We are living in an age where more and more people are exploring the possibilities of alternative and complimentary medicine. One such natural alternative is crystal healing.
What is a Crystal?
Crystals and minerals are formed by geological processes, often quite violent in nature such as extreme compression, earthquakes and volcanoes. Their composition is that of a solidified chemical and their atomic structure exhibits a very high regularity or repeating pattern.
Crystals are known to emanate energies and it is the harnessing of this which led to the use of quartz crystals in clocks, radar equipment and radios. The quartz doesn’t power the mechanisms. Rather, it is used to regulate and add precision due to the very precise frequency with which it vibrates.
There is a bewildering array of crystals to choose from, suppliers and sellers in their numbers and enough literature on the subject to fill a library.
So where should a novice start?
There are some choices of crystals that are particularly suited to the beginner because their healing energies are easier to ‘tap into’ than other stones.
The subject of using crystals for healing, magic and protection is far too vast to be covered in any depth quickly and easily. The aim here is to offer a few tips for beginners which will allow you to get started and explore the subject further.
Tips On Buying Your First Crystal
As with practically everything else these days the Internet has a huge choice of crystal suppliers, many of them highly reputable.
I personally don’t choose to obtain my crystals in this way as, for me, being able to feel and handle them is a vital part of my selection process. If the Internet is your only option then ensure that the supplier allows you to return any crystal that you find is inappropriate.
Look for crystals without chips or cracks.
Many suppliers will dye their stones to make them more vibrant in color and to be more attractive to buyers. This doesn’t necessarily affect the crystal’s healing ability but I personally avoid these stones.
There is something about falsely enhanced stones that speaks of human arrogance and misdirection. It is all that I am trying to release myself from in turning to natural sources. You may feel otherwise.
If you feel particularly drawn to one stone then pick it up and see what it feels like in your hand.
If a crystal feels really warm, sticks to your hand or makes your skin tingle, throb or prickle then this is the stone for you. However, should none of these occur but something makes you really want the stone then have it. Trust your intuition.
The first few crystals
Depending on your supplier and the types of crystals you want, getting a crystal collection together can get very expensive.
It is therefore a good idea when starting out to have a few stones that are multi-purpose – think of them as all rounders.
Here is a list of recommended stones for beginners.
1. Amethyst
This beautiful purple healing stone is one of the most common and therefore easily obtained. Even quite large chunks can be very cheap.
Amethyst can work on many levels – calming the mind, offering protection, lending powerful healing properties, offering focus and direction, dispelling anger and anxiety, strengthening the immune system, giving pain relief for physical and emotional problems and the list goes on.
2. Rose Quartz
Rose Quartz is another common and cheap crystal healing stone for the beginner.
All spiritual journeys must start with learning self love and acceptance and this is an excellent stone for helping you achieve that.
Self-love is not, as many think, about choosing to be selfish and self obsessed. It is about accepting and making the most of all that you are: recognizing the beauty that lies within and acknowledging the shadow parts. Only then can you truly give to others.
Rose quartz is the stone of unconditional love, drawing off negative energies and replacing them with positive ones. There is no better emotional healer than Rose Quartz.
3. Clear Quartz
Completing the trilogy of 3 cheap and easily obtainable stones is Clear Quartz.
It is a master healer and can be used in the healing of any condition.
Clear Quartz, Amethyst and Rose Quartz are such all rounders between them that, even if you should never get another stone, you will have a powerful and adaptable collection right there.
4. Pietersite
A wonderful stone when you are just starting out as it is gentle and welcoming and allows even the inexperienced to tap into its gifts.
Just holding Pietersite in your hand can suddenly flood you with joy and calm. An excellent stone for those needing a pick-me-up or energy boost.
5. Rainbow Selection
It is always a good idea for the beginner to have one of each of the following colors of healing stone: red/brown, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet/purple, clear.
These colors correspond to each of the chakras. As it is so often imbalances within our chakras that cause emotional and physical problems then a crystal healing stone that stimulates each of them is a good starting point.
a. Red/brown stones (base chakra) – Carnelian, Tiger’s Eye, Jasper, Red Calcite, Garnet, Ruby, Smokey Quartz.
b. Orange stones (sacral chakra) – Rhodochrosite, Fire Opal, Orange Jade, Amber.
c. Yellow stones (solar plexus chakra) – Citrine, Sunstone, Golden Topaz, Jasper.
d. Green stones (heart chakra) – Jade, Moss Agate, Green Tourmaline, Malachite.
e. Blue stones (throat chakra) – Pietersite, Larimar, Chrysocolla, Blue Lace Agate, Sodalite.
f. Purple stones (third eye) – Amethyst, Ametrine, Fluorite.
g. Purple/clear stones (crown chakra) – Clear Quartz, Herkimer Diamond, Calcite, Rutilated Quartz, Selenite.
