Hematite takes its name from the Greek word haima, meaning blood, for the deep red streak it leaves when scratched and the red powder it yields when ground. The Greek philosopher Theophrastus described and named it around 315 BCE. As the most abundant iron ore on Earth, it has been mined, worn, and ground into pigment across nearly every ancient culture, and its rusty color is what gives the planet Mars its red hue.

Hematite is iron(III) oxide (Fe2O3), the principal ore of iron. It crystallizes in the trigonal system, shows a metallic to submetallic luster, and always leaves a characteristic red to reddish-brown streak. It forms in a wide range of environments, from banded iron formations to volcanic and sedimentary deposits, and occurs in massive, botryoidal, micaceous, and crystalline habits.

Roman soldiers, linking the blood-red streak to Mars, god of war, rubbed powdered hematite on their bodies before battle in the belief it made them invincible., Ground into red ochre, hematite colored prehistoric cave paintings and burial rites for tens of thousands of years, its red dust standing for blood and life., and Ancient Egyptians placed hematite amulets in tombs and, in folk healing tradition, turned to the stone to calm a racing mind and ease everyday tension.

I am rooted and secure. My energy settles down through my body and into the earth, and from that steadiness I meet the day with clear focus and quiet confidence. I set down what is not mine to carry, I forgive my own missteps, and I move forward with a will that is calm, strong, and entirely my own.