Mineral Medicine

Since the dawn of human kind, people have carried stones and crystals as helpers and as talismans; for protection and good luck. In so doing, they have brought themselves a greater sense of security. For peace of mind, the strongest “medicine” consists of an amethyst, a rhodochrosite, and a turquoise. While they may sound exotic, they are commonly available in metaphysical stores.

Gather together

    * a small sky-blue bag

    * an amethyst crystal

    * a rhodochrosite crystal

    * a turquoise crystal

Place the crystals in the bag. When you are ready, hold the pouch in your hand and incant:

    Stones of the earth,

    warmed by the sun,

    Clear away trouble,

    Help and healing is now begun.

I recommend leaving your pouch on your altar where it can be at the ready whenever needed.

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!

Kiss My Ring

Rings represent eternity, unity, reincarnation, safety, union, power, and energy. They symbolize the eternity of the circle shape and its summation—the universe. Wearing rings was believed to help ward off any kind of malevolence through their continuity. Nothing could get past this strong, flawless circle. A ring binds you with the energy of the stone. In dream psychology, a ring represents the desire for reconciliation of the different parts of your being and personality; it shows you want to be an integrated whole, which is the first step in making it happen. If you want to deepen a friendship, exchange amber rings with your friend to bind you together forever. Why do you think Native Americans wear turquoise rings? They know it is a guardian stone; its power is doubled when it is in a ring.

When wearing a ring, be sure the bottom side of the stone is open to allow greater connection between the stone and your skin. On your left hand, wear ring gems that awaken and release emotions, and, on your right hand, wear stones that will enhance your career and your personal goals in life. I know that thumb rings have become a big trend, but you should know that wearing them could block the energy of the thumbs or, even worse, bring out egotism and selfishness.

Your index fingers are indicators of achievement, and wearing the proper gem on that finger can really aid you in striving for your dreams. For wisdom, wear lapis lazuli. For greater love of yourself and others, try pearl, moonstone, or garnet. For success, wear carnelian. For a quiet mind and greater calm, wear sodalite, chrysocolla, or turquoise.

Your middle fingers are about ideas and insights, as well as intuition; the left hand represents the receiving of ideas, and the right hand represents action and achievement in your life. Wear stones on the middle finger only when you want to get a lot of psychic input from the world around you. For greater sensitivity and creativity, wear amethyst. To awaken your inner and outer beauty, wear ruby. To access your higher good and know your life’s purpose, wear sapphire or quartz crystal.

The ring finger is about creativity, and, of course, the ring finger on the left hand is your love center and a direct connection to your heart. For deep and loyal ties of love, wear diamond. To express your love, wear moonstone. To inspire creativity, wear emerald. To meet creativity goals, wear tiger’s-eye or cat’s-eye. For practicality in your work and art, wear turquoise. For service to your community and the world, wear opal. For both inner and outward serenity, wear ruby.

Pinkie fingers represent change. The right gem on your little finger can help you find and pursue new opportunities and change the direction of your whole life. This is a lot of power in one little ring! For better organizational habits, wear pearl. For unwinding and simplifying, wear turquoise. To bring new energy and new prospects, wear aventurine.

Pearls for Patience

In this fast-paced world, we are so accustomed to instant gratification (thanks, high-speed internet and same-day deliveries). We are multitasking ourselves to death. Slow down and enjoy your life. It is worth it, I assure you. Here is a quick way to simply relax and enjoy the little things in life: wear a pearl. Pearl earrings and necklaces are the best, as they calm and clear the mind.

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.

Pain Relief Prisms

When you feel pain somewhere in your body, it is a small voice that needs to be listened to. It could be old energy that needs to be released, a blockage, or an imbalance. Many years ago, I was hit by a drunk driver who plowed through a red light and totaled my car, and very nearly me. As I hit the brake, my foot and ankle were shattered, rather like a porcelain teacup thrown with great force. The doctors wanted to amputate my leg, but I managed to talk them out of it. I had to learn to walk again, but I can walk, dance, and even run after lots of physical therapy and healing. But, nowadays, whenever I hit the brake too hard, I feel pain because my body remembers. The tissue and bones hold the memory imprint of that awful day and the terrible trauma.

