Agate is a variety of silica, belonging to the quartz family, under the chalcedony group. It is not as hard as pure quartz due to the other mineral inclusions in its make-up, and has a hardness of 6.5-7 on the Mohs scale.

Agate is often the mineral forming the outer shell of geodes, but this occurs because of the formation of a cavity within their mass. They are common in volcanic rock all over the world, where they fill veins or cracks in the rock. Currently, Brazil, India, and the United States are the main sources of agate in the world.

Agate usually has striking patterns and coloration, making it a favorite of stone sculptors everywhere and frequently used in crystal beads and other jewelry. However, many of the colored agates being sold nowadays have had their colors artificially enhanced through dyeing, or even replaced altogether. On its own, agate has many uses and is a versatile healing stone.

Agate has a balancing and calming energy, which can stabilize the etheric body/aura. It also has the ability to cleanse and eliminate dark areas in the aura while protecting it from negative energy. This is one of the reasons why agate has a long history of being used in amulets.

Generally, agate can be used to relieve anxiety, improve mental stability, improve absorption of minerals from the diet, strengthen eyesight, ground and regulate sexual energy.

There are many types of agate, each have been used to some degree over the years and determined to have their own unique individual qualities; let us take a look at a few of them.

Blue lace agate

Blue lace agate is a type of agate that has blue/white lacey patterns. This is one of the more popular types of agate around. Spiritually, it helps one to better achieve higher states of spiritual awareness. The energy is gentle and good for having around in case of bone problems like arthritis and fractures, and also disorders pertaining to the physical cellular structure.

Flame agate

There are several types of flame agate but all have the appearance of flames stemming from the base when they are sliced open. Flame agate stimulates the sacral and base chakras while helping to move the Kundalini upwards. It increases physical vitality, strengthens the eyesight, and assists in the healing of burns.

Moss agate

Moss agate is transparent/translucent agate but has greenish colored inclusions of other minerals inside it that resemble moss or vegetation. This type of agate is similar in some respects to phantom quartz with green inclusions. Those inclusions can also be colored other than green.

Moss agate has been used to improve plant growth and enhance gardening. For physical problems, moss agate has been used to improve digestion, heal colds and flu, and hasten toxin removal.

Plume agate

Plume agate is similar to moss agate in having oxide inclusions which resemble plumes of smoke or a myriad of shapes, and can be multicolored. As a result there are many types of plume agate that have been identified, although here we concern ourselves with the general qualities of all plume agates.

Plume agate helps in the dissolving of blockages that impede one’s spiritual growth, and helps with the process of meditation. It can also stimulate good blood circulation throughout the body, and assist with the elimination process.