Top 3 Benefits of Agate Crystals
- Imparts stability, calm, and peace
- Harmonizes the mind, body, and spirit
- Gentle but supportive
Agate: What is Agate Stone Good For?
In the crystal world, Agate is on a league of its own. Members of the Agate family are incredibly colorful and different from each other, but they still emit the same gentle, supportive energy that makes them so appealing to people. But what are the spiritual, emotional, and mental properties that give Agate meaning? What are the Agate benefits that you can use of?
The first thing that you should know about Agates is that they’re stabilizer stones. Their main purpose is to help a person out of a stressful situation by imparting stability, calm, peace, and protection. Agate has innate properties that help the owner relieve stress. It can also harmonize the mind, body, and spirit to work as a balanced unit. It’s a stone that imparts a particularly gentle energy, but don’t be fooled. Its gentleness is its greatest trait.
Since it was first discovered and until know, people attest to how much Agate stones helped them connect with the earth and find contentment despite growing turmoil. Throughout history, the agate gemstone has been used to protect against natural disasters. But more than a support stone,Agate helps you move through life with grace and ease and that’s why it’s still popular until today.
What is an Agate?
Agate is a type of Chalcedony (micro-crystalline Quartz, SiO2)–a type of Quartz with crystals so tiny that you need a microscope to see them. That’s the reason why when you try to break Agates, they don’t break in straight lines.
Agates and Jaspers are Chalcedonies, but what makes Agates different from Jaspers is that they’re transparent to translucent. If you put an Agate against a source of light, there’s a chance that it’ll let most of the light pass through. Jaspers don’t have this characteristic.
Another defining characteristic of Agates is their bands or features. Though most Agates are banded Agates, some have other types of inclusions that form plumes, dendrites, and mossy structures. Some might not even have obvious banding unless you analyze them carefully.
Agates are formed when silica-rich (SiO2) waters flow through cracks and crevices of igneous rocks such as basalt, rhyolite, or andesite. Sometimes, Agates also form in sedimentary rocks such as limestones. Silica-rich waters deposit silica and other minerals in varying concentrations and compositions inside the rocks. Over time, the deposits harden and solidify inside these crevices and eventually fill up the cracks, making up the signature banding or inclusions of Agate stones.
What Are the Types of Agate?
Agates comes in various colors, patterns and found throughout the world. Here is a list of the top 11 most popular and common Agate stones and their meanings.
Crazy Lace Agate Meaning
Crazy Lace Agates are known as “Laughter Stones” or “Happy Lace” in the crystal kingdom. They’re basically stones brimming with joy. These Agates and their brown, pink, white, and yellow swirls are known to elevate thoughts, promote optimism and make the owner feel satisfied and happy with life. They make you want to appreciate the beautiful world around you and the life you have despite the hardships that come with it. Aside from bringing great vibes, they’re known to overcome fears. These stones stabilize the owner’s aura and stimulate and balance the Third Eye Chakra (perception, consciousness) and the Crown Chakra (spirituality, universal connection).
Green Tree Agate and Moss Agate Meaning
Green Tree Agate and Green Moss Agate are so intimately linked that people mistake them for each other. The main difference between them is their transparency. Green Moss Agate is the true Agate because it’s semitransparent and has green mossy inclusions inside. Green Tree Agate, on the other hand, is an opaque, white jasper. Moss Agate is the crystal of agriculture and gardening. It brings wealth and abundance and can clean personal and space energy. Moss Agate is also an excellent Heart Chakra stone that helps in letting go and accepting the cyclic nature of relationships.
Blue Lace Agate Meaning
Blue Lace Agate is a gentle, blue stone is the perfect stone for people who have trouble speaking their minds. Using innate water energy, it calms a person while ushering confidence. It’s not overwhelming nor pushy at all. In fact, it’s so gentle that it can open you up to your own self, making you see your limiting beliefs and re-routing you to a path that’s meant for you. This stone not only calms and communicates, but it also makes sure that your thoughts,words, and deeds are all aligned, enhancing your integrity and fizzling out fears and prejudices. Also, this is a great stone to remove blockages and calm the throat and Third Eye Chakras.
Botswana Agate Meaning
Made of layers of pink, brown, and gray, Botswana Agate is known for its comforting and protective energy. It’s soothing especially for those who are in the process of grief.That’s why it’s also known as the Sunset stone–it provides warmth in cold, lonely nights. This Agate is named after the African country where it’s found and is considered royalty among Agates. It promotes inner stability, composure, and maturity. It’s also known to balance the Root Chakra, the center of feeling and movement. An imbalanced Base Chakra can lead to low energy and distance, so this stone can definitely help anyone who’s going off-course from their goals as well.
