CHAPTER 14

Crystals for the Whole Family

Our minds and bodies are under so much stress these days. Stress comes at us from all kinds of sources: financial or workplace issues; events such as politics, natural disasters, or civil unrest; or illness, injury, or emotional distress. And we adults are not the only ones who are suffering—children and even our pets need a break!

It is essential to find a means to alleviate stress without a huge investment. And guess what? Crystal therapy meets those requirements and is a drug-free natural means of healing.

Learn How to …

• ◆ Increase self-growth and further development with crystals for men and women.
• ◆ Help teenagers improve their study habits and reduce their stresses.
• ◆ Respond to the spiritual needs of children with crystals.
• ◆ Use crystals for healing pets and animals.

Even Tough Guys Need Healing

Crystals and gemstones have often been worn by men as jewelry or decorating formal suits to signify their official or regal status in society. If you are a man in an urban setting, you might feel awkward about wearing crystals dangling down in front of your chest in public. If you are not inclined to look like an “urban shaman,” here are some suggestions:

• ◆ Wear your healing crystals in a medicine pouch (a pouch on a string) tucked inside your shirt. Try to select crystals that are relatively flat, so your pouch will go unnoticed. Place your crystals into your breast pocket to help heal your heart, either physically or emotionally.
• ◆ For the office or workplace, leave your stones out as decorative objects. If anyone asks, you can say you are a mineral collector, or you are buying stones for your kids as part of their geology class!
• ◆ Keep your crystals loose inside your front pants pockets, and hold them in your hands several times during the day.
• ◆ At night, leave the crystals next to your bed or under your pillow while you sleep. Remember to cleanse and recharge your crystals at least once a month.
• ◆ Go for a scheduled crystal healing. Let the crystal energy therapist place crystals on you to clear and balance your energy during a session.

The following crystals and gemstones are useful in healing men’s issues. Some of these issues address reducing stress, improving health, increasing power, strengthening self-esteem, and improving communication skills. Of course, these crystals can be used by anyone with those issues:

• ◆ Amethyst—Also called the “royal stone,” amethyst is not only a master healer but its most noted healing quality is its ability to purify and transmute all forms of negativity. Get a large amethyst crystal cluster for your home or office to protect yourself from hostile energies around you. Consider a large, well-set amethyst gemstone ring to enhance your personal magnetism and provide mental clarity. Amethyst is also helpful to connect to one’s spirituality for guidance.
• ◆ Jade—Known as a “crystal of tranquility” and the “sport stone,” jade promotes agility and swiftness. Many men from the Far East know the benefits of wearing jade. It soothes emotions and provides emotional detachment and restoration after various traumas such as minor surgery, divorce, funerals, or job loss. Some say jade is for good luck. Jade is easily obtained and can be worn as a pendant, bracelet, or ring.
• ◆ Labradorite—This surprisingly powerful stone lends terrific force to self- empowerment, brilliance in thoughts and actions, and transformation. It’s a great leadership stone that creates change around you and gives you strength for enduring partnerships. It can break up old worn-out patterns and support your creativity to see situations with new logic and outlook.
• ◆ Lapis lazuli—The “stone of the pharaohs,” lapis lazuli is well known as a favorite stone used in the courts of ancient Egyptian kings. This deep blue stone stimulates mental strength and intellectual precision. Lapis is a consciousness elevator, raising one’s awareness to new heights and to greater expansion; it intensifies psychic power. It brings feelings of success, connectedness, and protection.
• ◆ Malachite—A “man’s stone,” its deep forest green is symbolic of the deep healing and cleansing this stone provides. It aids in breaking old patterns, whether emotional (stuck patterns of behavior) or physical (tumors, swollen joints, muscular, and so on). Malachite promotes successful business relationships and the increase of wealth by removing obstacles to one’s growth. The most important aspect of this crystal’s healing ability, however, is preventive health of the physical heart and liver. If you are attracted to this crystal, chances are you have a family history of heart-related problems and probably need a heart check-up.
• ◆ Moonstone—The “feminine balancing crystal,” moonstone provides depth of perception, feelings, discernment, creativity, intuition, and self-expression. This crystal is used to soften and balance dominant male attributes. Other properties of moonstone include increased awareness and focus, rejuvenation of the skin and hair, and protection for travelers by letting them see possibilities ahead.
• ◆ Rose quartz—The “love stone” is a master healer that specializes in transmuting emotional negativity at all levels. It enhances one’s ability to give and receive love by opening the heart chakra and stimulating flexibility in communications. It mellows out a reluctant heart, provides peace in relationships through harmony, and supports mental tranquility. It can heal a broken heart.
• ◆ Smoky quartz—The “emotional balancing crystal” is another master healer and is a very specialized crystal for negative emotional energy. This crystal is excellent for mood swings, aggressive actions, ill tempers, and generally nasty thoughts. This stone is helpful to ease burnout, fear of failure, reluctance to take risks, as well as to lessen tendencies to overeat, smoke, or drink due to stress. It helps you accept responsibility for yourself and broadens your capacity for effective communication.

