Crystals Workshop

I’ve put everything I know about Crystals here in one place for you to learn. We also have this same information in a podcast episode Crystal Basics & More if you’d rather listen to the information. For more information about different crystals, their energetic & magical properties & more you can go to our Crystals Properties & Uses page. I love crystals, they are like family to me, & I love working with them, my wish for you is to discover & start a love affair with crystals & to experience their amazing & magical power for yourself. Stay Magical. -Whitney

Crystal History, Mining, Ethically Sourced & Resources

History

One of the first books of stones was written by an Arabian Alchemist Abu Musa Jabir idn Hayyan over 1000 years ago. Several religions and cultures have valued stones for thousands of years. As mentioned with the history of Amethyst, the bible is filled with several references to crystals and stones. Specularite was mined in 40,000BCE in Africa for cosmetic and ritual purposes. Lapis Lazuli and Jasper has been mined for over 5500 years according to ancient medical texts in Israel. Amber has been found in graves dating over 8000 years old and a calcite mirror was discovered that was created over 30,000 years ago. Moldavite was found with the statue of Venus of Willendorf in 1908 and dates back to about 27,000BCE.

Culturally stones and crystals have been used for thousands of years for protection such as amulets, medicinal uses like gem elixirs, cosmetically for their colors, religiously for worship and burial purposes, and for decorative uses and to denote prominence for royalty and priests all over the world. From the Egyptians, Aztecs, Mayans, and Chinese to the Sumerians, Greeks, Romans, Persians and more, crystals were essential. What is interesting is that even though many of these civilizations had no contact with each other they used different stones for the same metaphysical and healing properties as we do today.   

Ethically Sourced

Stones are mined all over the world, some stones are exclusive to certain areas of the world and others are widely spread. There are also stones that form from meteorites crashing into the earth millions of years ago, moldavite for example is believed to have formed 14.7million years ago. 

Some mines are small operations that are owned and operated by small families as a main source of income, while others are mass mined in large production. The question of ethically sourced crystals comes into play in how the crystals are mined. This is important because we know crystals carry energy, memory, frequencies and vibrations. If stones are mined in poor work conditions that are unsafe where workers are not paid a fair wage or are slave workers, or even worse child labor is used, then the “birthing energy” of negativity and or violence can be stored in the stone. This also holds true for the entire supply chain as a stone makes its way from a mine and into your hands. Some peoples and families are forcibly displaced so suppliers can have access to mines. I did not know until recently that a vast majority of Lapis Lazuli was mined in Afghanistan and the mines were run by the Taliban, so all the money made on the sale of these crystals went to support the Taliban, so that brings to light another issue of how the sale of crystals can be tied to the sale of guns and to fund wars and terrorism. We also want to be aware of how the environment is impacted by the mining of gems and crystals. As people who work with, love and appreciate stones, I feel we have a responsibility to not support that type of mining when we are purchasing stones.  

Discovering the source of a stone can be incredibly difficult as often time sellers are not aware of the actual source, they buy from a buyer or bought from a buyer, so on and so forth. In my research to provide as much information as possible on stones for this episode I was faced with the ugly truth of the mining of crystals which is now a billion dollar industry. When you are looking to purchase stones please do your best to find those that were ethically sourced. The chain of supply is not always transparent on purchases of crystals. 

If you have stones that you are not sure where they may have come from I think the best thing to do is to send love & light to any one who may have interacted with the stone on its transit to arrive at you. After that be sure to cleanse the stones. 

IRMA which stands for Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance is one of the front runners in setting up rules and standards around mining of all types of resources, including crystals and gemstones. They are bringing together many major corporations and suppliers to ensure fair compensation for workers as well as safety regulations. Ford Motor Company recently joined their movement. Another focus they have is providing transparency in the supply chain of resources like silver, gold, steel and crystals. They also set up a certification which companies can obtain once they meet the standards set so consumers can knowingly start to buy from ethical resources. You can learn more about them at https://responsiblemining.net/.

Resources for Information

Online: 
thewitchsource.com/crystals
healingcrystals.com
energymuse.com
sagegoddess.com

Books: 
Judy Hall: Crystal Bibles, The Encyclopedia for Crystals, many many more
Melody: Love is in the Earth: The Crystal & Mineral Encyclopedia 
Cassandra Eason: Healing Crystals
Robert Simmons: The Pocket Book of Stones
Heather Askinosie & Tmmi Jandro: Crystal Muse

Apps

Crystal Guru: Provides pictures, metaphysical properties, an affirmation, chakra, Zodiac, and chemistry. You can also “star” the list to mark which crystals you own or want to get. 

