Featured Shinyite: Tiger’s Eye
I was first hired by Just Witchy's for a special project involving bagging backflow incense cones. It was the height of the pandemic, and because of transportation and manufacturing issues, nearly everything had to be ordered in large quantities to ensure product was available. Unfortunately, these were not necessarily quantities the customer was going to purchase. Not many customers needed 550 lilac scented backflow cones, thus the need for my special talents.
I love titles, so I created one for myself: Incense Inventory Specialist.
It sounded better than: Backflow Cone Counter.
As time progressed, the owners and managers discovered I had talents beyond counting to five and I was assigned to new and more interesting job duties. One of those duties involved rocks.
(Insert managerial eye roll here 🙄)
I meant Shinyites.
(Oops, put in another eyeroll) 👀
What I really meant to say was some of my new duties involved STONES and CRYSTALS. All of which had distinct characteristics, properties, and were associated with various spiritual meanings. Not to be confused with the gravel delivered to my house when we put in a new driveway, which mostly consists of busted up cement.
Okay, so there was still counting involved in this task, which I was uniquely qualified to do, but there were other aspects of the job that I was quite unprepared to handle. For one thing, I knew next to nothing about rocks, Stones and Crystals. I could barely identify stones. I was pretty sure all the smooth and shiny products I was handling ended in ITE. As far as I was concerned, Blue Shiny-ite was a category. I had a lot to learn, but fortunately, there were folks here to help me and the information was fascinating.
A Stoner was born. (I think one of my bosses just rolled her eyes again)
Perhaps the first stone I was able to readily identify was Tiger’s Eye.
The stone is of brown or golden coloring with dark bands that remind one of polished wood, resembling a tiger (go figure). Polished Tiger’s Eye gives the shiny appearance of being in water. That being said, it is not recommended to be used in water because it has trace elements of certain minerals and rock salt within it that are not water-soluble. Not to worry, it’s not toxic and safe to wear. It’s categorized as a mineral with a chatoyant gemstone and has a Mohs scale hardness of 6.5 to 7. (According to Britannica - Mohs hardness, rough measure of the resistance of a smooth surface to scratching or abrasion, expressed in terms of a scale devised in 1812 by the German mineralogist Friedrich Mohs. The Mohs hardness of a mineral is determined by observing whether its surface is scratched by a substance of known or defined hardness.)
Cool, huh?
Quite pretty and goes with some of my favorite shirts.
Perhaps more interesting for most folks are the metaphysical properties associated with the stone. Tiger’s Eye is said to combine earth energy with light or sun energy, creating an intense stone that's well-grounded. Tiger’s Eye is also believed to enhance psychic and empathic energies, while protecting its wearer with an unblinking eye.
Many people turn to Tiger's Eye to help detox the blood, bring about good luck, and emotional centeredness. The protective energy is believed to help with confidence and courage, especially when taking action. To activate Tiger’s Eye, you merely have to wear it close to the body, which is why it is a popular stone in jewelry. With direct skin contact the stones' vibrations and your own vibrations can sync up. Since it is considered active and energetic, it is not recommended you wear it or keep it near you if you have insomnia.
Want to learn more about this fascinating stone? Visit us in person or online at https://justwitchys.com. Just Witchy's carries a number of books to increase your understanding of this and many other stones and crystals. They also carry a variety of products containing Tiger’s Eye available to pair with your favorite outfits, use in rituals, and adorn your home.
That’s all for now from the Shinyite School of Stones.