Amber Magick and Lore

• Ruler: Sun
• Type: Mineral
• Magickal form: Resin, gemstone, essential oil

While often considered a gemstone, the glowing, warm amber is not actually a stone, but a fossilized resin from ancient evergreen trees. The oldest amber discovered on Earth is about 320 million years old. Imagine the incredibly powerful energy this amber contains!

Before man knew where amber came from, there were many ingenious theories as to its origins. Lynx urine, said some; others believed that it was chunks of the rays of the Sun, set hard in the sea and then washed upon the shore.

Like jet, amber burns easily, and it was for this reason that in Germany it was called Bernstein, meaning “burn stone.” The scent given off by burning amber was believed to drive away evil spirits.

Magickal Uses

The most obvious quality of amber is its old, old, (very old!) energy. With it comes the accumulated wisdom of the earth and its natural kingdom. You can often see little insects trapped in the amber while it started as a tree resin; this gives the amber stone quite powerful magical properties.

Amber is used as prayer beads in Christian and Muslim practice, is also known as the ‘Witch’s Stone’ and is used in Wiccan practice. It is worn for general good luck, financial stability and toward off danger from witchcraft.

Amber beads are perceived as bolstering health, however, not just any amber beads will do. Amber beads carved into the shapes of genitals, whether very literally or just vaguely reminiscent, allegedly provide protection, especially regarding health. Wear or carry as needed.

Due to its strong connection to nature and the earth, Amber is a great stone for grounding our higher energies. Amber can add stability to your life.

• Amber is known to calm energies, attract love, inspire change and improve wisdom.
• Wear or carry amber for protection and success.
• A piece of amber that contains a beetle or fly trapped within its center is said to bring fame.
• It has been used as a symbol for the renewal of marriage vows and to assure promises.
• Amber has been said to bring good luck to warriors.

Amber is an Aura cleanser. It glitters like dew drops in the bright sun light. It assists in bringing our higher vibrations in order, dispersing negative energy and clears the surrounding environment. Amber is the stone, which brings about altruism and great wisdom.

Amber allows the body to heal itself by absorbing and transmuting negative energy into positive energy. It emits a sunny and bright soothing energy which helps to calm nerves and to enliven the disposition.

Amber has uplifting energies, and is especially helpful when you are felling weighed down with responsibilities, it is good for people with suicidal tendencies and those who easily get depressed. Helps you find humour and joy. Creates a balance between daily life and spiritual expansion.

Utilise Amber when you are feeling powerless or out of control, to remind you of your inner strength and past achievements. It brings balance and patience and encourages decision-making, promotes a positive mental state and creative self-expression. Its flexibility dissolves opposition.

Amber stimulates memory thus making it a good stone for studying. Amber is used for past life work, divination and scrying. It aligns mental and emotional bodies via its deep orange and yellow colour.

Amber is highly recommended for those who often have to meet challenging situations and at times frustrating atmosphere. It is good for those involved in political life and those wishing to have governmental patronage. Good for those interested in nobler types of deeds and social and humanitarian causes.

Amber is a powerful healer and cleanser that draws die-ease from the body and promotes tissue revitalization. It imbues the body with vitality and has the power to draw dis- ease out of the body. By absorbing pain and negative energy, Amber allows the body to balance and heal itself. Amber alleviates stress.

Add the resin to prosperity formulas and wear the oil for protection or to empower your magickal path. Men may wear amber essential oil to attract lovers.

It cleanses the environment in which it rests and is an excellent mineral for use in purifying birthing and re-birthing rooms. It also acts to purify ones body, mind, and spirit when worn, carried, or used as an elixir.

Cleansing:

Amber should be cleansed after being used for healing to dispense the negative energy it has absorbed. It tends to become cloudy when used for treating negative energy. Cleanse this stone by running it under warm water or charge it over night in a bowl of tumbled hematite. Be careful as this stone will become brittle in sunlight if left out for a long period. It should be kept away from heat or sun.

Properties and Colors:

The color depends on source and impurities. A deep tawny yellow is the predominant color, but it also comes in blue, violet, brown or even black. Amber that is green is colored artificially. Yellow and brown are the most common colors, other colors are extremely rare.

