step to working with crystals to manifest and align with our energetic selves. If you plan to carry the stone with you or meditate with it, this might be the intention you speak to the gemstones you laid out before you. Your body has an innate intelligence and will communicate what is desired in a variety of possible ways. With your left arm, slowly wave or drag your hand over the tops of each stone, not touching them. Hover a couple of inches over the tops of them and sense where your hand desires to go, as if it is moving on its own and not being guided by your brain. It will perhaps feel quite subtle, like a dull magnet, or you may sense strong tingles in your palm or warmth moving up your arm. There are no rules for how your senses communicate, and the more you work with these subtle communications, the more easily you will pick them up. Once you have selected your stone, sit with it for a few minutes, and then set your intention to connect with it. Treat this connection as though you are entering into a new relationship—a friendship, for example—and draw up the feelings of support and love as you hold it. You are now ready to carry this stone or place it in a spot where you will see it regularly, such as on your desk.
While it is not a bad idea to simply have gemstones and minerals in your home or carried with you, choosing these stones based only on what you’ve read or how you’ve been advised without pairing that information with your own personal intention can actually work against your goals. Setting your intention allows you to dedicate your stone to assist you in some way.
Clear Quartz is an ideal stone to use for virtually any task because it is known as a Master Healer. It is an energy amplifier and is highly programmable, but you must dedicate your Quartz Crystal to a purpose to ensure it is amplifying the energy you want it to amplify. Wearing one in jewelry or carrying it in your pocket without setting an intention would essentially be leaving the stone to “do what it does” without guidance. If you had a stressful day, the undedicated Quartz Crystal will amplify stress. If you instead dedicate the Quartz to assist you with transmuting stressful energy, then the stone will raise your positive energetic vibration. Quartz Crystal is a unique stone because it can be asked to assist in any possible way. It can be asked to serve as a grounding stone, to increase intuition, to attract love or wealth, and to assist with communication. It is a great tool for focusing your energy and directing it toward your goals.
Intention is a powerful and often unrealized component of our overall well-being. Our words and thoughts are powerful. In hermetic philosophy, for example, the Seven Principles of the Universe include one critical concept reflected in many philosophical perspectives: All Is Mind. This idea is echoed in the Solipsist philosophy that only your specific mind is certain to exist. In other words, your mind is the most powerful creator in your existence and every experience you have, be it small like buying a cup of coffee or large like bearing a child, is created in the core of your specific being. It is created in your own mind by the way you choose to interpret the experience. All Is Mind; all is perspective.
At the risk of oversimplifying, if you believe something to be unhealthy, then it will manifest in your life in an unhealthy way. The opposite is also true. You tend to draw things to you that you expect to attract. The Universe will prove you right every time, because that’s where your mind is focused—it will see what it expects to see. Setting an intention allows you to be open to surprises.
There is much research done on the placebo effect that suggests what we believe has a grand effect on what we physically experience. The placebo effect occurs when a person experiences positive outcomes from something which is only believed by them to help (and might not have any evidence-based helpful effect). In other words, if you take a sugar pill and believe it is curing your illness, it is possible that it will relieve your symptoms. Placebo effect, solipsism, and hermetic principles all describe how our minds process situations, adjust our needs, and create the skills that allow us to achieve. By believing your stone provides you with healing and wellness, you are also attuning your mind to work for you and your greatest good.
The All Is Mind principle can work against us as well. For example, limiting thoughts or ideas are real if you are attached to them. If you believe that success comes only from constant challenge, then your personal path to success will certainly be littered with bumps and discomfort. Likewise, if you believe relationships are out of reach or that your financial maturity can only be achieved by working ninety hours a week, then you may never reach that experience of love or financial security (or you risk not recognizing it when you do).
Often, these perceived limitations are imposed on us at a young age when we witness family members, teachers, or mentors who act from this vibration and project their beliefs onto us. The human vibration is always in a state of flux, and your energetic body is sensitive to the will of other people. Without disciplined practice, your energy can be influenced by others against your greatest good. The same goes for your thought patterns. If you grew up in a household which held a vibration of scarcity, for example, you might have come to believe that there was never enough or that everyone always has to have debt. This belief can be difficult to break, but it is essential to overcome the beliefs imposed on us by our environment. Few willingly choose to live in resource insecurity or an intentional state of limitation, and these beliefs can be challenged by crystal intention practices.
The Crystal Shield Exercise
Here is a great exercise to use your stones and crystals to discipline your energy: The Crystal Shield. To begin, complete the Intuitive Crystal Drawing Exercise and select a stone which represents you personally. Infuse that stone with the idea of your Self at its strongest and most resilient. Now, take your self-stone and six Quartz Crystal points. Place the self-stone on the floor or table in front of you and surround it with a circle of the six Quartz points facing outward or upward, as if they are arrows pointing outward from the center, self-stone. As you place each point, softly infuse the crystals with a mental image of protection. Tell each crystal that its job is to fend off any external energy that might cause harm to you, the stone in the center. Be sure to also tell the Quartz points that they can allow helpful energies to pass, but only if they serve your highest good and cause no harm.
Once you have placed your grid of crystals, take ten deep breaths. Really see yourself as that strong, safe, resilient, protected stone in the center. You may choose to leave this grid up for a day or a week to gather more energy. You may even choose to supplement that energy with sunlight, candlelight, moonlight, or daily prayer or intention-setting—whatever resonates with you. When you feel the work has reached its maximum potential, dismantle the grid and carry the stone that represents you in your pocket. Imagine the stone is now your personal shield, protecting you from thoughts, patterns, and energies that might disrupt your path.
There are thoughts we tend to repeat in one way or another which often solidify and hold us in a space which does not serve us. These thoughts are unique to each of us, but common patterns include: Life is hard. Nothing lasts forever. No one understands me. I have no support. I never have enough time. I am always sick. I am cursed or unlucky. No one loves me. Everything is too expensive, and I’ll never have enough money. Everything is difficult and out of reach. I cannot have what I desire, so I need to lower my expectations. While you may experience these beliefs as inalienable truths, they are very likely not real. Sometimes our feelings lie to us, and how you feel is an indicator of the state of your vibration. As you say to yourself, “I can never catch a break,” you may feel defeated and let down, which may create an anchor to this feeling. Remember, All Is Mind, so what you say to yourself is what you experience in life. When anchors of this type have been created within you, soon, situations are likely to trigger the deepest feeling of defeat even if your situation might actually be good for you.
It serves you well to be in control of what you say and think, and working with stones and using techniques like the Crystal Judge or the Crystal Shield can help you achieve better self-control over your experiences. Refuse to let a situation mess with your energy or throw you out of alignment. Choose to be in the moment, enjoy the scenery, watch the sunset, feel the wind dance through your fingertips, hear the music playing, and smell the grass or wildflowers you pass. Fundamentally, this mindfulness activity can jolt you