If you have reservations while wearing (or using) gemstones, set them aside, just for a few weeks or so and see what happens. I’m willing to bet you’ll be singing a different tune in four weeks’ time! Your system will be asking for them. Next time, try a different selection of crystals for your specific needs and see if you get different results.

Crystals for Women’s Health

Crystals can be used to assist women of all ages at all stages of healing. The awakening of the self to a spiritual journey is not an easy task. It can demand time and resources to achieve self-development and growth. Some choose not to undertake the risks and perils of peeling off our defenses to become fully human and to experience the full wealth of life.

Crystals provide protection and give sanctuary for the deep healing a woman does within herself. The inner journey becomes sacred to those who can withstand the intensity of full consciousness.

The real healing comes from the heart level, so wear your crystals as a pendant at the heart chakra or as a necklace surrounding the heart chakra.

The following crystals and gemstones are useful in healing women and in addressing women’s issues:

• ◆ Amber—A “gentle stone,” it is very soothing and calming to the nerves. It can uplift a negative disposition and encourage you to take life less seriously. It promotes fidelity in relationships. Amber guides the emotions toward a clearer mental outlook and encourages greater responsibility for one’s choices in life. It is also excellent during post-operative care.
• ◆ Amethyst—A master healer, it purifies and transmutes negativity and provides protection and balance during transition periods. It reduces the feeling of being victimized, giving you a spiritual perspective on life’s circumstances. A lavender-pink colored amethyst will open and lighten up a betrayed heart, healing the sense of lost life and innocence. A blue-red colored amethyst promotes a deep spiritual connection between one’s self and life’s challenges giving patience and calmness despite overwhelming odds. A chevron amethyst (banded white and purple) helps peel away old karmic patterns to promote self-love and the ability to get along with others, especially with one’s soul mate or family members.
• ◆ Apache tear (obsidian)—Known as the “grief stone,” it allows tears to be shed, stimulating emotional spontaneity and the release of barriers that prevent you from experiencing deep sorrow. This stone is excellent for transmuting one’s own negativity in stressful situations. An Apache tear is a dark black obsidian that when held up to the light appears transparent. However, it has been noted that the grief one feels goes into the stone and can turn it opaque.
• ◆ Jade—The “crystal of tranquility” soothes emotions and helps keep the peace in community relations. It provides a sense of self-worth and the capability to deal with any situation. It promotes harmony, balance, and tranquility through emotional detachment. Like amber, jade is excellent for recovery after an unpleasant experience (minor surgery, divorce, funerals, job loss, and so on). Jade can change color depending on the health of the person.
• ◆ Jasper—Known as the “nurturing stone,” it makes it easier to use one’s own power and to know that it cannot be taken away. It calms aggressive energy and facilitates safety and protection during recovery from stress, operations, and other life traumas and change. Red jasper provides lively fresh energy and reduces feelings of being victimized. Yellow jasper balances hormones and protects the wearer during travel. Green jasper restores energy and focus when recovering from burnout.
• ◆ Red coral—Known as a “woman’s stone,” it calms emotions and dispels feelings of despair and despondency. It encourages passionate energy and stimulates and strengthens female reproductive organs through tissue regeneration. This stone relates well to the spleen meridian for blood circulation and purification of the kidneys and bladder. Red coral is considered to be the blood of Mother Earth by Native Americans and is considered particularly precious by Tibetan women for menstruation, fertility, and blood disorders.
• ◆ Rose quartz—The “love stone” is a master healer and transmutes emotional negativity at all levels. It enhances healing by balancing energy and hormonal fluctuations. Rose quartz embodies the expression “love conquers all.” It is excellent for calming the heart and solar plexus chakras after emotional upheaval, chaos, trauma, or crisis. Rose quartz allows love to come to wearers who have trouble finding love within themselves or to give to others. This is also a great friendship stone to give to someone.
• ◆ Smoky quartz—Another master healer, the “emotional balancing crystal” clears and transmutes negative emotions. If you need a crystal to ease the monthly physical and emotional tension that accompanies PMS, smoky quartz is it—it also works well to quell general crankiness and stress! This crystal does an excellent job of stabilizing mood swings and grounding all kinds of negative energy. Smoky quartz reduces the fear of failure, unblocks self-limitations, and lets you risk trying some new experiences.
• ◆ Sodalite—The “stone of peace” helps alleviate insomnia caused by overactive mental chatter. It provides mental focus, and maintains logical reasoning when faced with emotional upsets. Sodalite promotes trust and enhances companionship and common goals with others. It is excellent for women who need to mentally relax.

