The Hand of God
Crystals in Their Natural Form
Crystals come in all shapes, from tumbled stones and cut crystals to natural formations like clusters, wands, and phantoms. While your mother may have told you not to judge people by their looks, you can certainly tell a lot about a crystal based on its appearance. In fact, a crystal’s shape may determine its metaphysical function.
Abundance crystals are large crystals with an abundance of small crystals clustered around their base. You can use an abundance crystal when you want to multiply something that you have—like money. You can put a coin on an abundance crystal, for example, to indicate your desire for more change in your pocket. Because abundance crystals also feature one large crystal overlooking many small ones, they also symbolize parenthood, nurturing, and protection.
Artemis crystals, also known as candle crystals, are long, thin, clear quartz crystals with sharp, undamaged points. Like all wand-shaped crystals, Artemis crystals can help you direct your energy, focus your thoughts, and materialize your hopes and dreams. Artemis, the twin sister of Apollo, was the ancient Greek goddess of the hunt, and her crystals can be especially useful if you want to work on behalf of animals.
Barnacle crystals are covered, partially or completely, with delicate, smaller crystals—like barnacles clinging to the hull of a ship. Barnacle crystals are good for family, group, and community issues, especially if you are concerned about cooperation and trust.
Bridge crystals, which are sometimes called penetrator crystals, are small crystals that run through a larger crystal. You can actually see a bridge crystal running through the body of the main crystal and sticking out on either side. Bridge crystals act like a bridge between worlds or a bridge between yourself and other people.
Cerridwen crystals have a large, five-sided facet at their tip or termination. They are named after the Celtic goddess Cerridwen, keeper of the cauldron of wisdom, inspiration, rebirth, and transformation. Like their namesake, Cerridwen crystals can be used for inspiration, intelligence, and knowledge, and invoked as a source of wisdom and counsel, or as a force for justice.
Channeling crystals are clear quartz crystals that typically have at least one large seven-sided face on one side of their tip and a triangular, three-sided face on the other. Some channeling crystals are also ordinary pieces of clear quartz wrapped in copper wire. While channeling crystals make good tools for meditation, many people also believe that channeling crystals can help them channel wisdom and enlightenment from their spirit guides, guardian angels, unconscious minds, and higher selves. When you work with a channeling crystal, try to remain open to insights and inspirations that seem to come from nowhere.
Chips and pieces of larger crystals have the same properties as their parent stones. Crystal chips and pieces are the perfect size to include in medicine bags and mojo pouches. You can also display them in decorative vases or bowls, or string them together for jewelry.
Clusters are groups of crystals that have grown together on the same base, like miniature mountain ranges. Crystal clusters symbolize community—use them when you’re dealing with issues of group cooperation, harmony, union, and friendship. They can also be used to cleanse other, smaller crystals—simply set the smaller crystals on top.
Curved crystals have a natural curve or bend, which can remind you of the importance of staying flexible.
Devic temple crystals are clear quartz crystals with rainbows of trapped air, water, and gas—commonly known as veils, foils, or fairy frost. Those rainbows, in conjunction with external and internal fractures in the crystal, tend to make the stones look like ancient temples, complete with stairways and doorways. Some people believe that devic temple crystals can facilitate communication with nature spirits like devas and elves.
Dolphin crystals are small crystals that seem to ride along the base of a larger stone. Dolphin crystals are playful, but they also represent communication with animals, unconditional love, loyalty, gentleness, and the importance of protecting and nurturing other living things.
Double-terminated crystals are naturally faceted on both ends because they grow in clay or gas bubbles, rather than on a base. The dual terminations allow energy to flow in both directions, which makes double-terminated crystals a good choice if you want to share you energy with another person. They also symbolize balance between two people, or between the body and the spirit, or between the conscious and the subconscious mind.
Dow crystals, also known as trans-channeling crystals, are named after JaneAnn Dow, a noted crystal healer and the author of Crystal Journey. The tip or termination of a Dow crystal has six faces—three of which are large faces with seven sides, while the other three are smaller faces with three sides each. Dow crystals work both for channeling and transmitting energy. They also are regarded as master crystals because they have the ability to both teach and heal.
Drusy crystals are clusters of small crystals that cover the surface of another mineral. Their tiny crystal points can encourage you to grow in new and unusual ways.
Elestial quartz crystals, also known as crocodile quartz, jacare quartz, and skeletal quartz, look like they have been built up, layer after layer, with etching-like markings all over their surfaces. The geometric patterns on their surface
almost look like alligator skin. Some elestials have visible cavities, often layered or ribbed, sometimes pronounced enough to make the crystal seem hollow. Elestial crystals can also have many terminations; the points can look like a series of carved pyramids or a hand-drawn mountain range. Because they are so complex, elestials are good crystals to use if you have a lot of information to process.
