by Forte Robins
In every magical supply shop there are displays of crystals and semi-precious stones. If you’ve ever worked with crystals, you know how useful they can be, and you may be aware that some of the crystals available for purchase in stores are man-made. What you may not realize is the crystal-growing process can be done in your own kitchen. Crystal-growing kits are available in museums, and hobby and educational toy stores. The kits are designed to grow different crystal shapes, as the packaging will show you.
Why grow your own crystals? Besides being fun, crystal growing provides you with an extremely personal and flexible magical tool. A basic magic principle states that any item you create or shape is going to conduct your energy better than a impersonal item. Crystal growing gives you an opportunity to shape the creation of what is normally Earth’s most solid and permanent of icons.
There is a difference, however, in the crystals you will be growing, and the naturally occurring variety. While the shape is the same, the chemical composition is different. Crystals, both the man-made and the natural ones, are formed by a tight and well-organized molecular structure. It is that structure, in addition to the chemical composition, that gives the diamond its famous hardness, and makes it such an ideal tool for focusing energy. Man-made crystals are used in lasers, watches, and computers because of their energy-focusing capabilities. Crystalline structure not only focuses power well, it is an excellent storage medium for your energy.
The instructions in crystal-growing kits are not difficult to follow, but may take some experimentation to master. The tools required in addition to the kits are readily available. For example, you will need an old saucepan and a food scale. You will also need a quiet place to leave the growing vessels, as they must remain undisturbed while the crystals are forming. The crystals are grown by dissolving the kit’s chemical solution in an exact amount of hot water. Hot water will hold more of the chemical than cold water, so as the solution cools in the growing vessels, the chemicals will be forced out of the cooling water and become solid. This also happens as the water evaporates. Because of the shape of the molecules that make the chemicals, when they become solid, they will naturally form crystals.
The growth takes several days, and in itself can be done as a ritual. I grow mine on the waxing moon, projecting my energy into the growing vessels every night. As with any item you are charging, remember not to project energy if you are tired or angry. In the case of an already formed object, what you put in will be what you get out, but in the case of item creation, what you put in will affect the very nature of the created item.
So what can you do with your crystals? Anything you can do with a normal crystal and more. Because you are charging them as they grow, you can attune them to a goal as they are forming. Imaging divining with a clear crystal you grew solely for that purpose! The attunement can be as complicated or simple as you like using whatever correspondences you feel are appropriate. For example, you might project energy into a divination crystal only at night, leaving the vessels where moonlight can fall on them, and cover the window during the day. To aid in attuning your projected energy towards divination, you might drink eye-bright tea, or while you project energy, burn incense that will aid in divination such as nutmeg, lilac, or bistort. On the other hand, if you desire green crystals to use for healing spells, think the water/chemical solution with a small amount of green food coloring and consecrate the solution to the purpose of healing. Empower healing crystals during the day, and visualize your energy coming from your hands as vivid green light. You might also want to cover the growing vessels with sheer green cloth or cellophane so the crystals can absorb the power of the colored light as well.
Your crystals will also work in the deceptively simple role of power batteries. When you need extra energy for a ritual (such as during the waning moon), place a number of your crystals around you at the beginning of the ritual. Visualize the points shooting beams of pure energy into you. Or place the points toward an item you wish empowered, instruct the crystals to release their energy into the item, and visualize laser-like beams performing the charge.
It is important to note that your crystals, having a different chemical composition than naturally occurring crystals, are
water-soluble. This means you can’t wash them, and it’s not a good idea to put them in your mouth. It does, however, provide you with another way to use them. The growing process will create a few large specimens, but also a quantity of smaller pieces. Those small bits are hard to handle, but contain your energy just as the large ones do. One way to release that energy is to leave them in a bowl filled with water. The water will dissolve the crystal bits, just as a running river will wear down a mountain. As the water does its work, your energy will be released into the air to empower your spell. (Note that if you used food coloring, it will be released as well, and might stain the bowl. In any case, you shouldn’t later use the same bowl for eating.)
These small crystals can also be placed into small decorative jars and then used as focal points for a spell. Runes can be drawn on the jar, herbs can be added, etc. In addition to the normal power of the spell, you’ll be getting the energy the crystals absorbed while growing. Or since oil will not dissolve your crystals, try dropping a point or two into your essential oil bottles to give the oil an extra punch.
The biggest drawback of homegrown crystals is their temporary nature. While is it true that being involved in the creation of an item personalizes it, it is also true that things done quickly don’t have the staying power conveyed by slow growth. Your crystals will not last as long as those Mother Nature worked on for thousands of years. However, if you keep them away from water, they will last indefinitely until used. The trick here is to experiment and follow your intuition. Have fun, and blessed be!