Crystal healing might seem like a newfangled wellness obsession among your friends and on social media. But the use of these semiprecious stones as a form of alternative therapy has been documented for thousands of years, dating back to ancient Sumerians and Egyptians.
Each crystal is said to have different metaphysical properties, with its own unique energies and vibrations that are believed to have healing, soothing and even love-attracting qualities. Celebs from Adele to Victoria Beckham are also said to be firm believers of crystal healing and its purported benefits. Consequently, finding the right crystal could also help tide you through these uncertain times where we are all looking for the light at the end of the tunnel.
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Evonne How, founder of Stones & Ripples, shares with us, five crystals to attract good energies for our health, wealth, relationship, knowledge/wisdom and career while Aaron Toh, sales associate from TAMZA House of Crystal & Lifestyle, tells us why we need to clean our crystals and five ways to do so.
Evonne: Indigo babbro is a healing crystal for the “new age” and often goes by the name of Mystic Merlinite, after the famous magician from the Arthurian legends.
It is a combination mineral discovered in Madagascar and is composed of feldspar, quartz, igneous rock, and other minerals.
This stone is beneficial for your spiritual and emotional health as it is a stone of awakening, bringing into consciousness all of the ancient wisdom you have residing in your sub and unconscious minds.
The power of the unconscious is almost limitless when it comes to addressing health issues, whether physical or mental. All diseases and illnesses manifest first in our energy fields, before migrating to the subtle and physical bodies. With the aid of this crystal, you can discover and address the beginnings of illness and discomfort before they cause you real problems. It is best used in this way through mindful meditation.
How to use it: Relax in a comfortable position and hold a piece of the stone in your hand. Focus your intention to discover any areas of dis-ease within your subtle and physical bodies. Send this intention through your hands and into the stone. Sit quietly, breathe gently and be aware of any sensations you feel in your physical body, such as tingling or tension. Likewise, be aware of any thoughts that slip into your mind revealing attitudes or behaviours that are no longer serving you.
Evonne: One of the best healing crystals for manifesting wealth and abundance in your life is green aventurine. It is a very positive stone of prosperity and can be used in healing or crystal grids to manifest the resources you need to complete your projects and realise your ambitions.
Green aventurine shows you how to create the outcomes you want without causing harm or distress to others. It is an honourable stone and will enhance your leadership and creative qualities.
This stone also brings decisiveness, a quality that is much needed when you are tackling your financial situation. Not many of us are lucky enough to be able to forget all about money, but many of us act as if we would very much like to. Green aventurine can help you to come up with solutions to debt, or to find the resolve necessary to make changes in order to improve your financial health.
How to use it: When used alongside other “abundance” stones, such as jade and citrine, green aventurine is excellent for use in crystal grids for manifesting wealth. Place the stones in a circle, with one larger crystal in the middle, and spokes radiating from the centre. Infuse the grid with your intention to attract the wealth and resources you need at this time.
Leave the grid in place for seven days and reaffirm your intention and desire each day.
Evonne: Carnelian is aligned with the sacral chakra, the seat of vitality and joy in the human biofield. It supports us in experiencing pleasure through all of our senses, including sexual and intimate pleasures in relationships.
Carnelian is also a crystal of self-confidence and self-worth, both vital qualities in the forming of harmonious relationships with other people. This crystal encourages you to examine your own beliefs and to trust your own judgment, without judging others. It is a stone of acceptance and empathy, and can be used productively in situations of household or family conflict.
Carnelian is also believed to influence the female reproductive organs and to increase fertility.
How to use it: Place it in the room where the members of the household most often congregate, often the kitchen or dining areas, to smooth the way for meaningful discussions. It cleanses the atmosphere and brings in vibrations of love and harmony.
Evonne: Lapis Lazuli is a crystal for the third eye and the throat. It stimulates enlightenment and enhances psychic abilities. When your third eye is activated, you form strong connections with the divine and with the wisdom of the universe. A clear and open third eye chakra allows you to clearly see your path ahead and the steps you need to take in the present, in order to manifest your desires in the future.
The connection of the third eye with the throat chakra, which this stone achieves, means that the communication of knowledge and wisdom takes place easily and smoothly, whether between humans or between you and your guides, mentors and angels.
This stone also brings serenity and quickly relieves stress, allowing your mind to become clear and your thoughts ordered.
It is a stone for learning and knowledge, and can be placed near to you when you are studying or researching something new. Lapis lazuli is a powerful thought amplifier. It stimulates the higher faculties of the mind, bringing objectivity and clarity to situations or problems that have hitherto resisted solution.
How to use it: You can use lapis lazuli to access your inner wisdom by placing it on your third eye chakra (centre of the head, parallel to the eyebrows) before meditation. Relax and allow your mind to become quiet. Telepathically send your request for knowledge and wisdom into the crystal as you continue to relax into a meditative state.
Visualise your third eye chakra opening and shining a blue light directly out in front of you. This light illuminates insights and wisdom around your question, so stay open to all of the impressions that come into your mind.
Evonne: In ancient times, bloodstone was said to have been an “audible oracle”, producing sounds as a means of guidance for the user. If you are ready to inject new life into your existing career, dragon bloodstone will help you to find the strength, passion and motivation necessary to carry your fellow workers along with you.
