Crystal · Held grief
Apache tears
Also called Apache tear obsidian
- Chakra
- Root
- Element
- Earth
- Planet
- Saturn
- Signs
- Scorpio
- Tarot
- Four of Pentacles
Crystal correspondences are traditional; the descriptions are original to this site.
What Apache tears means
Apache tears are small rounded nodules of obsidian that, in a legend told around Superior, Arizona, are the hardened tears of women who mourned warriors lost in battle. They are a gentler face of obsidian, grief made small enough to hold in one hand.
Emotional properties
Legend ties these small stones to grief already, tears cried for warriors lost in battle and caught before they hit the ground. Unlike sharper obsidian, Apache tears work slowly and kindly, easing sorrow out rather than forcing a confrontation with it. Their dark, translucent surface absorbs sadness without asking anything back. Hold one in a closed fist until your grip loosens on its own.
Spiritual properties
Carrying the legend with a stone can make grief feel less isolating, a feeling other people have survived across a long span of time. Rooted at the base chakra, it keeps mourning connected to the body instead of letting it spin off into abstraction. Sitting with it after a loss is less about seeking insight than about being witnessed. A held stone does not flinch, and neither should you have to, right away.
Physical properties
Volcanic glass cools fast into these small stones, and their smooth, rounded shape makes them pleasant to roll between the fingers during a hard moment. Keep one in a pocket to touch during the physical exhaustion that follows an emotional strain, when the body feels the weight before the mind names it. Their root-chakra pull suits the walk home after bad news. A worry stone, in the plainest sense.
Care and cleansing
Apache tears are volcanic glass, brittle and easily chipped, and a broken edge can be razor sharp, so keep damaged pieces away from children. Rinse them under cool water, avoiding a sudden jump from hot to cold, and let a night on bare earth recharge them in a soft bag away from harder stones.
A question to sit with
What old grief might finally be ready to be set down, gently?
Stones that share a chakra
- AragoniteOutward growth
- Black tourmalineDark shield
- BloodstoneOld courage
- ChiastoliteMarked crossing
- CinnabarVolcanic red
- Dalmatian jasperSpotted play
- Desert roseSand's bloom
- Fire agateBanked inner flame