Hematite is a common mineral made from iron oxide that comes in many varieties and colors from steel gray to deep black and even a rainbow variety that shines with color like an oil patch on water. But when ground to a powder, every variety turns the color of blood. The name itself comes from the Greek word “haem,” meaning “blood.” Our ancient ancestors used this deep red powder to paint history on the walls of caves. The Egyptians used to decorate the tombs of the pharaohs. And hematite powder was found scattered around burial sites in ancient China. Mars, the red planet, even gets its color from an abundance of hematite.
In its shinier form, hematite was traditionally uses in mirrors, including by the Aztecs who called it looking glass ore. But it was its magical relationship to blood that made it essential for warriors throughout time. The Babylonians gave it to warriors for strength and to overcome enemies. They even believed it could cause stone walls to fall. In the Middle Ages, it was known as the “blood stone” and given to soldiers going to battle in the belief that it would prevent them from losing any blood.
Healers from Egypt to Europe used it to staunch blood and promote the formation of new blood cells. Farmers used it as a talisman to strengthen their crops. And magicians in the 13th century engraved hematite with the figure of a bat and wore it to strengthen their spells.
Because of its magnetic qualities, healers still use hematite to balance meridians in the body and to stabilize the nervous system. It is said that it is a stone for the mind and that it helps one to sort things out while enhancing memory, promoting original thinking and even helping in mathematical pursuits. Hematite dissolves and transforms negative energy and facilitates self-control and inner happiness. Some even say it helps to attract a loving relationship.
Like the blood that courses through us, hematite is a source of strength and stability that balances our yin and yang energies to help us find balance and reach for our best selves.