Onyx

Excerpted from Wisdom of the Gemstone Guardians, by Michael Katz. Order the book here.

Chapter 28

Onyx: Becoming Grounded

I expected to meet the Guardian of Onyx in a dark place, perhaps in a dimly lit cavern deep within the Earth. I was surprised when Spirit led us to a grassy area near a mountain brook. There the Guardian of Onyx sat waiting on a large rock. When he saw Michael and me, he stood, stretched out his hand to shake ours, and greeted us amiably.

The Guardian of Onyx looked as ordinary as any person on Earth. He had jet black hair and dark brown eyes, and he spoke in a quiet, gentle voice. This Guardian seemed to be a rather likable fellow. Judging from the location he chose for his discourse, he dearly loved nature. I felt this love--a kinship with all living things--as I entered his aura.

Although it is considered an earthstone, the material you call Black Onyx has not been made entirely by the planet. Black Onyx is comprised of the Earth's elements, yet has been enhanced by human beings. By this I do not mean that it is man-made. Onyx is surely alive, even though its color has been enhanced to make it appear black. This enhancement only contributes to my mission. Indeed, it makes me what I am. The effects of most other gemstones are dampened by treatment. Without treatment, Black Onyx would not be. 

As its Guardian, I have been assigned to watch over Onyx, to guide its vibratory rate, and to care for and work with the people who wear it.

"Does your mission include only the Black Onyx on Earth?" Michael asked.

Yes. My guardianship is for the Earth's Black Onyx only.

"Are you also the Guardian of the material from which Black Onyx is made?"

There is another who serves as Guardian for the material you call Gray Onyx. When Gray Onyx is made black, its effects change considerably. 

The Root Chakra

"What is your mission?"

I work exclusively for human beings. My mission is to stabilize, strengthen, and support the root chakra. My vibratory rate, combined with my color, works on stimulating all the chakras except the crown. I give the chakras strength at the deepest level so they may function properly. 

Some people have negative attitudes about the root chakra or consider it less important than the other chakras. If the root chakra were not necessary, it would not have been included in the human body. When the root chakra is balanced and functioning properly, you have the strength to develop the higher chakras. Indeed, you need a strong and stable root chakra to help you withstand the changes that will come into your life as you develop those chakras.

It is the nature of my vibratory rate and of my color to absorb the seven color rays and bring them into the body. My energy enters the root chakra. Then it rises up through the body, giving the chakras the message that it is all right for them to open up and accept colors and other beneficial energies as the body needs them. Some of my energy leaves through the sacral chakra, but most of it continues to rise up through the body. As my energy passes each chakra, it deposits the vibratory rate of the colors each chakra is programmed to accept. My energy reinforces the chakras' ability to accept these color rays. It also enlivens their receptivity to all colors. 

When my energy reaches the stomach chakra, I let go of the green and yellow vibratory rates, because that chakra has a magnetic attraction for these two rays. The heart chakra has a magnetic attraction for the red and orange rays; this attraction calls the red and orange vibratory rates from my make-up. At the throat chakra I release the blue-ray vibratory rate. And at the brow chakra I let go of the indigo and purple vibratory rates. In some individuals, I deposit the indigo ray with the blue at the throat chakra. My energy does not reach the crown chakra.

All beings react to light, and all beings have chakras, or energy centers, including animals. Perhaps plants do, too--and if one knew how to look for them, their energy centers might be found. Therefore, I believe that all living beings will react to Onyx in a similar way.

Although it may seem paradoxical, when all light converges on a single point, there is darkness. When this phenomenon occurs on a spiritual level, the negative pole of creation is formed. Perhaps this is why black is a symbol of the negative and white a symbol of the positive. 

The nature, purpose, and importance of the negative force is to temper Soul. Ultimately, it strengthens the individual--the hard way. Yet, please do not consider Black Onyx a negative stone. When Onyx is worn during a negative situation, its vibratory rate allows light to shine on the situation and reveal its positive side.

Releasing Bad Habits

Onyx can help people break certain patterns or habits. These habits may be physical, emotional, or mental.

