Crystals for Healing

by Karen Frazier

  MINERALS are naturally occurring substances with a highly ordered pattern that is formed geologically and is typically crystalline in structure. While some minerals have a crystal lattice that classifies them as crystals, not all minerals do.

  ROCKS are aggregates of minerals that do not have a single specific physical composition.

  GEMSTONES are cut and polished rocks, crystals, or minerals that are attractive and desirable to humans and are therefore assigned a monetary value. Based on quality and rarity, gemstones are classified as either semiprecious or precious. For example, diamonds and rubies are precious gemstones, while garnets and quartz are semiprecious gemstones.

  Holy Texts & the Energy Connection

  Holy books from various religions discuss the importance of life force (in other words, energy) in the spiritual, emotional, and physical health of humankind.

  In the Bible, it says, “That energy is God’s energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). In the Gospel of John, Jesus heals the sick using the energy of God and prayer.

  The Hindu Vedas speak of prana—the life force that runs through all living things. According to the Yajur Veda, “There are eleven in the vital energy (prana), existing by their own virtue (ear, skin, eye, tongue, nose, speech, hands, legs, two organs of excretion, and mind: these are organs of perception and volition).”

  Buddha also noted energy in defining Seven Factors of Enlightenment: mindfulness, investigation of the dharma [cosmic laws], energy, joy or rapture, relaxation and tranquility, concentration, and equanimity.

  The Koran describes God’s energy healing the minds, hearts, and bodies of believers: “And when I am ill, it is God who cures me” (The Poets 26:80).

  Those who follow Kabbalah, the mystical branch of Judaism, study the Zohar, a collection of commentaries that reveal the spiritual essence of the Torah. The Zohar notes that when the Torah portion known as Pinchas is read aloud once each year during the Sabbath, those who listen with an open heart and remorse for prior misdeeds (even without any knowledge of Hebrew) may experience a great, healing light.

  NATURAL VERSUS MAN-MADE

  With today’s technology, some naturally occurring crystals can be simulated through manufacturing processes. Natural crystals have been formed in the Earth over millions of years, while simulated crystals are created in a laboratory. Natural crystals often have tiny imperfections or inclusions, but their man-made counterparts tend to be flawless. Natural crystals can also be dyed or altered by heat. Altered and manufactured crystals have less monetary value than natural crystals.

  While both may be equally beautiful, naturally occurring crystals have stronger healing properties. Man-made crystals may contain much less energy or provide less predictable results. They are not, however, completely without healing energy, but they may react differently or supply weaker energy.

  The Power of Crystals

  Crystals may help you emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically. While the focus in this book is on emotional, mental, and spiritual healing, many people use crystals as complementary therapy to traditional Western medicine when they are experiencing a physical problem or illness. For example, I lie down and place selenite (gypsum) crystals on my forehead for 20 minutes whenever I get a migraine headache. This typically lessens the intensity or makes the headache go away altogether. I always try the selenite before I take any migraine medication or try other therapies. Many other people use crystals in a similar way to help bring about physical healing or an alteration of physical symptoms.

  When it comes to emotional, mental, and spiritual healing, the many benefits of crystals include:

  CRYSTALS HELP YOU TUNE IN TO YOUR INTUITION. Humans are naturally intuitive, although many of us get so wrapped up in the busyness of our daily lives that we fail to listen to the flashes of insight we receive. You can use crystals to help you focus on the guidance of your inner voice.

  CRYSTALS CAN ADD FOCUS TO YOUR MEDITATION, VISUALIZATION, AND AFFIRMATION PRACTICES. If you’re struggling to get your life moving in the right direction, meditation, affirmation, and visualization in conjunction with the use of crystals can help focus the energy you need to bring about a desired change. This is a powerful way to direct your energy in a positive direction.

  CRYSTALS CAN CLEAR EMOTIONAL BLOCKAGES. Sometimes when we experience emotional trauma, we can create self-protective emotional blockages that prevent us from moving forward in our lives. Working with the right crystals can help clear away these emotional blocks, allowing us to move forward.

  CRYSTALS CAN CLEANSE PEOPLE AND SPACES. Many people use crystals for cleansing and clearing away negative energy from spaces or negative thought patterns from people. When I’ve had a negative experience in my home, I use crystals to cleanse the area and provide protection against future negativity.

  CRYSTALS CAN STIMULATE CREATIVITY AND IDEAS. I work with several crystals nearby in my workspace because my job requires a lot of creative thought and movement. By strategically placing crystals in your workspace, you can create an energetic environment that enables you to think and problem solve in a creative manner.

  How Crystals Bring About Change

  All matter on Earth has a vibrational frequency. Even though we’re all made of the same stuff—pure energy—we manage to maintain the illusion of separateness because we vibrate at different frequencies. Vibration is important to who we are, the energy we emit, and the way we relate to one another. We even use a slang term for someone with whom we feel an instant affinity, saying we “vibe” with that person. This is a much truer statement than many people realize. As creatures of energy, we tend to attract people, situations, and objects that vibrate at a frequency similar to our own.

