How to 'work' with crystals?

The discussion of opals triggered this thread, and since it concerns working with all crystals, I thought it should have its own discussion.

A few weeks ago I attended a workshop at a local New Age shop in which the qualities of a rare African crystal were demonstrated. The crystal, whose name I can't think of at the moment, cost $399 for a piece about the size of my thumb nail.

During the evening, the presenter had us hold our piece (each of us had one crystal for the evening) while he led a guided meditation. Among the things we were to do was to inhale the essence of the stone, then project it to someone who needed healing. I followed along, although I was -- at that time -- still on the fence about the efficacy of crystals. At the end of the evening, we returned our stones.

About two hours later I was still feeling the effects -- full of confidence, empowered, dignified. It took me a few minutes to realize that the crystal, itself, had brought that effect.

John, the shop owner, had told us that among other things that particular crystal is helpful in breaking dependence on drink -- and maybe drugs, although I don't specifically remember his saying that. From the feelings it engendered in me, I can see that a drug-dependent person could, instead of getting another drink or tracking down the nearest drug salesman, just use that crystal as John showed us. In the world of drug- and alcohol-dependency, I suspect a $400 crystal would be quite cost effective as a substitute.

Anyhow! My question is, has anyone in this group used stones in meditation in this way? I wish I could remember the whole of his guided thingee, but I only remember inhaling its essence. I'd like to try it with an amethyst I have, but I'm more than a little leery of messing around with occult things I don't completely understand.

Not sure what your comment about about a $400 crystal being cost effective is supposed to mean - that instead of buying thousands of dollars of drugs they could cure themselves with a $400-a-thumbnail-sized stone?

People who spend $$$ on drugs or alcohol are not going to spend their precious money for that drug or alcohol on a piece of rock.

***that rather obtuse comment aside - I would suggest your try to find books of crystal healing and crystal meditations on the market. Way back in the late 1980s when 'newage' {rhymes with sewage} was coined there were bunches of them ... not sure what is available anymore.

Hello Red Emma,

I work with crystals and stones with my healing and in meditation. One thing, the crystal for that much is what the guy selling them wants it is not what they are really worth. It was probably just a regular quartz crystal or stone. I have seen this before when I went to a new age conferance. It is a trick of the mind. Yes, crystal can help with meditation and can help heal problems. Keyword help. I suspect your meditation had more to do with your feeling two hours later than the crystal by itself. A good cleansing meditation will feel like that. There is a thread here in the crystal section that has some books listed. Mine are older. One of my authors now has out a crystal ball and scrying book. Ulma Shelby she also had out I am not sure if it still out a very good crystal working book. One if you can find it I would recomend. I do not use the big crystals most of mine are 2 to 4 inches long and work fine.

The trick this guy used is really well used by many of these folks. They tell you what will hapen before it happens so your mind is all ready programed to make it happen. It is subtle but it works real well as you found out. I first came across the when a guy was selling his charkra alinment pendants for 100 dollars. He had us wear them telling us the would increase our strenght and those that were wearing watches to remove them for the watches decreased our strenght. Something about the digital timing in the watch. Well, it worked because we expected it too and that is the only reason it did. Later I was able to repeat the experiance and it did not work. So it is a mind of matter thing. If you hear it and want to belive it it will work.

Cat

RedEmma,

Crystals are merely tools. Any crystal can be used for any goal you want. It is all a matter of how you feel about it. True, some crystals seem to be used to reach certain goals by the majority of people, but that does not limit their abilities. What is written in books and told by people about how certain stones are used for certain things is not written in stone . They are merely guidelines. What you achieved with that rare African crystal can be achieved with your amethyst if that is what you want. The stones, herbs, etc. are just tools to help guide you to your goal.

Why bother with more than one stone then? Because having a certain stone for a certain goal helps one focus better, I would say. And for some reason, certain stones are found by the majority to help one achieve certain goals better than others. This can't be explained, it's a matter of faith in the magic, acceptance of that which we imagine to be true, but that which we cannot prove.

On an interesting side note, amethyst tends to be found to be good for helping with alcohol problems. It all comes from the myth of how amethyst was created. Myths and legends tend to explain how the masses find certain stones should be used for certain things, but as I said, they are only guidelines, not restrictions.

I hope I haven't just rambled and you find this helpful.

BlueManticore

Different stones do have different properties because they have different energies. For example, amethyst can be used for cleansing, rose quartz will calm the atmosphere, Chinese fluorite aids intuition . . . and so on.

If you want to meditate with a stone just hold it in your hands and allow yourself to sink into it, see it as a light which slowly surrounds you and just observe how that energy affects you. If you're choosing a stone in a crystal store, run your hand over them - about an inch or so above - and see whether you feel anything. You may be surprised. The sensation may be pleasant or, very occasionally, not so pleasant. I remember a friend buying a particular crystal (I don't remember what it was) which really spoke to her but, when she passed it round for several of us to have a look at, it bit us - literally, a sharp shock passing through the hand holding it. She worked with it for a bit, after which it became more friendly to other people!