Crystals have very mild and serene ways of tranquilizing negative energy and releasing the pain. In my case, I ever so gently rub a crystal across my ankle. (Carnelian works well because it is said to be good for healing bones, but quartz can also serve the purpose.) The stone feels cool and calming as the pain dissipates. I can also visualize the pain going into the crystal and the crystal forming a prism that contains the pain. At first, this was very frightening for me, but I found that rose quartz helped me deal with my fear. I placed the rose quartz over the heart area, the solar plexus, and, as the crystal touched upon the heart chakra, I felt the fear dissolving while the pain gradually lessened. Turquoise and carnelian are also good for this.

I once had a copper bracelet set with onyx, coral, and turquoise from a Cherokee reservation that was so effective at treating wrist pain that it finally disintegrated from overuse. Copper is unmatched for dealing with edema, the swelling and inflammation that can be caused by arthritis, repetitive stress injuries, sports-related soreness, and many other issues.

Malachite has a lot of the mineral copper in it, so a pendant, ring, or bracelet with malachite can be a great agent for pain reduction. Iron-rich magnetite is another pain absorber.

Chakra Crystals

The concept of chakras originated many thousands of years ago in Asia. The ancient philosophers and metaphysicians identified seven main energy centers around the body and saw each chakra emanating energy in the form of a rainbow color that affected the mental, physical, and spiritual balance in a human being. Chakra theory is the basis of many Eastern healing practices. One of the simplest ways to achieve well-being is to place crystals on the parts of the body where certain chakras are centered. Many people I know credit their clarity and well-being to chakra therapy. One sure way to relieve stress and fortify the emotional body is this laying on of crystals.

Chakra	Color	Energies	Corresponding Crystals
First, root (base of spine)	Red	Security, Survival	Garnet, Smoky Quartz
Second, sacral	Orange	Pleasure	Amber, Carnelian
Third, solar plexus	Yellow	Drive, Personal Power	Amber, Citrine, Topaz
Fourth, heart	Green	Abundance, Love, Serenity	Peridot, Rose Quartz
Fifth, throat	Blue	Creativity, Originality	Blue Quartz, Tiger’s-Eye
Sixth, third eye	Indigo	Intuitiveness, Perception	Fluorite, Lapis Lazuli
Seventh, crown	Violet	Holy Bliss, All Is One	Amethyst, Diamond

Darning Your Aura: Crystal Combing

 

We have all encountered psychic vampires, whether we know it or not. The problem is, 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 from 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 being 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.

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.

Rose Quartz: Self Love is the Key to Happiness

OPAL—FIRE POWER

Opal is best worn as a pinkie ring. It is also a popular engagement ring, as it is a symbol of faithfulness and is effective in bringing stability and longevity to relationships. Fire opal is good for business by promoting positive action and prosperity. Hold your opal in your right hand and your wishes will be granted!

RHODOCHROSITE—ROSE-COLORED ROMANCE

The name simply means “rose-colored,” and the color is astounding. This stone seems as if it is lit from within. Rhodochrosite is a love stone that will enable anyone who believes they have never truly felt or experienced real love to find it. I heard and read about some people gleaning much good from it during the aftermath of 9/11. It functions as a heart-chakra opener that brings compassion and expands consciousness. One fascinating legend associated with rhodochrosite is that it can connect you to your soul mate if used in meditation. This is also a crystal that helps with the healing power of forgiveness.

TOURMALINE—TRUE LOVE

Purple tourmaline is a stone of devotion. Lending the highest spiritual aspirations, this crystal works by connecting the root and heart chakras. It greatly enables the ability to love unconditionally and creatively. Purple tourmaline is a heart healer.

