One stone that’s always on the top of my list is Black Tourmaline. By the way — if you want to check out my Top 10 Must-Have Crystal List, head over here.

So, today I’m giving you the low-down on all things Black Tourmaline.

Let’s go!

Black Tourmaline Properties

The large pieces pictured above, are really good quality pieces of Black Tourmaline, for instance: Chunky, hefty, smooth.

Of course, you don’t have to have this kind of quality (which is very difficult to find anymore). The lower quality type embodies the SAME energy.

Just so you know, many Black Tourmaline mines have been closed. Specifically, a large mine in China, where my high-quality specimens came out.  So, the A-grade is no longer readily available. And if you do find it, it’s going to have a price tag to reflect its rarity!

The common type that you’re seeing out there these days is more spindly; more splintery and friable (in the same way as some Kyanite is, if you’re familiar with that raw stone), meaning they’re more brittle, but…

they work just as effectively!

Oftentimes, this stone will be accompanied by quartz and mica just like the above specimen.

Black Tourmaline is a workhorse for your energy field.

It’s a primo crystal tool for:

• Neutralizing negative energy
• Grounding
• Energetic protection
• Lowering risks from EMF exposure
• Empaths

Transmuting Energy

I love this stone for transmuting energy, so if energy has a specific charge to it and it has a negative feel to it, Black Tourmaline is my go-to transmuter.

It’s excellent for bringing that energy back to neutral. For that reason, it’s always in front of me between me and my laptop. I’m transmuting that electromagnetic radiation coming off of the laptop. I’ve tested other crystals and things, and when I tested Black Tourmaline, I get good results.

It’s not the best thing. It’s not going to completely mitigate that energy, but it’s one thing I can do to help mitigate it.

Neutralizing a Space

I also like it for transmuting negative energy that people might bring into a space. For example, when I used to work in a classroom (which I left in 2012…) I used to be a science teacher for those of you that don’t know: some people would come into the room and they were just sheer joy, and some people would come into the room and they’d suck the energy out of the space. Talk about energy vampires. There weren’t too many of those thankfully, but Black Tourmaline was wonderful for helping to mitigate that.

I had them conspicuously placed throughout my classroom. Heck, I could get away with putting any rock in my room that I wanted to. I taught geology as part of my curriculum, so I could put anything I wanted and no one would question a thing.

You can also make Black Tourmaline mojo kits and you can make room sprays with Black Tourmaline and all kinds of great stuff.

For the same purpose of transmuting energy in your space, Himalayan Salt is a great option and an entirely different approach to cleansing your space. Here’s another blog for you:  Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Himalayan Salt Lamps.

EMF Shield

I don’t like using silicates on my desk for the purpose of shielding from computer EMF, etc.

So, I hear people say,

“Oh, put a piece of Fluorite, put a piece of Selenite, put a piece of Citrine in front of your laptop.”

Those crystals are silicates… and silicates amplify that energy. We use silicon chips in our electronics to make them work better, so I don’t want to amplify that energy. Anyway, let me get off my soapbox I go into that a lot more in my Certified Crystal Practitoner Course.

What I DO like to use for this purpose is a chunk of BT! (Black Tourmaline)

I also have a blog post here going into detail on crystals I like to use to help lower EMF exposure.

Grounding

The surface of our planet is covered in free electrons, which are highly attracted to us (water + minerals)… if we allow them to be.

Problem is, we’re usually well insulated from these free electrons with our rubber soled shoes and carpeted or tiled floors so there’s very little if any direct contact happening and we’re depriving ourselves from Mother Earth’s balancing restorative energies. In other words, we’re disconnected.

This stone (BT) is ideal for helping us to connect and ground to Mother Earth.

Tourmaline Lore

Ancient peoples were (are) very aware of all of this and knew to monitor the cycles and to stay closely connected to the planet. Being closely in-tune allows us to regulate many bodily functions and feel plugged in. GROUNDED… dissipating any excess energy to the ground.

Our body’s various frequencies can move our body out of our dominant oscillary rate very easily when we experience stress, which we are constantly doing, especially since we are not regularly connecting with Mother Earth to re-balance.

Vibrational healing (like crystal healing) oscillates and naturally entrains our body back to its base resonant frequency.

I highly recommend staying grounded as much as possible and, yes, we can use crystals to help us to do that:

• Black Tourmaline is my go-to stone for this. In fact, it’s part of what I call my Sacred Grounding Trio: Black Tourmaline, Smokey Quartz, and Hematite.
• Do lots of Earthing (check out that book on Amazon!) Earthing is amazing! Get barefoot and go outside which is the ultimate in grounding. Your feet are meant to connect with Mother Earth! That’s why animals are so well-grounded and in-tune. They’re always barefoot!  But, I know— getting barefoot isn’t practical for all people and situations so here’s another blog I wrote:  Grounding Tips for Balance in a High Flying World.
• Plus I’ve got more grounding info and tips for you, including a recipe for a Grounding Gem Elixir Oil in my blog; How to Ground using Crystals

Black Tourmaline Geology

While there are many different varieties of Tourmaline (I talk about Watermelon Tourmaline over here), you’ve probably noticed we are focusing on Black Tourmaline for this blog. 😉

Some of the main geological properties include:

• Mohs Hardness of seven to seven-and-a-half
• Also known as Schorl, a complex aluminum borosilicate
• While the mine I mentioned the mine in China has closed, BT is also found in Mexico, Africa, the United States, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, and Russia

Physics

Black Tourmaline has two critical physics properties:

1. It’s pyroelectric
2. It’s piezoelectric (just like Clear Quartz, Citrine, and Rose Quartz)

Meaning that, essentially, it can polarize and transduce electricity and energy. It’s one of the reasons why I find it to be such a powerful and effective stone to work with.

Chakras

Black Tourmaline is associated with the Root Chakra and the Earth Star Chakra.

The Root Chakra is located at the base of your spine and is associated with all things foundational including your sense of safety and security. It’s all about the fundamental things we need for survival. The Earth Star Charka, while not technically not one of the seven main chakras, it’s known as a “transpersonal chakra” —

located about six inches below your feet.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this spotlight on Black Tourmaline!  What do you think about this workhorse mineral?  Share with me in the comments below.

Crystal Blessings,