Tips ’n’ Tricks: Dream Crystals

Thomas Edison carried quartz crystals with him at all times and called the stones his dream crystals. He believed they inspired his ideas and inventions. Literary legends George Sand and William Butler Yeats also relied on crystals to help spark their considerable creativity. 

Data has also been gathered to show the effectiveness of quartz in certain healing techniques, such as chakra therapy, acupressure, and light-ray therapy, as we will discuss in depth later. But the simplest way to promote healing with crystal is to wear a stone. 

Quartz can take the form of great hexagonal stones or of crystals so small that only a microscope can see them. Quartz can appear in clusters or singly. It can also appear in every hue of the rainbow. The gorgeous and varied hues of quartz come from electrostatic energy, which now can be altered through technology. I, however, prefer the simple beauty provided by Mother Nature herself.

Quartz is the largest of the crystal families, and we can be grateful for that since it is such a powerful healer. Moreover, it is an energy regulator for the human body, affecting the vibrations of the aura, or energy field that surrounds all living beings.

Crystal Power

With crystal power, you can improve your life in ways large and small. You’ve discovered the stones that are special to you, and how to fully utilize these birthstones and karmic crystals. You have received advice for crystal healing and stress-dispersing. You’ve heard how gems and statues positioned in strategic places around your home or workspace can help accelerate the positive vibrations you are activating in your life. Using what I have called crystal feng shui, you can place a crystal, geode, or appealingly shaped rock in the appropriate position in your home or workspace to facilitate change. Having different gemstones or crystals within easy reach can bring you clarity, patience, and inspiration when you need it the most.

Yes, through the power and positive energy of crystals, anything is possible. With the information in this book, I hope you can gather together the stones and crystals that sing the loudest to you and integrate them into your life. May this glittering and magical realm make you welcome, and may you and your loved ones enjoy the many blessings of these sacred stones!

Earth Stones for Centering: Grounding and Healing Gems and Crystals

Jasper Stone: This stone has been valued for its healing and grounding energies since ancient times. These healing crystals carry a very strong earthly energy, helping to deepen your personal connection with the earth when you wear or meditate with these grounding crystals. I recommend either brown or red jasper, both of which are healing stones that also give you great strength, heighten energy, and have a lovely reinvigorating effect on your body.

Hematite: This stone is a deeply grounding crystal for the body. It has a high density and even it is a relatively small pebble; it will feel heavier in your hand than you might expect. Hematite contains tremendous grounding energy that literally feels like you are one with the Earth. Touch it to your skin, and you will feel a magnetic energy. It is this effect that will make you feel more balanced, calm, and centered. Hematite stones also soak up any negative energy within your body or energy field. After you have used it, you should place the stone in a bowl of pure salt to cleanse it.

Smoky Quartz Stone: Smoky quartz is another beautifully grounding and stabilizing crystal that brings powerful energies for centering the body. This particular quartz has the effect of making you feel deeply rooted to the earth. It is very centering in an uplifting way, having a much more subtle energy than Hematite. Smoky quartz works to counteract any negative vibrations, replacing them with the positive.

K2 Stone: This crystal has recently become more popular as it brings new discovery and revelation for many. K2 is a combination of grounding granite and celestial Azurite, which balances our earthbound life experiences with our higher consciousness and connection to the universe and the heavens. It is an extremely powerful way to connect to your intuition and find the balance between your intuition and your daily life. If you are wrestling with a real issue in your life or need to make a difficult choice when the options are unclear to you, call upon K2 and use it in meditation. Soon, the answers will come.

Shungite Stone: Here is the most powerful stone for balancing. Shungite will inspire you to deal with your emotions, toxic mental thoughts, and anything that no longer serves you. While it can be unpleasant to look at these personal issues, it is, in actuality, a healthy thing to do. What you gain from this exercise is the grace and strength to cut the energetic cords that hold you back from your personal power.

Rainbow Renewal

The rainbow is a simple and effective method for total- body wellness. Choose from this list of stones, making sure you have one of each color of the rainbow—violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red—plus one white stone and one black stone for completion. Then, simply lay the stones on their corresponding chakra centers; the rainbow should travel up your body. Red for your root chakra, orange for your sacral chakra, yellow for your solar plexus chakra, green for your heart chakra, blue for your throat chakra, indigo for your third eye chakra, and violet for your crown chakra. I’ve included a list of crystal and body affinities in case there is any specific area you want to focus on:

• Amber for the thyroid
  
• Benitoite for the pituitary
  
• Beryl for the eyes
  
• Bloodstone for the kidneys
  
• Blue tourmaline for the thymus
  
• Brown jasper for the shins and for the skin
• Calcite for the skeletal system 
• Carnelian for the liver
• Celestite for the intestines
  
