Opal Meaning: The mirror of mood, and How to Use It
The mirror of mood. Reach for it to feel it all.
Opal is known in the tradition as the mirror of mood. If you want the short answer: reach for it to feel it all.
At a glance
- Colour
- White with rainbow fire
- Hardness
- 5.5 to 6.5 out of 10 — fragile
- Water
- No. It can craze and crack.
- Sunlight
- Heat and dry air crack it.
- Mined in
- Australia, Ethiopia, Mexico
- Chakra
- All chakras
- Element
- Water
- Planet
- Moon, Venus
- Zodiac
- Libra, Scorpio, Cancer
What opal is said to help with
These are the associations the tradition gives it. They are long-standing beliefs rather than proven effects, and they are recorded here because they are genuinely what people come looking for.
- Amplifying whatever you are already feeling — for better or worse
- Creativity and imagination
- Emotional honesty
- Love and passion in the older traditions
The part that is actually true
Opal is up to 20 percent water, held in microscopic silica spheres. The rainbow fire is light bending between those spheres. Australia produces most of the world's opal, much of it from underground towns like Coober Pedy where people live in the mines to escape the heat.
Where opal comes from
Australia, Ethiopia, Mexico.
Looking after it
- Water: No. It can craze and crack.
- Sunlight: Heat and dry air crack it.
Frequently asked
What does opal mean?
Opal is known as the mirror of mood. The tradition associates it with amplifying whatever you are already feeling, creativity and imagination, emotional honesty. These are traditional associations rather than demonstrated effects, and no stone treats an illness.
Can opal go in water?
No. No. It can craze and crack.
What chakra is opal?
The tradition associates opal with the all chakras chakra, the water element, and Moon, Venus. These are traditional correspondences rather than measurable properties.
Where does opal come from?
Australia, Ethiopia, Mexico.
Keep reading
Crystal Meanings: A Simple, Honest Guide to 12 Stones
What each stone means, when to reach for it, and how to look after it. Start here.
Which Crystals Cannot Go in Water? The Simple Rule
The rule is easier than the long lists suggest: if a stone is soft, keep it dry.
Amethyst Meaning: The Calm Stone, and How to Use It
The one most people own, and the one they reach for when their head will not switch off.