As Ashley Leavy, founder and educational director of the Love and Light School of Crystal Therapy, tells mindbodygreen, bloodstone has an incredibly rich history, believed to be a stone of healing, protection, divination, and more, by ancient cultures. According to her, an early Roman philosopher named Pliny the Elder (one of the oldest known stone writers) even claimed bloodstone was a stone of invisibility. “Some other ancient sources believed it could control weather and eclipses, and it was also called ‘The Stone of Babylon’ because the ancient Babylonians believed it was so powerful and magical that they used it to make really important artifacts, like seals and amulets,” Leavy notes. Today, bloodstone can be found all around the world, in countries like the U.S., Brazil, India, Australia, Germany, Italy, and South Africa. And according to Leavy, bloodstone can help increase feelings of vitality and vigor, making it great for courage, confidence, and bravery when you’re facing a tough situation. Its energy also supports your intuition, so you can trust that you’re moving ahead in the right direction. Leavy actually recommends hematite in particular, given its similarities to bloodstone and high iron content. “It would pair really well to enhance some of the energetic qualities of bloodstone,” she notes. If you were focusing more on energy and motivation, you might opt for energizing stones like carnelian, such as citrine, carnelian, or tiger’s-eye. And to lean more on bloodstone’s healing qualities, Leavy says, this stone is complemented and balanced well by the lovely green aventurine. Check out our full guide to charging crystals for more methods of charging that you might prefer.