Cleansing And Attuning Crystals
You will need to learn how to cleanse and ‘program’ your crystals.
They can become bogged down with subtle energies drawn from people or the environment which will cloak their healing powers.
Cleansing crystals is not difficult but should be done every time you use them. There are a few stones that never require cleansing and can be excellent for the beginner for this reason – Citrine and Kyanite are two such stones.
Dedicating your crystals to the purpose you require them for is also important.
Crystals will affect the environment they are placed in, even if only on a very subtle level. Place them around your rooms or alternatively put them under your pillow or wear them. You do not have to buy crystal jewelry specifically but can just carry your stones in a pocket.
As a beginner you are bound to feel extremely bogged down at times but the benefits gained from crystals, as an aid to healing on all levels, really are enormous and worth the effort it will take initially.
If you really do feel totally lost then find a store that is dedicated to selling crystals and go and ask for some help. The people who run these stores are often extremely knowledgeable and extremely gifted healers and will be more than happy to guide a beginner looking to choose his first crystals.
Does Crystal Healing Work?
Many millions of people worldwide who have discovered the benefits of crystal healing would shout a very loud ‘yes’. However, there are an equal number of people, scientists, cynics and medical practitioners included, who would voice just as vehement a ‘no’.
It is incredible that one of the main arguments against crystal therapy is that it has no basis in science: the argument used over and over again for something that cannot be reproduced in a laboratory. Perhaps it is interesting to note here that until relatively recently scientists didn’t understand exactly how a thunderstorm occurred. Their lack of understanding didn’t alter the fact that thunderstorms occurred regularly all over the world.
It is accepted that crystals oscillate or vibrate. Crystal therapists use these naturally occurring energies from crystals to affect the energies present in humans. Crystal healing is holistic which means that, unlike conventional medicine that only addresses the physical nature of ailments, it deals with mind, body and spirit. Many of the alternative therapies work on the belief that all three of these operate in total harmony and must be balanced with each other to be totally healthy. For example, a bad back may be the manifestation of a particular emotional problem.
How is Crystal Healing Implemented
Many people use crystals around their house or carry them about their person to bring about energy changes within themselves and their environment. Crystal therapists may use crystals directly placed on a part of the body or to form patterns around an individual to balance their auras or electromagnetic fields that emanate from and surround the body. Elixirs can also be made from crystals for the patient to drink but this has to be carefully monitored as some crystals and mineral are highly toxic.
Finding a Crystal Healing Therapist
Many medical professionals are now beginning to accept the use of crystal healing as a complimentary treatment to their own more conventional approach. Crystal healing is now listed in the National Health Service (NHS) directory of complimentary medicines. Perhaps as a result of this endorsement there has been a sharp rise in numbers of courses available for training and of therapists offering their services.
Unfortunately, like Reiki before it, this has also meant a rise in the number of people jumping on the band wagon. Where there is money to be made there will always be unscrupulous individuals. Wherever possible do a lot of homework before choosing where to go. A recommendation from friends, family or professionals is often the best way to start.
Using Crystals at Home
You do not have to go to a trained therapist to tap into the healing power of crystals. There are many excellent books available for the beginner and advanced crystal user alike and as always the Internet is a great resource for exploring the subject. Crystals and minerals are widely available and are often relatively cheap. Check out the beginner’s guide to crystal healing stones for more information.
There are many reasons why some-one may turn to alternatives therapies. It could be because conventional medicine has let them down. Sometimes people discover the benefits of alternatives through desperation and wish they had started using them earlier. We lead ever busier and more stressful lives and many of the complimentary medicines offer us a relief from symptoms brought about by this lifestyle. In addition there are now many resources for exploring alternatives and this easier access has exposed more people to their existence. Once upon a time it was only specialist shops that stocked books and literature on the subject. Now they can be found in any high street store.
In my own opinion crystal healing does work. So beneficial has it been for me that crystals are now part of my every day life. If you are feeling overwhelmed by responsibility, pain, anxiety, guilt or the many other emotions that affect us as humans: or have suffered some chronic ailment that just won’t seem to shift then crystal therapy may be just what you are looking for.
