- Obsidian is the result of volcanic lava coming in contact with water. Often the lava pours into a lake or ocean and is cooled quickly. This process produces a glassy texture in the resulting rock. Iron and magnesium give the obsidian a dark green, brown or black colour. Obsidian has been used by ancient people as a cutting tool, for weapons, and for ceremonial purposes and is sometimes found by archaeologists in excavations.

- Obsidian has several varieties. Obsidian can contain small bubbles of air that are aligned along layers created as the molten rock was flowing just before being cooled. These bubbles can produce interesting effects such as a golden sheen, known as Gold Sheen Obsidian or a rainbow sheen called Rainbow Obsidian. Obsidian with a high iron content turns the stone a reddish brown and is known as Mahogany Obsidian.

- Inclusions of small, white, radially clustered crystals of cristobalite in the black glass produce a blotchy or snowflake pattern producing Snowflake Obsidian. Small nuggets of obsidian that have been naturally rounded and smoothed by wind and water are called Apache Tears.

- Obsidian's gift to you is the insight into the causes of disease. It helps with digestion. It detoxifies, dissolving blockages and tension, including hardened arteries. It reduces the pain of arthritis, joint problems, cramps and injuries.

- Crystal water made from obsidian is useful for all types of shock. It can be used to reduce an enlarged prostrate.

- Shock sustained through injury is dissolved on a cellular level and it therefore helps staunch bleeding and accelerate the healing of wounds.

- Obsidian improves the circulation, even in extreme cases such as hardening of the arteries in the legs caused by smoking and also ensures warming of the extremities, for example chronically cold hands and feet.

- Obsidian helps you to understand who you truly are and not who you think you are, it will help to integrate these two perceptions into a whole. This stone helps you identify behavioural patterns that are outdated and assists in clearing them.

- Obsidian dissolves emotional blockages and ancient traumas, bringing a depth and clarity to the emotions. It promotes compassion and strength.

- Obsidian dissolves shock and fear. It has an enlivening effect and brings hidden inner images to light.

- Obsidian bestows an unimagined depth, on your emotional nature and helps with any type of obsession. It purifies the atmosphere of negative spiritual influences and serves as a protection against psychic attacks.

- Obsidian is a strongly protective stone, forming a shield against emotional negativity. It grounds you to the earth through the base chakra and strengthens you in times of need. It is helpful to highly sensitive people . It blocks psychic attack and removes negative spiritual influences.

- Place obsidian by your bed or under the pillow to draw out mental stress and tension, it may have a calming effect but it will also highlight the cause of the stress. The cause must be redressed before peace can return, this will resolve the problem permanently rather than just having a palliative effect.

- Obsidian expands the consciousness and helps change restricted beliefs, communication and behavioural patterns. It sharpens the senses and helps the intellect penetrate mysterious phenomena, experiences and accounts.

- Obsidian brings clarity to the mind and clears confusion and restricted belief systems. It may do this by making it absolutely clear to you what lies behind the mental distress or disease. Once the confusion and belief systems have been cleared obsidian expands your consciousness and helps you enter the realm of the unknown with confidence and ease.

- A large piece of obsidian can be extremely efficient at blocking geopathic stress or soaking up environmental pollution, but its tendency to expose the truth has to be taken into account. It is helpful for therapists and counsellors as it not only helps to get to the core of a problem, but it also clears the negative energies that are released.

- Obsidian is a stone without boundaries or limitations. It works extremely fast and with great power. Its truth enhancing, reflective qualities are merciless in exposing flaws, weaknesses and blockages. Nothing can be hidden from obsidian. It points out how to relieve all destructive conditions. Obsidian urges you to grow and lend solid support to others while you work toward a goal.

- It can bring unpleasant truths to the surface which will then enable you to examine them and then bring in love and acceptance.

- Obsidian provides deep soul healing. It can facilitate going back into the past and heal festering emotions or trauma that is still there in the present.

- Obsidian helps you achieve integrity through helping you to see the shadow side in your true nature, so you can once more become whole. This stone shows how to achieve freedom and spiritual invulnerability. it will show you capabilities and strengths that have been forgotten, so that they can be retrieved and refined to the point of clairvoyance.

- Obsidian vitalises the purpose of the soul. It eliminates energy blocks and relieves tension. Obsidian anchors the spirit into the body. This stone stimulates growth on all levels. It urges you to explore the unknown there by opening up new horizons for you to explore.

- If the earth star chakra is out of balance you may feel disconnected to the earth and the people around you. You might be suffering from hallucinations, anxiety from unknown origins or feel no connection with the Divine.

- If the base chakra is out of balance you may be belligerent and aggressive toward others. With this stone in hand, you are able to relieve the symptoms of ADHD or ADD. It will reduce the desire to be overly possessive, craving continual excitement or manipulative.

- Use this stone to awaken your awareness of your past life talents and ease unwanted fears.

- It will balance the circulatory, reproductive system and increase the function of your lower limbs and pelvis.

- If the sacral chakra is out of balance you may be emotionally high strung, arrogant or selfish. With this stone in hand, you will be able to overcome the mistrust you have in another's intentions toward you, or stop being constantly worrying that people are talking about you with ill intent.

- Use this stone to become more comfortable or less controlled by your sexuality, giving and receiving pleasure and understanding your desires.

- It will assist in healing any issues that you may have with your reproductive and muscular system. This stone will remove unwanted toxins from the physical body.

- If the solar plexus chakra is out of balance, you may feel critical of others, be a bully and in need of constant change. You also may believe that you aren't recognised for your achievements or have difficulty learning new tasks.

- Use this stone on the solar plexus chakra to bring empathy into your life and enhance your psychic abilities. It will open your clairsentience abilities.

- It will assist in healing digestive, stomach, liver and gallbladder ailments. Use this stone when the true cause of a disease needs to be found.

- If the throat chakra is out of balance, you may be hyperactive, domineering or fanatical about your political or religious views. You might also resist change of any kind and slow to respond to tasks and reasonable demands on your time.

- With this stone in hand, you will enhance your clairaudience abilities and manifest abundance. When used on the throat chakra this stone encourages and directs your creative abilities. It will help you speak and live your truth.

- This stone will assist in improving and maintaining the health of your throat, esophagus, mouth, teeth and the respiratory system.

- If the third eye chakra is out of balance you may be oversensitive to to others opinion of you and then you belittle the behaviour of others to make yourself feel better. You could be inpatient with others. You might also be envious of other people's success and unable to acknowledge your own.

- With this stone, you will be able to open and enhance your intuitive perceptions, creative imagination and visualisation abilities.

- This stone will assist in balancing the left and right hemispheres for the brain. It encourages the good health of your sinuses, eyes, ears and the face.

- If your soul star chakra is out of balance you may feel confused about where you are going in life or your value to be in this physical plane. You also may not be able to accept the existence of the Divine Will and its role in your life.