  However, our vibration varies from day to day and situation to situation, depending on a number of factors such as our mood or emotions, what we put into our bodies, how we care for ourselves, how much time we spend in spiritual pursuits, and the careers and activities we choose. As humans, we are often lightning quick with mood changes and inconsistent in our habits, so our vibrations rise and fall. Lower vibrations tend to lead to less comfortable or painful situations, while higher vibrations help us attract the positive changes we want in our lives.

  Unlike humans, crystals maintain a consistent vibration. Because of their crystalline structure, most vibrate at relatively high levels, with certain crystals having extremely high vibrations. When we bring these crystals in contact or proximity to ourselves, we can use them to tune our own vibrations to a higher level. By doing so, we can elevate our mood, focus our mind, and bring about desired change.

  Using crystals doesn’t have to be difficult. You can hold them in your hands, place them in your pockets, or set them on a desk next to you. You can sleep with them under your pillow or tape some to the bottom of a favorite chair. You can lie supine with crystals placed strategically on your chakras or gently place one over your third eye (see here). There aren’t many wrong ways to use crystals.

  The Role of Meditation

  Meditation is an important part of performing energy work. I meditate daily and recommend to others daily meditation for 10 to 20 minutes. Meditation helps set intention (the direction you intend your life and actions to take), and it is important in establishing a connection with the energy field, as well as creating receptivity to the energy of crystals or any other form of energy work.

  I used to think I couldn’t meditate, because I’d sit down to clear my mind and find myself thinking about a dozen different things instead of emptying my mind of all thoughts and “embracing the void.” This is very common, and it is one of the main reasons people choose not to meditate—it just seems too difficult.

  Clearing your mind isn’t always easy. Fortunately, this is not the only way to meditate. There are many types of meditation that you can use to help connect to spiritual energy, including guided imagery, mindfulness meditation, mantra c
hanting, repetitive or meditative movement, visualization of positive outcomes, or stating affirmations. Each of these forms of meditation can help connect you to your energy field and open you up to the positive effects of the crystals you are using.

  MEDITATION FOR CALMNESS

  Sit quietly in a comfortable position, in a place where you are unlikely to be disturbed.

  Hold an amethyst crystal in your gently clasped hands, which you place in your lap.

  Close your eyes and take 10 deep, full breaths, expanding the air fully into your chest.

  As you breathe, gently relax your muscle groups, starting at your head and working your way down your body to your feet.

  As you inhale, say to yourself, “I inhale peace.” As you exhale, say to yourself, “I exhale tension and stress.”

  Continue for 15 minutes.

  MEDITATION FOR FORGIVENESS

  Sit quietly in a comfortable position, in a place where you are unlikely to be disturbed.

  Hold a rose quartz crystal gently in your hands, and place both hands over the center of your chest at your heart chakra (see here).

  Close your eyes and breathe gently, noticing your breathing without trying to control it.

  Focus your attention on your heart as you repeat the following affirmation to yourself: “I open my heart to love and forgiveness.”

  Visualize the person you are trying to forgive. In your mind’s eye, surround that person in a white light, saying, “I surround you in a white light of love and release you into a positive future.”

  When you feel ready, open your eyes.

  Crystals & Chakras

  While you don’t need to know or understand chakras to use crystals for healing, combining crystals with chakra work can help make the healing more powerful. With some basic information about chakras, you can leverage the synergy of crystal energy and your chakras to make powerful changes.

  WHAT ARE CHAKRAS?

  Chakras are energy centers that exist in the body of every human. You have seven chakras that roughly correspond with areas of your body. Each chakra is associated with a color, as well as certain qualities or abilities. The seven chakras are:

  FIRST CHAKRA The root or base chakra, which sits at the base of the tailbone

  SECOND CHAKRA The sacral chakra, which sits near the belly button

  THIRD CHAKRA The solar plexus chakra, which sits at the solar plexus or base of the sternum

  FOURTH CHAKRA The heart chakra, which sits in the center of the chest

  FIFTH CHAKRA The throat chakra, which sits above the Adam’s apple

  SIXTH CHAKRA The third eye or brow chakra, which sits in the center of the forehead

  SEVENTH CHAKRA The crown chakra, which sits at the top of the head

  You have additional chakras as well, that extend out into your energy field, but these are the seven basic chakras that correspond with your physical body. Energy flows through these chakras and throughout your body. Sometimes, one or more of your chakras can become blocked or unbalanced, impeding energy flow. Blockages may occur as a result of trauma, illness, substance use, emotional upset, or other issues.

  According to intuitive healer and author Caroline Myss, blockages or imbalances in the chakras may correspond to different physical and emotional problems. For example, blockages of the root chakra, which is related to the sense of belonging in a group, may cause physical and emotional problems such as lower back pain or addiction. Blockages to the heart chakra, which is related to love, may cause heart problems, breast cancer, or the inability to move past grief.

  Each of the chakras corresponds to a color or colors. These colors arise from the frequency of the energy vibration of that color. Therefore, when working with crystals and chakras together, choose like colors to help the chakra vibrate at the appropriate frequency.