Health, harmony, and hormones all in balance … you can’t argue with that! Just be sure to use your chosen crystals with consistency and intention for best results.

Health and Harmony for Teens

Teens might need some healing tools to deal with certain issues that are relevant to their personal health and harmony. Here are six issues common to teens and some suggestions on how to use crystals for each issue. (Adults, children, and even seniors might also benefit from these crystals, too.)

• ◆ Trouble sleeping—Sleeplessness often comes because our minds are troubled by what has happened during the day. Crystals help regulate mental activity and calm excess mental energy and anxiety. Place the crystal on your chest for about 10 to 15 minutes before sleeping.

  Recommended crystals: sodalite, blue lace agate, rose quartz, amethyst

• ◆ Unsettled or off-center feelings—Feeling weird or unbalanced is not uncommon among teens due to hormonal fluctuations and new experiences. The teen brain goes through many changes. Teens often need to center themselves and ground their energies so they can be more effective in day-to-day living. Wear one of the recommended crystals by itself at the heart chakra for best effect.

  Recommended crystals: lapis lazuli, selenite, Herkimer diamond, clear quartz cluster, double-terminated clear quartz crystal

• ◆ Fears—There are many types of fears such as fear of being in a closed space (claustrophobia), stage fright, fear of failure, fear of rejection, and fear of the unknown. Crystals can help reduce the severity of fears or nervousness. Wear the crystal for several days before engaging in an event that is known to scare you. Hold the crystal in your hand for deeper effect. Put your fears into the crystal and let the crystal’s energy work with you.

  Recommended crystals: petrified wood, aquamarine, jasper, sugilite, sodalite, amber, Apache tear

• ◆ Self-esteem—Low self-esteem is caused by thinking of yourself in a negative way, such as being a failure or having doubt in your own abilities. Orange carnelian is an especially powerful crystal for self-esteem. It is also good for skin complaints such as acne and rosacea. This crystal is best when worn at the heart chakra to provide nurturing to a depleted energy system. Others might notice your brighter outlook even before you do!

  Recommended crystals: carnelian, amethyst, aventurine, rose quartz

• ◆ Memory and logic—Who wouldn’t want a crystal to provide improved mathematical abilities and increased memory? The recommended crystals help provide precision, the ability to see relationships between things, and a coordinated response to problem solving. The best way to use these crystals is to hold them in your hand and gaze at them, sleep with them near your head, or keep them on your desk when you study to enhance your recall of information. The crystals will help declutter and restructure your left brain where logical abilities reside.

