Black Tourmaline: Magical Properties, Benefits & Uses

If there’s one crystal every healer and crystal magic practitioner should have, it’s black tourmaline.

While clear quartz is certainly versatile and easily programmable, black tourmaline is the ultimate protection and grounding stone.

About Black Tourmaline

Tourmalines are boron silicate minerals that come in various colors, courtesy of various elements bound up in their structures.

Schorl is the most common type of tourmaline, and also what we think of when we see “black tourmaline.” It gets its color courtesy of sodium and iron.

A black tourmaline crystal isolated on a white background.

Some black tourmaline may also be especially dark specimens of dravite, which ranges from dark yellow to a brownish black courtesy of calcium and magnesium.

See also: Check out Black Tourmaline stones here.

Black Tourmaline Healing Properties & Benefits

Emotionally, black tourmaline is very often used for helping with mood disorders. It has a grounding effect on strong emotions, and can also help “filter out” the energies and emotions of other people.

Physically, tourmaline is said to help with digestive issues, particularly in the colon, and strengthen the immune system.

Since it has a calming, grounding, cleansing effect, many healers use this in conjunction with other stones for a wide range of afflictions. Some say that it can even guard against environmental pollutants.

See also: Check out Black Tourmaline jewelry here.

Black Tourmaline Magical Properties

Black tourmaline is possibly the best stone one can have for grounding, protection, and removing negativity. Grounding is the practice of sending your energy into the Earth, in order to re-balance yourself.

It’s also an often underutilized skill — while it’s one of the first that practitioners of magic learn, and one that they’re encouraged to practice every day, a lot of people either neglect it or forget about it entirely.

What they also forget is that grounding is part of the way you send energy into the physical plane, where results come from.

As far as removing negativity goes, black tourmaline is a fantastic stone for keeping in a common room of a house.

It can absorb the stress from arguments or any weird energies brought in by guests, keeping the home’s vibration smooth and peaceful. Just don’t forget to cleanse it often — this stone can absorb a lot, but even it has its limits.

A macro shot of black tourmaline with magical and metaphysical properties.

For protection, black tourmaline jewelry is wonderful for guarding against energy vampires, psychic attacks, or even just other people’s bad moods.

Again, cleanse it often to keep it in good working order. It’s said to have the ability to reflect any spells used against the wearer, not just negative ones. This is helpful if you think you might be the target of an unwanted admirer’s love spells!

During spellwork, this stone is sometimes used to guard against malevolent entities that might try to sneak in and harm the user.

Black tourmaline is (unsurprisingly) associated with black color magic. This governs binding, banishing, divination, rebirth, and stability.

For people who do chakra work, this stone is most often employed for the root chakra, Muladhara. This energy center governs the physical body and basic needs for survival. When it’s out of balance, this blockage can manifest as fear.

As the first chakra of the body, a blocked root chakra also prevents energy from reaching all of the other energy centers.

Wearing or meditating with black tourmaline near this area will help open and rebalance this chakra, allowing for the easy flow of energy upward to all of the other chakras.

Black Tourmaline History & Folklore

The word “tourmaline” derives from the French “tourmaline,” which comes from the Sinhalese word “stóramalli.” This roughly translates to “carnelian.”

The name “schorl” has been used for black tourmaline for hundreds of years. A German village, known today as Zschorlau, was the site of a tin mine.

In addition to tin, miners discovered large deposits of tourmaline. The gemstone was then named for the village — Schorl.

Similarly, dravite was named for the Drava River, in Slovenia.

It’s said that witches, magicians, shamans, and other magical practitioners or spirit workers used black tourmaline to guard against demons, chthonic spirits, and malevolent beings since ancient times.

How to Cleanse Black Tourmaline

As a cleanser and protector, black tourmaline frequently needs to be cleansed itself. This removes any unwanted energies that the stone may have picked up in the course of its work, and returns it to its energetic baseline. There are multiple ways to accomplish this.

Some methods for cleansing Black Tourmaline include:

  • Energy cleansing. Holding the tourmaline in your non-dominant hand, sweep your dominant hand over it and visualize any unwanted energy brushed away.
  • Burying the stone in soil.
  • Burying the stone in salt.
  • Holding the tourmaline in fresh, running water.
  • Bathing it in an infusion of cleansing herbs.
  • Giving it a “sound bath” with chimes, bells, singing bowls, or music.
  • Placing it with selenite, or another stone that doesn’t require cleansing.
  • Setting it in the sun for a brief period of time.
  • Setting it in the light of a full moon.
  • Burying it in soil.
  • Fumigating it with incense or cleansing herbs.

Getting Started With Black Tourmaline

Considering the role that black tourmaline plays as a cleanser and protector, it’s especially important for you to choose a stone that resonates with you. Don’t pick the first one you see — wait until you’re drawn to one.

If you purchase a black tourmaline online, you may have to go purely by the “vibe” you get while looking at the stone. If you can, buy it in person instead. This will allow you to pick up your tourmaline, hold it, and see what feeling it gives you.

It’s best to do this with your non-dominant hand, sometimes called your “receptive” hand. This one is usually better at picking up energy than your dominant hand (which is better at sending it out).

Hold the tourmaline against your heart, and close your eyes. Do you feel a buzzing, tingling, or pulsing? Is the stone warm or cool? Most importantly, does it feel nice to hold? These will tell you if a specific stone is right for you.

Natural black tourmaline with magical and metaphysical properties.

When you have your tourmaline at home, cleanse it. You can use any method above, and some stones might require a combination of more than one.

Black tourmalines are fantastic at getting rid of negative energy, but, like sponges, need some attention now and then to keep them in working order.

With your stone cleansed, hold it in both hands. Visualize your intention for your black tourmaline. Will it protect you, as a pocket stone? Will you use it to guard your home? Will it be a healing stone, or a magical ally?

Keep your intention in mind as you send energy into the crystal. When you get the sense that it’s full, your tourmaline is ready for use.

To ward your home, place your black tourmaline near your front door. You can also place it in your bedroom for restful, healing sleep, or in a place where you usually have guests to protect you from any energies they bring along with them.

To protect yourself, keep your tourmaline on you. Place it in a pocket, pouch, or wear it as jewelry. For magical protection, place it on your altar while you work.


Black tourmaline is a mysterious, beautiful stone with a long history of use in healing and magic. Keep it near you, cleanse it regularly, and you’ll be free of unwanted negativity.


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