Mystical Crystal DIY: Elixir of Love

 

An elixir is a very simple potion made by placing a crystal or gemstone in a glass of water for at least seven hours. Then you remove the stone and drink the water, which now carries the vibrational energy of the stone, the very essence of the crystal. This is one of the easiest ways to receive crystal healing and is immediate.

The red stones always hold a lust for life. So, for the Ecstatic Elixir, we are going to push the envelope here and put as many red stones into our potion as we can! Place the following into a glass of water: carnelian, garnet, rough ruby, red coral, red jade, jasper, red sardonyx, cuprite, aventurine, and red calcite. If you don’t have all of these, just mix and match. Even a single rough ruby and a tiny chunk of jasper is a lot of love in a jar.

Place the Ecstatic Elixir on the love corner of your room or altar. Light amber incense and a red candle and speak this spell: “This jade is my joy, the garnet my grace.”

Leave the water on your altar for seven hour or overnight, and drink it upon awakening. Your life energy will quicken, and you should feel very upbeat and good to go. 

Relationship Rescue

If you and your mate are simply not getting along of late, turn to this romantic remedy rock: moonstone. Moonstone can reunite loved ones who have parted in anger. This lovely, shimmering stone also imparts luck in love. Keep moonstone around, by all means!

Rhodochrosite: A Love Stone

The name simply means “rose-colored,” and the color is astounding. This stone looks as if it is lit from within. It is one of the newer crystals on the scene, coming from Russia and North America. Rhodochrosite is imminently appealing, with its stripes of pink and sometimes orange.

Rhodochrosite is a love stone that will enable anyone who believes they have never truly felt or experienced real love to find it. I heard and read about some people gleaning much good from it during the aftermath of September

11. It functions as a heart-chakra opener that brings compassion and expands consciousness. One fascinating legend associated with rhodochrosite is that it can connect you to your soul mate if used in meditation. This is a crystal that helps with the healing power of forgiveness. It also helps overcome irrationality and can prevent a mental breakdown. However, I think my favorite feature of rhodochrosite is that it overcomes a poor memory. So, this rose-colored beauty banishes forgetfulness and promotes forgiveness—what a nice combination! Healers also work with this stone for respiratory diseases. It has a warm energy that is very good for the body.

This striking stone is also invaluable for overcoming fear and paranoia (mental unease). Rhodochrosite abets a more positive worldview. One of the simplest and best aspects of this crystal is that it will help you to sleep more peacefully, shoving apprehension, worry, and woe out of your mind so you can heal body and soul. Your dreams will be positive, too. This is a remarkable stone for affirming the self, allowing absolute self-acceptance and self- forgiveness. Rhodochrosite brings together the spiritual plane and the material place. The crystal is important because it permits the heart to feel hurt and pain deeply, and this processing of emotions nurtures growth. 

Tranquility Touchstones: Crystal Cairns

 

I am sure you will come to find this to be true: certain crystals can be true touchstones in your life and bring multitudinous benefits, both emotional and spiritual. Find spots in your home or office where you can incorporate them each and every day. Whether it is a shrine, your nightstand, or stacked in a corner on your desk, a sort of crystal cairn. This can be your special corner of the world where you renew and connect with your spiritual center.

Picking up and holding your touchstones can be one of the most soul-nourishing small acts of self-care you can do.

The following is a table of different crystals and what their presence will bring you:

• Inspiration: Amazonite, aventurine, carnelian, chrysolite, chrysoprase, citrine, green tourmaline, malachite, yellow fluorite

• Intuition: amethyst, azurite, celestite, lapis lazuli, moonstone, selenite, smoky quartz, sodalite, star sapphire, yellow calcite

• Love: amethyst, magnetite, rhodochrosite, rose quartz, twinned rock crystals

• Abundance: bloodstone, carnelian, citrine, dendritic agate, diamond, garnet, hawk’s-eye, moss agate, peridot, ruby, tigers-eye, topaz, yellow sapphire