  Recommended crystals: pyrite, purple fluorite, geodes, double-terminated clear quartz crystal, selenite

• ◆ Bullying and intimidation—Bullying serves no aim other than to position the victim as inferior to the bully. Crystals are able to project positive energy around the wearer for several feet and anyone nearby will pick up the vibration. The crystals will help you feel protected, grounded, and self-confident. They are marvelous tools.

  Recommended crystals: red or green jasper, labradorite, hematite, malachite, lapis lazuli, tiger eye, aventurine, carnelian, garnet

You can’t skip through the teen years, but the right gemstones can make them a heck of a lot easier for both your adolescent and you!

Crystals for Children

Crystals are truly gifts from the earth. Children seem to have a natural attraction to any kind of stone or crystal. They pick them up and fully explore them. They are curious to know how a crystal smells, and what sounds it makes when the crystal drops on the ground or plops into water.

Some children suffer from different physical ailments as they grow up. Having a crystal such as amethyst can help remove pain when properly directed. At the emotional level, there are crystals to help with feeling afraid or lonely, such as rose quartz, turquoise, or sugilite. Some children seem to be spiritually advanced and need to have a crystal like lapis lazuli that protects their energy fields or their minds from the thoughts of others. Children are part of the mosaic of Earth and can’t always speak up about their spiritual needs because they lack an adult vocabulary. That does not mean, however, that they don’t have spiritual needs. They do.

Children can respond very quickly to the healing energy of crystals. However, please consult the best available, qualified medical help to care for your children, and use your common sense regarding your children’s health and wellness. As a reminder, don’t let children or pets put crystals into their mouth; some, like malachite, contain high levels of copper that can harm their health.

The following crystals can help your child’s healing at the physical, emotional, and spiritual levels. Let your child carry the crystal in her pocket, or place one or two in a small medicine bag around your child’s neck. Let your child sleep with her special crystal.

• ◆ Amethyst—Helps children in transition, whether it be a minor event like a growth spurt or a major disappointment such as failing a grade, or the devastating news of divorce or death in the family. Amethyst accepts all negative emotions and provides comfort through spiritual acceptance. For children with various physical or emotional disabilities, an amethyst cluster in the room will help clear unwanted discharged energies and bring the room back into a balanced state. For pain on the body, hold an amethyst directly on or over the area for up to 20 minutes.
• ◆ Aventurine—The “leadership stone” strengthens and restores heart energy, providing a balance of male and female energies. This crystal is green, loving, embracing, and protective of the heart. Many children who are shy, timid, or suppressing their leadership qualities need a crystal like aventurine. This stone helps the individual to become active and initiate action on his or her own accord.
• ◆ Carnelian—The “self-esteem crystal” is used to dispel feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem. The deep orange colors relate to strengthening and blending the first, second, and third chakras, promoting self-security and self-love. The pinker shades enhance love between child and parent through self-acceptance. This crystal is great for dermatological ailments such as acne. Hold the stone over the skin and move it in circles for several minutes several times a day.
• ◆ Lapis lazuli—A “psychic balancing stone,” it is an incredible stabilizer for children who show psychic gifts early in life. The deep blue color stimulates expansion of consciousness in a supportive way, promoting purification and clarity of spiritual insight. Lapis lazuli provides self-acceptance of one’s given gifts and encourages openness of one’s spiritual awareness. This stone is highly prized for its protective powers and stimulation of all psychic senses.
• ◆ Pyrite—A “protection stone,” iron pyrite comes in many shapes, from sun discs to cubes. Children are attracted to its shiny brassy surfaces. Pyrite is like a small mirror; negative energy is reflected away. The terror of feeling unprotected is reduced. There is also a feeling of physical empowerment, that life in the physical form is perfect, and love is abundant.
• ◆ Rose quartz—Another terrific general healing crystal for children, especially for those who have a lot of hurt feelings or aggressive tendencies. For hyperactive children, it soothes erratic emotional states, such as anxiety, fear, and impulsiveness. For young hearts, rose quartz helps keep the heart chakra open, vital, and protected.
• ◆ Tiger eye—A “grounding stone” that when rocked back and forth, reflects light as if a tiger were winking at you. Let your children explore this fascinating stone, and help them find the flashing tiger’s eye. This stone is excellent for grounding psychic energy and providing security to open up the psychic centers. Sometimes children get carried away and become lost in their dream worlds. Tiger eye helps pull them back into their bodies after astral travel. Perhaps every parent needs one for their child before trips to the shopping mall!

