Hematite
Hematite means ‘blood stone’ and it is an element of iron/metal, which is why Hematite is an essential stone to work with during your spiritual journey.
Why was Hematite called ‘blood stone’? Because, when it is found naturally, the iron content is covered in rust which makes it look red. In Ancient Rome, Hematite was a popular stone for decorative purposes. Jewelry, weapons, and even armor decorated with Hematite were traded widely.
The dark color was thought to be especially intimidating or protective.
But aside from the literal meaning or translation, there also are spiritual meanings and wisdom to tap into.
Hematite’s spiritual meaning is to bring balance to both the etheric body and the physical body. And due to its magnetic nature and our ying-yang energies, it’s nature is to bring us back to equilibrium.
Hematite belongs to the planet of Mars, the god of war, the god of the battlefield. Therefore it is a stone of invincibility on all levels – physical, astral and mental.
Although a warrior stone, it is also very fragile in nature. And thus paradoxically, it looks to be nurtured and cared for by its owner.
This beautiful metaphor of appearing strong on the outside but delicate on the inside represents how as humans we give so much more importance to our Ego and the external world than we do to our Soul. The ego hinders our evolution of more profound self-discovery and creates an illusion that we each have an identity or are separate from each other.
Physical Properties
Hematite is a shiny, dark-colored reddish-brown stone found in South Africa and all over the world. It consists mainly of iron, which gives it its metallic sheen. Hematite stones are opaque, not the strongest of stones (it has a 5-6 on the Mohs hardness scale). And they have a strong metallic luster.
When found in nature, Hematite will be rough and blood red – because of its iron content. But once polished, it takes on a beautiful, mirror-like sheen, which makes it extremely popular in semi-precious jewelry.
Metaphysical Properties
Hematite’s main metaphysical property could be described as “grounding.”