Crystal Healing: Education, Step-by-Step Beginners' Guide & FAQ

Crystals mesmerized the world thousands of years ago and they are back again, stealing hearts as they go. Starting from celebrities like Victoria Beckam who keeps healing crystals around her home and office to cultivate positive energy, the trend is spreading like wildfire.📈

Adele confesses she messed up her song "All I Ask" at Grammys because of misplacing her favorite healing crystal. Katy Perry on the other hand swears by her rose quartz as the very reason for finding companions without fail. If you’re not yet familiar with crystals, it’s time to find out A to Z about them with facts.

Today we will discover:

• What are crystals?
• What does crystal healing mean?
• How does crystal healing work?
• 5-step-guide to crystal healing
• How do you find healing with crystal jewelry?
• Frequently asked questions
• Benefits of crystal healing

Let’s dive right into the world of crystal healing.🏊🏻‍♀️

Basics: What are crystals and what is crystal healing?

Older than most of the disciplines today, crystal healing dates back to hundreds and thousands of years at the very start of civilization. Just like most things around us work with the help of energy, crystal healing relies on energy too. Other than being gorgeous, crystals also have a million secrets inside that are still not yet fully revealed.

The word crystals come from the Greek word "krustallos" meaning "icy rock". Scientifically, any solid with a well-arranged molecular structure is called a crystal. It could be salt, graphite, ice, diamond, or even amethyst. Crystals come into existence when atoms suddenly change their structure through vaporization, cooling, or heating.

While healing crystals are the same when it comes to their structure, their definition is much larger. It’s not just a sparkly object to many, but a lifestyle. Perhaps that’s why it takes tens of millions of years for crystals to become what they are.

The formation of crystals is equally brilliant and simple to understand. Thanks to crystallization that happens when the magma moves from the earth’s mantle to its surface, we have crystals. Such a process creates igneous rocks, which in turn pushes groundwater to the surface. When water moves upwards, ions from the earth precipitate outwards and we get crystals such as quartz, galena, citrine, etcetera in different geometric shapes and sizes.

Today crystals are used to resolve physical, emotional and mental problems besides cleansing energies around home or office and much more. Moreover, not all crystals work the same way. One may help you find love, another enlightenment and yet another relief from pain or diseases. The trick is to find the right one for you.😊

What is crystal healing?

An alternative medicine that uses the energy of semi-precious stones called crystals to balance, affect and regulate energies of people and places is referred to as crystal healing. It’s popular as a holistic science that works via non-invasive energy vibrations.

Just as anything with energy is considered alive, crystals are alive too. Crystal therapy is a way of tapping into the healing vibrations of stones based on their properties.

👉🏻Crystals can absorb, resonate or repel good and bad energies. And you don’t even need to stick to one crystal at a time because it’s easy to combine multiple crystals to create energy fields around you, your bedroom, your home, or your office effortlessly.

What’s the history of crystal healing? Where did it come from?

The healing powers of crystals are closely knit with religions and cultures across the world. And the fascinating thing is crystal healing properties mean almost-the-same to no matter what religion or culture we’re talking about.

To start with, treating diseases with crystals is attributed to Hindus, Native Americans, and Chinese.

For instance, Hindu scriptures dating back to 400 B.C talk about how different crystals correspond to seven major chakras in the human body. Native Americans made crystal elixirs to treat physical ailments thousands of years ago. Chinese are regarded as using Jade in the Stone Age about 2.6 million years ago.

When it comes to the Holy Bible, 12 stones on Aaron’s breastplate gave birth to birthstones as we know it today. Buddhist texts talk about the "Tree of Life" that’s made from root to leaves with crystals.🌲

Culturally, Sumerians were the first to apply the power of crystals to potions as far back as 4000 B.C. Archaeologically, crystals were used by Egyptians in 1254 B.C onwards for beauty, wealth, fertility, immortality, and so on.

Greeks are the ones who named most healing crystals as we know today. World’s first book detailing crystals called "Peri Lithon" was written in 315 B.C by Theophrastus, a student of Aristotle in Greece too. Ancient Greeks also believed the healing powers of crystals were a Godly attribute and hence most crystals are associated with Grecian Gods today.

When it comes to ancient knowledge of crystals, Pliny the Elder of Rome also compiled a book called "Natural History" wherein he included the then-human-knowledge about crystal healing powers too. Romans believed crystals brought attributes like power, beauty, victory, and bravery to the wearer.

Japan is where Reiki began and Mexico gave birth to geometric-symmetry in crystal healing. Vikings used it for faring the sea and Atlantians for prosperity.

