Stress-Reducing Stones

Alexandrite will bring lots of zest. Feeling depressed, worried, and blue? Citrine or jet can banish dark days. Stressed out? Rhyolite races to the rescue as well.

Certain green stones, such as chrysocolla and malachite, calm the mind, and green-flecked bloodstone is a stress buffer.

If you want to be uplifted, try jade. To become wiser, pick sapphire. To stay safe while traveling, pick dendritic agate.

To remain calm and overcome stress, choose blue lace agate. For more mental clarity, choose malachite. For a self-esteem boost, try rhodonite.

Herkimer diamonds are powerful and bring great vitality and exuberance into your life. They can redirect stress away from you with their absorptive abilities. Placing these rocks in your bedroom will cause the stress to melt away and help you relax and feel safe.

Dioptase is a gorgeous gemstone that nearly matches the color of green emeralds but lacks a similar hardness, which lowers its marketplace value. It can be found in Peru, Chile, Russia, Iran, and some sites in Africa. The true value of dioptase lies in its ability to help anyone experiencing mental stress. It lends balance to male and female energies and acts as a stabilizer. As an energy stone, dioptase can activate and awaken every chakra, invigorating the mind, body, and spirit. If you want to be really different, wear dioptase, and you will fascinate admirers with this beautiful stone and find peace of mind in the process.

Centering: Getting Grounded in Yourself

The best way to prepare for personal ritual is to center yourself. I call this “doing a readjustment,” and I believe this is especially important in our over-scheduled and busy world. Doing a readjustment helps pull you back into yourself and gets your priorities back on track. Only when you are truly centered can you do the true inner work of self-development that is at the core of ritual.

Centering takes many forms. Experiment on your own to find out what works best for you. My friend Kat Sanborn, for example, does a quick meditation that she calls “the chakra check-in.” As previously outlined in this chapter, the chakra system comprises energy points in the astral body associated with various endocrine glands in the physical body. My friend closes her eyes and sits lotus-fashion (ideal if possible, but if you are on a bus or in a meeting you can do this centering exercise just sitting down with your feet on the floor) and visualizes the light and color of each chakra. She visualizes each chakra and mentally runs energy up and down her spine, from bottom to top, pausing at each chakra point. After she does this a few times, a soothing calm surrounds her. I have seen her perform her “chakra check-in” at trade shows and in hotel lobbies, surrounded by the hubbub of many people. She is an ocean of calm at the center of a storm. By working with your chakras, you can become much more in touch with your body and soul.

Prior to performing a ritual, try this centering exercise. Take a comfortable sitting position and find your pulse. Keep your fingers on your pulse point in your wrist until you feel the steady rhythm of your own heart.

Now begin slowly breathing in rhythm with your heartbeat. Inhale for four beats, hold for four beats, and then exhale for five beats. Repeat this pattern for six cycles. People have reported that although it seems hard to match up with the heartbeat at first, with a little bit of practice, your breath and heartbeat will synchronize. Your entire body will relax, and all physical functions will seem slower and more natural than ever before. Another excellent way to center is to light a candle and meditate on it. By focusing on the flame, you bring your being and awareness into focus and come into present time.

Dioptase—Beauty and Balance

Dioptase is a vitality stone that cleanses all the chakras, giving vigor to the mind, body, and spirit. This beautiful emeralds green mineral is usually found as crystals massed together in Iran, Namibia, Peru, Chile, Madagascar, Russia, and South Africa. While it is fairly unknown, it is one of the best healing stones of our time, emanating very calming energy. People have also been experimenting with it for pain relief and lowering high blood pressure. The latest discovery about dioptase is that it can be useful for cellular disorders and immune problems; it is said to activate the production of T cells. It also gives respite to those with Ménière’s disease. Dioptase is one of those very rare stones that both calms and energies at the same time, making energy dense, soothing mental stress, and alleviating migraines. A wonderful aspect of dioptase is that this stone triggers past-life recollection and also enables people to live in the present moment— two opposite and extremely positive occurrences. But my favorite aspect of dioptase is that it helps with matters of love. The stone heals a broken heart and opens it to higher love.

Quartz

Entire books could be, and doubtless have been, written about quartz, which is actually an entire family of stones. Quartz is made up mostly of silicon dioxide, making it the salt of the earth. Crystals of quartz can be found in every imaginable shape and shade and quite often even have other minerals encased inside them. Quartz is one crystal embraced by the scientific community and is used in a lot of technology and the manufacturing of products from computers to clocks to power tools. Rock crystal, or white quartz, is commonly available and is a truly terrific healer. Light passes through this stone quite easily, making it a balancer and purifier.

Rock crystal has the amazing ability to vibrate with all of the colors of the spectrum and all frequencies, so it can be healing to all seven chakras. Rock crystal will also facilitate personal growth by amplifying whatever energy is already there. Any problems that need to be worked out will present themselves for fixing. Rock crystal clears away blockages that lead to health problems, as well.

Rock crystal is really great for meditation and can guide you on your quest for greater enlightenment. This rock will help you tune into your own vibration and help exclude any interference, so you can reach a deep level of consciousness.

The following stones are members of the quartz family, and many are explained in their own sections of this descriptionary: agate, amethyst, aventurine, basanite, bloodstone, blue quartz, carnelian, cat’s-eye, chalcedony, chrysoprase, citrine, dendritic agate, flint, fossilized wood, hawk’s-eye, jasper, moss agate, onyx, opal, rose quartz, rutilated quartz, sard, smoky quartz, tiger’s-eye.

Dendrite

In manganese-ore sources, treelike or fern-shaped mineral growths sometimes occur. These are called dendrites. This is the same pattern of growth that happens in ice crystals when the liquid crystal molecules diffuse in the air before attaching to the solid crystal surface. Crystal dendrites have the ability to open and cleanse all the chakras. Unique and interesting-looking, dendrite is great to have around when you are resting and rejuvenating.