I can help the body become strong enough to accept an optimal amount of color rays on its own. When the body does this, the individual's vibratory rate rises. When one's vibratory rate rises, one often recognizes patterns and habits in one's life. This is because a habit is a form of disharmony, and where all colors of the rainbow exist in balance there can be no disharmony. 

With this rise in vibratory rate, you might also see that a certain habit is not all bad, because through that habit certain lessons are being learned. Nevertheless, you might also come to realize that you no longer need the habit. Then it will just be a matter of further raising your vibratory rate to completely dissolve your ties with the habit. In most cases, habit resolution also involves dissolving karmic ties with the entity associated with the habit--tobacco, for example, in the case of a smoking habit.

To change a change, you must first recognize it; otherwise, a complete change cannot occur. When you see the reason for certain habits and understand why patterns keep recurring, you will have taken the first step required to change those habits or at least to change their underlying causes.

My effect on patterns and habits is a side effect of my primary mission. However, it is a noticeable one and common to everyone who wears Onyx. The side effects of most gemstones are not experienced by everyone who wears them. In this way Onyx is different from most gemstones. Still, the details of each person's experience with Onyx will be unique. 

"Would you explain the mechanics of how you help people let go of habits?" 

First, I allow you to become aware of the habit. I do this by intensifying your attachment to it. Yet I do this only to the point where you recognize that the attachment exists. In this way, I help you see that what is destructive is not so much the habitual behavior itself, but your attachment to it.

How many people do you know who smoke or drink but don't think they have a smoking or a drinking problem? When Onyx is worn, an individual who has, for example, a habit of smoking will find that the attachment to smoking intensifies. This doesn't mean that the person will smoke more cigarettes or that the habit will get worse. Instead, this intensification will encourage the person to recognize that the attachment exists. With this recognition will come the realization that "I'm out of control! My habit is controlling my life!" 

As the attachment to the habit intensifies, I also give strength. I do this by making sure that each chakra is receptive to the color rays and that the color rays entering the body are being distributed properly. 

This is important, because it will prevent the person from losing balance when the realization dawns that he or she is out of control. Instead, the person will have the strength to let go of the attachment and say, "This habit once controlled me, but no more. It is no longer a part of me." Perhaps the person will even continue to smoke, but the attachment to the habit will have been released; the individual will have mastered the habit.

If you continue to wear Onyx, you will also have the strength to break the karmic ties with the habit controlling you. Onyx will protect your aura whenever the habit tries to return.

One can use one's knowledge of how Onyx works to focus my effects. If my wearers understand my effects, they can decide to put attention on the habit that concerns them most. Those who are unaware of my effects will simply realize that certain habits are controlling their lives. 

"If someone wearing Onyx has, for example, twenty habits, would the habits be addressed one at a time, or would the attachment to all of them be intensified at once?" 

The attachment to the most destructive habit will be addressed first, unless the individual chooses a different habit to focus on. If one chooses a habit which is actually a manifestation of a deeper attachment, I will work on the underlying attachment first. For example, if someone chooses to release a habit concerning food, when the underlying attachment really concerns the person's concept of giving and receiving love, my attention will focus on the person's underlying attachment.

Breaking and letting go of habits causes a change in one's overall balance. This can be uncomfortable, but it is not my intention to initiate more changes than people can handle or to create an imbalance. Because I help the chakras learn to accept the proper balance of color rays, wearing Onyx will improve one's overall balance. Consequently, my wearer will not be overwhelmed by the changes that come with the breaking of habits. Indeed, he or she will have the strength to make those changes.

Becoming Grounded

"Do you have any other effects on the inner bodies?" asked Michael.

To gain a better perspective on their inner lives, many people need to become more secure and grounded in the physical body. Onyx will give them that secure and grounded feeling. It will allow them to experience the mind and emotions from a more solid base and thereby gain a greater, more holistic understanding of themselves.

Thus, people who tend to feel "spaced out," disoriented, or detached will benefit from Onyx. So will those who have difficulty concentrating on important tasks or who tend to live almost exclusively on the emotional level. Often such people struggle to maintain adequate awareness of what is occurring around them on the physical level. Onyx can be a helpful tool for these individuals, especially when they must drive, use potentially dangerous power equipment, or perform some other task requiring intense concentration for safety reasons. 

