You might call them gems, stones, minerals, or rock—however you refer to them, crystals are powerful tools for healing, manifesting, and divination, coming straight from the core of the Earth.
Crystals and crystal healing have become very popular since the new-age movement of the 1960s, but their healing and divination properties have long been known to the mystics and sages of yore.
According to EnergyMuse, “Many crystals have been nestled deep within the Earth for millions of years. As a result, they hold the imprint of life and the Earth’s evolution within their walls.”
Effectively, crystals are portions of the solidified, crystalized energy of the Earth.
Crystal energy vibrates on a frequency that fixes them in the present, in the now, at all times. When you attune yourself to your crystals, they’ll also ground you at the moment, opening your mind, body, and soul to new perspectives while elevating your unique energy.
Where to Start with Crystal Healing
How to Choose the Right Crystal
There are thousands of types of crystals, and no two are identical. Look in any metaphysical or lapidary shop (online or off), and you’ll see what we mean! Today, crystals are available in their raw/rough form, tumbled/polished, or carved into specific shapes and figures like points, pyramids, spheres, cubes, and hearts.
How you prefer your crystals to look and feel is entirely a matter of your own intention and personal taste.
While we encourage you to research the crystals you’re interested in, it’s usually best to choose your crystals intuitively. Crystals interact with human energy in particular ways; the same crystal can feel vastly different in the hands of different individuals.
Pay attention to each crystal’s weight, its color(s), shape, size, texture, and how it feels in your hand. Regardless of what a specific crystal is supposed to do for you, explains EnergyMuse, “It’s important to focus on aligning your intention with your crystals and developing your own relationship with each stone.”
What Do Crystal Shapes Mean?
- Sphere: the round fullness indicates harmonious energy.
- Point: this can be good for directing energy to a certain place.
- Cube: As its sides are all the same, the cube creates balance.
- Pyramid: its strong base indicates grounding energy with the high point shooting energy upwards.
- Tumbled stones: more mobile; can be worn, carried, or placed along the body as talismans.
Crystals range from very small, inexpensive, and readily available to very large, expensive, and rare. That said, a crystal’s size and rarity do not make it more or less powerful.
For example, a raw Amethyst geode as large as your head does not necessarily make it a better choice for you than a nickel-sized tumbled Green Aventurine stone.
While there are no hard and fast rules for choosing your crystals, listen to your inner voice—your intuition—when making your final decision. Crystal healing requires you to activate all of your physical and mental senses.
Open your eyes, mind, and soul as you search and ask yourself: Which crystals seem to beckon me closer?
Read this next: Your Complete Guide to Crystal Shapes
How & Why Do Crystals Work?
One of the first things people wonder about when it comes to crystal healing is how it works. Like many metaphysical tools—and yet even more aspects of life—the exact science behind how the energy of crystals affects the energy of our bodies is somewhat mysterious.
Some point to the structure of crystals, which feature atoms that form a crystalline pattern, called a lattice. Each crystal’s individual structure contributes to its unique energy, and even the shape of crystals can affect their energetic vibrations.
All matter is made of energy, and we have collectively been growing more interested in how energies affect us recently. You may pick up on the energies of your loved ones or even colleagues, noticing when they seem particularly light or dark, heavy or uplifted.
Crystal healing works similarly, and you may immediately feel the energy of a crystal simply by holding it in your hand.
Every type of crystal has a different energy; part of its healing properties come from this unique energy. The energy of the stone is combined with your energy, introducing certain properties: the elimination of negative energy, the introduction of positive energy, and even the balancing of chakras.
One of the most important aspects of crystal healing is your own intention. We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of what the mind is capable of, but we can easily see the results of intention when exploring such notions as the Law of Attraction. Perhaps one of the greatest contributions to the efficacy of crystal healing is your own belief in the powerful healing properties of crystals. While their energy is palpable, a crystal can do nothing for you unless you believe it can.
How to Cleanse Your Crystals
When you bring a new crystal home, it’s a good idea to clear it of any residual energy it has accumulated to allow the crystal to become attuned with your energy. This is usually done through a meditative state: EnergyMuse explains, “The process of tapping into a crystal’s vibration is similar to how we tap into our own—with stillness.”
There are many different ways to cleanse your crystals.
As for how many times you need to cleanse them, you can cleanse your crystals as frequently as you like.
Many crystal enthusiasts regularly cleanse their crystals on a New Moon or a Full Moon; some don’t cleanse their crystals at all after they’ve brought them home.
Again, it’s best to make these decisions based on how the crystal feels for you on any given day and what you need from the crystal.
How to Use Your Crystals
The truth is, you don’t have to do much actual work when working with crystals. Their presence and energy work well on their own.
There is no wrong way to use your healing crystal! However, you choose to use yours as the method that will work best for you. Just make sure they are cleansed and charged before you work with them.
Here are some ways you could incorporate crystals into your life:
- Carry a crystal in your left pocket to absorb its energy.
- Try infusing your drinking water with the power of your chosen crystal by soaking it for 30 minutes. (Remove before drinking.)
- Meditate surrounded by your crystals or hold one in each hand.
- Place your favorite crystals around your home or office.
- Place on altars, nightstands, or in meaningful places.
- Hold onto or surround yourself with crystals during meditation.
- Incorporate crystals for chakra healing.
No matter how you choose to work with your stones, make sure you feel a sense of connection to yourself and your spirit.
How Do Crystals, the Chakras, & Reiki Relate?
Reiki is an energy healing method that often uses crystals to clear stubborn blockages and facilitate healthy energy flow through the body’s chakra system.
Since each chakra is associated with a particular color and energy, certain crystals are known to have stronger effects on certain chakras.
Here are some of the most powerful crystals for each of the seven chakras:
Root Chakra Crystals
- Shungite
- Smoky Quartz
- Hematite
- Red Jasper
- Black Onyx
Sacral Chakra Crystals
- Carnelian
- Vanadinite
- Tangerine Quartz
- Orange Calcite
- Sunstone
Solar Plexus Chakra Crystals
- Citrine
- Yellow Jasper
- Pyrite
- Golden Tiger’s Eye
Heart Chakra Crystals
- Ruby zoisite
- Unakite
- Rose Quartz
- Rhodonite
- Chrysoprase
- Fuchsite
- Malachite
Throat Chakra Crystals
- Turquoise
- Sodalite
- Blue Apatite
Third-Eye Chakra Crystals
- Amethyst
- Fluorite
- Lapis Lazuli
- Indigo Gabbro
Crown Chakra Crystals
- Lepidolite
- Amethyst
- Clear quartz
- Lemurian quartz
Disclaimer:
No medical claims are made for the crystals on this site, and the information or advice provided is not intended as a substitute for medical treatment. The healing properties are given for guidance only and are primarily based on anecdotal evidence and/or traditional therapeutic use.
The advice provided related to crystals through Astrology Answers is provided solely for informational and educational purposes and not as medical advice. Please seek out a medical professional for medical concerns.