Healing Properties of Apache Tears

[Carol Anne Kincaid~Paradis]

Healing Properties of Apache Tears

Top 3 Benefits of Apache Tears

1. Comforting and gentle support when you are grieving
2. Helps clear stuck energy & patterns from trauma
3. Cleanses the aura of negative energy

Apache Tears can be a comforting, grounding presence in your life as you work through your healing process.

When we experience trauma, our emotions can get stuck or frozen in our bodies. Apache Tears help this frozen river of emotion start to flow again and release locked up grief. They are ideal to carry when you are doing griefwork, trauma recovery, or therapy for old emotional wounds.

Apache tears are gentle. This is essential when the healing work you are doing is in difficult territory such as when healing from violent trauma or child abuse. (See below for the legend of how Apache Tears got their name–they are especially resonate for people healing grief from the suicide of a loved one).

Apache tears also carry the properties of obsidian including protection, purification, and grounding. They gently cleanse the aura of negative vibrations & energy & protect you from picking up more. Because of their nourishing and calm properties, they are the best form of obsidian for those in grief or others who may be feeling fragile.

Having a sense of resource is essential for building the resilience to go deeper into your emotional wounds to clear them. Apache tears give you that gentle support that helps you keep your head above water. Think of them like a lifejacket for the turbulent waters of your inner emotional landscape. If you find yourself overwhelmed with grief, or you are afraid to tap into your grief for fear of being overwhelmed, an Apache tears bracelet or pendant is the perfect companion to help you.

Like all obsidian, they are birthed from inside a volcano and carry the energies of Earth and Fire. With Apache Tears, this Earth energy offers sustenance and connection to the Spirit of the Earth Mother who receives our pain with love.

This Earth connection can be particularly helpful for people who tend to rationalize or detach from their pain or grief by seeking to only “live in the Light” or “think positive”. Apache tears remind us that pain is not any less spiritual, and it’s an inherent part of the human experience.

By touching deep into our sorrow, we renew our connections with all the humans who have grieved before us. We deepen our ability to spiritually surrender and gain a new perspective on what it means to be human. By processing our pain instead of avoiding it, we gain access to a much wider range of internal responses to life and become a better friend to others who are suffering. Ultimately grief can become our greatest spiritual teacher.

Apache Tears Mineral & Gemstone Information

Apache Tears are small chunks of obsidian, around 1/2 to 1 inch across. In color they are brownish black and range from opaque to semi-transparent when polished. Obsidian is a volcanic glass. Unlike most obsidian which tends to be sharp-edged, Apache Tears are usually rounded like a rough pebble. They can be further tumbled to become smooth and incorporated into jewelry.

Their name comes from a legend: a group of 75 Apache warriors were surrounded by the U.S. cavalry at the edge of a cliff in Arizona in the 1870s. They were outnumbered and rather than being killed they leapt or fell to their death. The tears of grief from the women and families of the fallen warriors solidified into the small chunks of stone we call Apache Tears.

On 'National Navajo Code Talkers Day' we celebrate the Native American Navajo Indian soldiers who created an uncrackable code during World War II, thereby contributing to the Allied victory in the Pacific. There is another Native American ritual that I enact each morning that uses some powerful words as well. Before you begin your day, face the sun and say this invocation that was given to us by the Lakota nation: 'Good Morning Great Spirit Sun, send me your power.' Visualize rays of golden power entering through the top of your head and coursing through every cell in your body. Next say, 'Good Morning Great Spirit Sun, take away my pain' while visualizing all negativity and fear leaving your body in a black ball that heads back to the light. Lastly, say: 'Good Morning Great Spirit Sun, see me here below.' With this last invocation you give silent gratitude for a day filled with prosperity and peace.Have a Beautiful Weekend.

Happy Trails...