Dendritic Agate Meaning
Dendritic Agate is known as the stone of plentitude because it brings fullness and abundance in all areas of life. It’s associated with Greek dryads–spirits of the trees and the woodlands–because of the little “trees” that are contained inside these stones. If you’re under extreme moods, this stone is great at balancing it all. It’s also the perfect stone for those undergoing great change or stressful times in their lives. It’s a healing amulet that heals childhood pain and emotional strain. This is also a pretty powerful Root, Crown, and Heart Chakra stone.
Fire Agate Meaning
Also known as the Spiritual Flame of Absolute Perfection, Fire Agate’s burning golds and greens deep within its browns and oranges is a thing of dreams. This stone stimulates the Sacral Chakra, the center of our passion and enthusiasm for life. It supports creativity, sexuality, and vibrant lifestyles. Back then, this stone was used in alchemy to conjure fire because it was believed to contain the essence of fire. Fire Agate is also a stone of integrity and passion. It stimulates sexual energy and stamina. People also use this stone to treat their sexual imbalance.
Turritella Agate Meaning
Turritella Agate stone is a highly spiritual crystal that’s deeply connected to the home and one’s roots. This is a survival stone of strength and protection. It connects the owner to the lives of their ancestors, and that in turn gives them wisdom, healing, and most especially past-life recall. But this stone isn’t only for personal healing. It is said to be so powerful it can help heal the planet. Tradition dictates that when you bury this stone in polluted or neglected land, it can cleanse and invigorate that space. While giving the owner encouragement and healing, this stone also restores and energizes the Base Chakra.
Laguna Agate Meaning
Among all the Agates, Laguna Agate is the most highly praised banded Agate in the world. With its tight bands of red and scarlet, this stone is known to give power and inspiration to artists and writers. This stone can only be found in a remote mountain range in Chihuahua, Mexico. Like Fire Agates, this stone is also used to treat sexual imbalance. This stone helps lift people out of depression by helping them accept reality in all its grim glory. This is also a powerful Base Chakra stone that helps increase flexibility in both body, mind, and soul. Laguna Agates also tend to bring out the real person in you as it decreases shallowness of character.
Indian Agate Meaning
Indian Agate’s strengthen the body and its connection to the earth. This is a highly energizing stone that cleanses and stabilizes one’s aura. It removes and transforms negative energy into positive routes and is used to heal all sorts of maladies and ailments. This stone has been used by sages as a secret weapon to combat their hubris and pride. At the same time, it gives confidence, physical strength, and emotional security. This stone is known to heal a damaged Sacral Chakra. This Agate is said to have been formed with the light of the full moon and is a favorite stone for mala or prayer beads. It’s also a very lucky stone.
Black Agate Meaning
Black Agate is a grounding and protective crystal, just like all black stones. This stone gives calm and peace to anyone who’s grieving and infuses the owner with the strength to move forward with life. This stone is particularly helpful in managing stressful households. It also helps one steady their intentions while making decisions, especially important ones. This stone also keeps the body in balance while helping the spiritual body release emotional build-up. Like all Agates, it gives off a gentle healing power. This stone heals trauma, depression, as well as abandonment and anger management issues. In ancient Mesopotamia, it’s usually found engraved with seals. This indicates that it was a stone used to signify power and authority.
Dragon Vein Agate Meaning
Dragon Vein Agates give off an otherworldly vibe, but rightly so. It’s a stone that brings out hidden talents and natural gifts. Think of it as a resurfacing stone. It’s used by many to boost their self-confidence, and it prevents you from holding back your true feelings. It’s a powerful Heart and Throat Chakra stone since it helps you sort out your emotions and communicate them properly. It will help you find the happiness and love that you truly deserve. It’s also charged with good luck to help you with your deepest wishes. Aside from those benefits, Dragon Vein Agate is also known to increase stamina and improve memory and skills.
Less Common Types of Agate Gemstones:
Now that we’ve covered the most popular Agates, let’s take a look at 10 less common Agates but just as interesting and worth mentioning. You may be surprised which one jumps out at you as you look through the list below.
Coyamito Agate Pseudomorph
These beautiful Agates are a thing of Pop Art. They’re not entirely Agates. Rather, they’re Agates that formed around other crystals. Coyamito Agate Pseudomorphs form when Aragonite crystals start growing in gas cavities left in Andesite rocks. Silica-rich water then floods the cavities and forms Agates in the spaces between crystals.
Enhydro Agate
This can be Nodules, Agates, or Geodes with water trapped inside. Imagine holding a beautiful stone and then suddenly finding out that it can produce a sound when shaken! Amazing, right? Enhydro Agates form when Silica-rich waters flood cavities inside a porous, volcanic rock, but some water gets trapped as the stone forms, leaving a water-filled center.
