Published September 2016  •  Updated February 2024  •  Read Time: 7 minutes
Bumblebee Jasper is a sedimentary rock that is bright yellow-orange and black.  While many sellers assume the yellow-orange part is sulfur, it’s actually Realgar, a fascinating mineral in its own right.  Bumblebee Jasper is found only in Indonesia and is formed on an active volcano.  It has a happy and empowering energy that helps us to make big changes in our life.  It teases us to strike the word “impossible” from our vocabulary and instead be very curious about what might truly be possible.  When its time to “work the problem” rather than be sad about a problem, Bumblebee Jasper is eager to help you jump into action.

Bumble Bee Jasper

Bumblebee Jasper Meaning

Spiritual Healing Properties

Bumblebee Jasper removes energetic blocks and pulls us into spiritual alignment.  It is a stone for clear-sensing and reveals the purpose of our life and what we need to do in order to best live it.  It show us how our spiritual longings can be used to transform our day-to-day life in positive ways.  Bumblebee Jasper also helps us to embrace our full self, both our Light and Shadow Sides.  It teaches us that our full self is far more interesting and powerful, than any limited concept of self could ever be.  Bumblebee Jasper inspires spiritual abundance and an end to scarcity-thinking.

Metaphysical Properties Bumblee Jasper
Chakra Sacral and Solar Plexus
Element Fire, Earth and Wind
Numerology 8 and 9
Zodiac  Cancer and Leo

Emotional Healing Properties

Bumblebee Jasper is a happy stone of courage.  It releases deep-seated fears with a laugh and helps us to see that the actual truth about ourselves and our situation is far more positive than we’ve been led to believe.  Bumblebee Jasper encourages us to enjoy our life more and to surround ourselves with sweetness and beauty.  Bumblebee Jasper inspires us to be more self-reliant and self-confident, while also being generous with our love and attention.  It helps us to stop worrying about how other people view us and instead concentrate on being our Highest Self.

Mental Healing Properties

Bumblebee Jasper urges us to strike the word “impossible” from our vocabulary.  It stimulates our infinitely-clever mind and makes problem-solving an interesting challenge rather than a dreadful task.  It helps us to pay more attention to details and to think outside of the box about what those details can potentially mean.  Bumblebee Jasper helps us to ignore distracting thoughts/emotions, especially fear of failure.  It helps us to take the initiative and become more empowered in every area of our life.  Rather than waiting for an opportunity to come knocking, Bumblebee Jasper encourages us to actively seek out new adventures.  It promises us that we are perfectly capable of making good choices and living a vibrant and satisfying life.

Physical Healing Properties

Bumblebee Jasper is recommended for anyone who is attempting “impossible” goals, such as losing and keeping off weight or overcoming infertility.  Bumblebee Jasper helps us to explore our options, take our best shot, and stay positive during what may be a long and frustrating journey.  No matter what happens, Bumblebee Jasper helps us to see the silver linings, grow as a person and find more ways to enjoy our real life.  It is an excellent talisman for anyone with allergies, especially seasonal or food allergies, as well as for anyone who is immune-compromised.  It helps us to take sensible action when we can and to gracefully tolerate the moments which can only be endured.  Likewise, Bumblebee Jasper is a useful talisman for anyone with hypoglycemia, diabetes or other blood-sugar related issues, who needs to be extra mindful about daily habits so that the body can maintain its equilibrium.

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Bumblebee Jasper Mineralogy

Where does Bumblebee Jasper come from?

The only known deposits are on Mount Papandayan, an active stratovolcano in West Java, Indonesia.

Mining and Treatments

The only known location for Bumblebee Jasper is found on or near Mount Papandayan, an active volcano in Indonesia.  The deposit(s) are hidden in the jungle and primarily mined using basic hand tools.  At least one of the mines can only be reached by hiking on foot.

All Bumblebee Jaspers are natural, enhanced only through cutting and polishing.

Indonesia Placeholder
Indonesia

The Environmental & Social Impact of Crystals

Your crystals should have a healing energy that is clean, powerful, & makes a positive difference.

