Crystals and Who They Are
Understanding the properties that crystals can provide makes them more than "just rocks".
People tend to be quick to judge when it comes to crystals. There is a very specific impression that people who enjoy crystals tend to give off that, for some reason, people do not take seriously. You would think that the humble nature of those who enjoy crystals would be enough to prove that it is special and a non-issue. But people think it is silly nonsense. It could possibly be nonsense, but if it makes people feel good, then what is wrong with that? There are so many other things in the world that people tend to obsess over that are harmful to their well-being, not crystals. Crystals were a very special start to finding my spiritual self; they do not need to be linked to a religious journey specifically, but they helped me understand my beliefs in life. By helping others see their natural power and how they can link themselves to the universe, I believe it could help them follow the same path I did.
There is a long list of crystals that have many unique traits and properties. Within this post, you will see:
A Brief History of Crystal Healing
Popular Crystals
Crystals You Might Not Have Known About
Honorable Mentions
Ways to Store and Keep Crystals
How to Use Crystals
Summary
A Brief History of Crystal Healing
Modern crystal healing is based on the traditional concepts borrowed from Asian cultures. One specific example is the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) concept of "chi" or "qi", which means life energy. Through TCM, it is believed that by channeling and guiding your inner qi, you can help physically heal any inner ailments that one might be experiencing. Though there is no scientific proof of this, according to Dr. Kevin W Chen, the meditative practices create a sense of comfort and a strong awareness of someone's inner qi. Crystals are a staple of specific meditation strategies and can be used to help gather the energy wanted for that session. Another example that follows a similar structure is from Buddhism and Hinduism with the concept of chakras. There are 7 different chakras, and each is situated in a different area of your body. Starting from the top, there is the Crown (Sahasrara), the third eye (Anja), the throat (Vishuddha), the heart (Anahata), the solar plexus (Manipura), the sacral (Svadhisthana), and the root chakra (Muladhara). You can find the specific properties of each chakra in, The Art of Living: "The Comprehensive Guide to Understanding and Balancing Your 7 Chakras". When balancing a specific chakra, there are specific crystals that represent each chakra and can help strengthen the energy you would like to build and release from there.
Popular Crystals
There are many crystals that pop into someone's head first when the topic is brought up. They are simply the most well known.
If you were to think of a crystal which comes to mind first?
Rose Quartz
Amethyst
Tigers Eye
Lapis Lazuli
Clear Quartz
The options in this poll are most likely the top 5 that people recognize first. Unless you are well-versed in crystals, or you watched all of Steven Universe, these are (what I am guessing) what came to your head.
So you definitely heard of them, but did you know what they specialize in?
Rose Quartz
Rose quartz is that beautiful light pink crystal that many know correlates with love. It can heal your heart and root chakra. Not only is it for unconditional love, but it also helps with beauty, compassion, forgiveness, imagination, calming, and most importantly, self-love. Rose quartz can help awaken a blockage you might be feeling over your heart, and break down any emotional wounds you might have been carrying with you.
According to the Greek hyalos, Linda Mason writes in her blog that it is also called "Pink Quartz" or "Hyaline", meaning glass. It was also referred to in antiquity as a Bohemian or Silesian Ruby.
Zodiac it pairs with: Taurus, Libra, and Cancer.
Amethyst
Amethyst and Rose Quartz to me are the princesses of the crystal kingdom. Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz that gains its color from gamma irradiation and trace amounts of iron, according to the Crystal Council. Most of the world's supply of Amethyst comes from Brazil and Uruguay.
Amethyst has been known to help improve mental clarity and physical energy; it pairs perfectly in meditation sessions. With Amethyst, it awakens a person's intuition by moving it to the front of their mind. It pairs with the crown chakra and the third eye chakra.
More specific properties it works with are breaking addictions, travel, psychic abilities, dreams, clarity, protection, wisdom, and anxiety relief.
Zodiac it aligns with: Virgo, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.