Because amber was once a liquid, sometimes small insects or bits of organic matter can be seen embedded within it.

The fossilized resin ranges from transparent to opaque. Transparency depends on gas bubbles. It is a lighter gem stone and softer than pearl. It becomes electrically charged when rubbed; indeed, the word “electric” comes from the Latin word electrum, which means amber.

Uses in History:

Amber has a rich history and has been used since prehistoric times for jewelry, religious objects, healing, also as amulets and mascots. The Baltic amber, the “gold of the North” is among the earliest-used gem materials.

Amber has a long history of being used in sacred incense and worn as a healing stone by Asian and American Indian cultures for centuries. This organic gem can date between 1 and 360 million years. Archaeologists have found amber artifacts dating back to such cultures as Assyrian, Egyptian, Phoenician and the Greek and Roman periods. It is known by the Persians as the “attractor of straw”, by the Greeks as “sun gold” and derived from the Arab name “al-anbar”.

The Greeks believed that amber was the petrification of sunrays; some even felt that it was petrified tears. They prized amber for the magical properties that electricity exhibited when rubbed. The term electricity is derived from the Greek word, elektron, which is also the Greek word for amber.

In the Far East, amber is the symbol of courage; Amber was considered the “soul of the tiger” in Asian cultures and regarded as the stone of courage. Pieces of amber were carried for protection during long travels, as well as used to treat jaundice.

Egyptians placed a piece of amber in the casket of a loved one to ensure the body would forever remain whole.

It is a sacred stone to both the Native American and Eastern Indians. It has also been used in the fire ceremonies of ancient tribal leaders. It was burned, beginning in medieval days, as a fumigant and as an incense to clear the environment of negativity.

In ancient times it was used as a penicillin-type remedy, ground and ingested or soaked (as in an elixir) and subsequently drunk.

Uses In Healing:

Amber will help relieve a tension headache, place on or around the head. It is excellent at detoxification and protection from radiation, especially x-rays, sun, computers, airport, planes and other people’s energies.

Make an elixir with this stone for wound healing and to apply to all pain issues. It is an excellent natural antibiotic.

Wear amber around your throat to heal asthma and prevent attacks. Minimize and ward off chills by wearing tightly beaded amber necklaces. Amber is believed to absorb body heat and retain it, thus magickally creating a balancing effect.

When used at the solar plexus, Amber will enhance intellectual clarity about your future path. It can stimulate the navel chakra and help in grounding energies into the body.

Amber as jewelry, it can be grounding and stabilizing. Wear for prolonged periods, especially on the wrist or throat, or place as appropriate. If treating babies or children, it is beneficial for the mother to wear the stone first.

It resonates with the throat, treating goiters and other throat problems. It treats the stomach, spleen, kidneys, bladder, liver, and gallbladder, alleviates joint problems and strengthens the mucus membranes. Amber is known to stimulate metabolism and treat skin disorders. It is also a good stone for treating asthma and allergic reactions.

Feng Shui:

Amber is used in the Center/Health position to encourage good health and create balance and calm. Use it in the Northeast area for self cultivation and wisdom, in the Southwest area for partners, love and relationships (use in pairs) and for dispersing negative energy in any room. Use it in any room to also attract change into your space.

Associated Deities:

Amber is thought to be the tears of the Goddess Freya that fell into the sea. It is used to honor her. Additionally amber is used in devotions to Elektra, Greek Goddess of the Sea, Jurate, the Lithuanian Goddess of the Sea, Nehalennia, the Gaulish Goddess of Sea Travelers, Oshun, the African Goddess of Love, Intimacy, Beauty, and Diplomacy, and Amberella, the Lithuanian Goddess of the Oceans.

Honor the Goddess Electra with amber. We get our beautiful amber from the sea. Interestingly, when you rub amber with a soft cloth you will produce static electricity – honoring Electra as you do. Wear an amber necklace or pendant when you are feeling a bit “stormy.” Use it when you need to make things better but you have to use a bit of force to get the job done. Electra will help you.