Petrified Wood: Characteristics, Advantages and Disadvantages of Petrified Wood

Petrified wood is the wood that has fossilized and turned to stone by the process of permineralization. All of the organic materials within the wood have been replaced with minerals. It still retains the original structure of the stem tissue; it is a three-dimensional representation of the original wood piece. The process of petrifaction occurs when the wood becomes buried under sediment or earth and is preserved because of the lack of oxygen that inhibits aerobic decomposition.

Color Hues of Petrified Wood

Colors range in petrified wood because the mud and water that the wood is in contains elements such as manganese, iron and copper.

• Black – carbon
• Green or blue – cobalt
• Green or blue – chromium
• Green or blue – copper
• Red, brown and yellow – iron oxides
• Pink or orange – manganese
• Blackish or yellow – manganese oxides

Advantages of Petrified Wood

There are many advantages of petrified wood. Some of the benefits are described below.

• Petrified or fossilized wood is believed to be excellent for working with Wood and Earth energies. This is because the wood has naturally turned to stone, therefore merging wood and earth energies.  Wood works well with the root and third eye Chakras that will bring great healing energies to both emotional and physical healing.
• There are many people around the world who look to petrified wood for its ancient energies and the belief that it lends itself to enhance past life work. Petrified wood when used in meditation teaches patience and understanding of how to allow your life to evolve into perfection.
• The grounding energies of petrified wood can encourage a person to live their life as a spiritual being within the Earthly, physical world. The connection with the energies of the Earth helps to bring calmness and peace to those who are using it.
• City dwellers especially can benefit from petrified wood as it keeps the vibrations of nature near to them when they cannot find the serenity within the city. By meditating with petrified wood, you are taken back and connected to a time when your spirit was held by nature and felt secure.

Many people carry petrified wood with them at all times when they feel disconnected from nature. This encourages them to have respect for their environment and to look after it. Simplistic ways of living are encouraged so that they are in harmony with their spirit.

Petrified wood is thought to be an effective healing agent and is especially great when dealing with issues associated with age such as osteoporosis, arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease.

Disadvantages of Petrified Wood

The disadvantages of petrified wood inludes the followings:

• Since the belief that petrified wood helps to bring calmness to a person’s spirit and create a oneness with nature, the main drawback of this belief is that it does not create what the person is expecting. As with any belief, if results are not seen the person may become even more discouraged or despondent.
• The healing properties of petrified wood should be approached with an understanding that like any other holistic element, it may or may not work for that individual.