Published May 2014  •  Updated February 2024  •  Read Time: 7 minutes
Moss Agate is a beautiful Agate with delicate green dendrites enclosed in colorless translucent silica.  Scientifically, this is actually a Chalcedony, but the name Moss Agate is widely recognized.  Most of the specimens on the market are from India, but it can also be found in central Europe, Uruguay and in the United States.  Moss Agate has a very sensible and practical energy, making it ideal for healers.  It is particularly recommended for pregnancy and labor & delivery to ensure a safe journey for mother and baby.  Moss Agate is also a wonderful addition to gardens, kitchens, and anywhere a witch might cultivate magic.

Moss Agate moss agate meaning

Moss Agate Meaning

Spiritual Healing Properties

Moss Agate brings a spiritual awareness to everyday life. This is a stone which helps us to see the beauty of life and to feel refreshed in our soul. It puts us in touch with our Highest Self, allowing that to guide our actions. When placed in gardens or houseplants, Moss Agate attracts devas and other nature spirits which create a more lush and vibrant environment. Moss Agate is a wonderful manifestation stone and is particularly good for attracting wealth.

Metaphysical Properties Moss Agate
Chakra Root, Sacral, and Heart
Element Earth
Numerology 1 and 7
Zodiac Gemini, Virgo

Emotional Healing Properties

Moss Agate helps us to understand and release wounds from our past and embark on a new life. It radiates a very peaceful energy which can help calm mood swings and show us how to detach ourselves from addictions to emotional drama. Moss Agate is particularly useful for helping us deal with the daily challenges of life and to build and maintain a healthy self-esteem. It gives us the tenacity to survive stressful times and inspires us to be hopeful and determined to improve our future. By connecting us with our Highest Self, we are better equipped to self-sooth and give ourselves the emotional comfort, love and acceptance we sometimes really need. Moss Agate also improves communication skills and improves relationships.

Mental Healing Properties

Moss Agate helps us to see the positive side of things and to resist the urge to sweat the small stuff. There is a “wholesome” quality to Moss Agate which can help us to stay in integrity and to make good decisions that will serve us well in the future. Moss Agate reveals the bigger picture and reminds us to be patient, conscious and wise. This is a particularly good stone for anyone working in agriculture, botany, or environmental studies as it helps us to clearly communicate with plants and understand what is needed to make our world more healthy.

Physical Healing Properties

Moss Agate is recommended for women during pregnancy, labor and postpartum. One of its nicknames is the “midwife’s stone” and like a good midwife, Moss Agate has a calm, sensible and wise energy that can help women feel emotionally steady despite being in a physically stressful time of life. When we are suffering from a cold or flu, Moss Agate’s energy is reminiscent of a nurse or grandmother, reminding us to stay hydrated, drink our soup, and allow our body to rest so it can heal. As a talisman, Moss Agate is good for the lungs, particularly when we are concerned about air quality due to pollution or wildfires. It reminds us to seek out pure air whenever possible and to be conscious of our breath. It also makes a wonderful talisman for anyone suffering from a fungal infection who needs to take practical action to clear it up.

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Moss Agate Mineralogy

Where does Moss Agate come from?

Agates are found all over the world.  The variety called Moss Agate is a type of opaque green Dendritic Agate found mainly in India.  Additional deposits are found in Hungary, Romania, United States, and Uruguay

Mining and Treatments

Moss Agate is mined in it’s primary deposit in association with the igneous rock in which it formed. Agates are common minerals that not valuable enough to be the primary focus of any large-scale mining operation.  It is however commonly mined in tandem with other precious metals and minerals in small-scale and artisanal mines, especially if the stones are particularly colorful or distinctive.  Agates are also found in alluvial deposits, sometimes completely loose loose and already naturally polished in rivers and on beaches.  Agates are usually ball or almond-shaped nodules ranging in size from a fraction of an inch to several yards in diameter.  If the Agate fills the entire hollow space left by the gas bubble, it is called an Agate Almond.  If a hollow remains in the center, it is called an Agate Geode.

