Tourmaline Stone - Healing Properties, Meaning and Uses

Quick Info

Uses: Protection against harmful energy stemming from people or the environment  

Chakra: Root Chakra 

Origin: Brazil, Africa and Pakistan 

Color: Black

Birthstone month: October

 

Overview

Schorl, more commonly known as black tourmaline is one of the most coveted stones for protection and cleansing. It’s commonly used in rituals, grids, meditations, shrines and a variety of applications across continents, cultures and practices. Its ability to soak up, repel and banish negative energy is second to none in the healing crystal space. As it’s associated with the root chakra, black tourmaline is key in providing balance, security and grounding in your life.

 

What is black tourmaline?

Black tourmaline is the most abundant variety of tourmaline in nature. The crystal has a naturally occurring sheen which gives it a polished appearance. It also often features inclusions of the mineral, mica which is silver in color, resulting in a dazzling combination of dark and light that is highly prized. It’s widely used in jewelry and fine quality specimens are found in Brazil, Pakistan and Africa.

 

Black tourmaline stone: Meaning and Properties - When and How Black Tourmaline Can Help.

 

Your thoughts are consistently negative 

 

Sometimes our thoughts can really get out of control and put us in a terrible headspace. This can happen when we’re triggered, randomly out of the blue or even insidiously, when we finally have a chance to relax from our hectic lives. Our minds tend to have a spotlight effect exclusively on the bad aspects of a situation or experience. Starting and/or finishing your day with a ritual incorporating black tourmaline can be exceptionally powerful in keeping those thoughts at bay and transforming them into something positive and constructive.

 

You’re dealing with people’s bad energy

  

Obviously, the best way to escape someone’s toxic energy is to separate yourself physically from that person. However, that’s not always possible and in some cases the energy might only be subtle or short lived. Keeping some tourmaline around or on you is an excellent way to help divert the negative energy and keep it from messing with your head and body. The stone acts as a sponge by absorbing potentially harmful energy. As black tourmaline is commonly incorporated into jewelry, wearing a bracelet or necklace with the stone is both a subtle and effective way of keeping bad energy at bay. 

 

Your home, office or space feels unwelcoming and tense 

 

Have you ever walked into a space and felt immediately uneasy? This can happen to a space when enough negative energy has been festering without anyone taking notice or dealing with it. It can also come into play in your own space where a negative experience or conflict has taken place. First off, it’s recommended to cleanse the space with a sacred herb of your choice. Next, placing several pieces of tourmaline in the corners of the space will keep the cleansed negativity from entering the space.

 

After a particularly emotionally taxing time in your life

 

After we go through difficult, traumatizing, or exhausting experiences, a large amount of negative energy is produced as a result. It can build up in our bodies and in our homes. Oftentimes, these periods in life are so draining and cloud our minds in such a way that we don’t even realize the negativity that’s been built up. In these cases, it’s recommended to incorporate a tourmaline flush. This involves use of multiple forms (e.g. jewelry, raw stones of different sizes, palm-stones, and milled tools) of black tourmaline in a combination of rituals, meditations and blessings to help clear the negative energy and reinforce your inner and outer space for the challenges to come. Below, you’ll read about some strategies you can implement.

 

Practical Tips on How to Use Your Tourmaline Stone (Rituals, Meditation & Home)

Ritual for Protection

 

• At the beginning of your day, put on a piece of black tourmaline jewelry and choose a piece of raw black tourmaline. The wearable will remain with you and the chunk or shard will stay in the space where you perform this ritual.
• On a piece of paper, write three things that you’ve committed to protecting yourself from or which you’ like to cleanse. Some examples could include, the negative influence of someone, an emotional loop you’re stuck in or a troubling memory.
• Next, write down three concrete and actionable ways of how you’re going to either confront and banish these things from your life.
• Read over these notes several times and place this paper underneath the stone.
• Revisit your strategy periodically around your tourmaline altar as needed. In time, the combination of your will and the stone’s protection will cleanse and safeguard you from the negative energy.

 

Meditation for Relaxation

 

• Select one or two pieces of black tourmaline and place them in the palm of your hand(s). 
• Close your eyes, and imagine the black color of the stone washing over your body and thoughts. 
• Slowly breath inwards and outwards while remaining in this space 
• The dark represents clarity and safety in this space. There’s nothing to fear as you’re the light in this dark.
•  Allow any worries or troubling thoughts to come and go. As soon as they come, acknowledge them and let them pass by. 
•  This is a carefree moment. Everything else will be dealt with in due time. 
•  Remain in this headspace and let your worries and concerns brush by and leave the space. 
• When you’ve felt your heartbeat slow and your muscles relax, picture the black color shrinking slowly and eventually setting at the base of the spine. This is the location of the root chakra. 
•  Slowly open your eyes and remember that at any point you can return to this space (even for a short while) for some time to yourself, free of worry, and stress.

 

Cleansing and protecting your space

 

Choose a space that you would like to fortify with black tourmaline. Cleanse your space with a sacred herb of your choice that is meant for this purpose. Select several pieces or fragments of the stone. You’ll need a piece for every corner, door, and windowsill.  Place the stones in the appropriate places If you know that the work is going to be cut out for your home grid, place a shard of clear quartz next to the black tourmaline to amplify its effect.

 

How to care for your tourmaline stone

It’s important to be delicate with black tourmaline as it can be quite brittle. It’s recommended to keep the stone separate from harder gems in your collection. Also, the reflective surface and step-like structure of the crystals tends to gather dust so it’s a good idea to keep your stone covered when not using it. When it does gather dust a gentle wipe or swipe with the vacuum brush will do the trick. You can also soak your black tourmaline in water if needed. 

Charging your tourmaline can be as simple as placing it on a selenite charging plate or leaving it out in the moonlight for several hours. You can also charge the stone by burying it for 24 hours. Make sure to use a cloth bag or other natural covering to ensure dirt does not get into the cracks and crevices of the crystal. 

Cleanse your stone with a sacred herb you like, placing it in moonlight, laying it on selenite, or another method of your choosing. As tourmaline is primarily used for drawing out negative energy and alleviating a chaotic headspace, the stone benefits from cleansing more than most other gems.  

Final Thoughts

Black tourmaline is an excellent stone for calming the mind as well as protecting your spirit and place. There’s a reason it’s an essential tool in the arsenals of countless energy practitioners around the world. Use the stone to clear and repel negative energy for a less chaotic life and one richer with positivity and light. Use it to nurture your root chakra so it can help reinforce and stabilize you so that you can tackle even the fiercest of challenges and tests that life puts you through. 

For more useful resources check out our partner, My Essential Planet. 

Disclaimer:  Please consult a healthcare professional for any medical advice. The information in this article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or condition.