Onyx Agate
If Agates have curved bands, Onyx has parallel bands. Onyxes are chalcedony’s parallel banded form. Onyxes are predominantly black, but the bands can range from black to almost every color, but the most common has bands of black or white. It can be confusing because it can be used to refer to banded Marble or Opals, but just remember that Onyxes have relatively uniform and parallel bands that can sometimes look like fingernails, hence the name.
Sardonyx Agate
Sardonyx Agates are technically a variety of Onyx but are brown or reddish-brown in color. Artificial methods have been used since ancient times to produce both black Onyx and the reds and yellows in Sardonyx. Sardonyxes can be mined in Brazil, Germany, the USA, Russia, but the best come from India. Sardonyx is believed to boost happiness, optimism, and confidence. It’s also known to encourage optimism and confidence.
Iris Agate
As if the color variety among Agates isn’t enough, there’s a type of Agate that’s literally a rainbow set in stone. Iris Agates are finely-banded Agates that display all the colors of the rainbow when illuminated properly. These Agates are more common than initially thought, and some specimens might not have been cut properly to produce the iridescent effect. It’s said to be a stone that grants desires.
Thunder-Egg Agate
Thunder-egg Agates are nodule-like rocks that are formed within rhyolitic volcanic ash. They’re rough, irregular spheres with sizes that range from a baseball to about a meter wide. They contain centers of chalcedony–either Agate, Jasper or even Opal. However, some have been found to even contain Quartz and Gypsum crystals.
Lake Superior Agate
Lake Superior Agates are hauntingly beautiful for their rich red-colored bands. They’re stained by iron found on the shore of Lake Superior. They reflect the rich geological history of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. In fact, it was declared as the official state gemstone of Minnesota in 1969. These Agates formed during lava eruptions in Minnesota about a billion years ago and were scattered by glacial movement across time.
Condor Agate
Condor Agates were discovered in Argentina by Luis de los Santos in 1993. Initially, they were found scattered across landscapes and were harvested.But over time, this didn’t prove to be a sustainable method of obtaining this Agate. That’s why people have instead dug for them in cold Agate fields in Argentina.
Sagenite Agate
Sagenite Agate, or rather Sagenitic Agate, are Agates that have needle-like mineral or crystal growths that intersect in a grid-like pattern. Their needle-like inclusions are mainly made up of Zeolite, Aragonite, Gypsum, or Antimonite.
Fortification Agate
Fortification Agates are so-called because their banding might resemble medieval castles and moats. Their bands have sharp edges and angles which make up their characteristic fortress appearance. They usually have white, light brown, orange, red, and purple bands.
Agate: Zodiac Signs and Birthstone
Agate is not a traditional birthstone, however, some Agates are natural birthstones depending on their color. Generally, it’s the stone of the Zodiac sign Gemini (May 21- June 20). Agate rules Gemini, the sign that welcomes summer.
Gemini is the sign of the inventor, symbolized by twins standing side by side. This Zodiac sign is associated with the planet Mercury, the planet that embodies communication and travel. Geminis see both sides of an issue and are very flexible people. They’re sociable, lively, and talkative and can bring life to the party. But sometimes, they can be restless, nervous, or even unstable.Agate is helpful for Geminis because it helps ground them and puts them in a better mental, spiritual, and emotional state.
How to Use Your Agate Stone to Manifest and Activate Healing Properties
After reading up on the many, many Agate benefits, you might be curious as to how you can activate their healing properties. Look no further! Below is a sweet and simple guide to help you incorporate Agate meaning and uses into your life.
- Agate Mala or Prayer Beads- The Buddhist Mala is a collection of 108 stones strung into a long loop, like a necklace. These prayer beads aid in meditation and in the repetition of mantras. This is a helpful tool for concentration and meditation. Meditating with Agate prayer beads can be done in several ways–sitting, standing up, walking, etc.
- Agate Jewelry- Depending on which type of Agate you use, using Agate bracelets, rings, necklaces, and other jewelry diverts Agate meaning and healing properties into the specific chakra points in your body that need nourishing or unblocking. Plus, they’re easier to wear around and with all the colors of Agate, they’re pretty fashionable, as well.
- Agate Tumbled Stones- Tumbled stones are brightly polished stones and crystals that aid in practicing meditation and focus. Carrying a little Agate tumbled stone around in times of stress can really be helpful as it helps calm your soul and spiritual body.
- Agate and Chakra Point Meditation- If you wish to delve deeper into meditation and mindfulness exercises, placing Agate stones on the chakra points that they directly influence will make a huge impact on your chakra healing. Make sure to meditate in a safe and comfortable space, away from outside noise. Meditating in the morning is said to give the most benefits.