Crystal Collection: Gives general information and/or history of the stone, it describes the crystal structure and hardness, and lists the metaphysical properties, chakra, Zodiac, Numerology, Element, and Planetary Associations. Downside is the pictures are drawings making it hard to tell what the stone actually looks like.

Healing Crystals: provides a lot of the same information as the other apps but you can also purchase. Downside is there are several pops up within the app making it a little frustrating to use.

Crystal Eyes: new app not yet launched but will be the only app that you can take a picture of your crystal and it will identify it for you. You will be able to keep a library of your crystals, this might be a premium feature, and the release will start with the top 100 most common crystals. You can find a link to sign up for notifications about the app on our Facebook Page. Another focus of this app is to connect people to Ethically Sourced vendors. 

Crystal Formations & How Crystals Work

Crystal Structure & Forming

Crystal classifications are determined by their inner structures and mineral makeup. It is actually the different minerals within the crystals that lead to their coloring. Things such as chemical content, radiation, earth and solar emissions all contribute to the crystals formation. All of these things also affect a crystals energy which in turns leads to its healing and metaphysical properties. 

Forming happens as different minerals, chemicals and gases are moved through the earth’s various levels. The ever changing amounts of heat and pressure lend to the forming as well as how slowly or quickly they moved in the process. Some formations melt and restructure and undergo chemical changes to create the new inner structures. As some crystals make their way to the surface they eventually interact with water which leads to additional changes and formations. Keep in mind this process has been going on for millions of years as crystals are a part of the original infrastructure of the earth.

The Hardness Scale invented by Friedrich Mohs in 1822 is extremely important & useful for the cleansing & care of your stones & crystals. The scale is 1 – 10 with 1 being the softest & 10 the hardest, a diamond is the hardest known natural mineral. The rule of thumb anything harder than 7 is safe to get wet & can be cleansed by water. 

2-marks with fingernail
3-marks with copper coin
4-marks easily with a knife
5-marks with difficulty with a knife
6-marks with a steel file
7-scratches window glass

The internal crystalline structure is formed by atoms and cannot be changed and does not always reflect the actual outer shape and formation. There are 7 crystal lattice structures and then an 8th classification which means the crystal has no structure. Each type of structure contributes to how energy is conducted. 

Energy

The atoms that vibrate at certain frequencies inside these lattice structures determine how energy is used by the stone, it could be highly energetic useful for balancing, it could encompass energy which is good for clearing, it could be stabilizing & grounding, it could integrate energy & opposites, it could radiate energy, purify, absorb & transmute, or even allow energy to pass through & be enhanced like those stones useful for growth & manifestation.

Crystals are either piezoelectric or pyroelectric determined by their crystal classification & not by the mineral makeup, however, the minerals present do affect the degree of these energies.

Piezoelectric-due to pressure being applied to the stone an electric current is created & an electric field around the crystal. Quartz Crystals

Pyroelectric-due to being heated or cooled the stone creates a polarizing charge within the crystal. Tourmaline

Rate of the vibration of the atoms is what distinguishes high vibrational stones from low frequency stones. How a stone works with you depends on your frequency and vibration. Remember the frequency of the stone cannot be changed, so what happens when a stone is placed within your aura or energy field is your energy then tries to align with the stone. When a stone doesn’t feel right or doesn’t work it’s just not a good vibrational match for you at that time but it could change as you change. 

People’s energies are constantly changing, spiking, & ebbing. People who are at a lower vibrational state tend to be grounded, run by ego, emotions, the material world & survival needs. People who are at a high vibrational state tend to have increased creativity, intuitive knowing, metaphysical awareness, & connected to Divine Intelligence. 

Ideally people need to obtain a balance between these states that allows for free flowing of energy, you want to be grounded and connected to be able to put the high awareness into dailly action & use in your physical life. If you are not grounded enough there are several negative side effects like being “spaced out” & eventually physical dis-ease can happen. 

Crystals help your body, mind, & spirit to reconnect and bring them into alignment. They also help when your energy starts to slide along the scale to more peacefully shift through these spikes. Working with crystals based on their individual metaphysical or healing properties brings more of their energy into your space and/or energy field along with intention and focus & they assist with the shifts necessary to match your intentions. 

Choosing & Purchasing Crystals

Try to find ethically sourced crystals, ask your retailer if they know where exactly the stones came from and if they were ethically mined. Many retailers are now paying attention to this and some online retailers are already making this information available. 

When shopping for crystals you can choose by color or metaphysical or healing properties or their chakra association.  A good way to start is to set your intention before entering the store or browsing online. Ask your higher self, source, spirit guides, etc. to help guide you and direct you to the crystals that will best help you and/or your purpose. Be open and allow, trust your intuition, and pay attention. 

