Introduction to Crystals

For hundreds of years crystals have been used for spiritual purposes, from the Egyptians to the ancient Greeks and right through until the present day.

Crystals make very beautiful pieces of jewellery and also lovely ornaments. However crystals have a lot more to them than what meets the eye.

We’re going to be taking a brief look at crystals, their uses, their properties and much more. Once you get an interest in crystals it opens up a whole new world. There are so many colours, types and shapes.

The majority of crystal workers will agree that we don’t choose our crystals, our crystals choose us.

Where Do Crystals Come From

Crystals come from different places, many crystals have been found in underground cavities (caves). They can grow from a single atom and other atoms join onto it, making the crystal grow. The more atoms that join, the larger the crystal becomes.

There are also crystals which grow in water, the water is rich in dissolved minerals and so the crystals form from the minerals and begin to grow.

Obsidian crystal is formed from magma which cools rapidly, therefore it doesn’t allow the crystals to form, and so we end up with obsidian which looks like black smooth glass.

If the magma cools slower, then we will have a mineral called Cristobalite present. This gives the obsidian a speckled look and we call this snowflake obsidian.

Obsidian can be used as a protective amulet, and can absorb negativity and stress.

We have Agate which comes in many gorgeous colours. Agate is banded chalcedony with quartzite layers found in nodules or geodes, the bands are said to develop when silica rich water gets into the cavities.

Agate can help balance physical and emotional health, it can also be used as a talisman for protection and good health. Each agate has it’s own unique properties so it’s worth taking a look at each one independently.

Now on to a classic favourite which is Amber. Amber was formed over 50 million years ago and is actually solidified resin from pine trees. If you own a piece of amber you might be lucky enough to have some fossilised plant or insect inside it.

While the resin was sticky, the insects or plant matter would get stuck inside, then the heat and pressure from the overlying sediment, transformed the resin into amber.

Sometimes pieces of amber can be washed up on the beach, this is because the forests where the amber originated from is now covered up by the Baltic sea.

The Baltic states aren’t the only place where we can find amber, there are many places, although the Baltic States, The Dominican Republic and Myanmar (Burma) are where the most amber is discovered.

Amber is good for courage, vitality and personal growth among other things.

For a fun experiment you can make your own salt crystals in your kitchen, here’s how – Mix up some table salt into warm water. Keep adding salt until no more will dissolve into the water. Then tip the warm water with the salt dissolved into it into a mug or glass – leaving behind the salt that wouldn’t dissolve. Next, suspend a paper clip or something else that will sink, attached to some string close to the bottom of the mug/glass, but without letting it touch the bottom. Leave it on the side to cool and evaporate. As the water evaporates crystals of salt will form on the paper-clip. You’ve now grown your own salt crystals.

Crystals and Their Healing Properties

Many people believe that crystals have healing properties. This was demonstrated by the ancient Greeks. Throughout the years crystals have been used in many cultures including in Chinese medicine.

As the crystals are made from atoms, the vibration of the atom will knock its neighbouring atom and send like a shock wave of vibrations throughout the whole crystal.

From this vibration (which will be different in each type of crystal) we have learned the crystal properties and each crystals individual healing power.

We can use the crystals on their own for healing just by matching up their healing properties to what we want to heal. Or we can use the crystals in Reiki to help identify energy blocks or even on specific problems we find during the Reiki session.

When we use crystals in Reiki we use the colour of the crystal to match up with the colour of the chakra. So, for example we would use a red crystal crystal for our root chakra as our root chakra colour is red. You can find more about this in the chakra section of this site.

Are Crystals Powerful ?

People who are involved with crystals either through work or as a hobby will most certainly tell you that crystals are very powerful. It’s been known for someone to pick up a crystal and instantly have some sort of bodily sensation.

This is known to happen to draw your attention to a certain area which could need some treatment. Crystals are used by many for common conditions such as anxiety or depression.

It’s been reported that the wearer has felt in a better place in a week or less after using the crystal.

How to Clean and Charge Crystals

This is a very important question. Please do not try and wash your crystals in water. Some crystals can be washed in water but before you do this please ensure they are at least 6 on the Mohs scale. Personally I never wet my crystals. If you wet pyrite or magnetite they will rust. If you are unsure about how the Mohs scale works, you can learn about it here

One safe way to clean your crystals is by leaving them out in the moonlight. This will not only cleanse your crystals but it will also charge them. Our crystals should be cleansed after every use.

Another safe way to cleanse our crystals is by smudging them, just like we smudge our house. We can use the smoke from an incense stick to do this. Just place the crystals over the smoke and through the smoke for around 30 seconds, it’s that simple, this will remove any negative energy from the crystal.

Not only should we cleanse our crystals after use, but also any other tools we have been using. When you choose to cleanse your crystals under the moonlight, it doesn’t have to be a full moon.

However the full moon is more powerful and we know they are fully cleansed and fully charged.

Which Crystals Should I Get

When it comes to getting crystals it is a personal choice we tend to look at what we need to fix and decide to buy that crystal. Then, before we know it we are buying many crystals and find the properties are overlapping and we didn’t need it.

Many people buy their crystals online, personally I like to go to the shop, as the crystals we need tend to attract us to them. When we buy online we can’t touch or feel the vibe from the crystal. If you do shop online and feel a deep attraction/connection then by all means get it.

When you’re just starting out and looking for what to buy it can be a little overwhelming as there are so many choices, however there are some crystals which we call ‘good all rounders’

The essential crystal kit would include the crystals below. These crystals have various properties and cover the most common asked for crystals.

Crystal Name	CLEAR QUARTZ	AMETHYST	ROSE QUARTZ	AVENTURINE
Properties	Can represent all 7 of your chakras and be a substitute for any other stone.	Helps with your intuition, clears negativity, helps with sleep and health.	The love stone, whether for self love, to remedy bad relationships, or share love in general.	Mental clarity, creativity, compassion and also used to ensure financial stability.

Other Uses For Crystals

One of the best uses for crystals is purely decorative. Whether you believe that they have special powers or not, many crystals look absolutely beautiful, particularly when mounted as a piece of jewellery.

For example, there is a whole industry based around the Opal crystal (which isn’t actually a crystal really). Other crystals such as Amethyst are lovely to look at, and often used as jewellery too. In some cases crystals, particularly Amethyst are used to make lovely home decorations.

This article is just a brief overview of crystals. As the site grows we will add more and more information about all the different things crystals are used for and how people use them. Please feel free to check back at any point.

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