You see the pretty shinies in healing spas, chic boutiques, and filling the shelves of your friend’s houses. They’re featured on Instagram, for sale on Facebook, and adorning the bodies of celebrities worldwide.
But what exactly is everyone doing with these beautiful little stones?
Crystals, gemstones, and metals are used throughout the holistic community as metaphysical tools to heal the mind, body, and spirit. Each crystal contains its own brand of vibrational energy, which can be tapped into and harnessed to help heal any physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual ailment you may have.
Here are a few of the most popular ways to invite crystal energy into your life:
Crystal Healing – Using crystals and gemstones as a compliment to massage and energy work such as Reiki and EFT can be a powerful way to boost your healing. By laying specific stones on the body and at the chakra points, the stone’s power is infused into your physical, spiritual, and emotional bodies, helping to restore you to wholeness.
Dream Work – Crystals influence your energy while you are awake or asleep! Placing a crystal under your pillow or beneath your bed can help heal you while you sleep, enhance your dreams, and encourage a more restful slumber.
Meditation – One of the best ways to “get to know” your crystal and connect with its healing energy is to sit in meditation with the stone. Meditation quiets the mind and soothes your spirit, which allows the holistic power of the crystal to enter your consciousness and your chakras. There are many different styles of meditation: silent, guided, visualizations, chanting, breath, counting, etc. Find the style that works best for you. A good method is to simply sit with the stone, either in your hand or in your lap, close your eyes, and take a nice deep breath. Sit quietly for as long as you feel you need, breathing at your normal pace. Actively recall why you chose that particular stone, and let its healing energy wash over you.
Pocket Charms and Jewelry – Carrying your stones with you throughout your day is an easy and subtle way to infuse your energy with the vibration of the crystal. Start your day by selecting a stone to carry with you, in your pocket, purse, or even tucked into your bra. An extension of this practice is wear jewelry made from crystals, gemstones, and sympathetic metals such as copper, silver, or gold. Wearing crystals as adornments not only adds a royal edge to your look, but allows you to be aligned with the gemstone’s energy all day long. Choose your stone according to the metaphysical properties you would like to introduce into your aura.
Sacred Space – One of the simplest ways to enrich your life and energy with crystals is to place them around your home and work area. Choosing specific stones and using feng-shui techniques for placement can add beautiful healing energy to your space, making it a sanctuary for all who enter.
(list used courtesy of Kimberly Moore)
How to Cleanse and Charge Your Crystals
Any tools used for spiritual work (crystals, statues, etc) should be cleansed of stagnant and negative energy before they are used, and after a period of heavy use by the practitioner.
Sage is burned in various cultures and spiritualities as “smudge sticks” in order to purify a person, object, or space of negative energy.
To cleanse your crystals, light one end of the sage bundle or wand and then blow it out to produce the purifying smoke. Carry the bundle around (watch for hot ashes) or use a feather or smudge wand to direct the smoke around the crystal for about a minute. When you are done, place the hot end into a ceramic dish, abalone shell, or cauldron to allow it to naturally burn out.
Sometimes you can find sage bundles that include other herbs like lavender or cedarwood to add an extra sparkle to your cleansing routine.
For those with smoke issues, you can use a liquid sage spray to cleanse your crystals. Simply spray the mist lightly over your crystals and allow them to air dry. RED Wholistic offers a beautiful Sage Mist made from white sage, rose water, and blessed water to cleanse crystals; it also works to purify your sacred space and your aura.
Palo Santo wood is also known as “holy wood” and grows in the coastal regions of South America. Many people are finding Palo Santo more appealing than sage due to the healing quality of the smoke. It is intensely fragrant and produces a clearing and elevating smoke that enhances your sacred space and ceremonies. Simply ignite one end of the wood and then blow on the end to light up the ember and produce the smoke. Then allow the smoke to float over your crystals to cleanse them of any negative energy.
For a smoke free Palo Santo option, visit RED Wholistic for an amazing Palo Santo spray, blended with blessed rosewater and high grade Palo Santo essential oil to create the ultimate sacred vibration.
Another simple way to cleanse crystals is to set them in a dish of salt. Salt soaks up negative energies, and cleanses any magickal tool. Place your crystal in a dish and cover the gem entirely with sea salt (you can use table salt in a pinch). Leave the crystal to sit overnight. In the morning, retrieve the crystal from the salt, and dispose of the tainted salt by flushing it down the toilet, or rinsing it down a drain. Your crystal is ready to use!
Water is a universal cleanser, so sitting your crystals in a dish of sea water or salt water is a viable cleansing method. However some crystals are water-soluable, and can become damaged from submersion. Research your crystals before using this method.
Charging your crystals means to fill them with elemental and/or Goddess energy to boost their metaphysical benefits. To charge your crystal, simply set the gemstone out into direct sunlight for an hour or two, or under a full moon. Be cautious – some crystals such as amethyst and citrine can lose their color by being placed in direct sunlight. Research your crystals before using this method.
You can also use other crystals to cleanse and charge your crystal. Selenite and Citrine are examples of crystals that remove negative and stagnant energy from magickal tools and gemstones. Selenite is a crystal that never needs to be cleansed, as it transforms and transmutes negative energy. Simply set your crystal on top of or next to a piece of selenite, and leave overnight.
Recommended Books and Articles for Crystals and Gemstones:
6 Tips for Buying and Choosing Crystals
The Book of Stones, Revised Edition: Who They Are and What They Teach by Robert Simmons
The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall
The Essential Guide to Crystals, Minerals and Stones by Margaret Ann Lembo
The Complete Crystal Handbook by Cassandra Eason