Carnelian Healing Properties, Benefits, and Meanings

Carnelian is an energising crystal that boosts confidence and courage. Its orange hues resonate with the Root and Sacral Chakras, as well as the Solar Plexus. This makes it a wonderful crystal for helping you to achieve your creative potential.

In this article, I’ll discuss the healing benefits of carnelian and the zodiac signs it resonates with. I’ll also give you some tips on how to use and care for this vibrant crystal.

Basic Carnelian Meaning, History and Formation

Colour:	Orange, Brownish-Red, Pink, Yellow-Orange
Chakras:	Sacral, Root
Origin:	India, Romania, USA, Uruguay, Peru, UK, Czech Republic, Iceland, Slovakia, Brazil, Madagascar
Zodiac Signs:	Leo, Aries, Cancer
Hardness:	7 (Hard)
Element:	Fire
Planet:	Sun, Mars
Gemstone of the Month:	July
Rarity:	Common
Chemical Formula:	SiO₂

Natural carnelian is found in Brazil, India, Russia, Madagascar, and Uruguay. Madagascar produces the highest quality stones, but carnelian crystals from around the world have the same healing properties. 

Carnelian is an orange variety of the chalcedony quartz family. Most commonly translucent, it sometimes has white, colourless and grey streaks. The orange colour is caused by iron inclusions, which can be enhanced by heating.

As carnelian measures at a relatively hard seven on the Mohs hardness scale, it’s commonly used in jewellery. In fact, it was one of the first stones used for carving.

Types of Carnelian

Carnelian is most commonly orange or red, so these are the colours I’m focusing on in this article.

However, there are several other genuine colours of carnelian, such as pink, brown, or yellow. They each have specific healing properties and associated Chakras.

Note: Chrysoprase is sometimes mistakenly called green carnelian. Blue carnelian is always dyed, so it doesn’t take on the healing properties of the blue ray.

Colour	Associated Chakra	Strength
Red	Root	Energy, Grounding, Stabilising
Orange	Sacral	Creativity, Motivating, Happiness
Yellow *	Sacral, Solar Plexus	Joy, Pleasure, Energy
Pink	Heart, Solar Plexus	Love, Trust, Compassion
Brown	Root, Sacral	Courage, Bravery, Justice
Blue	Root, Sacral	Creativity, Energy, Confidence
Black	Root	Vitality, Security

Carnelian Healing Properties and Benefits

Improved Creativity

Carnelian is an important stone for awakening our inner creative talents. It balances and activates the Sacral Chakra, which is your centre of creativity.

Whether you want to start a new business, stimulate creative ideas, or clear artistic blocks, this Stone of Creativity will help you. 

Greater Courage

Carnelian is a wonderful stone for summoning courage. It’ll give you the confidence to move out of your comfort zone, reach for your goals, and make life-changing decisions.

As a Stone of Courage, carnelian will also reduce fears and help you to stand up for your beliefs.

Motivation and Energy

Carnelian is a Stone for Motivation. If you often lose enthusiasm for a project after the initial burst of motivation, then carnelian is a great stone to add to your collection.

It’s also a powerful crystal for encouraging action. This makes it a useful stone if you often get stuck in the planning stage of a new project.

Which Chakras Are Associated With Carnelian?

Sacral Chakra

Carnelian is one of my favourite crystals for balancing and energising the Sacral Chakra. This is because the Sacral Chakra is your Centre of Creativity, which carnelian strongly resonates with.  

As well as encouraging creativity, carnelian removes blockages from the Sacral Chakra. This cleansing effect increases passion, confidence, and self-belief. 

Root Chakra

Carnelian, particularly in the red hues, is a healing stone for the Root Chakra.

By clearing any energetic blockages from the Root Chakra, carnelian helps you connect to Mother Earth with a grounding energy. This has the effect of making you feel more secure, safe, and present.

An additional benefit of this grounding effect is that carnelian helps you to feel more confident about making life changes. If you’re struggling to make big decisions, then I recommend using the healing properties of carnelian.