Don't think of working with crystals as occult, because that has connotations of "nasty". Crystals are natural and their properties, too, are quite natural. We just need to learn to use them correctly. But you will come to no more harm doing a simple meditation with a crystal than doing a meditation in any other way. And rememember that, if a crystal "speaks" to you, it doesn't matter if if costs 50c - it's just as valuable to you as one costing hundreds of dollars.

My interest in crystals began some years ago when I was doing a series of radio programmes on complementary therapies. Each week we got a therapist into the studio and he or she'd demonstrate the therapy on one of our team while I asked questions. One week we had a crystal therapist. All went well until she started to get her crystals out for the treatment, when suddenly there was a little cry from the producer over the intercom: "What are you doing in there? All the dials in here are going beserk!" After a few minutes, all the instruments went dead and they had to record the programme without them, just hoping that the sound levels were OK. And once the crystals had been put away again at the end of the programme, everything started working again. They're powerful things!!

Netzach

Have to agree with Netzach here folks. Not all crystals are created equal. They each have their own unique qualities and energies. Scientists haves studied them for years and found them to have different vibrational frequencies. Thus they have different levels of healing and other power or energy depending on how they were formed in the earth. Some can be used to emit electricity and even sound.

They are not anything evil or occultish. Some of them come right out of your own back yard. Some are used in modern equipment (ultrasound machine) that you will find in your local hospital. They come from nature, and are used for the benefit of mankind.

Everything in/on this earthly plane is made up of energy. Crystals are beneficial for helping to realign the energy fields of our bodies, opening energy blockages, and maintaining a healthy aura which is much like an electrical fence immune system if you will.
Nothing to be afraid of. Just good natural medicine that is also used by western medicine, and science for many other things not medical. You would be surprised at all the common uses for crystals in manufacturing.

Blessings,
Donna

In the middle of writing my last post I got interrupted and lost my train of thought {Here, train! Here, train!}.

I have several plastic storage boxes - ones that look like tackle boxes - of many stones and crystals I collected for doing 'stone layouts.' They were fun to do and did achieve some effects from using them.

However, the best thing is still a decent-sized clear quartz point (hard to come by these days.) You can 'do' anything with a clear point, even reprogram it to do what you need. $400 for a tiny rock is a sackful of crap. There is some Rutger Hauer (sp?) movie where he is hiding in a Newage shop and the clerk tries to sell him this rather nice but small crystal about the size of a small hen's egg. "It's a Life-flow existance waiting to happen!" (or some similar tripe.) Then she tells him the stone is $1500 !!!!!

Armed with two thumb-sized clear points, I have been able to do many things, including kill pain from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in others. It's easy to do, but it takes a lot of concentration and focus, and you have to be experienced in 'grounding yourself out' at the end of the session.

I am currently studying gemmology and there are stones out there that in raw crystal form would be worth that much such as ideal quality alexandrite, sapphire, ruby, diamond, tanzanite etc however these stones are usually snapped up by cutters the second they leave the mine and so they don't remain raw and uncut for very long (but they look so pretty when finished ). Of the stones mentioned above all can be found in Africa although for some it is not the best quality deposits of that stone.

Ok gemmology lesson over I also agree with Netzach that different crystals do have different uses but clear quartz which a few people have mentioned here is fantastic for a healer as they can be used to subsitute stones that you can't find/afford and also they can be charged to be what you want them to be. I would recommend getting a clear quartz crystal that you use specifically for meditation you will most like get the same results at a fraction of a cost.

Yes, yes, absolutely. Tarotbear, and Emeraldgirl are correct.
Go to a quality rick shop and find yourself a few nice clear crystal points, a double terminated one would be great too if they have one and it is affordable if not don't worry about it.

I have lots of these, and pick them up whenever I find them, as one can never have too many clear crystals. I've seen them in all kinds of prices from 25 cents on up depending on the size.

They can be substituted for anything as long as you program it with the intended use. While you are cleansing them, visualize what you intend to use them for. And you can meditate with them and visualize them achieving the intended purpose too.

A clear crystal will attune itself to the specific energy requirements of the person needing healing. Since it contains all the colors of the spectrum it works on all levels, spiritual, mentally, and physically.
In my opinion, this is the crystal of all crystals. You can't go wrong with a few of these.

Blessings,
Donna

Working with crystals

Netzach said:

Don't think of working with crystals as occult, because that has connotations of "nasty". Crystals are natural and their properties, too, are quite natural.

Click to expand...

Actually, the sad thing is, 'occult' only means 'hidden.' It's come to have unpleasant associations because early Christian leaders decided that all things 'hidden' were evil. And taught their congregations to leave them alone. Along the way, a few 'witches' were burned, which really sent the message home.

Occult knowledge is as much a part of our Universe as penicillan (drat, can't spell worth a darn today), or such homely things as dish washing soap. Only recently have some of us begun to explore the field and find out what's really there. Like any other 'tool' the occult can be used for nefarious purposes as well as beneficial. I see knowledge of the uses of crystals as 'hidden' in the same way. Most people, including the guy I've been living with for 58 years, think anyone who thinks that a piece of rock can affect one's health, mood, etc. is seriously missing a few brain cells.

Fascinating story about your radio work. I wish such programs were available in our area.