Is Black Tourmaline not working for you? Do you need a stronger crystal for psychic protection or grounding? You’re not alone, here are some good alternatives to Black Tourmaline…
Why Is Black Tourmaline So Popular?
Black Tourmaline is one of the most popular crystals for psychic protection. Many people love it and wear or work with it daily. It is primarily used for protection from negative or unwanted energy. It’s also a good stone for grounding in daily life or spiritual work.
Nearly all the most popular crystal healers, teachers and authors recommend this stone. It has grown in popularity just through the positive benefits people have experienced with it. Because of this, many people will recommend it or gift it to their friends and family.
Because Black Tourmaline is not rare or expensive, this makes it easily accessible for people. It’s usually one of the first crystals in peoples collections. Most people have a piece somewhere.
Black Tourmaline Not Working?
Despite all this, Black Tourmaline is not ideal for everyone. We are all different and there is no one-size-fits-all in modern-day crystal healing. For some, this stone is just not the best for them or their situation. Other people may even have a bad reaction or feel repelled by it. Other times it is just not strong enough for some people.
When I first started working with Black Tourmaline I noticed that the smaller crystals were not very effective for me. I could feel more power in the medium to large pieces, though. That’s good for crystal healing layouts, your home and crystal grids, but not so great if I want to wear it.
Alternatives To Black Tourmaline
Don’t worry if Black Tourmaline is not working for you or someone you know, there are plenty of other options. One of the reasons I wrote Psychic Protection Crystals was because there is a whole wide world of protection stones out there. Not only that but I have found that certain crystals work better for some people and specific needs.
The following information is based on my book, which goes into depth on each stone and creating custom shielding techniques.
Black Tourmaline Not Working? Try these alternatives…
So, what are the alternatives? Below are eight other crystals that I think you should try if black Tourmaline is not working well for you. Read my introduction to each stone and see if it meets your needs. See how you feel holding them or test them out for the day. Discover which one works best for you and your energy.
HEMATITE
I feel this reflective crystal is sometimes overlooked as a protection stone. It is highly effective for shielding your aura from unwanted influences and bad vibes. Not only that, but it’s also a great crystal for grounding. Hematite helps anchor your energy to the Earth’s core.
SMOKY QUARTZ
Another good alternative to Black Tourmaline is good old Smoky Quartz. As well as being a powerful crystal for psychic protection, this form of Quartz is also cleansing. Smoky Quartz is an effective stone for grounding. Your spiritual Guardians (protective guides) also work well through this crystal.
APACHE TEAR
This is a form of Black Obsidian, but it is clear and brown when held to the light. Apache Tear is much more gentle than regular Black Obsidian. As well as being a great all-around protection stone, Apache Tear is particularly helpful for empaths. It shields your emotions from outside negative influences.
RED JASPER
This is another grounding earth element stone. Red Jasper is also protective and helps you strengthen your energetic and personal boundaries. This earthy red stone quickly helps you feel safe and secure. Placed in the home, it protects your space from unwanted or harmful energies.
BLACK OBSIDIAN
This is a very powerful protective stone. Black Obsidian shields from negative energy and helps block psychic attacks. This volcanic black glass repels bad vibes and helps you sever the connection to those that drain your energy (including psychic vampires). Some find this form of Obsidian to be too strong for them so please test it out slowly.
TIGER’S EYE
Golden Tiger’s Eye is protective and gently grounding. This is a good crystal for protection from the evil eye (bad vibes from jealously or hate) and even black magic (harmful spells). Tiger’s Eye strengthens your belief in yourself, helping you be more confident and empowered. It will also strengthen your aura over time.
TIGER’S IRON
This is a combination stone with high amounts of Hematite and layers of Red Jasper and Tiger’s Eye. I find this to be much more grounding than its cousin Tiger’s Eye. It is even stronger for psychic protection, deflecting psychic attacks. Tiger’s Iron, if used regularly, helps strengthen your aura over time.
ALMANDINE GARNET
This form of Garnet is not only energising but also a surprisingly good stone for your protection needs. Almandine Garnet is excellent at deflecting and burning up toxic or harmful energy. It guards against psychic attacks and helps you evade psychic vampires. If you do have a bad experience, it can help replenish your energy afterwards.
Is Black Tourmaline not working or right for you? If so what will you be trying next? Let me know in the comments below (PLEASE keep any questions you have concise and stick to this blog post topic if you want a response).
If you are looking for other information please search my website or visit the Resources page to see if it’s already been covered elsewhere.
With gratitude,
Ethan
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Copyright © Ethan Lazzerini – Not to be used or appear elsewhere without permission from the author Ethan Lazzerini.
I have always been told by my grandfather that hematite is a great Stone to have as well as garnet for protection n as an alternative to black tourmaline. I use a lot of black tourmaline in grids.
