Everything you need to know about Malachite
Malachite is a copper carbonate hydroxide mineral, with the formula Cu2CO3 (OH)2. This opaque, green-banded mineral crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system, and most often forms botryoidal, fibrous, or stalagmitic masses, in fractures and deep, underground spaces, where the water table and hydrothermal fluids provide the means for chemical precipitation. Individual crystals are rare, but occur as slender to acicular prisms. Pseudomorphs after more tabular or blocky azurite crystals also occur.
Introduction to the Meaning and Uses of Malachite
Malachite, with its beautiful, rich green color, leaves no doubt of its importance as a jewel. Its opaque strength and power demands respect, mesmerizing the viewer. Yet the movement, flow and energy in its lines, circles and designs soothe and welcome. It is spiritually inviting.
Malachite personifies the deep healing green of nature and represents the innate beauty of flowers, trees, roots and plants. It manifests a deep Devic green which rules the material plane. It is a Stone of Transformation, assisting one in changing situations and providing for spiritual growth. It heals on physical and emotional levels, drawing out impurities and stimulating the Life Force throughout the aura and body.
The name Malachite may come from the Greek word malakee, or malache, signifying the resemblance of Mallow leaves, or from the Greek word malakos, meaning soft. Being a carbonate of copper, Malachite is sometimes intergrown with Azurite, forming Malachite-Azurite, or with Chrysocolla, forming Malachite-Chrysocolla.
Well known to ancient Egyptians, Malachite mines were in use between the Suez and Sinai as early as 4000 B.C. It was also popular with the ancient Greeks and Romans, for jewelry, ornaments, and in powdered form, for eye shadow. In the Middle Ages, Malachite was believed to protect against the “Evil Eye” and to cure various stomach ailments. Russian czars used Malachite for ornaments and paneling for their castles, and intricate inlay work.
Malachite was extensively mined at the Great Orme Mines in Britain 3,800 years ago, using stone and bone tools. Archaeological evidence indicates that mining activity ended c. 600 BCE, with up to 1,760 tonnes of copper being produced from the mined Malachite.
Archaeological evidence indicates that the mineral has been mined and smelted to obtain copper at Timna Valley in Israel for more than 3,000 years. Since then, malachite has been used as both an ornamental stone and as a gemstone.
Inherent in Malachite is lighter green eye-shaped forms or bands on its surface. These “eye stones,” believed to enhance great visionary powers, were used to ward off negative happenings. They were stones of security and protection for children, and their most remarkable association today is the ability to warn of impending danger by breaking into pieces.
Occurrence
Malachite often results from the weathering of copper ores, and is often found with azurite (Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2), goethite, and calcite. Except for its vibrant green color, the properties of malachite are similar to those of azurite and aggregates of the two minerals occur frequently. Malachite is more common than azurite and is typically associated with copper deposits around limestones, the source of the carbonate.
Large quantities of malachite have been mined in the Urals, Russia. Ural malachite is not being mined at present, but G.N Vertushkova reports the possible discovery of new deposits of malachite in the Urals. It is found worldwide including in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Gabon; Zambia; Tsumeb, Namibia; Mexico; Broken Hill, New South Wales; Lyon, France; Timna Valley, Israel; and the Southwestern United States, most notably in Arizona.
Malachite is a mineral that forms at shallow depths within the Earth, in the oxidizing zone above copper deposits. It precipitates from descending solutions in fractures, caverns, cavities, and the intergranular spaces of porous rock. It often forms within limestone where a subsurface chemical environment favorable for the formation of carbonate minerals can occur. Associated minerals include azurite, bornite, calcite, chalcopyrite, copper, cuprite, and a variety of iron oxides.
Physical Properties of Malachite
Malachite’s most striking physical property is its green color. All specimens of the mineral are green and range from a pastel green, to a bright green, to an extremely dark green that is almost black. It is typically found as stalactites and botryoidal coatings on the surfaces of underground cavities – similar to the deposits of calcite found in caves. When these materials are cut into slabs and pieces, the sawn surfaces often exhibit banding and eyes that are similar to agate.
Malachite is rarely found as a crystal, but when found, the crystals are usually acicular to tabular in shape. The crystals are bright green in color, translucent, with a vitreous to adamantine luster. Non-crystalline specimens are opaque, usually with a dull to earthy luster.
Malachite is a copper mineral, and that gives malachite a high specific gravity that ranges from 3.6 to 4.0. This property is so striking for a green mineral that malachite is easy to identify. Malachite is one of a small number of green minerals that produces effervescence in contact with cold, dilute hydrochloric acid. It is also a soft mineral with a Mohs hardness of 3.5 to 4.0.
Malachite Uses and Purposes
Malachite is a protection stone, absorbing negative energies and pollutants from the atmosphere and from the body. It guards against radiation of all kinds, clears electromagnetic pollution and heals earth energies. Keep near microwaves in the kitchen and televisions in living areas. In the workplace Malachite protects against noise, over-bright fluorescent lighting, and harmful rays from technological equipment, negative phone calls and emails.