• Chalcedony for the spleen
• Chrysocolla for the pancreas 
• Chrysolite for the appendix
  
• Chrysoprase for the prostate 
• Danburite for the muscles
• Dendrite agate for the nervous system 
• Dioptase for the lungs
  
• Fire agate for the stomach
  
• Fluorite for the teeth
• Garnet for the spine
  
• Hematite for the blood and circulatory system 
• Jadeite for the knees
  
• Lapis lazuli for the throat
  
• Magnetite for the joints
  
• Moldavite for the hands
  
• Moonstone for the womb area
• Orange calcite for the bladder
  
• Purple fluorite for the bone marrow 
• Rose quartz for the heart
  
• Smoky quartz for the feet

Laying on of Stones

 

This healing practice is distilled from the study of chakras. Here are just a few examples of how to apply stones directly to your body or that of anyone else who needs healing. After you have gotten the knack of it, you can use the information in this book to try your own healing applications of stones and gems.

The first step for anyone undertaking crystal healing is to lie down, relax, and get very comfortable. Empty everything else from your mind.

Lapis lazuli and its fellow blue aquamarine can be laid upon the throat chakras to release any blockage therein. This greatly aids in self-expression and is wonderful for professional speakers as well as performers such as actors and singers. Turquoise laid on the face—cheeks, forehead, and chin—is a calming agent, significantly reducing tension. Azurite on the brow opens the third eye and deepens wisdom; this can balance the energy of the head and allow more light into the third eye.

Malachite, a heart stone, placed near the heart and along the center of the abdomen will create a sense of harmony and facilitate letting go of pain, suffering, and old childhood wounds.

Cranium-Calming Crystals

Lapis lazuli has been used to treat headaches for millennia. My dear friend Abby suffers from migraines and cluster headaches. I gave her some earrings with lovely blue lapis settings to help her with this chronic condition, and she has reported great success. These headaches can have many causes and triggers; my beloved amber essence oil was one until we figured that out! The main causes are stress, anxiety, and various food triggers. Oddly enough, amber in crystal form alleviated Abby’s heinous headaches, seemingly absorbing the negative energy. Amethyst and turquoise are also good for this. Several stones are good for stomach illnesses, including citrine and moonstone which create calm that, in this case, stops the stomach unrest from signaling the brain to have a headache.

Healing Stones

 

We have all encountered psychic vampires, whether we know it or not. Your aura will know it, because psychic vampires tear away little pieces of your chi, or life force, leaving holes in your aura. You can identify the places that need patching because they will become noticeably cold as you pass a crystal over them. Pick your favorite stone between amethyst, citrine, or any quartz and run it all around you at a distance of about three inches. Make note of the cold spots and lay the crystal on those places for about five minutes, until the spot feels warmer. You will have repaired the holes in your etheric body and should begin to feel a pleasant sense of renewed wholeness once again.

Here’s another technique: crystal combing. It sounds odd, but you will become an aficionado immediately after you have felt the wonderfully soothing results. The beautiful pink kunzite is amazing as a mental management crystal. Take the crystal and brush it in gentle, slow, downward strokes from the top of your head, the crown chakra, to the bottom of your feet. The next time you feel overwhelmed by anxiety, try this and you will feel more relaxed and in control afterward.

Kunzite is also a heart mender which touches upon the heart chakra to bring inner peace, clear away old romantic wounds, and get rid of emotional baggage. You can place a chunk of kunzite upon your chest and meditate with it to feel the healing energy flow in.

Speaking Stones

If you are a singer or speaker or simply wish to improve how you express yourself, wear these stones in chokers or necklaces to realize a noticeable change for the better: amber, amethyst, aquamarine, azurite, blue obsidian, blue topaz, blue tourmaline, kunzite, lepidolite, and turquoise.

Earth Stones for Centering: Grounding and Healing Gems and Crystals

Jasper Stone: This stone has been valued for its healing and grounding energies since ancient times. These healing crystals carry a very strong earthly energy, helping to deepen your personal connection with the earth when you wear or meditate with these grounding crystals. I recommend either brown or red jasper, both of which are healing stones that also give you great strength, heighten energy, and have a lovely reinvigorating effect on your body.

Hematite: This stone is a deeply grounding crystal for the body. It has a high density and even it is a relatively small pebble; it will feel heavier in your hand than you might expect. Hematite contains tremendous grounding energy that literally feels like you are one with the Earth. Touch it to your skin, and you will feel a magnetic energy. It is this effect that will make you feel more balanced, calm, and centered. Hematite stones also soak up any negative energy within your body or energy field. After you have used it, you should place the stone in a bowl of pure salt to cleanse it.

