Agate comes in a huge variety of colors and patterns, many named for plants and animals. These names not only describe the stone’s appearance, they add meaning to the stone’s uses as well. Ancient Greeks called tawny-colored ones “lion skin agates”; these stones had great strength, and could counteract a wide range of poisons, especially scorpion stings. In Hebrew tradition, one could gain courage by plucking a hair from a lion’s mane — but if that seemed a little too ambitious to start out with, you could substitute a lion skin agate instead! On the other hand, ancient writers cautioned against keeping agates with the spotty pattern of hyena fur, claiming those would cause domestic trouble. The green of a tree agate would attract positive attention from the agricultural goddess Ceres; farmers not only wore this stone as an amulet, they’d also tie a piece to the horn of their ox while plowing. Across many cultures and times, we’ve come to see and make use of many connections between plant, animal and mineral kingdoms, as well as connections with eternal realms.
Crystal Healing is not meant to replace conventional medicine, but rather to complement and enhance it. Information within this site is metaphysical in nature and is by no means medical. Crystals should only be used with the understanding that they are not an independent therapy, but rather are just part of a holistic healing approach to wellness.