Tigers Eye
Much like the nature of the animal in its name, tigers eye is known for manifesting inner strength and willpower. It is associated with the sacral and solar plexus chakras. According to Rock Paradise, you can find it typically in Australia, Burma, India, Namibia, South Africa, the US, and Brazil.
This healing crystal helps boost inner confidence and pride. With its captivating patterns, it helps manifest the most important traits that we want to see in ourselves. It can ward off the evil spirits that could be trying to drag down the confidence boost you are trying to strengthen.
Zodiac it aligns with: Capricorn and Leo.
Lapis Lazuli
Lapis Lazuli is that stunning blue crystal that tends to attract my eyes every time I see it within a collection. It is typically found in Afghanistan, Russia, Chile, and the US. It is actually a metamorphic rock that is formed from limestone and other materials. The chakras it connects with the best are the third eye and the throat chakra for intuition and communication.
Lapis deepens your wisdom and strengthens your inner being by empowering your spirit. It brings confidence, courage, and good fortune. According to the Sage Goddess, it has been used for thousands of years, and it has been said to enhance intuition, promote spiritual awareness, and aid in meditation. It was highly valued in many different ancient civilizations, such as the Greeks, the Egyptians, and the Mesopotamians.
Zodiac it aligns with: Sagittarius, Libra, Virgo, and Taurus.
Clear Quartz
Clear Quartz is the base crystal for any spiritual work that I do. It is one of the most used healing crystals and is known for its protective and versatile nature. You are bound to find at least 10 different clear quartz crystals in any crystal collector's collection. You can find Clear Quartz in Brazil, the US, Madagascar, and Russia. It is also connected to the crown chakra, acting as a powerful amplifier for all chakras.
As for its healing properties, if it is paired with other crystals, it will amplify their properties as well. It is perfect for cleansing and balancing all of the energy in your body, mind, and spirit. According to The Healing Hedge Witch, it has healing vibrations that support the physical body and aid in detoxifying and strengthening the immune system.
Zodiac it aligns with: Aries, leo, Gemini, and Capricorn.
Crystals You Might Not Have Known About
Now if I tried to list all the unique crystals that might be out of your radar, we would be sitting here all day. So let's go over my top 3 favorites.
Carnelian
I would say that Carnelian is typically amongst the pile of the crystals you know, but you just never knew its name. According to Moonrise Crystals, Carnelian has been a big deal to people since the time of the pharaohs. Today we find it in Botswana, Brazil, and India.
With its vibrant bright orange color, it promotes a happy energy and has a playful side. It attracts prosperity and abundance. I believe it pairs well with Rose Quartz in boosting some romance within your relationships. It aligns with the root, sacral and solar plexus chakra, boosting creativity, motivation, confidence, and fertility.
Zodiac it aligns with: Taurus, Cancer, and Leo.
Dalmation Jasper
Dalmation Jaspers appearance very much resembles the coat of a dalmation dog breed. Much like a dog, this stone promotes a playful energy and helps break down barriers that prevent you from achieving your goals. It has a grounding energy and a sense of stability.
According to The Stone Sanctuary, It is also known as a dalmation stone and can be found in Mexico. The chakras it is associated with are the solar plexus, sacral, and root chakra, helping with your connection to the earth and your emotional harmony.
Zodiac it aligns with: Virgo, Gemini, Sagittarius and Libra.
Smoky Quartz
Smoky quartz and clear quartz are very similar in my mind and both hold a powerful grounding ability. They both have extensive healing properties and promote physical and emotional well-being. According to Tiny Rituals, Smoky acts like a shield against negativity and absorbs stress and harmful energies.
The chakra that Smoky quartz works best alongside is the root chakra because of its anchoring abilities. If you can't get your hands on clear quartz, Smoky quartz is your friend, and it is typically found in Brazil, Madagascar, and the Swiss Alps. But, it can also be found in Scotland, the US, Russia, Australia, and China.
Zodiac it aligns with: Capricorn and Virgo.
Honorable Mentions
This section will break down some of my favorite crystals and stones that you might recognize. I felt they would be left out if I did not include them with this collection of crystal knowledge.
