Crystals can have many uses, but most often are used for healing, meditation, divination, and protection. How do you know which ones are right for you? This chapter will teach you how to choose, cleanse, purify, charge, and store your crystal—all of which will help you bind with your crystal, making it uniquely yours.
Be prepared to devote a fair amount of time and thought to the selection of your own personal crystal. Realize, first of all, that your body possesses natural vibrations. Crystals, too, vibrate at certain frequencies. Your aim, therefore, is to find a crystal that shares the vibrational rate of your own body. This may sound difficult. In fact, it's a simple and enjoyable task, though it must be done with care.
The first step is to decide on your requirements. Throughout this book (particularly chapters 5 through 8) you will find details of a wide variety of stones, their unique qualities, and the needs with which they are associated. Before you go any further in selecting a crystal, check on the information given here. Then, having found a number of stones that seem appropriate, decide on those which most appeal to you.
Your next step is to go to a rock shop. It's really almost essential to do this, even if you have to travel some distance to find the necessary retailer. Mail-order companies abound and are convenient, but in our view the only way to select a crystal is to visit a shop and be in the physical presence of a stone in order to take your pick. You'll also be able to get help and advice from the shop's staff. They should be able to offer guidance on the quality of the crystals they are selling and answer any questions you may have.
Most important of all, you will be able to hold the crystals in your hands. This is crucial. It is the only way to find out which one is right for you.
On entering the shop, you will probably be bewildered and enchanted by the glittering display of color. Take your time. Stroll around and look carefully at all the stones on display. Almost certainly, you will find that some—perhaps half a dozen—attract you more than the others. Ask if you may examine these more closely. Don't worry, the staff will be accustomed to such requests and will know what you're doing.
Take each crystal in turn and hold it in your hand for a moment. Close your eyes and take a slow, deep breath. Feel the crystal—its texture, shape, and temperature. Does it “speak” to you? Note your reactions to the crystal before putting it down, picking up another, and repeating the process.
Out of the six or so crystals that you are drawn to, you will probably find a couple that feel “right.” At this stage that “rightness” is indefinable, but you'll know it when you feel it. Pause for a little walk around the shop or chat with the staff, and then repeat the above routine with each of the two remaining crystals. This time, you will almost certainly be confident about which is “your” crystal.
The size and quality of a crystal have no effect upon its potency. Naturally, you'll want to buy the biggest and best that you can afford, but don't let this influence your choice. It doesn't matter in the least if “your” crystal is not as big and shiny as some of the others.
Trust your own instincts. When you somehow “recognize” a crystal, don't hesitate and dither about with others. Pay up, ask the shopkeeper to wrap the stone, and carry it home in triumph. You're right at the beginning of a beautiful friendship!
Beware of fake stones or those that have been treated, irradiated, or dyed in order to enhance their color. You want a crystal exactly as nature made it and just as it came out of the ground. Reputable dealers won't try to fob you off with fakes. Don't be afraid to ask if you are holding a genuine, untreated stone. If the seller says that it may have been heat-treated—as smoky quartz, for example, often is—ask if he has any untreated stones. If not, move on to another dealer.
Consider only those stones that you know by name. Don't buy a crystal you've never heard of merely because it looks pretty. There are many synthetic stones on the market, usually with glamorous names. No matter how attractive they look, these are not genuine crystals and are useless for healing, protection, or any other requirement.
When your friends hear of your interest in crystals they may buy them for you as gifts. This need not be a problem. Accept the gift graciously, but take particular care with the cleansing and charging of this stone. Cherish it. It was chosen for you, rather than by you. It may take a little longer for you to “tune in” to one another, but eventually this crystal can be “yours” just as much as one that you have selected yourself.
When you've found “your” crystal remember that it is not a toy to be played with and passed around for others to handle. You chose it as a working tool and should treasure it as such. Remember, though, that it had probably been handled by lots of people before you made your purchase. The next step is to carefully cleanse your crystal to remove the negative energies that it has collected before it came into your possession. This cleansing process will also personalize your crystal and tune it in to your energy fields.
First you will need to make sure that your crystal is physically clean.
The simplest and easiest method is to clean your crystal under lukewarm running water with a soft toothbrush and a mild, detergent-free soap. When it is clean and sparkling, give it a final rinse using fresh rainwater, spring-water, or filtered water, if at all possible. Then pat it dry with a soft towel. Some prefer to dry their crystal by blowing it gently with their own breath. This is an excellent method as it helps to impart your energies to the crystal.