Gorgeous article.
For me black tourmaline makes me feel stronger, like I can take on the world. I suspect it is because it is shielding me from the other energy around me and is allowing me to bask in my own energy. It is a very powerful feeling, and I have to be careful or I feel like I can take on anything.
I do often keep black tourmaline to hand which I feel does help however your list above is extremely helpful as it has helped remind me of other crystals for protection. I personally think that hematite is excellent for me it really helps ground me, I wear it all the time. I recently felt drawn to hold smoky quartz this crystal feels like it has a very gentle and supportive energy, I have a piece in my living room and on my bedside table. I agree that black obsidian is very powerful I do still keep a small sphere of it on my bedside table and as I read in your book Crystal Grids Power and also mentioned in your blog I am feeling drawn to spheres as they have a softer energy and this shape being especially good for ones sleeping space. I think that shungite should not be overlooked as the first piece that I invested in certainly made its presence felt but again like with obsidian shungite is a very strong powerful stone it is important to be aware of this.
Thanks for sharing this blog Ethan as ever your guidance is highly informative.
Thank you. Yes there are so many other crystals for protection and grounding out there
Great blog as usual! Yes, I like black tourmaline, but I feel especially drawn to hematite. Perhaps it’s the weighty feel while holding, but it feels like it’s extra grounding to me. The timing of this blog is good for me because I’ve just recently been contemplating which grounding stone to use to adorn a feather smudge wand I’m currently making. I’m using some amethyst beads for purifying but I feel I need a grounding stone as well. Not sure which I should go with since I’ve never made a wand before but I want to use one of these stones listed in the blog. Anyone suggest any type of these stones for this purpose? Smokey quartz maybe? Not sure and input would be appreciated.
Black Tourmaline is my go-to for a number of things: psychic protection, grounding, confidence boosting, aiding restful sleep, even low back pain from nerve damage (because Tourmaline is superb for this anyway). But yes, there are a number of other crystals which can make spectacular substitutes if Black Tourmaline doesn’t prove compatible. One of the others Ethan hasn’t mentioned which I use when my Black Tourmalines need a break – probably because it’s quite expensive – is Black Star Diopside. Also, Amphibole Phantom is good, as are Chiastolite and Topaz.
Love and Light.
Oops. How could I forget: Amethyst, Citrine, Ametrine, Carnelian, Agate, Iron Pyrite, Turquoise (though not for me) and Clear Quartz?
I can’t work with most of the Jaspers (Red Creek, Maligano and Picture Jasper are the only ones so far, though I might give Ocean Jasper a shot sometime), nor Shiva Lingham, though that’s also supposed to be good. I’m not drawn to Tiger Iron.
I *love* Smoky Quartz (you should see my Smoky Faden!), Apache Tears, Tiger’s Eye,
Black Obsidian, Haematite, and of course Black Tourmaline itself. Obsidian, like Black Tourmaline, has been used as a protector etc since antiquity – Amerindian Shamen seem to be very fond of it – and is also excellent for scrying; but I find Smoky Quartz just as magical. I’ve had some of my most memorable dreams, and one which turned out to be a literal prediction of the following day’s events, either about or while cuddling a Smoky, and many of my Record Keepers, including my very first, are Smokies.
Garnet is a wonderful protective stone, and you needn’t limit yourself to Almandine: Grossular is great too, though gentler, and Pyrope, if you can find it – it’s not common, most Red Garnets are a mixture of Pyrope and Almandine – has a very protective Fire energy.
And we mustn’t forget to investigate the other colours of Tourmaline, because Black isn’t the only one that can offer protection. Watermelon Tourmaline, for example, provides a similar yet gentler protective energy, without the confidence boost; Indicolite (blue) brings in the energy of Mother Ocean; Verdelite (green) has a deep connection to Nature and protects through this; Rubellite (pink or, in rare cases, red) is protective of the heart chakra/base chakra and the emotions; Dravite (mostly brown, though some apparently black pieces still qualify as Dravite) is another connector to Mother Earth, with energy of a similar quality to Smoky Quartz; Canary (yellow) enhances personal power; Peach (orange) surrounds us with joy which acts like a protective bubble; Violet, whilst exceptionally rare, is protective against negativity too; Paraibe is as yet unknown (mine has gone on holiday so I can’t ask it, but I suspect it protects through the Mother Ocean connection like Indicolite); Achroite (Clear) protects through irts purity, a bit like Aquamarine does: and Rainbow Tourmaline, if you can get hold of it without bankrupting yourself, does all the above and then some. It can also repair the subtle bodies and aura, and alert its user to imbalances in their chakras.
Love and Light.