Empathetic crystals are far from perfect—they have been chipped, cracked, broken, and damaged, sometimes extensively. Empathetic crystals have survived their own injuries, accidents, and trauma, however, so they represent empathy, compassion, and understanding. Like Chiron, the ancient centaur of Greek mythology, empathetic crystals are wounded healers.
Extraterrestrial crystals have a single termination at one end and multiple terminations at the other, like a rocket ship with flames shooting from the bottom. Some people use them to connect with extraterrestrial beings.
Faden-lined crystals have a milky white thread of fluid or gas running through them, like a telephone line or an astral cord. The feathery, threadlike fibers usually run through the entire crystal, near the center. Faden-lined crystals are good for making connections and initiating new growth.
Family clusters are crystals that have one or two “parent” crystals surrounded by a number of smaller “children.” Just as you would probably expect, family clusters represent family issues like protection and nurturing, as well as ancestry and heritage. Family clusters can be especially good to have around if you are a member of the “sandwich generation” and you find yourself caring for young children and aging parents at the same time.
Female crystals, with gentle, receptive “yin” energy, are usually cloudy or opaque, while male crystals, with active “yang” energy, are generally clear and transparent. Some crystals embody a balance of the two energies, while clusters can include very distinct mix of male and female crystals.
Gemini crystals, also called twin crystals and soul mate crystals, have two points that share a single base. They not only share the same base, but there is no boundary between them. They have grown side by side for so long that their connection is seamless. Gemini crystals represent mergers, as well as partnerships and intimate relationships.
Generator crystals, also known as generating crystals, sending crystals, Merlin crystals, and energy guides, look like magic wands—or at least the magical crystal tip of a magic wand. They have six evenly spaced sides that come to a sharp and undamaged point on one end. Their symmetrical formation makes them a natural reminder of the wisdom, focus, and magical power of nature. Generator crystals can help you direct your energy so that you can manifest your ideas quickly and easily. You can use a generator crystal when you want to generate change in your life.
Geodes are hollow, round stones that are lined inside with crystals. Most geodes contain quartz, amethyst, citrine, or calcite. Study a geode when you want insight into your inner beauty or hidden talent, or when you want to visualize the makeup of the human soul.
Grounding crystals. While all crystals are grounding crystals to some extent, crystals with an eight-sided face are
exceptionally grounding. They are somewhat rare, as most crystals have six sides. Grounding crystals can bring you back down to earth, literally and figuratively. Keep one near you to use as a reminder that you are a spiritual being in a physical body, and that you need to integrate both aspects.
Growth interference crystals seem to have been cut with a trim saw. In fact, they are quartz crystals that have had their growth interrupted by thin, flat, calcite crystals. Growth interference crystals are good for removing obstacles to our own growth, including the limits we impose on ourselves.
Hera crystals, also known as self-healed crystals, were broken at some point in their past, badly damaged, or severed or cut off from their original source. As time passed, however, they began to grow again, sealing and self-healing their broken ends with small triangular facets. Self-healed crystals signify renewal, rebirth, recuperation, and, of course, healing. Hera crystals are named in honor of the Greek goddess Hera, who dealt with her husband Zeus’s infidelities by becoming a strong, self-sufficient woman.
Holed stones are stones that literally have holes worn through them by weather, water, or even by small living creatures. While sacred to the Norse god Odin, holed stones are also connected to goddess lore and associated with feminine wisdom, fertility, motherhood, and protection. According to legend, if you look through a holed stone by the light of a full moon, you can see into the spirit world. Holed stones can also help people who suffer from nightmares.
Included crystals have inclusions—particles of foreign matter, such as dirt, dust, other minerals, or pockets of water or oil.
Inner child crystals are actually two crystals in one—they consist of one small crystal partly embedded within a larger stone. The smaller crystal usually extends a bit from the larger crystal, as well. Inner child crystals symbolize buried memories and emotions, and they are especially recommended for people who have had painful or traumatic childhoods.
Isis crystals are a lot like Cerridwen crystals. They have a five-sided facet at their tip. The bottom edges of the pentagon, which point up and out, represent reaching out into the world; the top lines come back together, symbolizing spiritual focus. Isis crystals are named in honor of the Egyptian goddess Isis, who worked tirelessly to reassemble and revive her husband Osiris after he was murdered and dismembered. Isis crystals are especially useful if you must deal with issues of fidelity or grief. After Osiris’s death, Isis magically conceived his child, so Isis crystals represent fertility, creativity, and motherhood as well. Isis crystals aren’t just for women; if you’re a man who wonders what women want, pick up an Isis. An Isis crystal will help you deal with your girlfriend or wife, and help you understand your mother, sisters, daughters, and female co-workers, too.