We recommend you use this method first. Another method is to place your crystal in cold running water for five minutes, or simply leave the stone in a container of rainwater overnight.
There are a wide variety of methods for removing negative vibrations from you crystal, all of which are equally effective.
Bury it in a container of sea-salt. Leave it there for anything between 24 hours and three days. Then remove it from the salt, rinse and dry it as above. Alternatively, dissolve some salt in enough lukewarm water to cover your crystal and proceed as above.
Another method is to leave the stone for at least 36 hours in a container of seawater—but do be sure that this water is not polluted.
Yet another cleansing method is to bury your crystal in moist sand or soil for at least 24 hours.
Note: Lapis lazuli, malachite, and sodalite can be damaged by water and should therefore not be subjected to any of these methods.
Smudging is the method of crystal cleansing used by Native Americans. Cedar, sage leaves, and sweetgrass are burned in an open container and the crystal is passed several times through the smoke. New Age shops sell smudge sticks that are a combination of these leaves with other herbs and frankincense. These can be used for cleansing your crystal, your home—and even yourself.
If you are unable to obtain the ingredients for smudging, you can use the smoke from an incense stick or pass your crystal through a candle flame. Be careful not to burn yourself, or damage the crystal by overheating it.
If your climate permits, place your crystal outdoors in the sunlight. Leave it there all day, turning it occasionally so that all its facets catch the sunlight. Beware of magpies and other birds that may be attracted by its glitter and steal it. All crystals are formed beneath the ground and some may be damaged by direct sunlight, which tends to make the colors fade. Those that are at risk are aventurine, amethyst, apatite, and aquamarine, some colors of beryl, celestine, citrine, fluorite, rose quartz, smoky quartz, kunzite, and sapphire.
Some stones cleanse better with moonlight. As above, leave your crystal outdoors on a moonlit night. This may take several nights to work effectively, but is well suited to those crystals listed above that are at risk from sunlight. You can speed up this process by placing your crystal on a mirror, thus doubling the effect of the moon's rays.
All these cleansing and purifying methods work well, but there is one other that is the easiest of all. Simply place your crystal on a crystal cluster that has already been purified and leave it there for no less than 24 hours.
The next step in the process of making your crystal into a powerful working tool is to bond with it. This step, although important, may be one that you have taken without realizing it. All you have to do is sit quietly with your crystal in your hands and close your eyes. Then notice the shape, texture and temperature of the crystal, just as you did when buying it. Do this for no more than a couple of minutes. Then open your eyes and examine your crystal minutely, taking in its outward appearance, color, every angle and any flaws or impurities that it may have. Close your eyes again and now, while still holding it, visualize your crystal. See it in your mind's eye. Imprint its appearance on your brain so strongly that at any time in the future you will be able to distinguish it from any other crystal.
Finally we come to the most important step. This is known as charging or programming your crystal. For example, perhaps you have bought a beautiful piece of citrine in the hope that it will relieve the stress you have been experiencing. You must now empower that crystal so that it will help to stabilize your emotions and create happiness and tranquility in your life.
Your crystal has been cleansed and purified. It is now like a clean slate, waiting to be written on. Sit quietly. Hold your crystal between both hands so that you are making as much contact with it as possible. Close your eyes, relax, and breathe deeply and slowly. Inhale through your nose and exhale in a sharp puff from your mouth. Think of the energy you wish to impart to your crystal. Focus on that intent. Visualize your intentions flowing smoothly from your mind into the crystal. Your thoughts have energy. In this process, you are putting that energy into your crystal. When you inhale, take into your body the image of what it is you want from your crystal. With each exhalation, imagine that desire entering the stone.
This procedure will program the crystal with whatever quality you want. Your vibrations are stored in the crystal, ready to use.
Note: If you use your crystal frequently you will need to recharge it every two or three weeks if you wish to change the purpose for which you use your crystal—citrine may be used to attract wealth—it must first be cleansed and then reprogrammed.
Keep your charged crystal safely where other people will not see or touch it. Crystals that are not being used may be stored on a soft bed of tissue in a drawer, so that they are out of the light. If you wish to carry your crystals with you, the best way is to wear them round your neck in a small pouch. Most rock-shops sell these.