I use Black Tourmaline and Selenite (Satin Spar) to grid my apartment, and it seems to work very well. I’ve been using pocket-sized tumbles for this; do you think I should be using larger Black Tourmaline pieces?
If it’s working for you I don’t think you need to worry. You can always upgrade stones to a bigger size at a later date if you want to. It’s also about the mass, if you used lots of smaller crystals to grid a location, it’s like the equivalent of a group of large stones.
I don’t know if this is a response many will connect with. I live in the New England area of the US, where granite is abundant. In my region there are numerous portions of protected land where indigenous people have left signs on the land. My grounding Crystal/mineral is granite. It is abundant here (thank you last glacier that melted here!). There are enormous boulders to throw your arms upon, or that form a natural seat. We are close to the ocean and find granite in sea water, which seems to amplify its power. Sometimes-most times. I believe we can ground ourselves with crystals that make themselves easily available.
Sounds amazing, you are very lucky to have that around you. Yes, granite is a good grounding stone and has cleansing properties too I feel.
I connect with your statements. I’ve lived in northern New England most of my life and when I lived in or traveled to other areas such as the south I always felt a bit “off”, not really feeling grounded as usual. I believe it’s because of all the granite in New England. They don’t call New Hampshire the granite state for nothing ya know! lol Even the well water seems affected by all the granite and quartz. It’s the best water I’ve ever had because of the the cleansing qualities of the stone. I connect with pink granite mostly though; not only do you get the grounding properties, but it also seems to connect to the heart chakra somehow, feeling joyful. Of course it’s not so joyful digging several large boulders out of the garden every spring! lol
west-coast born & raised, we have lots of granite boulders too, many of them as large & even larger than houses, simply amazing. i never really thought of granite as being grounding but thinking on it i have to agree. when i was younger i would climb up on every one i could & just sit or lay on them enjoying the day. one day my brothers & i were using one for a slide, the bottom curved under so there was a drop onto the sand of a few feet. one slide i landed facing the rock & to my surprise i was facing a rather large rattle snake maybe 20 inches from my face, at first i froze then i rolled away as fast as i could. i called up to the boys to not slide down, then we called my dad over who played around with her with a snake pole & never got her to rattle. my dad liked to play with rattlers & i never saw one so calm. was it the calming properties of the granite? all i know is that i was saved from a nasty face bite or two & maybe death as we were about 6 hours from any kinda hospital.
@Jack: yep! Got lots of Granite where I live too (Precambrian mountain range), not to mention the sea. I’ve always loved lying on Granite (with its permission), basking in the Sun and watching/listening to the wind and sea. When we do this, all the elements are present with us and it allows a deep connection to the planet and Mother Nature. And of course – I don’t know if you’re aware of this – boron bearing pegmatites in Granite are the source of Tourmaline.
You’ve hit on a truth more people could do to recognise there: often the most valuable crystals aren’t the rarest, sparkliest or most unusual, but the most commonplace. That’s because the most commonplace crystals and stones are frequently the most helpful. Quartz (a major constituent of Granite) is a good example of the principle: it never ceases to amaze me how much Quartz can do for us, and yet you can pick it up for next to nothing, if not absolutely free!
Love and Light.
I’m intrigued by your Almandine Garnet description & photo. It immediately felt familiar…in a good way. That’s next on my list Ethan. Awesome info, again.
Brightest Blessings, SelinaB
awesome blog ethan! black tourmaline is one of my favorite stones, if i see some i will probably be bringing some home, i collect it like crazy. some other good grounding stones are sapphire, fire agate, labradorite, petrified wood, rhodonite, lava rock, black moonstone, black kyanite, black onyx, jet, unakite, bronzite, bloodstone, carnelian, moss agate and most all the jaspers are great grounding stones. after collecting stones for a year or so i saw that i was really going for the grounding stones but then i realized that the majority of crystals are grounding just by their very nature, some stronger, some milder, some of them more useful for different things. we just need to feel or listen to the stones, the ones that we need will attract us to get them.
Every tourmaline I’ve ever had had mysteriously come up missing. Prior to trying the tourmaline, I was loyal to Tiger’s Eye. I believe I’ll lean on it more again, and possibly try Apache Tears
@Wendy, that’s usually a sign of incompatibility. Crystals can be a little like cats that way: if they don’t wish to be in their current home, they’ll simply leave and find somewhere they do want to be. I’ve never had this happen with Tourmaline (I’ve only had one piece play hide-and-seek with me until I found it and got it to understand the issues it was causing me, hauling heavy furniture around in an attempt to find it when I have a really big problem with my spine), but I have with other kinds of crystal.
If Tiger’s Eye works for you, then yes, stick to that and try Apache Tears and maybe Jasper. You don’t need me to tell you, you could do without the heartache and financial issues involved in having crystals go astray.