Japanese law twins are conjoined at the bottom, so they form a “V” or a heart shape. Japanese law twins symbolize synthesis.
Key crystals have a three-sided or six-sided indented shape that narrows as it goes into the crystal—like a keyhole. You can use a key crystal if you would like to unlock secrets, uncover hidden information, or understand illusive concepts.
Laser wand crystals are long and slender. They’re a little bit wider at the base than at the tip, and they taper gradually toward one end. Like magic wands, laser wand crystals are good for clearing negativity, creating protective barriers, and focusing energy—especially healing energy.
Left-handed crystals have an extra facet somewhere on the left side of their largest face or termination. Left-handed crystals can help you become more creative, insightful, intuitive, and psychic.
Lifepath crystals are long and thin, with one side that’s completely smooth. Use a lifepath crystal if you want to forge a smoother path in your life.
Male crystals, with active “yang” energy, are generally clear and transparent, while female crystals, with gentle, receptive “yin” energy, are usually cloudy or opaque. Some crystals embody a balance of the two energies, while clusters can include very distinct mix of male and female crystals.
Manifestation crystals feature a small crystal totally encased within a larger crystal. Manifestation crystals can help you manifest the hopes, plans, and dreams that lie buried inside you. Manifestation crystals can also represent buried memories and emotions, and they can be used like inner child crystals for people who have had painful or traumatic childhoods.
Mythic crystals are milky quartz crystals with terminations on both ends. Mythic crystals seem like solidified clouds, and it’s not hard to imagine that when you gaze into a mythic crystal, you are actually gazing into the swirling mists of time. Some people have even suggested that mythic crystals could hold the secrets of ancient myths and archetypes. Mythic crystals are especially good to use during meditation.
Needle crystals are very long and very narrow, which makes them well suited for focusing energy or for sewing the pieces of your soul back together.
Parity crystals come in clusters of evenly sized stones. Parity means equality, and parity crystals are reminders that all people are equal.
Phantom crystals. At some point in their growth cycle, phantom crystals stopped growing, but then started up again. The evidence of their halted development lingers on: you can see the faint outline of their former selves still trapped inside. Sometimes, that ghostly shadow is a result of foreign materials or impurities that settled on the crystal as it grew. When you look at a phantom crystal, you might see the ghostly specter of one of your past lives, or the remains of a long-lost relationship that has left a fading imprint on your soul. Phantom crystals could even remind you of the various roles you have played in your life, or of the evolution you’ve undergone through time and place. Phantom crystals can also suggest that it may be time for you to resume your growth after a period of rest and reflection.
Pixilated crystals, also called enchanted crystals, are double-terminated clear quartz crystals filled with rainbows and fairy frost. Like the misty landmarks of a dream, pixilated crystals awaken us to the existence of mythical beings like pixies, elves, gnomes, and fairies, as well as plant and animal devas.
Quantum crystals consist of three or more double-terminated crystals joined together. Quantum is Latin for “amount,” and the term generally refers to a very small measure or quantity. The statistical odds against finding a quantum crystal make them especially suited to use as agents of transition and transformation. If you have a quantum crystal, use it to help you bring about major changes in your life.
Quartz points are bits and pieces of quartz crystal tips and terminations. Quartz points are especially good for transmitting information throughout a grid or layout—like those used in healing. Quartz points will naturally focus and intensify energy in any direction they are aimed. Some people believe that terminations can even work like knives to cut through blocked energy. Quartz points are beautiful when grouped together, and they can unify a pattern of crystals laid out for meditation or healing work.
Rainbow crystals are a physical manifestation of pure white light. They’re not uncommon—many clear quartz crystals work like prisms, and refract the visible light spectrum through embedded cracks, fractures, veils, or trapped air and water. Rainbow crystals symbolize boundless possibilities, as well as joy, hope, optimism, forgiveness, and fresh new beginnings. Rainbow crystals make especially nice gifts.
Receiving crystals have one broad, flat face. Sometimes, crystal healers hold the flat face against a sick or injured part of the body to draw out the negative energy, or they place them alongside the heart or the head to draw out negative thoughts and feelings. You could also try holding a receiving crystal in your left hand (which is your receptive hand, if you are right-handed) and a projecting crystal in your right hand to give and receive energy at the same time.
Record-keeper crystals have small, triangular markings on their surface. Some of those markings are raised, while others seem to be engraved into the surface. The marks can be hard to see, so you may need to hold your crystal in bright light to find them. Each mark is associated with a single, specific lesson for the person who holds it. According to those who work with record keepers, sometimes the triangular markings seem to appear and disappear.