Malachite has been used as a pigment for thousands of years. It was one of the oldest known green pigments to be used in paintings. The mineral malachite is an excellent material for producing a powdered pigment because it can easily be ground into a fine powder, it mixes easily with vehicles, and it retains its color well when exposed to light over time.
Alternative names for malachite pigment include copper green, Bremen green, Olympian green, green verditer, green bice, Hungarian green, mountain green, and iris green. Malachite pigment is found in the paintings of Egyptian tombs and in paintings produced throughout Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. Its use declined significantly in the 17th century as alternative green colors were developed. Today, malachite pigment is sold by a few manufacturers who specialize in providing materials to painters who practice historically accurate techniques.
As a stone of travel, Malachite protects and overcomes fears of flying if you empower the crystal before a trip by holding it and envisioning yourself in the wings of the Archangel, Raphael. It helps with jet lag, encourages smooth business travel, and protects in travel on congested highways.
Malachite is known for being a stone of support for airplane and airline workers as a protection against accidents, miners for protection from unexplained accidents, and for secretaries to stimulate clear thinking.
Malachite Physical Healing Energy
Malachite is an effective remedy for female problems, especially regulating the menstrual cycle and cramps, and for easing labor. It has been called the Midwife Stone. It resonates with the female sexual organs, and treats sexual disease, especially when caused by traumatic past experiences.
Malachite relieves cold sweats, malaria, trembling and Parkinson’s disease, and helps with asthma, intestinal problems and rheumatic pain. It is a diuretic stone and can help cure kidney and gallstones. It fights osteoarthritis, most notably in the spine, and strengthens memory, especially for those with short-term memory loss who forget the names of people right after hearing them.
Known to lower blood pressure, Malachite also treats epilepsy, travel sickness and vertigo. It helps in the healing of fractures, swollen joints, growths, tumors, torn muscles and broken bones. It enhances the immune system and stimulates the liver to release toxins.
Malachite Emotional Healing Energy
As a stone of transformation, Malachite encourages change and emotional risk-taking. It shows what is blocking your spiritual growth, draws out deep feelings and psychosomatic causes, then allows you to break unwanted ties and outworn patterns. It encourages the expression of feelings, alleviating shyness and teaching the responsibility for one’s own thoughts and actions. It supports friendships and empathy for other people.
Malachite helps battle depression and anxiety, gives resistance to emotional blackmail and heals emotional abuse, especially when suffered in childhood. It also encourages healthy relationships based on love and not need. Malachite assists in overcoming fear of confrontation, or fear of being seen or noticed, and helps one find the strength within to assume their rightful place in the Universe.
Malachite Chakra Healing and Balancing Energy
With its pure energy rays of green, Malachite is dedicated to the Heart Chakra. Located near the center of the breastbone, it regulates our interaction with the external world and controls what we embrace and what we resist. It gives us the balancing ability to be ourselves within the environment. When the heart chakra is out of balance you may feel either controlling or controlled in a relationship, and become critical of the little foibles of others. You may well find yourself having inappropriately strong emotional responses to everyday external stimuli.
Green crystal energy is used to resolve blockages and to re-balance the heart chakra, helping us understand our own needs and emotions clearly. We can deal with the ebbs and flows of emotional relationships, understand their cyclic nature, and accept the changes.
Malachite is helpful to clear and activate other chakras. Placed on the Third Eye, it activates visualization and psychic vision. Placed on the solar plexus, it facilitates deep emotional healing, releasing negative experiences and old traumas.
Malachite Spiritual Energy
Malachite has the ability to serve different purposes for different people. For those highly evolved and dedicated to humanitarian purposes, it assists in grounding higher energies onto the planet for those purposes. For those in a purification process, Malachite acts as a purger and a mirror to the subconscious, reflecting into the conscious mind that which needs to be cleansed.
This stone is dense and nontransparent, absorbing energy instead of emitting it. Place Malachite stones over areas that are diseased or painful, to draw out the negative energy and surface the causes for it. Because of the absorbing properties, it is important to cleanse the stones after such use.
Malachite can be a powerful ally for those waiting for their reality to change. It reminds us we have come here to co-create with the Universe, and helps in identifying the steps necessary to bring dreams, visions and wishes into physical reality.
Malachite stimulates dreams and brings memories vividly to life. It is also an excellent stone for the re-birthing process, providing easy disposal of opposing encounters.
Malachite Color Energy
Malachite, with its pure Green Ray of Influence, is a “growth crystal” – a powerful conduit of the earth’s Life Force of birth, development, and creation, and of the power of nature’s constant renewal. It is a potent aid in nurturing, whether of fledgling family relationships or a new business venture.
Green talismans are perfect for keeping a venture on course, a project on schedule, and life on track. Lighter Malachite crystals promote spiritual growth and renewed commitment to a higher purpose. Those of a darker hue are talismans of physical growth and strength, and safety in travel.
