Peanut Wood Stone: The 'Stone of the Earth'

General Gemstone Details

Petrified wood is basically fossilized wood that has had it's organic matter replaced by agate, bit by bit, as it decomposes.

The wood structure is maintained, but the wood fibers are slowly changed into stone. Sometimes a jasper, quartz, pyrite or even opal can be found fossilized in wood. More often than not its coloring is brown, but it has been found in grey and even green color.

This material comes out of Australia. It is a Petrified Wood with and incredible pattern.

Mohs Hardness of 7 with a trigonal crystal structure.

Petrified wood comes from Argentina, Egypt and the Czech Republic, but the most famous source is of course The Petrified National Forest Park in Arizona. This material is quite heavy and has a Mohs hardness of 7, similar to the agate.

Worm holes in this wood were silicated to create the bright white cylinders. Peanut Wood is found sporadically around Australia and must be collected, not mined.

Peanut Wood is in-fact a “Petrified Wood”. But what is a Petrified Wood? Rather than being a fossil, which is normally created as an impression or a compression of the original living creature or plant, a Petrified Wood is a three dimensional replacement of the original plant. Its name is derived from the Greek word “petro” which translates as “wood turned into stone”. And for once, here is a gemstone creation that is really easy to grasp. Petrified Wood is exactly that, a tree that has over a period of time turned into stone. The original living matter is normally replaced with a silicate such as Quartz.

Peanut Wood however, is not your normal Petrified Wood. Before it became petrified, it was swept into the ocean. The ocean washed and cleaned the wood and turned it into something that would resemble driftwood that you might see on a beach today. In the ocean this driftwood came under attack from shell fish known as Teredo (also known as Shipworm). Just like wood worms, they created little bore holes and tunnels into the wood. As the wood got heavier and heavier as the attacks increased, it was no longer able to float and sank to

the sea bed. Here the bore holes became filled with a lightly-coloured sediment. Over a period of time, the wood became covered with more and more layers of mud and sediment and eventually the petrification process began.

Its name Peanut Wood was given to the gemstone as the lightly coloured boreholes resemble peanuts trapped in a delicious toffee. The gem is discovered in Western Australia near the town of Carnarvon.

The petrification process was believed to have occurred around 120 million years ago. The gem is normally of a Quartz composition making it very durable for setting in jewellery.

It is found along the edges of the Kennedy Ranges about 100 miles inland from the coastal town of Carnarvon, Western Australia. The age is Cretaceous which makes it around 70 million years old.

Metaphysical Meaning :

Petrified wood is a stone that is good for grounding and stabilizing one's emotions. It is particularly useful in calming survival-based fears, as it assists one in accessing their practical side for answers, then offering a feelings of safety and security. It is a stone of business success, and a good stone for general protection.

Can be used to calm down survival based fears, helps to make one feel safe and secure, helps one feel ageless. It also offers "gentle hours in the day", to assist one in keeping pace with the day, keeping the hours from neither hurrying by or moving to slow...you are therefore moving forward in a good and steady way. It helps one feel that all will be right, and to be connected to their spirit in such a way that ones knows that time is not really what it appears, and that there is no such real thing as time...just forever.

During a crisis, a piece of Petrified Wood will give you strength and support, providing insight into cause and effect. You will remember lessons, avoiding repetitive mistakes. Petrified

Wood will help you forget petty worries, so that no thought or action is useless.

Petrified Wood is an excellent gem for leaders. It has endured the ravaging changes of time and become stronger, as will you if you ask for its help in your leadership role.

The 'Stone of the Earth', this stone is very grounding, perfect for use after an especially heightened meditation or after Channeling to keep your feet on the ground.

Peanut Wood can help encourage mental stability, very good for those who are not overly good at making decisions.

This stone can also calm hyperactive children and help calm and balance teenagers who are going through emotional and confusing stages.

Peanut Wood will help one focus at the right times on the more physical and earthy

Instills Strength of Character and helps one live by ones ideals.

It can help encourage mental stability, very good for those who are not overly good at making decisions. Promotes patience.

This stone can also calm hyperactive children and help calm and balance teenagers.

Can also be used by women who are going through menopause to help find stability and understanding

Peanut wood provide support to someone who is in a crisis-period of dis-ease by providing insight into causes and lessons. It is a stone of transformation and assist in achieving higher levels of awakening.

Peanut wood is silicated (or opalised) and can be used to strengthen the back and alignment of the skeletal system.

Magical Properties:

Energy: Receptive

Element: Akasha

Powers: Longevity, past life regression, healing, protection

Petrified wood consists of ancient trees that a millennium ago were covered with mineral rich water; that water slowly dissolved the wood and came to replace it with the different minerals within the water.

Being that it is fossil, it is ruled by Akasha. As well due to its great antiquity, it may be carried or utilized in spells designed to extend a life span or to increase our enjoyment, and evolution within our lives. It is also quite helpful in rites to recall past life incarnations.

Chakra Classification:

Petrified wood provides great energy to the 4th, or Heart Chakra.