives obsidian its glassy, reflective luster. Most obsidian is black or very dark gray, but some varieties are red, brown-green, green, yellow, and (very rarely) transparent. Depending on what minerals were in the lava, the obsidian can also have a golden, rainbow, or white speckled sheen to it.^{[30]
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- Obsidian can be found naturally anywhere there’s ever been volcanic activity, like Argentina, Iceland, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, New Zealand, and the US.
- Obsidian has been used by humans for thousands of years. Early civilizations used it to make knives, weapons, carvings, masks, and mirrors.

Expert Q&A

Question

What is black obsidian best used for?

Emily Christensen
Spiritual Advisor & Founder of Rainbow Raaja
Emily Christensen is a Shamanic Spiritual Advisor, Reiki Master, and the Founder of Rainbow Raaja based in Southern California and now King County, Washington. Emily has over six years of experience as a Massage Therapist and in using tarot cards, crystal therapy, light work (reiki, light codes, energy therapy), and shamanic healing. She received Reiki Master training from the Hands on Healing Institute. Emily is also a certified Bodywork Therapist by the California Massage Therapy Council and an Ordained Shamanic Minister with the Universal Life Church.

Emily Christensen

Spiritual Advisor & Founder of Rainbow Raaja

Expert Answer

It helps people tune into their natural discernment qualities. And also helps with protection, warding off psychic attacks or even interdimensional attacks.

Warnings

If you’re experiencing severe or prolonged medical issues like pain, prostate problems, or vitamin deficiencies, consult a medical doctor for diagnosis and treatment.

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Obsidian is very sharp when it cracks or shatters. Handle all obsidian with care to avoid cuts or serious injury.

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Obsidian is meant to be used as an external healing aid. Do not consume black obsidian to treat physical or spiritual ailments.^{[32]
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