The Glitterin' Guide To Crystals: How To Use, Which To Choose & The History Of Crystal Healing
*pushes glasses up nose*
A crystal is a solid material that contains repeating, three-dimensional arrangements of atoms, ions or molecules that form a ‘crystal lattice’. They are often identifiable by their flat faces and geometric shapes.
For eons we have been intrigued by sharply cut and brightly coloured semi-precious stones.
Much like the gems we capture in engagement rings or sorry-I-did-my-secretary-it-was-only-twice apology gifts, we have always been affording these sparkling stones purpose.
Ancient Egyptians buried their dead with lapis lazuli in the form of a scarab to protect them in the afterlife.
Western men of the 1960s put quartz in their watches to help them tell the time.
And no beauty guru would dare leave the house without a quick massage from her rose quartz face roller.
(“Use the code THISISPROBABLYTINTEDGLASS at checkout for 40% off.”)
From New Age beliefs to more practical purposes, we have always been drawn to crystals. Some believe they contain mystical powers and healing properties - others think they’re rocks.
But we can all agree on one thing: they so pretty!
And yet, it’s not always as simple as that is it? Whilst many of us - myself included - use crystals to elevate the positive energy in our lives, for some they bring nothing but the negative.
There is a dark, exploitative side of the crystal world. Darker than any obsidian protective amulet.
Today we discuss everything you need to know about crystals: what they are, what they do and how to use ‘em. But first, we need to go all the way back to where the crystal comes from. We need to face a hard (and often invisible) truth.
I’ve always been drawn to rose quartz. It’s my anchor, it’s the beating heart of my crystal collection.
I have smooth rose quartz, I have raw rose quartz and I even had a little one studded on my go-to necklace. But of all the stones in my possession, I can’t distinguish between the ones that were mined by workers given fair wages and safe working conditions, and the ones that would be a prime case study for human rights violations.
The violations associated with mining crystals are part of a larger mineral or metal mining issue. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 7-year-olds can be found working in cobalt and copper mines, looking for the metals that feature in our phones. In Afghanistan, it’s the Taliban that’s profiting from the mining of lapis lazuli.
The cash from crystals is sometimes used to fund conflicts and gang violence and is yet another cog in the criminal underworld.
Some sellers do try to trace back their stocks to ensure they meet the ethical standards of goods promising to provide healing powers, but this isn’t the only issue at stake.
What about the environmental concerns associated with mining?
Crystal mining is on a much smaller scale than metal mining and is more of an ‘afterthought’ to snap up as much cash as possible from the recent surge in demand. But as it occurs at the same time as metal mining, it is thoroughly entrenched with the unsustainability associated with it.
But this isn’t to say every crystal collector is funding evil, underground gangs and groups. Crystal mining is one shard of criminal activity taking place across the world. In fact, everything you own probably can be attributed to similar origins.
I can’t trash talk people that buy from unethical sellers on my laptop - a laptop which which is probably crammed full of minerals and metals that bloodied the hands of innocent children.
But neither should we ignore it altogether.
You can find out more about sourcing ethical crystals from this really interesting blog post I found.
What Are Crystals? And What Is Crystal Healing?
Crystals are a solid material which contains a specific structure of atoms or molecules. They are minerals formed underground which contain 3D repeating patterns.
Their colour, shape and type is affected by the conditions in which they grow.
For example, my dear rose quartz is a mineral composed of silicon dioxide molecules and they form at around 700 degrees celsius. It is formed when magma rises and cools. This causes minerals to bond together - here, silicon has bonded with oxygen. The more the magma cools, the greater the mass of silicon dioxide grows.
It is only when titanium is present that the quartz takes on a pinky, flushed hue. That’s the rose bit.
What makes this a crystal is its repeating structure. And it’s this same structure that some believe invests them with a special type of memory. Memory that can retain and give out energy...
Crystal healing is a pseudoscientific, alternative-medicine practice that claims crystals can help boost positive energy, banish negative energy, release blocked energy, and transform your aura.