Opalite
Opalite is one of the world's man-made stones, there are some forms of natural opalite, but it is hard to come across. If you were to search, it would be in Brazil, Myanmar, Madagascar, Mexico, Canada, and the US.
The energy that Opalite transmits is a vibration of harmony, higher energy, and personal spiritual growth. According to Designs by Nature Gems, it resonates with the third eye chakra, enhancing your natural intuitive gifts.
Zodiac it aligns with: Cancer, Libra, Pisces, and Aquarius.
and lastly my personal favorite...
Bumblebee Jasper
Bumblebee is another jasper stone that is a rare find. It is a sedimentary rock found in Indonesian Volcanoes, specifically Papandayan, according to the Crystal Council. The chakras that it pairs well with are the solar plexus and the sacral chakra, perfect for creativity, confidence, and willpower.
The properties that Bumblebee Jasper emits are positive vibes, stress relief, social confidence, emotional strength. It has a very happy "buzzing" energy.
Zodiac it aligns with: Leo, Taurus, Cancer, Sagittarius, and Gemini.
Ways to Keep and Store Crystals
Crystals are sensitive just as we are, specifically to things like the sun and water. You want to make sure you do proper research on the Crystal or stone you decide to take home, whether it is raw or smooth. Certain crystals, like Amethyst for example, cannot be in the sun for days at a time because it will lose its recognizable purple hue.
On the other side of the coin, the sun is what can charge and create a strong powerful energy that will release from your crystals. So if you are going to let your crystals "charge" in the sun, be aware of how long they can and should sit in it. This is the same concept when using water to cleanse your crystals, because it can cause the same effect.
Crystals are powerful together and can pull each other's energy to grow stronger, it is important to place them in a dry and happy environment. One special way to display them is on an altar. This involves placing them in a bowl or dish alongside things that matter to you spiritually. Personally I have my crystals alongside dried flowers and candles.
Every crystal has it's own rules, and it would take an entire other blog post to fully describe exactly how to care for each one. The Crystal Council does an amazing job breaking this all down on their blog.
How to Use Crystals
Each crystal has its own specific way it can be used. For the most part, people tend to follow where they should be with your chakras.
For instance, if you were to be using Lapis Lazuli for your meditation practice, it would be best placed in between your eyebrows to line up with your third eye chakra. It will help draw your awareness to that chakra and can help open it with ease. Another example would be how to use Carnelian. If you were to be interested in trying for children and wanted to meditate with the thought of boosting your fertility, it would be best to place the stone just below your belly button to pair with your sacral chakra.
If you find you are not ready to meditate and sit for that long period of time (although it is very good for you in many ways, with or without crystals), you can also just carry or wear your stones or crystals. This means wearing a necklace, bracelet, ring, or any kind of jewelry. You can also just hold the stone in your pocket. A personal favorite way to carry my collection of crystals is with a spiral cage crystal holder that slips onto a necklace or an adjustable hand tied holder. The two can be found in the link below.
Adjustable crystal holder necklace
Spiral Cage Crystal Holder Necklace
Besides wearing your crystals, you can also use them by keeping them alongside your bed or in your bedroom. They should hopefully be spreading energy to you while you sleep, which is why from time to time you should cleanse them to eliminate any bad energy you might have gave them while you were sleeping, i.e. bad dreams.
Summary
Now that we have covered some properties of the crystals you know, and the ones I might have introduced to you, I truly hope it has developed a new understanding in what they can do for you. There may not be a scientific study that proves that their powers are true, but what your brain can manifest within them and your own spirit is real. You are the conductor of the world around you, and if you truly believe in yourself and what they can do for you, you can and will see a difference in your way in life.
The best advice I can give if you do decide to take on healing with crystals, is that when you start your collection, write about it. Log in a notebook what each crystal does for you, this will train your mind to remember the powers you are accumulating in your collection.
Make sure to stage your crystals properly and safely to keep them active and useful for your needs. Cleanse them monthly and research the areas you feel low in your life and which crystals can help lift your spirit.
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A question for you: What crystal is most important to you and why?