🪐In the new age, crystals are used by almost every culture and religion without borders. The New Age improvised the old beliefs to find new truths about crystal healing and prove its powers through science.

What’s the relationship between crystal healing and energy healing?

Crystal healing itself is a type of energy healing process. From ancient Chinese to Japanese and Indians, different cultures have clearly-defined theories that explain the healing properties of crystals based on their energy.

That’s because crystals are things that contain energy, and that’s why it’s capable of affecting other energies such as that within us. Hence, different crystals can amplify, absorb, balance, reflect, focus, deflect and resonate energies based on how you use or where you place them. Hence, there are several energy healing techniques you can use with crystals.

How does crystal healing work?

Crystals possess energies, and that’s a universal fact.

How so? Proofs can be found if you dig Kirlian photography or piezoelectricity experiments online or offline. If you’re unfamiliar with both those modalities, rest assured because I’ll explain it in the next point in excruciating detail.

But if you know how microscopes work, it’s easy to understand the evidence I’m about to prove right now. The atoms, as well as the protons and electrons within a crystal, are constantly in motion when observed. Hence, crystals are energetic beings. Even though our naked eyes can’t track their energies, they are still alive and working their magic for thousands of years.

Crystal healing works because every crystal has a specific vibrational energy just like each of us does. Moreover, when a person handles crystals, both energies intersect with each other. That’s why when a moody person holds a crystal for love, they suddenly feel the warmth and love from the crystal. This is also how crystals affect the aura of different people.

In fact, you don’t just choose a crystal. It chooses you.🙂

When a crystal is ready to come into your life, it will find a way. All you’ve to do is accept it.

Principles of crystal healing

Before you start buying random crystals in the hope of finding the answer to all your problems, it’s best to dig more into the underlying foundation of crystal healing first. It will help you understand how exactly crystals work.

Here are some basic theories to get started on this route:📝

• Piezoelectricity: According to the piezoelectric principle, all types of crystalline materials give rise to minutiae amounts of electric charge when pressure is applied onto them. Put simply, crystals transform any pressure it receives (could be due to thoughts or touch) into electrical energy. This is how it converts your intentions into manifestations.
• Chakras: Every animal is composed of wheels of energy called major (primary) and minor (secondary) chakras. In the human body, there are 114 chakras, out of which seven are major and the rest minor. Primary chakras are crown, third eye, throat, heart, solar plexus, sacral, and root. Every crystal is associated with one or more chakras and hence it can amplify the power of your associate energy point when placed on it.
• Chi: The life force energy that flows through a person is "chi" or "qi", almost-same as chakras. Crystals help in balancing and unblocking this very life-force energy.
• Reiki: The concept of placing crystals according to the energy field of the body (chakras or chi) is called Reiki.💫 It can absorb negative energy and impart positive vibrations to the energy centers.
• Astrology: Healing crystals are associated with certain zodiac signs and these are based on the seven planetary forces in astrology such as Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Hence, astrologers can determine the perfect gemstone to complement your zodiac sign.
• Feng Shui: The placement of crystals in your home is determined by feng shui. Together, they can balance and enhance the flow of energy in spaces like your home, office, and garden. If chakras are for your body, feng shui is for places. It’s that simple!

Your 5-step guide for using crystals for healing at home

From wearing crystal jewelry to touching, smudging or just placing them on your bedside table, there are numerous ways to integrate crystals into your day-to-day life.

Some crystal healing practitioners might tell you to make potions called crystal elixirs and others to bathe or meditate with it. But what are you supposed to do actually with crystals?

The thing with crystals is you need to let your free will take the front seat when deciding what to do. In short, you should do what your heart tells you to.

But to let the heart take informed decisions for you, take a look at our stepwise guide to understanding how to make use of the healing powers of crystals at home.

Step 01: Decoding the properties of crystals

Science says that minerals have fixed physical properties such as hardness, conductivity, color, structure and so on based on which they are identified or distinguished. Same as this, crystals also comprise spiritual properties that are invisible to the eye, but can only be felt or identified by psychics, astrologers, and enlightened souls.

Once you study these properties, you can use healing stones to enhance your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.

Step 02: Cleansing crystals for healing

As crystals can absorb negative energy and reflect them, you need to cleanse them regularly to ensure they are positively charged. There are many ways to do so at home. The best thing is most of these cleansing rituals also help you recharge the crystals.

