Smoke clearing or performing a smudging ritual are common ways to clear negative energy in the sacred space of your home. But have you tried using black tourmaline?
Tourmaline stones are known for protecting against negative energies of all kinds, according to Judy Hall’s The Crystal Bible. I’ve had a piece or two in my crystal collection since almost day one, but I haven’t been actively using black tourmaline until the past year.
One of my favorite ways to use this wonderful protection stone is to create energetic boundaries around my home.
Using Black Tourmaline
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What You’ll Need:
- At least four tumbled black tourmaline crystals
- A garden trowel
- A gemstone wand of your choice (optional)
I first heard about using these stones to create an energetic boundary grid over at Energy Muse, which says using black tourmaline in this manner “absorbs any toxic and negative energy and seals the room with a protective shield.” Who wouldn’t want some of that around their entire home?
My favorite method for creating such a grid is using the stones outside, in each corner of my property, to create a square. Ancient cultures have used square grids “as the symbol of strength, structure and permanence,” according to Hibiscus Moon in her book, Crystal Grids: How and Why They Work. (If you haven’t read this book yet, I highly recommend it!)
However, if you live in an apartment or dwelling without land, you may create a square grid using the four corners of just your living space.
Gather and prepare your materials
I like to use tumbled black tourmaline for this ritual because I feel it’s not as brittle as natural tourmaline, but use whichever type appeals to you.
I use a garden trowel to dig in the dirt but if you’d rather use your hands, that works too! Or if you are creating this grid indoors, the trowel is (obviously!) not necessary.
A gemstone wand is helpful to activate the grid but optional, as I’ve created these grids without the use of a wand. I’ll describe both methods below.
I like to use smoke to clear the energy surrounding myself and my tools before creating the grid. Lately I’ve been using palo santo wood because I’m addicted to the smell (you too?) but white sage also works well for this. You may purchase these items from a local metaphysical shop or an online store like Sage Goddess, Energy Muse or even Amazon.
To clear energy with smoke, I fan myself with the smoke prior to beginning, as well as run all my tools through the smoke, too.
Charge your crystals with intention
I like to charge my tourmaline stones with intention prior to creating the grid, but if you are using a gemstone wand, you may wish to activate the grid with your intention after it has been laid out.
Sometimes, carrying a gemstone wand — or using it — just isn’t practical. Like, when I go camping and am surrounded by lots of other people in a campground. I like to be discreet about creating an energetic boundary around my campsite. So, I use the charging method below.
Hold the crystal/s in the palm of your hand, gently wrapping your fingers over the crystals to close your hand into a fist.
Close your eyes and think about your intention for the stones. In this case, the intention would be to absorb any toxic or negative energy within the grid boundary that you are about to set, as well as protecting and preventing unfavorable energy from passing into the space.
Imagine the energy of your intention as a glowing light coming out from your hand being passed into the stone/s. Use your intuition to determine when your intention has been absorbed into the stones. When you feel ready, open your eyes and hand. Your crystals are charged and ready to use!
Place your black tourmaline stones
Beginning in the North corner of your property and moving in a clockwise direction, use a garden trowel to dig a small hole in the ground and place one of the black tourmaline crystals inside the hole. When I place each stone in the hole and cover it back up with the earth, I reiterate the intention in my mind. Repeat the process in the remaining three corners of your property.
Once all the crystals are in place, I like to imagine each piece radiating its protective energy out into the earth in a line to connect with the other stones.
If you are creating this grid in a private space where digging isn’t appropriate — like your apartment or a hotel room — make sure the stones are placed in a spot where they won’t be disturbed and where pets or small children won’t have access to them. This means you may have to get creative and elevate the crystals in some way, like placing them on the top ledge of a doorway or window.
Finally, a disclaimer
If you follow the steps above — along with your intuition — black tourmaline is a wonderful stone to create an energetic boundary around your home. But, since this is the Internet, I feel I have to add a disclaimer here: Please use common sense. This grid should be used as an additional layer of protection from negative energy, not the only layer. Please protect your property and home using traditional methods like locking doors, windows, gates, etc. Do not rely on black tourmaline alone.
Do you like using black tourmaline? How you use this protective stone? Leave a comment here or join the discussion on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
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