A Witch's Guide to Crystals and Their Meanings, Uses, and Origins

Coral

Scientific Makeup: Calcium carbonate in the form of calcite. Vary in color from bright to dark red, slightly orange-red, pink, and white. Hardness ranges from 2 1/2 - 4.

Environment: Consists of the branching skeletons of animals which live in colonies planted on the seabed at depths varying from tens to hundreds of meters. Common in warmer waters, but can be found in all temperatures.

Found in: The Mediterranean, off the coasts of Japan, China, Indochina, the Philippines, and other areas of the Indian and Pacific oceans. The coasts of South Africa, the Red Sea, and to the east of Australia. 

Name: Latin, derived from the word "corallium".

Magick and Legend: A "feminine" stone. Associated with Venus, the Egyptian goddess, Isis, and water. Oldest known findings of red coral date from the Mesopotamian civilization, i.e. from about 3000 BC. Red coral traditionally used as a protection from the "evil eye" and as a cure for sterility.  One of the Greek names for Coral was Gorgeia, from the tradition that blood dripped from the Head of Medea, which Perseus haddeposited on some branches near the sea-shore; which blood, becoming hard, was taken by the Sea Nymphs, and planted in the sea. Used a protective form of magick for children for hundreds of years. Luck attractor. Used by sailors as a protection against bad weather. Red-orange coral known as one of the four element gemstones of the Pueblo Indians. Considered a representative of the warm energy of the sun. Associated with the southern direction.

Healing: Healing powers most associated with women, young children, and the elderly. Said to increase female fertility and regulate menstruation. Recommended for children teething and to prevent childhood epilepsy. Used as a cure for arthritis in the elderly.