• Moonlight: Soaking crystals for a few hours in full moonlight is an excellent way to clean their negativity.
• Sunlight: Sun is also a good way to remove the negative energies within crystals.
• Sage: Smudging with sacred herbs like sage is a good way to cleanse healing stones.
• Incense: If you use incenses made from pure herbs, it acts as aromatherapy to remove bad vibrations.
• Chant: It’s easy to beckon divine light to come and clean your stones by chanting aloud.
• Clear quartz: Rotating clear quartz wands a few times over crystals can clean them.
• Brown rice: Keeping crystals buried in brown rice is a good way to remove bad energies from them.
• Geode: Small crystals become clean when kept inside geodes for a day or two.
• Saltwater: Soaking crystals in saltwater is a good way to remove negative vibrations from them.
• Crystal singing bowls: A way of acoustically cleaning stones, singing bowls can easily cleanse stones when you ring them for a few minutes.

Step 03: Charging your intentions with crystals

A method of using crystal energy to amplify the power of your intentions, this is a unique way to manifest what you want. You can charge intentions by channeling the power of crystals into your intention and sending it to the heart of the universe. Such a practice is also called setting intentions with crystals.

Here are some ways to do so:

• Focusing: This is a way to charge your intentions with crystal energy by focusing them while looking at or holding the crystal.
• Chanting: You can also hold or look at the crystal and chant the intention aloud or utter it under the breath to charge it.
• Breathing: Another way to set intentions is by breathing systematically while thinking, focusing or chanting your intention.
• Meditating: Most crystal users meditate while holding the crystal or keeping it around the meditation space to charge it with intentions.

Step 04: Picking the right crystal based on type and properties

Now that you know what crystals can do, it’s time to pick the right one. There are many types of healing stones around the world and not every crystal works for everyone. Moreover, even the same crystals work differently for different people.

First off, take a look at the types and shapes of crystals available these days:

• Raw stones: Sometimes called rough stones, these are unpolished crystals that are typically used in large amounts for feng shui.
• Cut crystals: These are polished stones often with facets and high clarity that’s mostly more expensive than all the other types.
• Wands: Used for focusing the energy of crystals into energy points, crystal wands often have one or more pointy ends and several facets on the side.
• Clusters: When multiple crystals integrate and grow into one crystal, it’s called a cluster.
• Tumblestones: When rough stones are polished to maintain their shape sans their craggy or sharp edges, it’s called a tumbled stone.
• Phantom crystal: A rarity in the crystal world, phantom crystals are often cloudy and single-pointed.
• Crystal mirror: A gazing device used for divination practices, such a stone is flattened with a mirror polish for reading visions.
• Pyramids: Another energy focusing crystal, the pyramidal shape is best for targeting energy and is often believed to send thoughts to the heart of the universe.
• Geode: With numerous crystals lining the hollow insides, geode is a powerful stone with amplified energies than single healing stones.
• Crystal eggs: Polished into egg-like structures and used for fertility rituals, crystal eggs are drilled and undrilled based on their use.
• Pendulum: This is a pointed crystal that hangs like a pendulum to answer questions by reading crystal vibrations.
• Palm stones: These are flat stones polished in an oval shape to hold in the middle of the palm for relieving stress, or anxiety as well as praying.
• Crystal ball: Often used by psychics and fortune-tellers, the crystal ball is capable of revealing fortunes, visions and more as it’s a scrying device.
• Chakra Generator: Adorned by a crystal on each side with seven sides, chakra generators are often built with a clear quartz in the middle to amplify manifestation energies.

The next thing you need to know are the metaphysical properties of crystals so that you can pick the right one.

Take a look at the traits of seven crystals to get started.

• Amethyst
  • Color: Purple
  • Chakras: Crown and Third Eye
  • Planetary ruler: Jupiter
  • Element: Air and water
  • Lucky number: 3
  • Zodiac sign: Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Virgo, and Sagittarius
  • Birthstone: February
  • God: Artemis and Diana
• Sodalite
  • Color: Blue
  • Chakras: Third eye and throat
  • Planetary ruler: Jupiter
  • Element: Water
  • Lucky number: 4
  • Zodiac sign: Sagittarius and Virgo
  • Birthstone: February
  • God: Hera, Nuit, Danu, and Sophia
• Blue Sapphire
  • Color: Navy Blue
  • Chakras: Third eye and throat
  • Planetary ruler: Saturn
  • Element: Water
  • Lucky number: 4
  • Zodiac sign: Gemini
  • Birthstone: September
  • God: Juterna
• Rose Quartz
  • Color: Pink
  • Chakras: Heart
  • Planetary ruler: Venus
  • Element: Water
  • Lucky number: 7
  • Zodiac sign: Taurus
  • Birthstone: January
  • God: Aphrodite, Astarte, and Turan
• Citrine
  • Color: Yellow
  • Chakras: Solar Plexus
  • Planetary ruler: Sun and Jupiter
  • Element: Fire
  • Lucky number: 6
  • Zodiac sign: Cancer
  • Birthstone: November
  • God: Demeter, Sekhmet, and Persephone
• Carnelian
  • Color: Orange
  • Chakras: Sacral
  • Planetary ruler: Mars
  • Element: Fire
  • Lucky number: 5
  • Zodiac sign: Virgo
  • Birthstone: August
  • God: Isis
• Red Jasper
  • Color: Red
  • Chakras: Root
  • Planetary ruler: Mars
  • Element: Earth
  • Lucky number: 6
  • Zodiac sign: Capricorn and Cancer
  • Birthstone: March
  • God: Bona Dea, Gaia, and Callisto

