Calcite (KAL-site) is one of the most varied and ubiquitous stones in the world. It comes in a wide array of colors and forms a large variety of crystal shapes. When you see marble or limestone, the primary constituent is calcite.
Calcite is also a constituent in other stones, such as lapis lazuli. Though it can be many colors, it is usually white, especially if it shows up in another stone.
It has a Mohs hardness of 3 and a trigonal crystal structure.
Location: Some common sources of calcite include Canada, the United States, Britain, China, Namibia, Pakistan, Belgium, Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Peru, Brazil, Iceland, and Romania. Many of the finest colored specimens come from Mexico.
Properties: All varieties are excellent for clearing blockages, cleansing energies, and activating energetic movement. The color of the stone engenders additional properties; see the ‘variants’ section below for more information.
Variants:
- Blue Calcite can range from pale to deep blue.
Location: The blue variety of calcite is found in large quantities in Mexico, but the samples with the deepest blue coloration are found in South Africa. It can also be found in India and Brazil.
Properties: Blue calcite is an emotionally soothing stone, dissolving stress. It has the ability to help clear writer’s or artist’s block as it has a strong resonance with one’s mental body. It can help the wearer realize that their thoughts and words, even if unspoken, have an effect on their reality. For similar reasons, it can enhance one’s ability to make affirmations and refocus the mind on positive thoughts. Blue calcite can also potentially facilitate psychic skills such as telepathy and clairvoyance. It may also be helpful for respiratory issues, headaches, and non-inflammatory eye diseases.
Location: Green calcite is mostly found in Mexico.
Properties: Green calcite has a strong effect on the heart; that is, it can clear emotional patterns and old relationship habits, imbues the wearer with a refreshed, renewed sense of vitality, and helps to reconnect them with their sense of purpose. It engenders forgiveness and the release of grudges, as well as making one more open to interacting with strangers – making it potentially useful for overcoming social phobias. Like many green stones, it helps the bearer connect more with nature, particularly the spirits of plants and animals. It may help with clearing plaque or blockages in arteries and fighting infections.
- Honey Calcite is often a transparent or semi-transparent yellow-brown color, resembling honey.
Location: Honey calcite is also largely from Mexico.
Properties: Honey calcite helps with willpower and confidence to take action through overcoming fears. It can be useful in activities that require long periods of focus, such as studying or working long hours. It assists in learning new information and skills as it breaks old habits and patterns. Honey calcite is a useful stone for people who struggle with procrastination. It may be useful in healing trauma from abuse, correcting imbalances in immune, endocrine, and hormonal function, and strengthening the pancreas.
- Orange Calcite ranges from pale to dark orange, and sometimes has white inclusions. The orange may have a yellow or slightly red tone to it. Though it sometimes looks similar to honey calcite, it is generally more opaque, and lacks the brown tone.
Location: Orange calcite can be found in Canada, Brazil, and Peru, with some of the best being found in Mexico.
Properties: Orange calcite helps activate physical and creative energies, helping to overcome periods of lethargy or depression. It can help the wearer reset their sights upon their goals and dreams, and has the potential to aid the person in processing guilt and shame associated with childhood trauma. Honey calcite can act as something of an aphrodisiac due to its tendency to heighten confidence and physical activity. It is also said to be helpful with improving the flow of money in one’s life; it may be useful for balancing metabolic, endocrine and hormonal systems, as well as possibly aiding the function of sexual organs.
- Red Calcite
Location: Red calcite also comes mainly from Mexico.
Properties: Red calcite helps with all issues regarding the perpetuation of physical existence. It can be very helpful for those who face serious challenges around physical intimacy, as well as those who have trouble accepting their physical reality and experiences. Red calcite can guide the bearer to balance out their patterns around commitments; it addresses both the issue of taking on more than they can handle as well as the problem of not following through on what has been promised, making this an excellent stone for improving one’s ability to be true to their word. It may help the endocrine and lymphatic systems and strengthen bones, especially if they have been weakened due to hormonal imbalances.
- Pink Calcite can be opaque and creamy white, or transparent with pale to salmon pink tones. The opaque variety is always found in masses, and the transparent variety forms in rhombohedral crystals. There are sometimes hints of yellow in the transparent variant.
Location: Opaque pink calcite comes almost exclusively from Peru, and transparent pink calcite comes mostly from Mexico.
Properties: Pink calcite provides a calm, supportive, loving energy to the room it is placed in. It facilitates the release of emotions as well as connection to them; this is especially useful for those who have a tendency to intellectualize their feelings. For these reasons, it can also lessen the tendencies towards irrational anger and passive-aggressive behaviors. It may be useful in post-surgery trauma healing, tissue regeneration, heart disease, and circulatory problems. Opaque calcite tends to lean more towards physical issues, while transparent calcite tends to be stronger for emotional concerns.
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