• Protection: amber, apache tear, chalcedony, citrine, green calcite, jade, jet, smoky quartz

• Self-belief: azurite, chalcedony, chrysocolla, green tourmaline, hematite, rutilated quartz, tiger’s-eye

• Serenity: amber, aventurine, blue jade, dioptase, Herkimer diamond, jasper, kunzite, moonstone, onyx, peridot, quartz, rhodonite

• Confidence: carnelian, obsidian, quartz, selenite, sodalite, topaz

• Positive Energy: agate, aventurine, bloodstone, calcite, chalcedony, citrine, dioptase, emerald, garnet, orange calcite, ruby, topaz

• Deep wisdom: emerald, fluorite, Herkimer diamond, moldavite, serpentine, yellow calcite 

Flourish with Fluorite: Overcome Brain Strain

 

Violet—or amethyst—colored fluorite is especially good for the bones, including the marrow. It jogs the third eye and, best of all, imparts good old common sense! Green fluorite is favored for its ability to ground and center excessive physical and mental energy. Clear fluorite awakens the crown chakra and allows you to let go of anything holding back spiritual development. Blue fluorite facilitates mental clarity, orderly thought, and the ability to be a master communicator. Yellow fluorite kindles the synapses and awakens memory. It will also make you smarter and boost your creativity a great deal.

Any fluorite reduces electromagnetic pollutants and cleanses the aura. Get a big chunk of fluorite at your favorite metaphysical five-and-dime, and put it right beside your computer to decrease stress. Those long hours of staring at the screen will cease to sap your energy. Look at your fluorite at least once an hour to reduce eye and brain strain, too.

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.

Energy Management—You and Your Crystals

The first thing you need to do with a crystal is charge it, which means syncing it up with your personal frequency and vibrations. You’re placing your desires and wishes into the vessel of the crystal. The crystal’s inherent energies will come into play with your personal power, and your intentions can be manifested, or made real, through the crystal.

The very first step in this process, however, is the dedication of the crystal toward the greater good of all beings. An essential part of this process is the cleansing of the crystal in order to purify its energy. Although this is a straight-forward task, it is of supreme importance for your use of the crystal down the road. If a gem or stone is not as effective as you had hoped, the problem could stem from the initial dedication. Think of this primary step as the honing and direction of the intention. Here is how: simply hold the crystal in the palm of your right hand, and in your mind picture a glow of light surrounding the stone.

When the rock is completely enveloped by light in your mind’s eye, state out loud, “This crystal is only for exacting good of the highest order. In this stone of the earth, there is only love and light.” I like to leave the crystal out in the light of the natural rays of the sun and the moon for a twenty-four-hour period for the maximum dedication of light and love from the universe and the heavens above as part of the purification process. But, if time is of the essence, you can move right on to step number two, charging the crystal itself.

All stones possess natural energies of their very own. You want to merge your energies with those of your crystals so that the crystals will be in sync with your vibratory channel. Remain mindful of the great power your stones have and you will be in a good position to work with it. Consider carefully what kind of energy you want to place into your crystal. Take a stone that has been cleansed by sitting in a bowl of sea salt overnight and in the light of the sun for a day. Sit in a comfortable position and hold the crystal in your right hand. Focus on the energy you desire your crystal to hold and project it into the stone. Bear in mind, the use of crystal magic should not be used solely for your purposes, but also for the greater good. Please make sure you’re projecting positive energy and not anger or hatred. You should ask aloud for your crystal to work together with you for the highest good. You are doing creative visualization here, so keep concentrating until you can see and feel the energy flowing into the stone. You will feel when the charging, or programming, is complete; your intuition will tell you.

While it is not the best-case scenario, you can charge a stone for someone else. For example, if you have a friend who is very ill and halfway around the world, you could charge the crystal with positive, healing energy and send it to your friend to help them. Ask the crystal to work for the highest good of this person and then release that crystal to them.