- Agate Crystal Grid- If you’ve decided on a specific intention in mind, setting up your own crystal grid can be helpful in manifesting those intentions. You’ll need a list of the stones that resonate with you and your intentions, a printout or drawing of your own sacred geometry, and patience. You can research on crystal grid templates online, but building one on your own is even more meaningful and rewarding.
How to Use Agate for Feng Shui
Agate healing properties have been established over time. They’ve been passed down through generations of healers and seers. In Feng Shui particularly, it’s used in a lot of remedies and even ornaments. Different types of Agates have different designations and uses in a balanced home, and most varieties can be found in the market nowadays.
Agates exist in a very colorful spectrum, being a rainbow in itself in the crystal and gem world. The gentle blue of Blue Lace Agate, for example, is actually one of the most powerful in terms of healing among the blue stones. Generally, all Agate stones are considered to be grounding and protective, and you’ll feel that energy right away once you hold one yourself.
As for placement in the home, you can place your Agate stone in any area that needs gentle healing and expression. If you have tumbled Agate stones in your collection, its best to go with the Feng Shui meaning of the specific Agate color you have. For example, you could place your Fire Agate at the southwest part of your home, which is known as the Love and Marriage corner. Alternatively, you can place your Blue Lace Agate in the southeast area of your home to bring in wealth.
Agate in Folklore and Ancient Times
Agates were first discovered in Italy along the Achates (presently known as Acate) River in Sicily, where it first got its name. Ancient Romans used Agates for their medicinal and talismanic properties. It’s believed that Agate powder mixed with water can cure snakebites and acts as an anti-venom.
Pliny the Elder, a Roman intellectual who documented the history of the Roman empire, even mentioned that some Magi in Persia burned Agates to deflect storms from ravaging their homelands. Aside from being a beautiful decorative stone, Agate might have also been used as an amulet by the Babylonians.
Since ancient times, people have tried to seek more uses for Agates. They found that the stone can make a person more agreeable, persuasive, and charming. It’s said to give strength and courage to those with extreme fears. Some used Agates to protect themselves while traveling, especially at sea. Some even use the stone to cure insomnia and to usher in good dreams.
Where are Agates Found?
Archaeologists found evidence that the stone has been used by neolithic people at around 2,300 BCE. Since then, it’s been established that Agates are pretty much found in almost all continents in varying quantities. They’re very widespread and are easy to commercially obtain these days. In the US in particular, they’re mined in large quantities in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. Outside the US, most Agates in the market are sourced from India, Brazil, and Morocco.
How Do You Care for Your Agate?
Agates are versatile stones that can be found almost anywhere in the world. They’re also pretty up on the Mohs Hardness scale at around 6 to 8. So, there are a lot of ways to cleanse the crystals after use.
Why cleanse crystals? From the moment they’re uprooted from the earth to their processing, transportation, and eventual use, crystals can accumulate energy. The energy that’s stored and programmed into them may not always be beneficial and can cloud your intentions and manifestations that next time you use them. Also, sometimes our stones can get out of tune with their vibrational frequency due to the stress they’ve accumulated through time. As such, here are some ways you can cleanse and care for your Agate stones:
- Natural light (Sunlight and Moonlight)- Cleansing your stones using natural light is the easiest and perhaps the most accessible way of cleansing them. To do this, set your stones out where they can bathe in moonlight and sunlight, preferably on soil or near your plants. Just make sure they’re undisturbed by your pets or anything else. Set them out just before sunset and take them in before 11 am the next day. You can rinse them with a bit of water to make sure no dirt or debris clings to them.
- Sound/Tibetan Singing Bowls- Sound is a great purifying method because it brings back the vibrational frequency of your stone back to its normal state after heavy use. Tibetan Singing Bowls, in particular, are very powerful instruments that have been used for centuries because of their great healing and restorative powers. To cleanse your Agates with sound, set all your stones in a comfy room and let your Singing Bowl ring for around 5-10 minutes, depending on the size and volume of your collection. Allow the sounds to envelop the stones.
- Sage- Sage is a plant with a lot of healing and mystic properties. You might have heard of it being used in a lot of cleansing and charging rituals. It’s no wonder why a lot of crystal owners use Sage smudge sticks to cleanse their stones. To do this, you’ll need to set your stones in a well-ventilated room away from any flammable materials. Light up your sage smudge stick and let the smoke envelop your stones. You can hold them one by one and let them sit in the smoke for 30 seconds (60 if they’re particularly overused),or you can waft the smoke towards your stones if you have a large collection.