There are many different ways to use crystals, all of which aim to bring balance to your life and your mind.
Think of them like tuning forks. They all have unique energy patterns, frequencies, and energy fields and this gives them their associated properties. We have been trying to harness this energy for at least 6000 years.
A Brief History Of Crystal Healing
The use of crystals today doesn’t stray too far from its origins. Crystal healing has been found in our favourite ancient civilisations including ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, ancient Greece and ancient Rome.
It started with more magical uses.
Historians have traced it back to the ancient Sumerians (one of the earliest known civilisations dating back to 4500 BC) who used crystals in their magical formulas. And on Plato’s fictional island of Atlantis (400 BC), they used crystals to read each other's minds, suggesting he took inspiration from their real-life uses.
It’s around the time Plato first mentioned Atlantis that links between crystals and unique properties emerged.
Talismans and amulets containing crystals soon took their first steps into fashion - if something bad happened, a certain stone would be used to counteract the negative effects.
In 3100 BC, Ancient Egyptians matched this aesthetic by making jewelry with the crystals they believed could emit metaphysical properties. They claimed they could provide health and protection - and so one of the civilisation’s most pervasive images was born:
The lapis lazuli scarab.
These glistening blue beetles were buried with their dead to protect them in the afterlife. But the not-so-dead Egyptians were also wearing amulets containing crystals. Crystal shape, inscription, colour and the ritual associated with it provide a specific purpose. These amulets were worn as jewelry.
A few thousand years later, in 1200 BC, the ancient Greeks were starting to take a similar interest in crystals. But they were most obsessed with clear quartz and amethyst.
They believed clear quartz was water that had frozen to the point that it wouldn’t return to its liquid form. And if they wanted to skip out on a hangover, they’d wear amethyst. In fact, in ancient Greek, amethyst actually means ‘not intoxicate’.
The medicinal properties of crystals developed further into the Middle Ages. The powers of precious stones became so essential that the information associated with them was collected in texts called lapidaries (pocket-sized guides to different crystals) which were fiercely popular until the 17th century.
It was only as recently as the 1970s that a resurgence in crystal healing emerged. The New Age movement that spanned Britain, the US and India took on other belief systems to form specific crystal healing practices.
For example, British pagans associated crystals with modern witchcraft whereas Indians associated them with holistic healing.
Crystal use is mainly associated with Western paganism and is rooted in the UK. In fact, our modern practices are typically simplified versions of ancient rituals. Some separate practices then began to incorporate crystals, for example Western astrology associates each star sign with a different crystal.
Native American cultures have also always been associated with crystal healing. Through word of mouth, various traditions have been passed down over the years. Generally, they believe crystals are an entity and therefore they must be respected. In some traditions, they are worn to benefit from healing vibrations - but different crystals used together must never touch.
Today, the New Age movement uses crystals to align the chakras, to help with meditation, as a part of religious rituals or during yoga sessions. But the emphasis, especially in pagan circles, is that you use your crystals as you want.
It’s a practice that is unique to you.
How To Choose A Crystal
Throughout history, different crystals have been associated with different properties. And across borders and over time, the powers have of course varied.
Often, the powers the crystal can provide guides us to the ones we choose, buy and use. But choosing your crystal shouldn’t necessarily follow this pattern.
Sure, if you want to help a physical or emotional ailment, finding a specific crystal with specific properties is useful. But finding a crystal relies on a personal connection.
You should be drawn to your crystals - you should want to touch them, want to hold them, want to be near them. This is why you should avoid buying them online as you need to tap into your higher sense of self, your subconscious to then choose your new stone.
If you’ve decided on a specific type of crystal, there are a few different shapes to choose from:
There’s chunk - rough or raw crystals that haven’t been smoothed or cut into a specific shape.
There’s cut - they are shaped to capture more light which can enhance the energy it contains.
There’s tumbled - they’re smooth and more comfortable to hold.
And there’s wands - they have a point and direct energies in a direction.
