WHAT ARE CRYSTALS AND HOW TO USE THEM
What is a Crystal?
Crystals are composed of minute particles called atoms, and on an even smaller scale these atoms are composed of neutrons, protons and electrons. How these combine and react determines how a crystal will form. These reactions create a unique form of matter with specific colour and vibrational qualities. Because crystals are very structured in their makeup, they can hold a pattern or frequency in a very consistent and coherent manner.
Crystal energy works within the law of physics creating a resonant field.
The Law of Resonance
This is a universal law of physics which dictates how energy and matter interacts.
• All forms of matter consist of vibrating waves/particles of energy. Different types of matter vibrate at different frequencies.
• When two vibrating systems come into contact with each other, one of two things will happen:
- If the two vibrating systems are the same, or nearly the same, they will minutely adjust their vibration until they mutually reach a common vibration that creates a third more powerful vibration called a resonant field.
- If one vibration is weaker, it must shift its energy to match that of the stronger vibration, until a resonant field is produced.
Example: When you’re in room with a group of people, all happy and getting along, finding common themes in communication. A resonant field has been established.
A new person enters who has just had a fight with somebody; they are very angry and upset, shouting and yelling. Their field is, at that moment, the stronger field, and most of the time everybody in that room will be in a state of upset and possibly feeling defensive, even though they know this person is not specifically angry at them.
In relation to crystal healing it is the vibrational properties of the crystals that can bring about a resonant healing field. When you move into a state of resonance with a crystal or stone, the corresponding mineral components in your body vibrate at the rate of frequency of that stone’s energy. The major energy centres causing subtle changes in the electrical and magnetic systems of the body pick this up. This shifts biochemical signals being sent, right through to a cellular level. This will help move the body towards a state of improved health and a chance to improve a flow of universal energy.
Our own bodies are effectively liquid crystal with many of our components such as blood and connective tissue having a similar structure as the crystal lattice. Our bodies also contain all the minerals that make up many crystals. This is why crystals and their essences work so well with our bodies. However, crystals have the ability to hold their vibration at a more consistent level, which in turn lets them bring our bodies into resonance with them. Because they have the energy of the earth behind them, they will always be the stronger field.
So you’ve bought your first crystal home, what now?
I would recommend that you only work with one crystal to start with, and later on only work with a maximum of three at any one time.
Cleanse and activate/charge if you feel it is necessary.
Sit quietly, holding your crystal in your non dominant hand.
Close your eyes and take 3 deep breathes, in through your nose and out through your mouth – big belly breathes.
With each breathe allow yourself to relax and let go, becoming aware of your own heartbeat.
In this place of stillness, ask for your crystal to connect with your energy field and allow for information to be shared. It may come to you in feelings, pictures, visions or physical sensations.
Sometimes you may feel nothing except a sense of peace. Please remember there is no right or wrong here. Once you start working with a particular crystal on a regular basis the sensations will be more apparent.
Allow yourself to stay here for a few minutes. If this procedure is new to you then only stay for a short time and each time you repeat this, stay a little longer in this space.
When you feel you have been in this gentle space for long enough, thank your crystal for its gifts that it has shared, and slowly become aware of the room around you. Wriggle your toes and fingers and fully become aware of your body, then slowly open your eyes. When ready write down anything you were aware of, no matter how small or insignificant you may think it was.
Note: who thinks you need to feel a buzzing or vibration? Well a lot of people do and then a lot of people don’t. Please don’t stress if you’re not feeling anything, sometimes
we become so in tune with a crystal that there is no sensation, no difference between the frequencies.
Ways to work with crystals and stones
There are many different ways in which Crystals can be used. This really comes down to personal preference. Some of the more common ways that Crystals are used are as follows:
• Worn on the body (Pendants, Bracelets and Rings) or Close to the body (Key rings or placed in pocket
• Kept under a pillow
• Used in the Bath
• In Meditation Practice
• Placed around the Home or Workplace for space clearing and room cleansing and in combination with Feng Shui principles
• Making Gem Essences and Gem waters
• The Laying on of Stones on the body for Chakra Clearing
• Programming
• In Grids and Mandalas
Worn on the Body or Close to the Body
One way to benefit from the properties of the crystals and stones is to wear them. Often people who have no conscious knowledge of crystal healing will intuitively select crystal jewellery with stones that will have a positive healing effect for them. Choose stones appropriate for the purpose you want but always use your intuition. Crystals worn on or close to the body are often used for healing or protective purposes. These usually do affect the entire body and energy field. The particular location of the stone is also not absolutely critical in most cases. Placing the stone on or near the specific area related to the purpose of treatment is often faster and has a more focused effect; however as in any form of healing, the healing energies will go to where it is intended and to where the healing is needed. You can also direct and focus the energy from the crystal by intention. Sometimes you will feel that a stone needs to be somewhere that has no pocket or practical place to wear jewellery. Little pouches can be pinned inside clothing, or you can use sticking plaster to attach them.