The lore associated with record keeper crystals may seem fantastic. Some people believe that record keeper crystals were programmed by ancient civilizations to hold vital information for future generations, and then buried deep in the earth. Some people also believe that record keeper crystals can materialize out of thin air. Record keeper crystals can be helpful to those who seek ancient secrets, esoteric wisdom, or information about their past lives.
Right-handed crystals have an extra facet somewhere on the right side of their largest face or termination. Right-handed crystals can help you become more rational, logical, and analytical. When you work with right-handed crystals, hold them in your right hand.
Scepter crystals look very much like the scepters held by kings and queens, which were symbols of their worldly power. They result when a normal, wand-shaped crystal begins a second stage of growth, which looks like the tip of a scepter—heavier and wider than the stem. You can use a scepter crystal when you want to wield power over your life and your environment.
Because scepter crystals are also very phallic in shape, you can use them when you want to draw upon masculine energy and force, or when you want to scatter the seeds of new ideas and generate new projects.
Selene crystals are named in honor of Selene, the eternally beautiful Greek goddess of the moon. Selene crystals have rounded, moon-shaped inclusions, such as bubbles of air, water, and oil. Selene crystals will remind you of the richness and fullness of the moon, as well as the regular cycles of the lunar orb. Use a Selene crystal if you are dealing with issues that seem to come and go on a regular basis. Because Selene was also said to be the mother of fifty children, you can also use Selene crystals if you are pregnant, trying to get pregnant, raising children, or dealing with your own mother.
Seven-sided crystals have seven sides and seven natural terminations at the tip. Because seven is an especially mystical number associated with the seven heavens, the seven chakras, the seven days of the week, and more, a seven-faceted crystal enhances introspection, serenity, mysticism, spiritual attainment, transcendence, and peace.
Shovel crystals have one facet shaped like a shovel, which makes them especially well suited for use when you need to dig for nformation.
Singing crystals are small, thin, cylindrical crystals that make a high-pitched singing or tinkling sound when rubbed or rolled together. Their music can be used to clear the air, get energy flowing, and inspire creativity.
Six-sided crystals are very common; most quartz crystals have six sides. Single-terminated crystals are flat on the bottom (because they grow from a rocky base), and they usually come to a single point at the tip or termination. Terminations naturally focus, intensify, and direct energy in any direction they are aimed. Some people believe that terminations can even work like knives to cut through blocked energy.
Six-sided crystals may be common, but their symbolism is still quite moving. The six sides of a hexagon are said to correspond to the six chakras, or energy centers in the human body. The point on the tip or termination of a six-sided crystal corresponds to the seventh chakra, just above the head.
Spiral crystals have a spiral shape and a clearly visible, twisted pattern of growth. They may remind you of light and sound waves winding their way through space, or a spiral staircase rising to higher planes of consciousness. Spiral crystals also seem to embody the spiraling double helix of human DNA. You can use a spiral crystal if you want to access your higher self, or if you want to work with the gifts and talents you inherited from your parents and grandparents. Because spiral crystals could also remind you of the wavelike patterns of light and sound, you can also use one if you want to develop your communication skills.
Tabular crystals, sometimes called tabby crystals, are flat and rectangular, like a stone tablet or a table. Generally speaking, two sides of a tabular crystal are at least twice as wide as the other two sides. Tabular crystals symbolize the kind of communication that can take place across a table. They are good for planning work with other people, as well as face-to-face discussion, dialogue, and dispute resolution.
Timeline crystals have one rectangular face or facet, like a parallelogram, that leans to the right or the left. When we construct a written timeline, we tend to put events of the past on the left, events of the present in the center, and future occurrences on the right. For that reason, crystals with a facet that leans to the left are good for accessing information from the past, and crystals with a facet that leans to the right are good for accessing information from the future.
Transmitter crystals have two symmetrical seven-sided faces with a perfect triangular face between them.
Trigger crystals have a little crystal growing from their sides, like the trigger on a gun. To activate a trigger crystal for meditation, reflection, or divination, gently squeeze the trigger.
Wands are slender, clear quartz crystals. When you hold a wand in your hand, it automatically extends your own power by metaphorically extending your reach. Wands can help make your wishes, dreams, and prayers come true.
Wands are powerful crystals. Never point a wand at anyone in jest, and never wish for anything negative when working with a wand.
Window crystals have an extra diamond-shaped face on the termination, large enough to be considered a seventh facet. (Most crystals have six faces on their terminations.) Just as you might expect, those windows represent windows into the soul or the spirit world.
Yin-yang crystals are milky, cloudy, or opaque on one end, which represents their gentle, receptive “yin” energy. On the other end, they are clear and transparent, in line with active “yang” energy. Use a yin-yang crystal when you need to find a balance between any two extremes.