Smoky Quartz Stone: Smoky quartz is another beautifully grounding and stabilizing crystal that brings powerful energies for centering the body. This particular quartz has the effect of making you feel deeply rooted to the earth. It is very centering in an uplifting way, having a much more subtle energy than Hematite. Smoky quartz works to counteract any negative vibrations, replacing them with the positive.

K2 Stone: This crystal has recently become more popular as it brings new discovery and revelation for many. K2 is a combination of grounding granite and celestial Azurite, which balances our earthbound life experiences with our higher consciousness and connection to the universe and the heavens. It is an extremely powerful way to connect to your intuition and find the balance between your intuition and your daily life. If you are wrestling with a real issue in your life or need to make a difficult choice when the options are unclear to you, call upon K2 and use it in meditation. Soon, the answers will come.

Shungite Stone: Here is the most powerful stone for balancing. Shungite will inspire you to deal with your emotions, toxic mental thoughts, and anything that no longer serves you. While it can be unpleasant to look at these personal issues, it is, in actuality, a healthy thing to do. What you gain from this exercise is the grace and strength to cut the energetic cords that hold you back from your personal power.

Mystical Crystal DIY: Sweeping Change

To purify your home, you need this special broom. A home purification is handy for clearing away bad energy after a squabble with your loved one, a bout of the blues, or just about any upset you need to get out of your personal space. I would go so far as to suggest that you sweep the negative energy outside every morning in your life. Bear in mind, this is not white glove-type cleaning; it is a symbolic act that is quite effective in maintaining your home as a personal sanctuary.

You can make your own purification broom from straw bound together and attached to a fallen tree branch, or you can add mojo to a store-bought broom. Wrap copper wire around your broom or use it to bind the straw to the stick, as Venus-ruled copper lends an aura of beauty and keeps negativity at bay. Attach crystals to the handle with glue to boost your broom. Recommend crystals for space clearing and purification are:

• Amber for cheeriness;
• Blue lace agate for tranquility; 
• Coral for well-being;
• Jet for absorption of bad energy;
• Onyx for protection;
• Petrified wood for security;
• Tiger’s-eye for protecting your psyche from energy draining powers; and
• Turquoise for relaxation and calmness.

Laying on of Stones

This healing practice is distilled from the study of chakras. Here are just a few examples of how to apply stones directly to your body or that of anyone else who needs healing. After you have gotten the knack of it, you can use the information in this book to try your own healing applications of stones and gems.

The first step for anyone undertaking crystal healing is to lie down, relax, and get very comfortable. Empty everything else from your mind.

Lapis lazuli and its fellow blue aquamarine can be laid upon the throat chakras to release any blockage therein. This greatly aids in self-expression and is wonderful for professional speakers as well as performers such as actors and singers. Turquoise laid on the face—cheeks, forehead, and chin—is a calming agent, significantly reducing tension. Azurite on the brow opens the third eye and deepens wisdom; this can balance the energy of the head and allow more light into the third eye.

Malachite, a heart stone, placed near the heart and along the center of the abdomen will create a sense of harmony and facilitate letting go of pain, suffering, and old childhood wounds.

Gifted and Talented: Success Accessories for Work

 

It is no accident that kings, queens, and emperors wore crowns. The ancients expected their leaders to be wise, and a bejeweled crown bestowed the brilliance and power of the gems to the crowned person, While you may not want to wear a tiara to the office or a crown to the grocery store, you can wear hair clips and barrettes with crystals and stones attached for some of the same reasons. Why not be smarter and smartly accessorized? Bejeweled barrettes worn at the temples confer wit and wisdom, a kind of brain-boosting power energy.

• Terrific Tiger’s Eye can help you filter out mental distractions; excellent for research.

• Tops Turquoise is a good stone to help keep your mind and thoughts clear.

• Fabulous Fluorite is a true crystal of the mind and is very good for escalating mental focus.

• Brilliant Blue Scapolite is a beautiful blue crystal that helps with multitasking and managing a great deal of information.

• Super Sodalite brings clarity, insights and combines logic and intuition, a great combo!

Beryl Booster: Efficiency Stone

Beryl has a most unusual and important healing asset—it prevents people from doing the unnecessary. Further, it helps wearers focus, remove distractions, and therefore become calmer and more positive. Beryl also strengthens the liver, kidneys, and intestines, as well as the pulmonary and circulatory systems. It is especially effective for the throat, and pulverized beryl can be mixed into an elixir specifically for this reason. Some crystal healers use beryl along with lapis lazuli as a sedative for nervous conditions. If you get overwhelmed at work or have a huge task ahead of you, efficiency-enhancing beryl will get you through it.