Meditation with Malachite
Malachite reveals the truth about oneself and brings to the surface that which is unknown or unseen to the conscious mind. When used, worn or meditated upon, it will draw out and reflect whatever is impeding spiritual growth, and is best used in conjunction with meditation to help balance and release the debris that is revealed.
To break negative patterns of behavior, speak your fears and sorrows aloud daily as you hold the crystal, then, leave it in a sheltered place outdoors overnight to carry away the fears.
Some practitioners have used Malachite in meditations to get in touch with the Earth Mother. Holding one and sitting quietly on the ground for a few minutes helps many people to be more aware of the earth as a living organism upon whom we are totally dependent.
Malachite Goddess Crystals
Malachite honors Hathor, the Egyptian Goddess of Joy and Fertility. She is often honored as a special Goddess of Musicians, and as the “Lady of Malachite” she is the patron of Egyptian miners.
Azurite/Malachite honors Isis, the Egyptian Goddess of Life, the most important goddess of Egyptian mythology. She is widely honored as a Goddess that brings the power of the divine feminine. Malachite and azurite bring together the green of the earth and the blue of the sky, as Isis is the daughter of Earth and Sky.
Crystals of green also honor Persephone, the Greek Goddess of Spring. She represents celebration and the Earth alive with new growth.
Malachite – Zodiac Stone of Taurus
Malachite is one of the zodiac stones for those born in the heart of spring, under the sign of Taurus, from 20 April – 20 May. Taureans are known for being “down to Earth,” the doers and the realists. They are affectionate, known for their tempers and very stubborn.
Since Malachite is a stone of fertility, it develops the creative potential of all the signs to varying degrees. Wearing Malachite strengthens the love earthy Taurus feels for the natural world, Scorpio’s animal nature transforms into a productive creative force, and the creativity unleashed in Cancer is spectacular for artists, painters, and musicians.
Malachite Amulets and Talismans
Malachite was considered to be a talisman for children. If a piece of the stone were attached to an infant’s cradle, all evil spirits were held aloof and the child slept soundly and peacefully. In some parts of Germany, Malachite shared with Turquoise the repute of protecting the wearer from danger in falling, and also gave warning of approaching disaster by breaking into pieces.
At one time, the appropriate design to be engraved upon a Malachite was the image of the sun. Such a gem would become a powerful talisman and protected the wearer from enchantments, evil spirits, and from the attacks of venomous creatures. Because of Malachite’s peculiar markings, some of which suggest the form of an eye, Malachite was worn in parts of Italy as an amulet to protect the wearer from the spell of the Evil Eye. Such stones were called “peacock-stones,” from their resemblance in color and markings to the peacock’s tail. The form of these Malachite amulets is usually triangular and mounted in silver.
Malachite is a Guardian Builder Crystal. The Guardian talismans do not reveal their inner strength. These stones rarely, if ever, form transparent crystals. Rather, they hide their strength behind an opaque mask, obscuring the power they possess. In the physical world they are fantastic amulets for protecting your loved ones, your possessions, and your physical security.
Combined with the Earth Power of a Builder, these crystals are perfect aids in building up wealth, or improving our lot in life both materially and spiritually. They help in development efforts, in learning new skills and knowledge, and in building new relationships.
Malachite Feng Shui
Malachite utilizes Wood energy, the energy of growth, expansion, new beginnings, nourishment and health. It enhances vitality, brings abundance, and keeps us growing physically. Use green crystals to enhance any space used for eating, in the room of a small child, or in a place of your home where you are beginning a new project. Wood energy is traditionally associated with the East and Southeast areas of a home or room. It is associated with the Family and Health area, and the Prosperity and Abundance area.
Malachite in Ancient Lore and Legend
Malachite is one of the oldest known stones, used for thousands of years for its healing and transforming properties. In ancient Egypt, Malachite was used by the upper classes as one of their main power stones, serving as a grounding force to help them channel higher energies onto the planet.
The pharaohs often lined the inside of their headdresses with Malachite, believing it helped them rule wisely. It was also pulverized into a fine powder and used as a brilliant eye shadow. This green adornment was not only cosmetic, it was reported to stimulate clear vision and insight.
In Switzerland and in several villages of Savoie in the French Alps, Malachite crosses are thought to bring good luck to pregnant women, and mothers of large families are proud to show their collections of Malachite crosses. Collectors have crosses that date back to the fifteenth century. It was believed that a piece of the stone attached to an infant’s cradle, would keep away all evil spirits and the child would sleep soundly and peacefully. The gemstone was often worn by children as a talisman, protecting them from bad dreams while giving them a greater sense of emotional security.
Malachite is one the stones dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi. The association is so great, that legend claims Malachite, held in the hand or worn as a jewel, will enable one to understand the language of the animals, and if one regularly drinks from a cup made of Malachite, it is possible to communicate with them.