Mineral Family

Bumblebee Jasper is not a true Jasper in any sense nor is it a single mineral.  Bumblebee Jasper is a soft and porous sedimentary rock, As an easy way to understand the difference, think of rocks as being like cookies and minerals as being the ingredients which make up those cookies.  Many different minerals are used to create a rock!  Bumblebee Jasper is a rare Limestone, primarily composed of Calcite and Volcanic Ash.  It’s white/gray color is Calcite, the black layers are actually Pyrite and the bright yellow/orange color is Realgar.  Many sellers mistaken report that the yellow/orange color is Sulfur.  While the rock does contain trace elements of Sulfur, the yellow/orange color has been lab-verified as Realgar (Attard and Petrov, 2017).  The same report confirms the presence of Arsenic, but it in minuscule quantities.

Bumblebee Jasper’s energy works well with its family – other sedimentary rocks.  Try it in combination with Dragon’s Blood Jasper, Pipestone, Septarian Nodule, and Stromatolite

Bumblebee Jasper Formation and Crystal Associates

Bumblebee Jasper is formed from a mixture of Indonesian volcano lava and sediment.  They form around fumeroles, cracks in the earth where volcanic steam and gas escapes.  During the rainy season in Indonesia, fumeroles turn into boiling mud pools.

Buddstone’s energy works well with its “friends” – crystal associates formed in the same geological environment.  Try it in combination with Obsidian

Mineralogy Bumblebee Jasper
Rock Type Sedimentary (Limestone)
Major Minerals Calcite, Pyrite, Realgar
Minor Minerals Gypsum, Hematite, Sulfur
Color Yellow/Orange, Black, Gray
Texture Crystalline
Transparency Opaque

History of Bumblebee Jasper

Bumblebee Jasper is a relatively new rock for the metaphysical community and may only be found in the newest lapidaries, texts that describe gemstones and their powers.  It’s name comes from its bold coloring of bright orange/yellow and black stripes, reminiscent of the beloved insect.  Bumblebee Jasper may also form with “eyes” and other striking patterns.  Despite the name, it is not in fact a form of Jasper, but rather a rare form of calcite-rich Limestone.

The earliest references for this unique stone date to the mid-1990s by a company called IndoAgate.  They toured the mining sites in Indonesia and found the stone for sale in small local art and craft markets.  The stone was originally called Batu Badar Blerang, which translates into “Fumerole Jasper”.  The founder of IndoAgate purchased some of the stone, renamed them “Bumblebee Jasper” and introduced it the global community at the Tucson Gem Show.  Because it is both fragile and beautiful, it is sold primarily as a metaphysical mineral.  A rival seller later gave the stone yet another tradename, “Eclipse Jasper,” but most sellers prefer Bumblebee Jasper.

Bumblebee Jasper is formed in fumeroles, which are cracks in the earth’s crust near volcanoes where steam and gas can escape. Some fumeroles only last a few weeks or months, while others persist for decades or even centuries.  The word fumerole comes from the Latin “fumus” meaning “to smoke.”  When fumerorles are exposed to rain, they can become natural hotsprings.  In some cases, the sediment around them liquefies into a “mudpot” and begins to boil.  The most famous fumerole/mudpots are those belonging to the Yellowstone Super Volcano in Yellowstone National Park.  Some of these mudpots are gray mud, but others are quite colorful due to the unique geology of the region and these colorful fumeroles are nicknamed “paintpots.”

Fumeroles can be found on volcanoes around the world.  But the unique combination of geology on Mount Papandayan in West Java, Indonesia is the only location known to produce Bumblebee Jasper.  Mount Papandayan is a stratovolcano with four craters and multiple fumerole fields.  It most recently erupted in 2002.  Bumblebee Jasper is considered one of the “youngest” rocks in the world and new deposits are being formed today.

Fumarole, Bumblebee Jasper

Fumarole, Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, USA

The most striking part of Bumblebee Jasper is the bright orange or yellow sections.  This coloring is from the mineral Realgar, which is a minor ore for arsenic.  It has been used as a poison since ancient times.  King Midas, the mythical king whose touch turned everything to gold, was said to have finally taken his own life.  His suicide was enacted by drinking a red poison called “bull’s blood”, in which Realgar is both the toxin and stains the drink a vivid red.  Realgar was also used as pest-control in the ancient and medieval world, and to make red coloring for ceramics and fireworks.  When found underground, Realgar is a vivid red color.  But when it is exposed to light, it gradually turns yellow and may be called Pararealgar.  Scientifically, Realgar and Pararealgar they are identical, the only difference being just the shade of color.  Bumblebee Jasper captures this process in action, stones with bright orange coloring haven’t been exposed to very much light, while light yellow ones have been soaking up the sun.

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