Solar Plexus

Although I didn’t include carnelian in my article about crystals for the Solar Plexus, it has a unique energy that has a healing effect on this energy centre.

As the Solar Plexus is known as your internal power house, carnelian can boost your energy and confidence. This makes it a useful stone if you’re feeling tired or unmotivated.

Which Zodiac Signs Are Associated With Carnelian?

Leo

Carnelian is a Leo birth and moon stone, making it one of the best stones for this zodiac sign.

As carnelian resonates with the lower Chakras, it helps boost a Leo’s natural drive to take action. The stone also matches Leo’s confidence and courageous energy, while bringing the Chakras into alignment.

Additionally, carnelian teaches Leos the importance of managing their own power. By remaining centred, you’ll experience the joy of compassion.

Aries

Carnelian is a sun and moon stone for Aries. It’s perfect for matching Aries’ passionate, bold, and ambitious personality.

This stone also has a creative energy that boosts problem solving skills. Aries sometimes suffer from procrastination, so this stone is great for overcoming mental blocks and solving difficult problems.

Cancer

Carnelian might not be the first choice for a crystal for the Cancer Zodiac. But I still think it can provide a range of benefits, as this stone’s warmth and passion aligns with a Cancerian’s caring nature.

It also heals the Sacral and Solar Plexus Chakras, which helps to balance your emotions and boost confidence.

How to Care For Carnelian

Carnelian is a hard mineral, measuring 7 on the Mohs scale. It will scratch crystals that are softer than itself, so keep it wrapped in a soft natural material when it’s not being used.

I like to store my carnelian in a wooden and glass display case. This keeps it safe and free from dust. If you need to wash the crystal to remove dirt or finger marks, use warm soapy water and dry with a soft cloth. 

Carnelian will darken in prolonged periods of heat. In the past, mined stones were left out in direct sunlight to cause them to turn a deep red, so keep this in mind if you use sunlight to charge or cleanse carnelian.

Tip: As with all crystals, do not use chemicals, salt, acids or vinegars to clean carnelian.

Is it Safe to Put Carnelian in Water?

Yes, carnelian is safe to get wet. It measures a seven on the Mohs hardness scale, so it’s a hard crystal that won’t dissolve in water.

With that said, trace elements in a crystal can rust if left in water for a long time, even if the crystal itself is water safe. For this reason, I don’t recommend soaking carnelian for a long period.

It’s also important to keep carnelian away from salt water. Salt can be corrosive and may cause fractures or damage the surface of your crystal. 

How to Cleanse Carnelian

Crystals collect negative energy from people and the environment. So, it’s important to cleanse healing crystals regularly, to ensure they maintain their purest energy. 

Carnelian responds well to a weekly cleansing. As it’s safe in water, my favourite method for cleansing is to use running water.

Here’s how to cleanse carnelian using running water:

1. Decide where you’re going to cleanse your crystal. I find the energy in springs and streams really cleansing. But if you don’t have access to natural water sources, a tap is just as effective.
2. Start with a brief meditation. This helps you to focus on your intention of cleansing your crystal of all negativity. Maintain your focus through the whole cleansing process.
3. Hold the carnelian crystal in the flowing water for 2-5 minutes. The movement of water over the crystal washes away toxic energy, leaving it free from negative influence.
4. Visualise the dense, heavy energy being washed from your crystal. Visualisations are powerful. See the water neutralising the unwanted energies, grounding them back to earth. 
5. Dry your carnelian stone with a soft natural cloth.

If you don’t wish to use running water to cleanse your crystal, here are two other options suitable for carnelian.

• Sunlight. Sunlight is a powerful method for cleansing carnelian. Sit the crystal on the Earth or on a natural material. The midday sun can be a little harsh, so I put them out in the early morning or later afternoon sunshine. Leave it there for an hour.
• Smudging. This is another powerful method for cleansing your crystal of negative energy. There are many things you can use for your smudging, such as dried herbs, incense sticks, wood or smudge sticks. Using a fire proof container, light the herb or stick and let it smoulder. Waft your carnelian crystal through the smoke for 20-30 seconds.