It brings courage and enhances our ability to trust our own judgment and convictions. It also boosts self-confidence and self-esteem, both of which are needed when we are looking at making changes in our work lives.
If you are ready to start a new career, or perhaps to begin a business venture alone, call upon the powers of dragon bloodstone to clear all doubts from your mind. This stone also generates motivation and tenacity. With dragon bloodstone on your side, you will not give up easily.
How to use it: If you are uncertain about your present career, and whether it is right for you, try creating a crystal grid with dragon bloodstone at the centre and clear quartz pointing outwards all around it.
Spend some time in quiet contemplation with your grid, focusing your attention on the dragon bloodstone. Allow any thoughts or insights you receive to come to the forefront of your mind so that you can examine them later.
If you are sure that you want to change your career, but you need support with this, carry dragon bloodstone with you as you begin the transition. It is a protective, grounding stone that will help you to manage undesirable outside influences and stay true to your vision for a new career path.
Aaron: The maintenance of crystals through (basic) housekeeping and ‘cleansing’ are considered to be the cornerstones for upkeeping and for collectors to reap the most out of the crystal collecting lifestyle.
Cleansing of crystals, on the other hand, is like an affirmative or meditative activity. As we cleanse our crystals, psychologically, we are simultaneously relieving the stress, tension and fatigue from ourselves accumulated from our daily human interactions and responsibilities.
After we take a shower or head outdoors to bask in brilliant sunny weather, we often feel refreshed and rejuvenated. Likewise, water and sunlight are natural elements commonly used to cleanse our crystalline counterparts.
Each crystal or mineral has its own unique mineralogical qualities, thus as one’s collection grows, other resources and tools play efficient roles in the upkeep of our crystals.
Aaron: It may sound daunting for novice collectors, but the housekeeping of crystals is actually pretty straightforward. Water may be used to clean the accumulated dust off crystals if a few factors are met.
Ensure the crystal or mineral has a hardness (you can check the Mohs hardness scale by a quick Google search) of 5.0 and above. And if the hardness qualifies, ensure the crystal is not metal-based (e.g. pyrite, hematite, rutile) or does not contain coatings of other softer minerals on the surface of the host crystal.
How to cleanse: Water cleansing can be carried out by placing the crystal(s) under running tap water for 30 seconds and then dabbing with a cloth or setting aside to dry.
Otherwise, using a soft-bristled brush to clean the dust off our beloved minerals (for those below 5.0 Mohs) should be the way to go.
Aaron: For a small collection, crystals such as selenite and clear quartz are effectively used as mineral tools for the cleansing of other crystals.
White selenite, also known as satin spar, is often carved into ornamental lamps and bowls for storing smaller crystals and accessories. Selenite is a translucent gypsum mineral that offers a soft, angelic appeal that cleanses other crystals and brings tranquility to the user.
On the other hand, the impeccable clarity of clear quartz disperses cloudiness and dense frequencies. Through its properties of amplification, clear quartz speeds up the cleansing process of other crystals.
How to cleanse: Place crystals into or by the side of cleansing allies such as selenite or clear quartz. Generally, half to a full day is required to complete the process.
Aaron: The incense most widely used for purifying crystals is the classic white sage. Its white smoke doesn’t just clear the bad ‘jujus’ but also contains antiviral and antibacterial properties.
Always choose sage that has been farmed organically, as they are obtained sustainably and do not contain harmful metals and chemicals. For the more venturesome person, sage also comes in the enticing dragon blood and blue floral variants.
Aaron: An ardent favourite with our customers is the palo santo wood. When palo santo sticks of premium quality are lit, they catch fire easily to reveal the oil-containing resin from within.
The scent carries a pleasant pine fragrance with a touch of citrus. The appealing scent of palo santo nourishes the crystals in our space, and can be used to perk our senses, especially for those who are currently working from home.
How to cleanse: For incense such as sage and palo santo, they have to be burned and the fire put out to reveal white smoke for smudging. One may place the incense on a holding medium (e.g. ceramic plate) and with a free hand actively fan the smoke against the crystals and even living spaces that they want to effectively cleanse. It is advised to ventilate the space after smudging.
Aaron: Singing bowls are great additions to wellness lifestyles that include meditation practices and sound therapy for chakra healing. Sound is a medium that proliferates into one’s space to effectively ‘shake off’ discordant energies of unseen electromagnetic frequencies.
The sounds emitted especially from handmade metal singing bowls cover a versatile range of tones, which makes crystal cleansing a therapeutic experience.
The study of cymatics (wave phenomena) also points towards the intrinsic healing nature of sound. When vibrating at certain frequencies, coherent geometric shapes are created. As crystals are solid matter formed by highly intricate geometric atomic structures, therapeutic sounds from handmade singing bowls reaffirm the naturally cohesive state of our crystals and minerals.
How to cleanse: Singing bowls complement the other cleansing methods, where small crystals and accessories can be placed into the singing bowl for a more thorough cleansing. Larger crystals and spaces are more efficiently cleansed using singing bowls with diameters of 20cm and above. It can be tricky to pick up the basics of playing singing bowls, but fret not as we often demonstrate and provide useful tips with customers who visit our showroom.
Text: Ho Guo Xiong/HerWorld