Once that’s in place you can go to areas of the store that seem to call to you or pull you in. Trust it! If you land on a bowl of stones pick them up and see which one speaks to you or vibrates or feels warm in your hand. Those are all signs that that stone wants to work with you. 

If purchasing online let yourself go down the rabbit holes and see where you end up, one advantage to shopping online is a lot of information about the stones is readily available, something you don’t always see or have access to in a physical store. Again listen and trust your intuition and trust that whoever is shipping your purchase has chosen just the stone for you. Also be sure to check out reviews on the shop before purchasing & what their return policy is, you can always look up what stones are supposed to look like online too before purchasing if you want to be sure the picture matches what the stones are listed to be.

From time to time it has happened to me, I fall in love with a stone in a store and when I get it home to work with it I’ve lost all the wonder and connection to the stone. I think this happens for two reasons, one: I need the stone but I’m not ready for it yet, or two: the stone is meant for someone else but I am the channel through which the stone has to make its way to its proper owner. 

Replicated Gems:

Synthetic-These gems are lab created, they include the same minerals as the natural stones but they are created in a lab & are put through similar processes as if they were created in the earth to the point they are almost impossible to tell apart. So they may me the actual gemstones based on the crystal lattice & minerals present, but they are not “natural” gemstones.  

Simulated-These gems are usually a mix of a natural gemstone & artificial additions to create the look of a regular gemstone; an example would be a garnet made to look like a ruby, it is a real garnet but a simulated ruby. Or the gems can be made completely of artificial materials not including any actual real gem, often is the case with Simulated Opal made with chemicals & plastic. Goldstone & opalite are examples of manmade stones. 

Treated-Often crystals are treated to enhance their features, the most common being heat treated to enhance color. Most often Aura crystals have been heat treated with metal such as gold or platinum, undergoing this type of alchemical transformation to bond the material to the crystal can actually enhance its natural properties & add additional properties to the crystal to the point of making it a high vibrational stone. 

Dyed Stones-Often stones will be dyed to take on bright & brilliant colors, sometimes these stones are sold as stones they may resemble. Howlite, agate & quartz are exceptionally easy to dye.  

Cleansing, Charging, Activating & Programming Crystals

Cleansing & Clearing Crystals

Crystals need to be cleansed to clear any energies that may still be stuck to it from the birthing process, handling, trading, & others who have touched it. Also, crystals need to be physically cleaned, they collect dust too. They also need to be cleansed after any healing work or after wearing them as they have been working really hard to help you during the day. Always cleanse hand-me-down stones & jewelry. *it is said Citrine, Kyanite & Azeztulite are self cleaning & never need cleansing however it can’t hurt! 

Sage-Use traditionally by cultures as a smudging & clearing tool is a great option, light the sage until burning then blow out any flame, the sage will smoke, you then pass your crystals through the smoke. You can also leave your crystals in a bowl of dried, replace the dried sage regularly. 

Palo Santo or Incense-Incense can be used just as the sage smoke, focusing on the intention of cleansing & clearing the stone.

Water-Stones with a hardness level of 7 or greater can be cleansed with water, you can leave in a bowl of water or run them under regular tap water, be sure of your intentions during this process. You may also use salt water, any salt is fine. An “indirect” method would be to place an empty bowl inside a large bowl of salt water & place the stones that cannot get wet inside the empty bowl.

Rice-You can leave stones that cannot be cleansed with water in a bowl of uncooked brown rice overnight, be sure to throw the rice out after & do not eat it!

Salt-You can use a bowl of salt just like rice. Be careful of doing this in damp areas as the salt can damage your crystals, also be sure all salt is cleared off the crystal when you remove it. A small brush like a paint brush can help with this. Also its not recommended to put porous, water based or metal based stones in salt, think opal, lapis, malachite, hematite, etc. 

Candle Light-light a white candle & carefully pass the stones above the flame, do not touch the crystal to the flame, hold the intention that the light cleanse & clear. 

Breath & Intention-Hold your crystal, visualize it being surrounded in white light, hold the intention of the crystal being cleansed, take a deep breath & gently blow on the crystal. The thought here is that we all hold Source within our breath.

Moonlight/Sunlight-Place your crystals in the moonlight or sunlight for a few hours to cleanse them. When using sunlight be sure the rays reflected through the crystal, like quartz, are not positioned where they can start a fire.