How to Charge Carnelian

A carnelian crystal’s energy may become temporarily depleted, making it less effective for crystal healing. Here’s how you can recharge carnelian and restore its original vibrations:

• Sunlight. As the sun is energising, it’s perfect for cleansing and charging carnelian. Sit the stone on a sunny window sill, or place it directly outside on the earth for an hour. The energy of the sun is more heavily charged during the summer and winter solstices, as well as the spring and autumn equinoxes.
• Sound. Sound vibration is a lovely way to restore carnelian to its natural frequency. You can use bells, tuning forks, singing bowls, or anything else that creates a sound frequency. Play a single note loudly and visualise it charging your crystal. Repeat this as many times as you feel it needs. 
• In the ground. Carnelian enjoys reconnecting with the earth. So, occasionally I’ll charge it by burying it for 24 hours to a week, depending on how my intuition guides me. It’s best to place the crystal in a sealed jar and mark where you have buried it. If you don’t have a garden, it’s just as effective to bury it in the soil around a pot plant. 

Tips for Using Carnelian

• If you wish to keep carnelian’s energy in your auric field, wear a crystal in a ring or bracelet. Pink carnelian is more suited to wear near your Heart Chakra in a pendant.
• Carnelian is a good stone for increasing sexual energy. It also brings warmth, passion and closeness to a relationship. Place carnelian on your Root and Sacral Chakras for 10 minutes before you go to bed, or place a grid under your bed.
• Wear carnelian on your belt, in a waist pack, or carry it in your pocket. This will keep its healing energies close to the Root and Sacral Chakras, and so awaken creative passions.
• The smoothness of a carnelian thumb stone is lovely to rub while meditating. This will help to anchor you in the present. A thumb stone is also great when feeling stressed or needing to boost your creative talents. 
• When meditating, place carnelian on your lower three Chakras. This is a great way to boost your manifesting potential, particularly if you’re looking to make changes in your business or personal life.

Can Carnelian Be Used With Other Crystals?

Carnelian can be combined with any variety of quartz, jasper and chalcedony. This is because they’re all members of the quartz family and share the same chemical formula. 

Aside from these stones, here are a few other crystals that I like to put with carnelian to enhance its healing effect:

• Moldavite. Moldavite is a powerful transformational crystal. Combined with carnelian’s motivational and creative energy, it will accelerate change. I only recommend this powerful combination for experienced crystal healers.
• Orange Calcite. Both orange calcite and carnelian align with the Sacral Chakra. They are also both Stones for Creativity, so the combination can help you reach your full creative potential.
• Ruby. Ruby is an energising stone that helps to recharge your energy levels. It also inspires a passion for life, boosting your confidence and courage. Combined with carnelian’s motivational influence, this stone inspires you to tackle a difficult task.  

Note: If you’d like to learn more about this topic, I’ve written an article about how to combine more than one healing crystal.

How to Tell if Carnelian is Fake

Most carnelian crystals are actually agates that are dyed and heat-treated.

The safest way to buy gemstones is from a reputable dealer, but here are some tips to help you spot fake carnelian:

• Hold the stone up to a light or shine a torch through it. Natural carnelian shows a gentle cloudy distribution of colour, or may have some inclusions within the stone. 
• If the stone is a bright, solid colour then it’s unlikely to be natural carnelian. 
• Most carnelians are translucent, particularly at the edges.
• Carnelian is a fairly dense stone, so its weight should mirror this. If it doesn’t feel solid, it’s unlikely to be carnelian. 
• Carnelian is a slow conductor of heat, so when you hold it in your hand it should stay quite cool.
• If your stone doesn’t look natural then it isn’t!

Summary

Carnelian is a highly creative crystal that’s associated with the Sacral Chakra, Root Chakra and Solar Plexus. By cleansing and energising these lower Chakras, you’ll feel motivated to follow your passions. 

As carnelian is also linked to courage and success, it makes a wonderful crystal for staying on track during a project.

Do you have any questions about carnelian healing properties? Please let me know in the comments section below.