Gemstone Series: Part 5 THE 10 BEST WAYS TO USE CRYSTALS IN YOUR MAGICAL AND SPIRITUAL WORK

Everything is connected, and everything is energy. Magical and spiritual work involves working within this sea of energy to create harmony and positive change. That’s why crystals – which vibrate with very specific healing and harmonizing frequencies – are an extremely useful (and delightful!) tool.

But how to employ them? In addition to being awake to which crystals naturally call to you, and consulting books about their metaphysical properties (such as Love is in the Earth by Melody or The Essential Guide to Crystals, Minerals, and Stones by Margaret Ann Lembo), here are 10 practical, effective, and fun ways to use crystals in your spiritual and magical work.

1. Keep a crystal with you throughout the day. After choosing a crystal according to the type of healing or vibration-shifting you desire, and cleansing it in cold running water, sea salt, sage smoke, and/or sunlight, hold it in both hands and bring to mind the feelings and conditions you’d like it to help bring into your life. Feel as if they’re already present for you, and inwardly thank the crystal for supporting you in experiencing them. (This is a way of programing the crystal with your intention.) Then keep the crystal in your pocket, or in a pouch around your neck, each day until you feel you’ve adopted its vibration into your energy field. Be sure to cleanse it and re-empower it every few days.

2. Sleep with a crystal at night. My life has changed since I began sleeping with a black tourmaline in my hand. I can literally feel it relaxing me deeply and absorbing/neutralizing any harsh or frenetic energies from wi-fi or electronics, or that I may have picked up during the day. Other crystals that can be cleansing and healing to sleep with include amethyst, spirit quartz, jasper, and selenite (although if a crystal feels powerful to you for the purpose, I would follow that hunch).

3. Place a crystal in a certain area or room. If, for example, you’d love to create a very clear and organized vibe in your office, placing a cleansed fluorite on your desk would be an excellent idea. A citrine quartz in a retail store can help maximize the vibrations of wealth and happiness, and a white quartz can generally cleanse and uplift the vibration in any room or area. An added benefit of crystals used in this way – and another aspect of their power – is their beauty! When placed artfully, they can really enhance the aesthetic of a room.

4. Place a crystal on top of a written intention or list of goals. When you write your intentions or goals in the present tense, as if they’re already true (e.g. “I am vibrantly healthy and strong”), you can cleanse and empower a white quartz point (or another crystal that matches the energy of your goal) in bright sunlight, and then place it on top of the folded intention(s) or goals(s). If you have an altar, it would be a great place for this, or just anywhere where it won’t be disturbed. This way, the crystal acts as a battery and channel to clearly hold that intention and direct it toward its most ideal manifestation in your life.

5. Cleanse your personal energy with a crystal (or crystals). Selenite wands are excellent crystal tools for removing negativity from your personal aura. Think of them like a lint brush that snags challenging patterns or energies, pulls them out of your field, and instantly neutralizes and dissolves them. Simply move the wand around your body, a foot or so away from your skin, as if you are brushing your aura like a linty suit. Another way to cleanse with crystals is to hold a black crystal, such as a tourmaline, obsidian, or smoky quartz, and to consciously direct any harsh, excessive, or unhealthy vibrations into it. Afterwards, set the crystal in the sunlight to evaporate and neutralize what it has absorbed.

6. Put gem elixirs (or crystal essences) in your drinking water. A gem elixir doesn’t contain actual parts of a crystal, but rather the vibration of a crystal, which is preserved in water and something that keeps the vibration viable, such as brandy. When you put a couple of drops in your drinking water regularly, you bring the crystal’s vibration into your own personal vibration, which – while subtle and gradual – can shift things very powerfully. Alaskan Essences is the most popular brand for gem elixirs, and I have had great success with their products. (But if you find another brand that you trust – go for it! Just be sure the product is expertly and safely made.)

7. Make a crystal grid. If you have a number of crystals in your collection, creating a crystal grid can be a very powerful magical act. Like all magic, simply putting in the effort begins to shift vibrations, which reverberate back to you in the form of positive change. But added benefits of creating a crystal grid include the creative aspect, which instantly opens you up to Divine Energy, as well as the vibrational properties of the crystals themselves. The sacred geometry of the mandala (or whatever shape you choose) also adds its considerable power to the mix, and the emanations from a crystal grid in your space can be quite palpable indeed.

8. Use a crystal point as a wand to direct energy. When a crystal is pointed, you can use it like you would use a wand, to direct Divine/Universal energy through your body and out through the wand. To do this, consciously connect with the energy at the core of the earth coming up through your feet and tailbone, as well as the energy of the cosmos coming down through the crown of your head. Hold the crystal in your right hand, and feel this Universal energy flowing through your crown and feet, into your heart, down through your arm, and out through the crystal. You can direct energy in this way to cast a magical circle, to empower an object with magic and positivity, to activate energy, or to send someone healing energy and love.

9. Bury crystals to empower a property or create a protective boundary. To empower a property with positivity and/or to create a protective boundary around a space, bury quartz crystal points at the four corners of the lot. In this case, the bigger the crystal the better. Be sure to cleanse the crystals in bright sunlight first, and to empower them with your intention to increase positivity and create a protective aura around the space. Then bury them, point side up.

10. Use a crystal to heal, open, and/or activate a chakra. If you know that one of your chakras could use some healing, choose a crystal that corresponds with that chakra color: red for the root chakra, orange for the sacral, yellow for the solar plexus, green for the heart, blue or turquoise for the throat, indigo or royal blue for the third eye, and purple, lavender, or white for the crown. Empower the crystal in sunlight, and then simply place the crystal on your body at that chakra point. You can also recline and set the crystal directly on your body at that point. Relax and allow the crystal to affect the desired change.