Stone Cleansing-Carnelian & Quartz Clusters can clean your stones, however they will need to be cleaned after. Leave the two stones together overnight with the intention of cleansing. You can also leave a tumbled carnelian in a bowl or bag of other tumbled stones & it will keep those stones clean, just clean the carnelian regularly. 

Cleansing Spray-You can use a cleansing spray & very lightly mist any crystal, examples are sage sprays sold in many metaphysical shops, again a light mist only. 

Sound-You can use a singing bowl, tuning forks, bell, or even clap your hands, the vibrations made clear and cleanse a space & your crystals. 

Bury-You can put your stones back into the earth to be cleansed, set the intent as you bury the stones. This is great for grounding stones & a good way to recharge them. You do not have to bury them outside, inside in a potted plant will work as well. 

Charging & Activating Your Crystals

When it feels like your crystals are working or you feel like you & your crystals need a boost they may need charging. Here are some options to charge & refresh your crystals. Regular charging is important just like regularly cleansing. It can be helpful to get a large tray that you can put your crystals on. A good routine to follow would be to cleanse your stones monthly in the full moon light (try for a window if its not clear weather), &  charge monthly in the sunlight during the new moon.

Sunlight-You can leave your stones out in the sunlight for 30 minutes up to 2 hours (do not leave fluorite in direct sunlight for longer than 30 minutes) & it will refresh them. Do not leave your colored stones like amethyst in the sunlight for longer than this as the colors will start to fade. Never leave stones like this in a window for long periods of time. When charging, again, be sure the stones are placed where the sun’s rays will not reflect through the crystal & start a fire. You can charge some stones in the 

Meditate-You can meditate with your crystal & envision filling the stone with Source energy & light. 

Selenite-You can use larger pieces of selenite to charge smaller crystals between sunlight baths, just be sure the selenite is also getting its fair share of sunlight charging. Also, do not leave selenite in water, it will dissolve, however a quick rinse followed by drying won’t hurt. Kyanite can also be used to charge.

Quartz Cluster-A large quartz cluster can charge smaller stones as long as the quartz cluster is also regularly cleansed & charged, the cluster also has to be programmed for energizing & charging other stones for best results. Amethyst clusters can also do this.

Activating/Programming-Give your crystals an intention to help them better work with you & your energy after cleaning & charging them. This helps to focus their energy & aligns them to your specific purpose. Be sure your programming aligns with the natural properties of crystal. 

Activating-Hold the crystal in your hands, ground your energy & open to your higher self, bring in Light & Source energy then open to the guidance & messages your crystal has to share with you. If you don’t feel a connection to the stone it might not be the right one for your programming, you can try again later or choose a different stone.

High Vibe Stones & Healing Crisis-High Vibe Stones can make you feel nauseous or trigger highly emotional responses, if this happens when trying to activate a stone remove stone from your energy & hold a smoky quartz between your feet to ground the energy.

Programming-Make sure to have a very clear intention before starting this process, be specific as possible. When you have attuned to the crystal ask it to help you with your purpose & intention, then say “thank you” three times. Put the crystal somewhere it will be seen frequently or keep it with you in a pocket or wear it if you are able. Be sure to spend time with your crystal two or three times a day.

Working with Your Crystals

Once you have cleaned, charged, activated & programmed your crystal you are then able to work with it in many different ways.

Dowsing-Dowsing is a form of divination using a pendulum; a pendulum is a crystal point suspended on a chain or string or something similar. The thought behind how dowsing works is when a question is asked, energy frequency vibrations are sent down from your higher self or consciousness through your hand that is holding the chain of the pendulum and down to the stone which will react. Typically the pendulum will have set movements to mean “yes”, “no”, or “unknown”. An example might be it swings toward & away from you to mean “yes”, left & right to mean “no”, or circularly to mean “maybe” or “unknown”. Each pendulum reacts differently so it’s good to get to know yours & what the movement means.  

Crystal Grids–Gridding places an energetic net around a space to protect & energize a space, depending on the purpose, intention & stones used you can create grids for many uses. Once your grid is placed, activate your grid by using a crystal wand, pendulum or your hands to visualize connecting the crystals with energy lines, be sure to finish by going from the last stone back to the first one. 

Body-You can grid your body for healing, grounding, during meditation, & for spiritual connection, just to name a few. You can place stones along your chakra points using chakra stones, grid around your body, or grid on points of your choosing. When gridding remember the stones you use should align with your intention & purpose. You can also place single stones on different points on your body, an example, placing phenacite on your third eye while meditating can help to open your third eye & assist with information downloads. 