  DIRECTING CRYSTAL HEALING WITH CHAKRAS

  When your chakras are blocked, using a crystal that vibrates at the appropriate frequency can help clear the blockage, restoring normal energy flow throughout your body. This can help heal a number of spiritual, emotional, mental, or physical problems that may arise as a result of the blockage.

  To use the crystals, lie on your back with your eyes closed and the crystal placed on or touching the corresponding chakra. Visualize the color of the chakra, with energy flowing freely through the chakra.

  FIRST CHAKRA (ROOT OR BASE)

  COLOR Red

  QUALITIES Grounding, connection to emotions, security and safety, finding your place in groups such as families, communities, society

  CRYSTALS Garnet, hematite, red calcite, red jasper, obsidian

  SECOND CHAKRA (SACRAL)

  COLOR Orange

  QUALITIES Personal power, sexuality, creativity

  CRYSTALS Amber, carnelian, orange calcite, peach moonstone, sunstone

  THIRD CHAKRA (SOLAR PLEXUS)

  COLOR Yellow

  QUALITIES Self-esteem, prosperity, self-identity, moral code

  CRYSTALS Amber, citrine, topaz, yellow tigers eye, yellow zircon

  FOURTH CHAKRA (HEART)

  COLOR Green

  QUALITIES Love, balance, forgiveness, integration, compassion

  CRYSTALS Emerald, green calcite, green kyanite, peridot, rose quartz

  FIFTH CHAKRA (THROAT)

  COLOR Blue

  QUALITIES Inner truth, self-expression, communication, honesty, integrity

  CRYSTALS Blue kyanite, celestite, iolite, lapis, sodalite

  SIXTH CHAKRA (THIRD EYE OR BROW)

  COLOR Violet/Indigo

  QUALITIES Intuition, insight, beliefs and attitudes, mental clarity

  CRYSTALS Amethyst, fluorite, lepidolite, sugilite, tanzanite

  SEVENTH CHAKRA (CROWN)

  COLOR White/Pink/Violet

  QUALITIES Connection to spirit/Divine, consciousness, universal connection, oneness

  CRYSTALS Clear quartz, Herkimer diamond, labradorite, moonstone, selenite

  Crystal Grids

  Another way to amplify the power of crystals for healing is by using crystal grids. While using a single crystal is an effective way to modulate energy, using multiple crystals in a grid increases the power exponentially.

  WHAT ARE CRYSTAL GRIDS?

  Crystal grids are a group of crystals placed in a geometric pattern in a chosen area, such as a tabletop, and programmed with intention to spark healing. To create a crystal grid, you need a minimum of four crystals, although some grids have more. You can use a single type of crystal or a combination of crystals, depending on your intention for the grid. The crystals can be any size or shape (see here for a discussion of shapes). Many people prefer using crystal points to make their grids, because points can focus energy in the direction of the termination, that is, the place where the crystal comes to a point.

  Crystal grids can be created to amplify the power of the crystals, to protect or cleanse spaces, or to direct healing toward someone else. The center stone is typically larger than the rest, with smaller stones in a geometric pattern around the center stone. You can create squares, rectangles, circles, rhomboids, triangles, and similar shapes, depending on the number of stones you are using. Although grids don’t necessarily have to be geometric, this is a good place to start.

  GUIDELINES FOR MAKING A GRID

  If you wish to make your own crystal grid, consider the following guidelines.

  1. Cleanse and charge the crystals before you start. See here for a discussion of cleansing and charging.

  2. Start with a center stone. In general, the center stone may be larger, a different type, or a different shape than the other crystals in the grid.

  3. Choose your basic geometric pattern. Place the crystals at even intervals around the center stone to create that pattern. For example, for a square grid, use five stones; place the center stone in the middle and then place four corner stones at equal distances around the center stone to create a square. Always use an equal number of crystals on each side of the pattern to maintain
symmetry.

  4. After placing the grid, use your finger to trace an imaginary line from one corner stone to the next. Then, trace lines from the center stone to each of the corner stones, creating imaginary spokes.

  5. It’s okay to leave the grid in place, but you need to cleanse and charge the crystals weekly to maintain its power. Repeat steps one through four when putting the grid back together.

  Two Simple Crystal Grids

  Try these two grids to see how easy and powerful grids can be to bring about your desired outcome.

  PROSPERITY & ABUNDANCE GRID

  This small, circular grid draws prosperity into the center stone, and then amplifies it by sending the prosperity out to the immediate area.

  TO MAKE THE GRID you’ll need a large citrine of any shape and six small clear quartz points.

  1. After cleansing the stones, place the citrine in the center and then place each of the quartz points around the citrine in a spoke pattern with the point of each crystal pointing away from the citrine.

  2. Trace the lines between the stones as described in step four here.

  3. Leave the grid in place for as long as desired to increase prosperity, cleansing the crystals and setting them out again at least once a week.

  Citrine is a strong prosperity stone, while clear quartz is an amplifier. Also, specifically using six clear quartz points heightens the intention of abundance, which is one of the qualities associated with the number six in numerology.

  LOVE GRID

  This grid can help strengthen love relationships or help others find love in their hearts. It uses rose quartz, which is a very powerful (and pretty) love stone.