Obsidian for Protection

This article originally appeared in our March edition of Witch, What?, a newsletter for witches of all experience levels which you can pick up in person at our stores or receive for free with an online order. It includes information like that month's full moon, any Wheel of the Year holidays coming up, what is in bloom that month, and helpful articles like this one! These articles will not appear on our blog until the following month (or later), so if you want to get them right away, make sure to drop by our booth at the 400 Market!

Obsidian is a natural glass formed by lava flow. It is usually black but can contain a wide variety of inclusions, leading to the formation of snowflake obsidian, mahogany obsidian, rainbow obsidian, and gold or silver sheen obsidian. Obsidian that forms within perlite will form what is known as “Apache tears.”

When correctly knapped, obsidian takes on an incredibly sharp edge, sharper than any metal knife is capable of. Knapping is a process of chipping away at stones like obsidian, and doing it well is a difficult skill to learn. Raw, broken obsidian chunks often feature sharp edges capable of drawing blood.

This is part of where the protective energy of obsidian stems from. That it is so capable of hurting. That, even if it shatters, this will result only in even more sharp edges with which to hurt. But there is another important aspect to obsidian: truth. Obsidian is strongly associated with revealing hidden truths. It has been used to make scrying mirrors for centuries for that very reason. This makes obsidian somewhat of a double- edged sword. Obsidian does a great job of cutting down the ego of what’s attacking you and causing self-reflection and exposure; however, if you are also hiding from the truth, obsidian may not be the stone to pick for your protection.