My sister and I began collecting stones and crystals when we were young girls. My first stone was a lapis lazuli, and my sister's first stone was malachite. They were the two stones we first held, and talked to, and whose vibration we resonated with. Malachite's rich green color felt earthy, homey, protective, but I admit that the name alone, mal- as its prefix, made me imagine its qualities as more sinister in nature. (Cue maniacal laughter and creepy organ.) But the mal comes from the Greek either for soft (malakos), which makes sense with a Moh's hardness of 3.5, or resembling the mallow plant (malache), but with no evil intent.
In the Middle Ages, though, malachite was often used to ward off the evil eye, and used as a stone of protection. As far as 3000 BCE, malachite was used in Egyptian jewelry and for eye shadow, as well as found in Ancient Greek and Roman artifacts. It still is a strong stone for protection. I'm citing Robert Simmons here because this information is straight from Book of Stones. He feels that malachite is one of the strongest stones for protection from negative energies, helping to keep your psychic radar tuned to the right frequencies. So you need to trust your gut when you have some malachite in your auric field. In fact, wear it so you can trust your gut and be able to sense those energies around you that are safe. As Robert Simmons says, you can literally use it as a cloak of invisibility when you are in an emotionally vulnerable place and need to hide from those posing a threat. It also works as a powerful psychic cleanser, drawing out impurities, helping to purify your EMF (electromagnetic field), and recognizing and cutting attachments in your auric field.
Malachite resonates to the heart chakra. Actually, it resonates to the solar plexus as well, making it a beautiful stone to bridge that lower and upper chakra work. The heart work of malachite helps you manifest your dreams into reality. (Another manifester, cool!) When we think of the heart and solar plexus synthesizing energies, we think of our heart's desire, and our strongest will. So, those stones that resonate with both heart and solar plexus help us visualize and achieve our heart, which is truly our soul path and Highest Good.
So, use it to strengthen your will power for things like weight loss, or boundary keeping. It helps you hold that vision you have, to strengthen your will. With its strong, powerful vibration for the heart tied deeply with that will and fire of the solar plexus, it can be impressive for work those trying to figure out their soul path.
Malachite is not for the faint of heart, no pun intended. Judy Hall calls malachite merciless, which made me laugh, because stones just raise that vibration, you become merciless, uncovering those deep desires within you and the things in your life no longer serving you. When I work with people to figure out soul paths and that deep discord that spawns the need for change, we often have this brutally emotional time of uncovering and rooting out the things that no longer serve. Manifesting dreams is not simply dreaming them, saying the affirmations and eh voila, it happens. We make a commitment to uncovering those things that are standing in our way of achieving our goals. Because those higher energies (living our soul path is the highest vibration we can have) need room to come in, your vibration is ascending, you are going to be attracting different things and people, and those habits and people not of a higher vibration fall away, sometimes dramatically, sometimes with difficulty and drama. It can be a painful process. Often, it is simply that place of feeling trapped that really is the trap.
Malachite is an ally, as all stones are, in helping us raise our vibration to a different level, and it is a powerful tool for finding our soul's path. What I mean by that is that when we are dealing with base issues, like safety, security, monetary issues, addictions, etc., those are lower vibrational issues, root + sacral chakra issues, when you use a powerful heart/solar plexus stone, you begin to raise your vibration above the concern, to see it more clearly, more accurately, and give you that last oomph of will to push you into action to change your lot in life. And to change those things that once felt unchangeable. It helps you put cracks in those patterns that feel unbreakable, and truly, it helps you take responsibility for your actions.
Many crystal writers warn against using malachite alone without a crystal healer. I find that soul path work, and intention setting works best with a coach, spiritual counsellor or crystal healer (or therapist/spiritual advisor/sponsor). But it is okay to use this crystal alone. My suggestion is to use it in small doses. Start meditating with malachite for a few minutes a day. Pick three minutes to start. Ask the stone what you need to learn from it, hold it in your non-dominant hand, and then sit in meditation listening for the answer. Yeah, I know, that sounds corny, but that is how we work with stones. Take notes on how you feel. Often, it is the stones that bring something up in us, that nudge us, or make us feel uncomfortable that are the ones that help us the most. They are trying to raise our vibes, and our vibes are very comfortable right where they are, thank you very much. However you use it, in meditation, in sleep/dream work, worn, or in medicine bundles, do not use malachite directly in elixirs or tonics. It cannot be imbibed as it is a toxic stone. It is fine to wear, but not fine to drink.
A close up of the florettes of malachite. Its banding and beauty enhances the draw to work with it.
Personally, I decided to write about malachite this week, because I have been working with malachite on my own healing. I bought a rather large specimen to help heal my Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I wouldn't be much of a crystal healer, if I didn't use stones for my own ailments. Beyond emotional, mental, and spiritual issues, crystals help with physical ailments. Malachite is an anti-inflammatory, and helps draws out impurities. As a crystal healer, I use malachite for people with physical injury as I am doing other crystal work. Malachite helps calm that inflammation and pain. I healed a pulled ligament in my ankle with malachite in two days. (I share this, because I wouldn't have believed it possible.) For my IBS, I lay the stone on my belly for 10-15 minutes every night with a cross of Dravite to help alleviate my pain and other symptoms. It is my third night tonight, and I have to say my physical symptoms have been lessened, not taken away, but lessened. This is intensive work, and I'm grateful for malachite to be on my path with me. And as to the emotional work it is bringing up, I have had some amazing dreams. (Another reputed attribute of malachite, as a dream interpretation aid.) And actually, come to think of it, those dreams are pretty dang clear about what I need to be releasing. Beautiful Malachite.
For Malachite, I love the affirmation of Naisha Ashian in the Book of Stones:
I align my personal will with my understanding of Divine will, and I move forward with clarity and confidence.