Worry Stones, Amulets, & Talismans

When I gave a friend who has health problems one of my two worry stones, I realized I also use stones on my jewelry for that purpose. Worry stones, also known as amulets or talismans, date back to ancient Greece, the bogs of Ireland and North American tribes.

Through acupressure, if you rub the smooth stones in your fingers or palms, it stimulates nerve endings, releases endorphins, and creates a calming effect. The Tibetans rubbed them in between thumb and forefinger while chanting mantras. To the Irish, they provided freedom from worry and good luck. In the 1970s, worry stones because popular to relieve stress and anxiety.

My grandmother Helen’s generation called them worry stones. I don’t remember her talking about the occult or the evil eye, but many believe they work to protect. After my grandma died, my mother gave me her scarab bracelet. I’d rub my fingers over the stones until the sad day I lost it. Forty years ago, I found a gold scarab necklace in a second hand store, and I use it to calm me. My mother often rolled her scarab bracelets back and forth with the fingers of her other hand.

Amulets can be man-made, like a lucky penny or a Saint Christopher medal, or natural, and they are believed to have special powers. A talisman is often an engraved amulet, but it can be anything that makes you feel safe. At the holistic fairs where I have a booth, people flock to buy quartz, crystals, moonstone, onyx and agates from vendors who specialize in them. 

When people I love die, I try not to hoard their belongings, but I save one thing from each person. I hold my grandmother’s scarf up to my nose to feel her presence. I like this tradition, this connection, where some small thing I possess keeps me safe from harm.