Land/House/Rooms-You can easily grid your land for protection by placing protection stones like obsidian or black tourmaline at the four corners of the property. Then can also apply for the four corners of your home if you live in an apartment, or even grid a single room. You can grid for many purposes, to bring in creativity, prosperity, protection, love, peace &/or harmony. You can grid a bedroom with rose quartz & amethyst for example to bring in love & peaceful sleep, use a passion stone like red jasper to spice things up in the bedroom.

Layouts-The four corners is one of the easiest layouts to use, however depending on your purpose there are several other grid options. You can do a triangular grid to neutralize negative energy & bring in more positive energy. A five pointed star grid can be useful for protection & to bring in love & healing energies, this grid can be done in a space or around the body. A six pointed star grid can be made by placing stones in triangular shapes that intersect, great to use for protection & manifesting, this one can also be done in a space or around the body. When gridding you can also use a pendulum to determine the best locations to place your stones. There are also grids you can purchase & use with certain intentions such as a tree of life, metatron’s cube, or flower of life, you can also make powerful grids just by following your intuition to place stones exactly where they need to be. In some cases it helps to place clear quartz points in between the main crystals on the grid.  

Energy Field-Wearing your crystals & keeping them in your aura & energy field is a great way to work with your stones. They will help you with your purpose & keep you energized & protected. You can keep them in a pocket, wear them as jewelry, keep them in a purse, or even in your bra! Another option is to keep them in areas where they can be close to you & seen often, on a desk, nightstand, in your car, there are lots of options. If you wear them be sure you clean often & possibly even daily to keep them charged up for you. I have crystals all over my house, in window seals (that don’t get much light), on my counters, in my daughter’s room, my bedroom, & my office. I also almost always carry crystals with me anytime I go anywhere, bracelets are my favorite, but so are my rings & necklaces. I also keep some in my purse & wallet for prosperity. 

Ritual/Spell Work-A great way for the witch to use crystals is to bring into ritual with you, you can grid a sacred space before beginning your ritual, you can place them on your altar, use them as representations for the elements, directions, and/or you can dedicate one stone to the Goddess & one to the God, there are so many options here. You can also grid your altar. A really great way to use a crystal for spell work is to program the stone with your spell work. Dedicate the stone to the purpose of the spell work you are doing, then, depending on the spell work, you can keep the stone with you, place it somewhere as a daily reminder that your spell is working, use it as a talisman, again so many options here. Once the spell has worked or manifested you can clear the stone of the spell work & reprogram it for your next ritual. 

Meditation-I find using crystals in meditation is a huge enhancement. Depending on how long you have been meditating & if you have a purpose to your meditation, that will determine the stone you want to use. But for just a daily meditation I like to use a high vibe stone to connect to Source & I sometimes have a hard time grounding so I like to use a good earthy stone to help me ground like Moss Agate. My personal favorite high vibe stone for meditation is a Herkimer Diamond I found in a local metaphysical store, I fell in love with it the moment I saw it in the case, literally love at first sight. When I picked it up the vibrations & energies of that stone overwhelmed me with emotion & was tearing up in the store. I knew I had to have this stone, that was probably two years ago & it is still a favorite. I also have a moldavite bracelet my boyfriend got me that I had a very similar reaction to also, only I got the “moldavite flush” with it, which is when you can feel the heat in the stone & it literally warms your skin. It’s also one of my favorites. My recent favorite he got me a few weeks ago is a large chunk of Naturalite. I haven’t worked with it much yet, it’s been cleansed but I think we are still feeling each other out, but it’s a favorite & I know when I do start working with it it will be nothing short of magical. 

Observations-Be sure to frequently check and observe subtle changes in your crystals. Stones that are working extra hard have a tendency to start pitting, chipping, or even crack. When I was going through a very hard time in my life surrounded by negativity & constantly having negative vibes & psychic attacks thrown my way I was working with a snowflake obsidian to help deflect & clear the energy. Over time the stone started to have pitting all over it. I kept the stone with me all the time, it was by itself in my pocket with nothing else that could have caused the damage. Eventually it was time for the stones work to be done. When a crystal has finished its job it may feel “lifeless” even after charging, or it may break, crack, or have the pitting. The best thing to do is to thank the stone for the work it has done & bury it to give it back to the earth. 

When Crystals Hide-From time to time I’ve had stones “disappear” or hide from me. Later they show up in the exact spot that I had already searched multiple times. I think when this happens is the stone doing its work, taking a break, or it’s a message the stone you are looking for is not the right one for your purpose or intention. Most of my crystals have come back, they normally do, but I have had some disappear for good, sometimes it just happens. 

We hope you’ve enjoyed this workshop. If you still have questions be sure to drop a comment and ask. Stay Magical. -Whitney