Here is a handy list of the most common crystals and the properties they are associated with:
Amethyst = spiritual awareness - tranquility - relieves headaches
Citrine = invites success and money - self esteem boost - good for heart, kidneys, liver and muscles
Clear quartz = healing - can be used for any purpose
Garnet = health - creativity - gets rid of nightmares
Jade = ambition - longevity
Lapis lazuli = focus - meditation - gets rid of sore throats and fever
Moonstone = peace - harmony - good for the digestive system
Obsidian = protection
Opal = amplification - creativity - balance moods
Rose quartz = love - comfort - gets rid of anger
Smoky quartz = survival instinct - focus
Tiger’s eye = stability - personal power
Turquoise = healing - protects the environment - protects against disease
Cleansing And Charging Your Crystal
Now you’ve coughed up for the newest addition to your collection, you’ll need to purify it so you can charge it with your personal energy. This is cleansing a crystal.
Cleansing is essential after purchase as they can travel long distances and be handled by numerous people. They can absorb negativity from other people, so the cleansing removes this bad energy.
Cleansing is pretty simple. The most common ways of doing so include putting it under running water or bathing it in salt water.
WARNING: Some crystals should not make contact with water. They can disintegrate, get damaged, or rust. Find out if your crystal is safe to cleanse with water here.
Natural sunlight and moonlight can both cleanse and charge crystals.
Charging crystals amplifies their powers and prepares them for programming. You can also bury crystals to charge them as this reconnects them with the earth.
Programming typically involves setting your intentions with the crystals in a meditative state, i.e. ‘I charge this crystal with the intention of making me more successful at work’. You could be holding it, you could be sitting near it, you could be breathing on it; it’s all about making a personal connection with the crystal.
Your ritual is your ritual, whatever matches your beliefs and your intuition. Do what feels right.
6 Different Ways To Use Crystals
#1 - Put ‘em under your pillow
Set yourself up for a new day by sleeping near or with your crystals.
Several different crystals have been known to calm nightmares or anxiety, helping you sleep peacefully and boosting your creative imagination.
But just being near fully-charged crystals for a good eight hours can ensure you are surrounded by the positive energies and the vibes you have programmed the crystals with.
#2 - Make a crystal cocktail
Allow me to repeat my warning:
Some crystals should not make contact with water. They can disintegrate, get damaged, or rust.
Recently, it’s become very common to infuse your water with your favourite, cleansed crystal. In fact, some even claim it changes the taste of the water - but this might not be a good thing.
If you’re using a crystal that shouldn’t be submerged, you might be in much closer contact with your crystal than you’d like. And by that I mean you could swallow some of it.
No, mam.
#3 - Open up your third eye
Many practitioners place crystals on or around the body whilst meditating. One of the most popular placements of a crystal is on your ‘third eye’ (the centre of your forehead).
Do this whilst you lay on your back and imagine the energy opening your sixth chakra. Unlock your psychic power and take the moment to relax.
#4 - Create a crystal grid
Amplify your crystals’ energies by creating an even grid. This makes your crystals work together by using ‘sacred geometry’.
(Who knew maths was so mystical?)
First, you have to define the purpose of the grid, such as moving forward from jealousy or finding courage in a tough situation. Then, you have to pick specific crystals to support this energy. Arrange your crystals using your intuition - AKA what feels right to you.
Then, simply leave the grid to do its magic.
#5 - Resurrect your houseplants
Burying your crystals is a go-to cleansing method. But it might serve your plants a purpose, too.
Healing crystals placed in their pot should help save dying plants and give them a boost of growth, too
But if your crystals shouldn’t get wet, you shouldn’t do this. When you water the plant, the crystal could get damaged.
#6 - Predict the future
Crystals can be used for divination in a number of forms.
You could buy a crystal ball or you could take any ‘old clear crystal or dark crystal with a shiny surface to perfect your scrying talents.
Crystal pendants can also be hung from a string to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions posed to it.
What’s your favourite crystal?
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