At such times, these individuals should place Onyx on whatever part of the body is most comfortable for them. The Onyx could be worn around the neck, placed in a pocket, or laid in the lap.

"Do you anticipate that your effects on human beings will change in the future?" Michael asked.

Although human beings may think they change slowly, you really change quite quickly, especially compared to the rate at which gemstones evolve and change. As long as human beings continue to make Gray Onyx black in the same way you do now, my effects will remain the same. 

Medicine from the Earth

"Since you are the last of the Earthstone Guardians to be interviewed for this book, would you care to summarize the work of the earthstones?" 

The earthstones are not greater than the gemstones and vice versa. They are just different. Earthstones are crucial for the planet, just as crystals are.

Now that you understand how I work and what I do, feel free to experiment with other therapeutic applications. Be creative! I believe this would be the message from all the Earthstone Guardians. When you learn the true nature, purpose, and mission of a stone--whether you call it an earthstone, oceanstone, or gemstone--you will have gained the opportunity to combine this basic knowledge with your creativity and your own knowledge of the human body. In other words, you can experiment. 

There is not just one way to use a tool. With creativity, you can use most tools in a variety of ways. For every gemstone, there are at least a hundred and one applications of it, especially when you have a more complete picture of the world of gems.

Do not underestimate your intuition when working with gemstones therapeutically. Some say intuition is God, Spirit, your higher Self, or your Guardian Angel speaking to you. If you feel insecure about using your intuition, substitute the phrase "inner knowingness" for intuition. Always use your inner knowingness to guide you when using any gemstone. 

Some people will always need to prove their intuitive insights with mental equations. These people either have not adequately developed the intuition or do not trust it enough. Of course, there are instances when the use of such equations is essential, especially in complex situations.

People have already accepted medicinal plants as gifts from the Earth. We Guardians believe that people are now ready to accept medicinal gemstones as gifts from the planet. Both plants and gemstones can be medicinal. Nevertheless, they are very different. Both plants and gemstones are alive. However, the amount of life and healing force contained in the molecular structure of plants is minuscule compared to that contained in the crystalline structure of a gemstone.

The life force of a plant starts to diminish once it is plucked from its roots. The life force of gemstones does not change when they are removed from the planet. In fact, the harvesting of gemstones is the first step in preparing them to directly assist human beings. If one tears off a piece of leaf, that piece will immediately start to die. If one breaks off a piece of a gemstone, it will stay as alive as the stone from which it was broken.

Plants lose their vibratory rate once they are ingested by the body. The body soon forgets the plant's gift and needs another dose. If you wear a gemstone for one minute and take it off, your body will soon forget the gemstone's vibratory rate. However, it is much easier to wear a gemstone continuously than it is to eat a plant continuously. 

My comparison between plants and gemstones could continue. I respect plants. I love them, just as I love all the gifts of the Earth, and I am deeply grateful for them. Plants and gemstones can work well together, and you can certainly receive gemstone and herbal therapy at the same time. As long as the therapies are beneficial, they will not conflict with each other.

The more you know about gemstones, the more freedom you will have to choose from a wider variety of the planet's gifts. These gifts will help you through your changes and support you in your growth. 

"We will be interviewing some of the Oceanstone Guardians next. Would you like to introduce the first Guardian?" asked Michael.

The oceanstones are out of my realm. Although we exist on the same planet, we are of different worlds. 

"Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us." 

That you have recognized wisdom in my words tells me there is wisdom in you as well--otherwise, how could you have recognized it? 

I expect we will meet again, perhaps even in the physical world.

"I look forward to it," Michael replied.

I looked at the Guardian of Onyx, who smiled. He had a twinkle in his dark brown eyes. I reached out my hand to shake his, and we said our good-byes. He spoke privately with Michael for several minutes while I waited, enjoying the scenery. They seemed to be enjoying each other's company and forming a friendship. 

When their conversation ended, the Guardian stretched his arms toward the clear blue sky and inhaled the refreshing mountain air. Then he turned to watch the water as it tumbled over rocks in the stream next to us. It was indeed a glorious day.

© 1997 Michael Katz. All rights reserved.