You can encourage children’s interest in the mineral kingdom. Let children pick crystals for themselves. Often, they will select a crystal that is helpful to their healing process.

Healing Animals with Crystals

Using crystals for healing pets and animals can produce quick results. Healing animals requires the healer to have a strong and centered mind. An animal’s mind is not like a human’s. Humans relate to pain; animals react to pain.

In other words, when you work on your pet, know when enough is enough. When the healing is good, the animal will show signs of comfort and affection, such as drooping eyelids, drooling, softening of muscles, and sighing.

Healing Pets

The following are some suggestions to help your animal friends be more comfortable. It is not intended that this information replace the advice of a professionally qualified veterinarian. As always, seek the best available competent medical advice for your pet or animal. For best results, remember to use fully cleansed and charged crystals and cleanse them after each use:

• ◆ Place amethyst or rose quartz underneath your pet-friend’s bed or pillow for up to 2 weeks. Be cautious of sharp edges on the stones, and position them to be comfortable and safe for your pet. If the crystal energy is too intense, your pet will be agitated and might not want to rest in his bed. If your pet likes the crystals, you will see an improvement in his disposition and health within a few days.
• ◆ Choose a crystal from the list in the next section. Hold it in your hand, and starting a few inches away from the affected part or injured area, rotate the crystal clockwise. Take your time, go slow, and breathe gently and evenly. Animals express their emotions with movement, so watch to see if your pet wants more or tries to move away.
• ◆ Get a small pouch that can attach to a collar, and place up to three small crystals inside it. Be careful that the pouch does not interfere with your pet’s movement or can become caught on anything. Detach the pouch when your pet is not supervised.

For additional healing, you can fill the water bowl or bucket with gem water (see Chapter 19).

Crystals for Animals

The following is a list of generally available crystals and gemstones and their associated physical healing focus.

• ◆ Amethyst (master healer)—Use for all healing: pain, fear, disorientation, and the head area.
• ◆ Calcite—Skeletal strengthening and bone mending.
• ◆ Carnelian—Skin, boils, lesions, and scrapes.
• ◆ Clear quartz (master healer)—Effective for all conditions.
• ◆ Coral—Kidneys and bladder.
• ◆ Fluorite—Use blue for bones; blue-green or clear for respiration; green for blood purification; and green-yellow for digestion.
• ◆ Garnet—Reproductive system and physical stamina.
• ◆ Hematite—Muscular system and for reducing pain.
• ◆ Kyanite—Alignment of all chakras (yes, animals have chakras, too!), tendons, and bones.
• ◆ Malachite—Blood and liver cleansing, heart problems, and liver detoxification. (Malachite should only be used externally because the high copper content is poisonous. Do not permit your pet or animal to lick or eat this crystal! Even consuming small amounts can lead to serious or fatal blood poisoning.)
• ◆ Rose quartz (master healer)—Use for injuries, for wounds, and to reduce stress.
• ◆ Smoky quartz (master healer)—Nervous system, swelling, and hostility.
• ◆ Sodalite—Calming nervousness, and for settling down during travel.
• ◆ Sugilite—For comforting a lonely or dying pet.
• ◆ Turquoise (master healer)—Use for digestive healing and protection from illness.

Crystals tend to amplify effects, and you need to be cautious until you determine how your pet will react.

CARVED IN STONE

Jasper: I provide integrity to all pursuits, whatever you turn your mind toward. I provide an anchor for your day-to-day living. I awaken your awareness of the beauty that surrounds you.