Stones are often worn around the neck and depending on the length of the cord or chain, different chakra points can be affected. Used near the throat, a stone can modify communication skills and artistic expression. Placed close to the Thymus gland will help with the immune system. A stone worn lower down and near to or on the heart, the emotions will be affected and depending on which stones are used can be protective or allow for an opening of the heart to occur. Earrings such as Fluorite or Amethyst can help balance the mind, or tourmaline may help protect your thoughts. Rings can stimulate different meridian systems. Small finger is associated with heart and small intestine meridian, ring finger is associated with triple warmer meridian, middle finger is associated with the circulation sex meridian, index finger is associated with large intestine meridian and thumb is associated with Lung meridian.
Keep in mind when you are specifically working with a crystal to only work with 1 to 3 crystals at any one time. If you’re wearing them for show then you can wear more.
Wearing crystals act as a support system and are best used in conjunction with self- development and stress release techniques. To make permanent changes in your life you need to do some work.
Crystals and stones will often highlight issues that need to be dealt with before you can move forward. With any form of healing there is sometimes pain involved before it is fixed. An example is, say you have a nagging knee problem, there is sometimes an operation involved, and then more pain and physiotherapy until the problem is much better than prior to the operation. Emotional healing is often similar, with issues brought up- close and personal, creating emotional pain that was believed to have been dealt with. Yet there it is, plain as day. Take the opportunity to work with this and see how it may be affecting your life, to then move through it and become free of its limitations.
I never said it was easy, but it is truly rewarding!
Using while sleeping under pillow or next to bed or under bed.
Amethyst can help with insomnia or over an stimulated mind, Jade and Herkimer diamond can help with dreams and remembering them, Black tourmaline and Hematite are helpful for protection and grounding, and Red jasper will promote nurturing and a refreshing sleep. Quartz can sometimes make the mind more active, so if you keep quartz in your bedroom and you’re finding sleep difficult then remove it and see if it makes any difference.
Using crystals in a bath
Crystals can be used in the Bathwater or placed around the edge of the Bath Tub. Bathing cleanses not just the physical body but also cleanses us on all levels of our aura. Placing Crystals in the bath will absorb any negative energy or emotions. In addition the healing energies of the crystal will be directed to where it is intended. Add some essential oils to add another aspect. Use the harder crystals such as the quartz family - Clear Quartz, Rose Quartz, Amethyst, and Citrine. Some of the solid Jaspers such as Red, Ocean and Rainforest. Also some of the glass family such as any of the Obsidians. Avoid striated stones such as Kunzite, Selenite, Topaz, Malachite, Halite and Kyanite. And Hematite will rust. If you want to use the energies of these stones in a bath then make a Gem essence and add 7 drops to your bath.
Meditation
You can meditate with your crystal as we explained in our first lesson to obtain a connection with them and to discover why you’re working with them.
You can also meditate with them to help clear your mind and allow the process of meditation to be more fulfilling.
• Amethyst can help to still the mind
• Fluorite can help focus the mind
• Master crystals can help with communication with your higher self
• Rhodonite can assist with career and lifestyle choices
• Elestial Quartz can help with angelic communication
Place the crystal either in your hand, or gaze at it or you can also work with a mandala or grid to help with mediation.
Placed around the Home or Workplace for space clearing and room cleansing and in combination with Feng Shui principles
Using the principles of Feng Shui you can place stones and crystals around your home, office or a specific room to promote specific energies in your life.
Tips for using crystals in Feng Shui
• Two rose quartz hearts are often placed in the Southwest Feng Shui area of the home to promote happy energy in a love relationship. Often a full bowl of rose quartz or Rhodochrosite crystals is placed in the bedroom as a Feng Shui love cure. Also two Rose Quartz pyramids on the bed posts will bring energy down into the room and promote loving relationships
• If your child has trouble focusing/concentrating and tends to get overexcited, several pieces of Hematite, Shungite or Black Tourmaline will help grounding and centre his or her energy. You can place them either in your child's room, or in the West (Children & Creativity) Feng Shui area of your home. Tumbled Hematite, is also often used in Feng Shui for grounding and centring energy, as well as for protection. Fluorite is good for children who are studying and need to focus. You could place this in the knowledge area of their room. Amethyst will help them rest and sleep, which could be placed in the centre of their room for balance.
• A good Feng Shui use of Black Tourmaline, Obsidian, and Hematite is by the front door to benefit from their protective qualities. You can place several tumbled Hematite’s or Black Tourmaline stones either outside or inside your front door in a visually pleasing way. For example, if you have big pots with plants on both sides of the main door, you can place the stones on top of the soil or at the base of your plant pot
• You can use Blue Kyanite for protection and relaxation/stress relief. You can strengthen the healing energy of Blue Kyanite by using it - be it in jewellery or in decor displays - with a clear quartz crystal.
•To promote balance between all that live in the home you could create a grid in centre, using crystals such as Aquamarine(for calm communication), Rose quartz or Rhodochrosite ( for love and compassion), Red Jasper (nurturing), Aragonite (to balance energy fields and promote emotional healing); just to give you a few ideas.