Crystal Power

                                 

• Citrine for stronger communication skills

• Lace agate for happiness with your job

• Lapis lazuli for mental brilliance

• Moonstone for self-love and self-expression

• Red coral for good health and physical strength

• Rose quartz or opal to make you appealing to others 

• Turquoise for calmness and protection from the earth

Wonderful Wands

 

I see many gorgeous, crystal-encrusted wands for sale in metaphysical five-and-dimes, and I am sure they are super-powered. Bear in mind, though, that it is a wonderful thing indeed to make your own wand. Start with a tree branch that has fallen to the ground on its own. Sand and polish the rough edges, as it is a wand and not a weapon. Then give it a good smudging. Hot-glue a large quartz crystal onto the wand near the handle, and hot-glue on any crystals featuring properties that will complement your magic. Citrine makes an excellent pointer tip for your wand and aligns your self-identity with your spirit. And, after all, isn’t that the point? Here are stones I recommend for harnessing various powers with wands:

• Amber for grounding;

• Amethyst for balance and intuition;

• Aventurine for creative visualization;

• Bloodstone for abundance and prosperity;

• Calcite for warding off negativity;

• Carnelian for opening doors for you and helping you overcome any family problems;

• Chalcedony for power over dark spirits;

• Citrine for getting motivated and attracting money and success;

• Fluorite for communicating with fairies and other unseen beings;

• Garnet for protection from gossip;

• Geode for getting through periods of extreme difficulty;

• Hematite for strength and courage;

• Jade for wisdom to interpret or realize powerful dreams;

• Jasper for stability;

• Lodestone for bringing a lover back into your life;

• Mahogany obsidian for feeling sexy and emanating sensuality;

• Moss agate for powers of persuasion and healing;

• Quartz crystal for divining your dreams;

• Rhodochrosite for staying on course with your life’s true purpose;

• Rose quartz for love;

• Turquoise for safety when traveling; and

• Watermelon tourmaline for help with planning your best possible future.

Crystal Counsel

If you have ever experienced a problem in your life that no one else could help you with, a scrying mirror or crystal can offer counsel. Any time you feel the need for insight and answers, scrying can lend illumination. Are you stymied at work? Are you restless and don’t know why? Do you suspect someone isn’t being honest with you? Try scrying! Here are some scrying crystals to use for intuition power:

• Amethyst opens your own psychic abilities.

• Azurite with malachite can help with studying and brainstorming ideas.

• Bloodstone guards you against anyone trying to deceive you.

• Celestite gives you the very special help of angel-powered insight and advice.

• Chrysocolla helps you to see and resolve relationship difficulties.

• Lapis lazuli leads the way if you are looking for a new job.

• Selenite can be used under moonlight for pleasant visions of your future.

Soothsayer Stone: Choosing and Using a Crystal Ball

When selecting a crystal ball, your choice should not be taken lightly. This is a very personal tool that will become instilled with your energy. Crystal balls have their own authority and they can strongly influence the development of our psychic abilities. You should think of the crystal as a container that houses your energy—so make sure it feels right for you. The crystal should feel comfortable to hold—not too heavy and not too light. You should not allow anyone else to touch your crystal ball. If someone does touch it, place the ball in a bowl of sea salt overnight to cleanse it of outside energy and influence. Because quartz crystal balls have an inherent power, you have to practice working with them first. Pure quartz crystal balls can be quite expensive, but the price is worthwhile if you are serious about harnessing your intuition and using it for good. Don’t expect your experiences to be like the movies. Most of the people I know who use crystal balls, including many healers and teachers, see cloudy and smoky images.

Work with a partner to sharpen your psychic skills. Sit directly across from your partner with the crystal ball between you. Close your eyes halfway and look at the ball and into the ball while harnessing your entire mind. Empty out all other thoughts and focus as hard as you can. You will sense your third eye, the traditional seat of psychic awareness, begin to open and project into the crystal ball. By practicing this way, you will train your mind. The patterns you see will become clearer and your impressions more definite. You should trust that what you are seeing is real and find a place of knowing—as I do with my stomach, which seems to be an additional center of intuition for me and I just “know in my gut” when something is off. Verbalize to your partner what you see, and then listen to your partner as she reveals her visions to you.

