A Beginner’s Guide To Crystals and Their Healing Powers

Healing crystals are now a legitimate component of a holistic approach to self-care and spirituality. Just the act of placing crystals on or near your body can help absorb, focus and direct energies to get your mind and body right. It’s not quite as easy as walking outside, picking up a rock and holding it to your forehead. After all, there are hundreds of stones for every mood, personality, crisis and desire, so it’s important to choose the one (or ones) that serve the issue you’re facing. And remember that crystals aren’t a crystals aren’t a cure-all

What are healing crystals?

As a long-standing trend, the modern crystal revival — which centers around healing, healing through love, wisdom and healing the Earth’s eco-systems — extends back more than a century. But it was in the late ’80s when the New Age movement’s devotion to crystals really caught on. One of the first mentions of the tradition is credited to a mother-and-daughter business team from Arizona who developed the Healing Crystal Bags after noticing their young son’s immunity was weaker in those who held particular crystals to their body. At this time, people were just starting to consider crystals to be an authentic part of the practice of healing. They gained notoriety when Audrey and Donna Wilson-Stephens began to make crystal- and gemstone-based jewelry to complement the Healing Crystal Bags.

Choosing a crystal

Be warned: you will want to wear these stones all the time, both during healing sessions and otherwise, and that’s a great start, but they won’t always have a direct impact on your health. The same goes for hanging them on your windowsill. If you’re feeling worried, you can focus more on the clear energy of a blue amethyst to lift your mood, for example. If you’re experiencing feelings of frustration, you might hold a quartz against your heart to generate confidence and strength. And some stones emit healing energy, like pyrite, a form of iron sulfide, which can help with cancer, asthma, wounds and ulcers. Most of the crystals that are sold for healing have their own unique properties, but you can check out crystal shops or websites that specialize in crystals for more information.

How to use crystals

Rather than loading up on what you’ll only end up damaging or losing (i.e. stones of a pea-sized size), opt for smaller crystals (three to five millimeters) and focus on smaller areas of your body — the forehead, wrists, hands and soles of the feet. If you have a financial dispute, it may be a good idea to wear a new diamond or cubic zirconia crystal under your watch. The stones may absorb negative energy from the energy of a watch, producing a soothing feeling. In the same way that crystals and gemstones can be used in jewelry, so too can they be used in healing practices. Merely lying on your stomach while wearing a necklace, bracelet or pendant containing a healing stone will help you draw upon your chakras, the energy centers at the base of your spine.

How to cleanse crystals

To cleanse crystals, simply hold the stone up to the sun, spin it on the palm of your hand a few times and make a wish or say a prayer or mantra. The faster you spin the stone, the faster the crystal will absorb the negative energy and leave you feeling ready to help yourself and the planet. More information Find out more at CompanionCeramic.com and TheCompendium.

Conclusion

The use of crystals in our health care system isn’t new, though the current surge of interest in crystals by health care professionals can certainly be attributed to the recent rising tide of self-care and holistic health, especially within women. The information in this post was written by Ron Fava, who is an integrative health coach, writer, photographer and health enthusiast. He specializes in educating people on how to create lifestyle change, regardless of chronic medical issues, and he uses various holistic modalities to facilitate this change. Ron writes for a number of online publications, such as Health Psychology Today, Cleveland Clinic Magazine and more.