• Citrine and Jade are some of the classical Feng Shui cures to attract wealth, abundance and balance in your life. Place these in the wealth area of your home or room. The abundant energy of Citrine can be strengthened/multiplied by using Clear Quartz as well as rich fiery/earth stones such as carnelian, jasper and tiger's eye. Citrine is also good for promoting self-esteem, so you could place this in the relationship area (is about relationship with self).
Natural rock crystals are one of the best Feng Shui cures for any home or office. Crystals come in many forms, and some of them, such as the geodes, generators or clusters, truly resemble a work of art. This makes it easier to decorate with crystals when other Feng Shui cures do not seem acceptable for a specific space. Let's look into the most popular crystal formations and their best placement in a home or office. We will start with crystal clusters, as often a cluster brings the most powerful energy to the area where it is placed.
• A crystal cluster is created by many crystal points emerging from one base. Some of the most common, or easiest to find crystal clusters, are the Clear Quartz and the Apophyllite clusters. So, if you have a beautiful crystal cluster and are looking for its best Feng Shui placement to create harmonious energy in your home, consider the following tips.
Because crystals bring strong Earth Feng Shui element energy into any space, it is best to place them in bagua areas that are either governed, or strengthened by the Earth element. For good Feng Shui, place your crystal cluster in one of these areas:
- Centre – Tai chi or balance area
- Northeast – Spiritual growth and knowledge area
- Northwest – Helpful people and travel
- West - creativity and children
- Southwest - Relationships
It is best to avoid placing your crystal cluster right by your bed.
- A crystal ball can be placed in an area that needs more harmony, light and fresh energy. Some common Feng Shui uses of the crystal ball are in the following bagua areas of your home:
- Southwest – Relationships
–Northeast - Spiritual growth and knowledge area
- West - creativity and children
-Centre of Home. - Crystal towers, also called generators, bring strong, grounding Feng Shui energy that is different from the energy of crystal clusters. While crystal clusters spread energy with a dynamic often resembling fireworks - aiming vibrant energy currents in many directions; the crystal generator works in a different manner. A crystal tower will uplift and purify the energy (if its point is not damaged), so you can place it in any area that needs to be re-energized with strong energy. If you place your crystal tower in an area with dense, low energy, be sure to cleanse your crystal often. Along with Clear Quartz Crystal towers, you can also easily find Smoky Quartz, Citrine and Rose Quartz Crystal towers.
Place it in an area that needs a grounding, stable, secure energy.
Having a big heavy tower in the centre or heart of the home is not recommended. It is also best not to have a big crystal generator close to the main door, because you want Chi, or Feng Shui energy, to circulate the whole house rather than get grounded in the main entrance. - Energy wise, the geode has very powerful absorbing, healing and transforming properties. If there is a crystal formation you would want somewhere close to your main door - especially if your house is on a busy street - then a crystal geode is definitely your best bet.
Amethyst geodes are the most popular (and the easiest to find); they come in various sizes, some as tall as humans! To stand close to a big amethyst geode is to be showered in an amazing energy, but even the smallest geodes possess powerful Feng Shui energy.
You can find them in round, oval or vertical shape, and in many sizes. Celestite geodes have amazingly gentle, healing energy. Feng Shui-wise, a small round or oval geode can be an excellent addition to your bedroom or to your child's room.
Making Gem Waters and Essences.
Want to learn more? click here
Using crystals for Chakra balancing
Lying out flat and placing a few well positioned crystals on your body can assist in healing as well.
You can use stones the same colour as the chakras or if you are wanting to work with the physical body work with the lower 3 chakras,
if you want to work with emotional issues place a stone on your heart or throat area, or if your wanting to work with more mental issues place stones on your third eye or crown areas.
Eg if you want to calm the physical body try Rhodochrosite or Amethyst on the stomach area; some grounding in your emotions you could try Black tourmaline on the heart area;
if you need some creative ideas you could try Citrine on the third eye.
Put on relaxtion music or a mediation cd and chill out for 5 to 10 mins or longer if you wish.
For more on chakras see Chakras or Crystals for Chakras
Programming crystals
Grids and Mandalas
Grids and Mandalas are similar although grids are often used with just crystals while mandalas might have additional elements such as statues, flowers or offerings, similar to an alter or sacred space.
Grids could sometimes be considered a kind of mandala although mandalas can be far more complex than most grids. Mandalas are often used for personal meditation. The placement of the stones is usually done in focused meditation for both grids and mandala . Mandala are usually gazed at and meditated with. Both grids and mandala are often created with intention and then left to continue the work of transmitting energy for a particular purpose.
Disclaimer – the writer does not dispense medical advice, or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical or medical problems. The information is not intended to replace medical, psychological or other professional services. The information included is based on the writers own personal research and experience. The intent is to only offer information in a general nature to assist you on your own journey for emotional and spiritual wellbeing. The writer may not be held responsible for any action or claim resulting from the use of any information in the article.