Moss Agate Placeholder
Moss Agate

The Environmental & Social Impact of Crystals

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

Mineral Family

Moss Agate is a silicate mineral.  Silicates are minerals which contain the elements Silicon (a light gray shiny metal) and Oxygen (a colorless gas). There are six main groups of Silicate minerals, and these main groups are further subdivided into secondary subdivisions, such as Quartz and Feldspar. Quartz is divided into two main groups, macrocrystalline and microcrystalline.  Macrocrystalline quartz has well-formed crystals that are large enough to be seen by the naked eye, for example, Amethyst or Clear Quartz.  Microcrystalline quartz has crystals so small they can only be seen through a microscope.  These are typically grouped together under the name Chalcedony, or it’s subcategories Agate and Jasper.  Microcrystalline quartz can be colorless or appear in every shade of the rainbow.

Moss Agate’s energy works well with its family – other Agates.  Try it in combination with Apricot AgateBlue Lace AgateBotswana AgateCrazy Lace AgateDendritic Agate, Fire Agate, Gray Agate, Sardonyx, and Tree Agate.

Moss Agate Formation and Crystal Associates

Agates are created after a volcanic explosion has transformed magma and lava into igneous rock. During the cooling down period, various gases form bubbles, which then become hollow spaces in the igneous rock.  Agates are formed long afterwards, when silica-bearing water permeates the rocks and begins to fill the hollow spaces.  Sometimes the hollow fills quickly and the resulting Agate is a solid color or has a random scattering of trace inclusions.  Depending on which inclusions are added, the Agate will take on a variety of different colors, patterns and transparency levels.  In the case of Moss Agate, the organic green dendritic patterns is caused by inclusions of manganese, iron and/or chrome.

Moss Agate’s energy works well with its “friends” – crystal associates formed in the same geological environment.  Try it in combination with Snow Quartz

Moss Agate vs Tree Agate

Moss Agate and Tree Agate are essentially the same mineral, both have a mixture of chalcedony and green dendritic.  The difference is that Moss Agate are often translucent and the green may be interspersed with colorless or pale blue silica.  Tree Agate is always fully opaque and typically white and green.

Mineralogy  Moss Agate
Chemical Formula SiO2
Cleavage None
Color Green dendritic in white/grey matrix
Crystal System Hexagonal/trigonal
Form/Habit Cryptocrystalline
Fracture Conchoidal
Hardness – Mohs Scale 7
Luminescence Green (long wave) / Yellowish-white (short wave)
Luster Vitreous
Mineral Family Tectosilicate
Specific Gravity 2.
Streak White
Transparency Translucent to opaque

History of Moss Agate

Agate has one of the oldest historical traditions of any healing stone. It is included in virtually every known lapidary, texts which describe gemstones and their powers. Archaeological evidence amply shows that Agates have been treasured since the very earliest times. Agates have been found in many Stone Age graves and appear to have been kept either for their beauty or, perhaps, for their energetic power. Early lapidaries, dating as far back as 3000 BCE, referenced seals, rings, beads, and other ornaments which were carved out of Agate. The Sumerians were the first to describe the power of stones, and their texts state that wearing Agate gave a person special favor with the gods.

The name “Agate” was first used by the Greek writer Theophrastus (372-287 BCE). He wrote that all Agates came from a Sicilian river then called the Achates River, and today known as the Dirillo River. Agates are still found along this river today. In the 1st century, Pliny the Elder (23-79 CE) repeated Theophrastus’ claim and further stated that looking at Agate rested the eyes and that sucking on a piece of Agate could quench thirst. As a result of these beliefs, Agate was still being prescribed by druggists for treating eye conditions as recently as the early 20th century.

Dendritic Agate, Moss Agate and Tree Agate are all variations of the same stone.  Moss Agate and Tree Agate have green dendrites, while Dendritic Agate typically has black or brown hues, although other colors are also possible. The word “dendritic” is a scientific term meaning “to branch like trees.”  Moss Agate has wonderful mossy patterns captured in translucent silica.

Moss Agate itself may not have any historical stories or symbols associated with it, but the plant moss which it resembles, has a great deal of symbolic meaning.   Moss is a symbol for luck, money, maternal love, and patience.  In Japan, moss is very important for Shirin Yoku, or “forest bathing” in which people are encouraged to relax in nature, preferably sitting on a mossy surface surrounded by trees, in order to ground down, balance and have time to reflect. Moss also reminds us that even when our background or past lacks stability or strong roots, we can still thrive and create a lush future for ourselves.

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