You should also do crystal ball meditations on your own. In a darkened room, sit and hold your crystal ball in the palms of both hands. Touch it to your heart and then gently touch it to the center of your forehead, where your third eye is located. Then hold the ball in front of your physical eyes and, sitting very still, gaze into it for at least three minutes. Envision pure white light in the ball and hold on to that image. Practice the white-light visualization for up to a half hour and then rest your mind, your eyes, and your crystal ball. If you do this every day, within a month you should start to become an adept at crystal ball gazing.

When we gaze into a crystal ball, it is possible to see into the fabric of time, both the past and the future. At first you may be able to see a flickering, wispy, suggestive image. Some of you may be able to see clearly defined visions on your first try. Most of us have to practice and hone our attunement with the energy of the ball. You must establish clearly your interpretation of what you see. Many psychics use a crystal ball in their readings, and some report seeing images of clients’ auras in the ball. Projecting information about people’s lives is a huge responsibility, so you need to feel sure about what you are reading. Learn to trust your body’s center of intuition.

Highly polished and glasslike spheres of beryl and quartz crystal have been in use for many thousands of years. Healers, shamans, witch doctors, and medicine men have been using the bones of the earth for divination since time immemorial. The Celtic folks and Druids favored beryl as their scrying crystal of choice. Beryl still has a well-earned reputation as the stone of power. The Middle Ages and the Renaissance saw a far-flung use of crystal for seeing the future. The mythical wizard Merlin, of Arthurian legend, kept his crystal ball with him at all times! Pure quartz crystal balls are quite pricey, but again, are worth it if you are committed to this practice. Most people I know who use crystal balls, including many healers and teachers, see cloudy and smoky images most of the time, so do not expect your experience to immediately be like going to the movies! Each and every crystal ball is unique and has its own energy. Here are a few examples:

• Amethyst offers intuition on business matters and is especially good for lawyers and writers.

• Beryl helps you find anything you have lost—keys, jewelry, money, people!

• Obsidian is the karma stone and helps you see and resolve past-life issues.

• Quartz crystal can put you in touch with helpful spirit guides who foretell events.

• Selenite is particularly useful with any matters regarding hearth and home.

• Smoky quartz connects you with nature spirits and shows you what to avoid in your life.

Soul-Soothing Salt Lamps

Your entryway is where things cross the threshold into your realm. Energy management starts right at the front door. One way to keep a constant vigil on this is by having a Himalayan salt lamp in your front room. Salt is one of Mother Nature’s greatest protectors as it cleanses your environment of ill-omens and bad spirits. These lovely blocks of rosy-hued salt produce negative ions when warm; these ions are the very thing that makes a beach day by the ocean so cheering. A simple DIY way to have your negative ions and enjoy them too is to buy a batch of rock salt chunks at your nearby new age store or even a gourmet shop. Take a metal or wire bowl and center a small light bulb in the bottom of the bowl. Then stack the rock salt over it. You’ll immediately enjoy the soft pink glow of light, and, as the rocks warm up, your mood will begin to lift. As a double benefit, the salt will constantly cleanse the energy in your home and keep it light and bright.

Gratitude to Mother Nature

Stones, crystals, and gems are regarded as the purest forms of the earth’s generosity. Whenever you get a new crystal, receive a piece of jewelry with a stone or gem, or decorate your home or garden with rocks and pebbles, show gratitude for these gifts from nature. Simply say, “Thank you, Mother Nature, for this gift.” Your gratitude will be rewarded tenfold, and you will enjoy a shower of crystals and gems in your life from our benefactress Mother Earth, who enjoys getting credit for her good works!

Space-Clearing Crystals

 

To clear and purify your space and infuse it with as much of your personal energy as possible, perform a ritual sweeping with a favorite broom. I use a sweet-smelling cinnamon broom. These are actually made of pine straw coated with divine-smelling cinnamon oil and set aside to dry for three weeks. Many a grocery store sells them in the fall and holiday seasons. My favorites are the tiny Trader Joe’s whisk-brooms, which are adorable. These make lovely gifts and altar adornments. I ornament mine with cleansing crystals by taking a colored silk cord and stringing quartz beads on them or gluing them to the base of the handle. These gems and crystals are superb for space-clearing and purification:

• Amber for positivity and happiness

• Blue lace agate for serenity and a peaceful home

• Coral for well-being and good cheer

• Jet absorbs bad energy from your environment

• Onyx is a guardian stone and protector

• Petrified wood for tranquility and a sense of security

• Clear quartz is wonderful for peace of mind and space-clearing

• Tiger’s-eye protects from “psychic vampires,” energy- draining situations or people

• Turquoise creates calm and relaxation