Crystals can enter our lives in many ways – through school projects, hotel gift shops, Facebook posts or from a friend’s home. Regardless of how they come into our life, it is important to learn about the different energies and benefits of crystals.
The first step to working with crystals is setting an intention. This process is personal and varies from person to person.
1. Learn the Basics
A crystal is more than just a pretty rock; it has a unique energy that can enhance our lives and is part of ancient customs with modern practices. The best way to start your crystal journey is to understand the different types, properties, and various uses of these natural wonders.
Crystals are geological formations that occur when atoms arrange themselves in orderly structures that manifest into crystal shapes. Each crystal has a specific vibration that attracts and amplifies certain energies. Depending on the crystal’s energy, it can aid you in achieving goals and desires such as peace of mind, self-love, abundance, or anything else that brings meaning to your life.
One of the most important things to learn about crystals is how to set your intentions. Crystals work best when they are programmed to support your intention by absorbing and amplifying the energy of that intention. It is similar to when you set a goal for yourself like “I am happy” or “I am grateful.”
By programming your crystal with your intention, it will be your go-to companion in helping you achieve that goal. This is because it will vibrate at the frequency of your intention and will help you to get past any mental or energetic blockages that may be keeping you stuck.
It is also important to learn how to cleanse and charge your crystals. This is done by leaving them out in the sun or moon for at least 4 hours to receive its energy. The crystal will become charged with the solar or lunar energy and it will recharge whenever you reconnect it to the sun or moon again.
Leavy shares that she has seen people come into her store looking for a crystal to attract love or promote positivity. But when she asks what their goal is, they often admit that what they really need is confidence or better communication. Having this openness can help you find the crystal that is the most beneficial for your needs.
2. Find Your Intuitive Side
Intuition is often referred to as a gut instinct, a sixth sense, your inner voice or inner knowing. It acts like a compass embedded deep within you, helping guide you beyond the realm of analytical reasoning toward your next best step.
The first step in connecting with your intuition is learning to trust it. This is accomplished by allowing yourself to listen and act on the immediate, instinctive feelings that come up for you, and being open to following intuition, even if it defies your logical brain. It also helps to make it a practice to pay attention to the physical sensations in your body, as this can provide valuable insight about what is really going on inside of you.
It’s also important to recognize when intuition is not actually fear, as it can be easy to confuse the two. For example, if you know in your gut that you aren’t going to have fun at the upcoming party, it may not be intuition that is speaking; it could be your anxiety kicking in from a past trauma. This is why it’s important to learn the difference between your intuitive hunches and your fears so that you can act on them.
Other ways to connect with your intuition include journaling, participating in creative endeavors (like painting or writing), and taking the time to spend in quiet contemplation. Embracing solitude can help you tune into your intuition, and allow it to bring you the data that is aligned with your intentions.
Another way to strengthen your intuition is by working with crystals, as they have the ability to clear out negative energies and amplify the positive. A few great crystals to start with are amethyst, citrine, hematite and rose quartz. These crystals will help to boost your self-confidence, encourage a state of gratitude, balance and restore your energy levels, and assist with manifestation. They are also excellent for absorbing and dissolving stress, anxiety, and depression.
3. Keep a Journal
Crystals are known to have a positive effect on your energy fields, amplifying the good and blocking the bad. They also carry their own unique energies, which can be beneficial depending on your needs. For example, hematite is an excellent grounding stone that protects against negative energy while instilling a sense of calm and stability. Obsidian, on the other hand, is like a personal shield that keeps away the bad vibes while amplifying the good ones! Use your intuition when selecting which crystals to work with—oftentimes, whatever crystal you are drawn to is the one that you need right now.
Keeping a journal is a great way to keep track of your experiences with different crystals. It helps you to hone your focus and stay in the moment. Journaling is also a great tool for cultivating gratitude, something that’s incredibly important in the pursuit of tranquility. The stoic journal template in Journey provides a unique take on gratitude cultivation by prompting you to reflect upon challenging situations or difficulties while identifying lessons learned and blessings that emerged from them.
If you’re interested in learning more about crystals, Bryki Gallery is a great resource! They host educational events monthly on a variety of topics, including crystals. Visit their website for more info or to RSVP for the next event!
4. Start Experimenting
If you haven’t tried making crystals before, this is a great way to introduce your children to the science of growing things. It’s also a good way to teach them about science fair projects and the importance of controlling variables, taking accurate measurements, and drawing conclusions based on your research.
Start by preparing your materials. Add water to a jar and sprinkle in a bit of salt. Make sure the jar is clean and that there is enough room for the crystals to grow. Add food coloring if desired.
Allow the water to cool to a temperature at which crystals will form. When the crystals have formed, use a wet paper towel to wipe away any extra salt or liquid that remains. This will make it easier to see the beautiful crystal garden inside your jar.
While the water is cooling, do some experiments with it. Try using different temperatures of water to see if that affects the rate at which the crystals grow. Also, experiment with the amount of salt added to the water and see how that affects the growth.
This article focuses on growing crystals from salt, but you can use this technique to experiment with other materials as well. For example, you might try growing sugar crystals to learn more about the chemical processes involved in crystal formation. Or, you could try dyeing carnations to learn how plants drink water. You could even try a science project like this one to show your kids how acidity can affect the color of paper.
The process of creating crystals starts when the water is supersaturated, meaning that it has more solute ions or atoms than it can hold. When the solution is cooled, these solute molecules tend to bump into each other more often and then stick together. This creates a rough surface called the nucleus, and other molecules soon attach to these rough surfaces, filling in the structural pattern of the solute.
This process is a bit messy, so don’t be surprised to find that your jar of crystals doesn’t look exactly how you imagined it would. But don’t let this deter you from continuing your investigation!