Step 05: Healing with crystals

When it comes to rituals to find healing with crystals, you need to place it right. You can place stones on your body based on chakra points. For example, keep sodalite over the throat chakra to enhance communication and rose quartz over the heart to absorb love.

Reiki is another discipline where crystals are kept over different energy points on the body by a practitioner who then pushes crystal energies to flow into your body with movements, thoughts, and actions.

You can also use a crystal pendulum to calm or cleanse the vibrations of specific chakra points. Another way to achieve healing with crystals is using symmetrical arrangement of crystals such as grids. You activate the grid with a wand and set the intention to start the healing process.

If you’re thinking of ways to place crystals in your home or office, seek the help of feng shui to find the right direction to keep crystals. For example, keep citrine in the southeast corner to generate wealth and rose quartz in the southwest direction to cultivate love and romance.

Is it possible to heal using crystal or gemstone jewelry?

Of course, it’s possible to find healing by using crystal and gemstone jewelry. Crystals emanate healing vibrations no matter where they are kept.

But first, you need to find out the difference between crystals and gemstones.

Crystals vs. Gemstones: Understanding the nuances

Crystals are things with crystalline structure where atoms are organized in a systematic pattern. On the other hand, gems or gemstones are precious minerals often used in lapidary.

While several gemstones can be crystals, not all crystals are gems. For example, amethyst is a crystal and a gem. However, sugar is a crystal but not a gem.

Best types of crystal jewelry for healing

Based on where on the body you wear crystal jewelry, it can spread healing vibrations and keep your chakra points charged all the time.

Here are some types of crystal jewelry for well-rounded everyday healing:

• Tiara: When you want to enhance or charge your intuition, wear crown chakra crystals on top of the head.
• Headband or necklace: For charging your brow or third-eye chakra, what you need is a head necklace adorned with sixth chakra stones as it keeps you enlightened.
• Necklace: Wearing a throat chakra necklace such as one made of blue sapphire will enhance your communication chakra to keep you charismatic.
• Lariat necklace: These are long necklaces that may stretch until the heart chakra or the solar plexus chakra to keep both of these chakras charged.
• Waistband: Wearing a waistlet embedded with root chakra crystals or yoni eggs can keep your first chakra energetic such as keeping you grounded all the time.

Frequently asked questions

Still got doubts and confusions about healing crystals? Go through the FAQ below and your mind will be crystal clear!😎

What are the most popular myths about crystal healing?

Crystals don’t work like black magic, voodoo or other negative rituals. They are positive things capable of amplifying your energies.

For example, if you start a weight loss journey with a crystal such as rose quartz, it doesn’t mean you’ll be slim in a day. Because rose quartz will keep motivating you, you’ll find it easier to lose the extra weight naturally.

Does the size and shape of the healing crystal affect its energy?

While many astrologers recommend crystals based on the weight of the user, you can feel and absorb the healing energies of crystals regardless of how big or small it is. But typically, bigger crystals have amplified energies. The same is the case with multiple crystals or cluster crystals.

If you ever went to the Tucson gem show or any similar crystal exhibitions, you know how easy it is to be overwhelmed by the energies of several big crystals because they are all around you.

When do you start feeling changes due to crystal healing?

This is a tough question.

Because your thoughts, feelings, experiences and perspective is different than his, her and mine, it’s impossible to pinpoint an exact time you’ll start noticing changes with healing stones. That being said, if you’re open to new ideas or are broad-minded, you’ll feel crystal energies almost immediately and vice-versa.

Can crystal energies clash with one another?

Definitely not. As crystals are harmonious things, they always work hand-in-hand to generate positivity.

With that said, keep in mind that sometimes crystal energies can be overwhelming as they increase each other’s vibrations. Hence, take your time with new crystals or when mixing several ones whether you’re a newbie or a pro.

Is it possible for healing vibrations of crystals to degrade and vanish over time?

Just as Einstein’s Law of Thermodynamics says energy cannot be made or destroyed as it can only be converted from one form to another, crystal energies don’t disappear on their own. However, depending on how often you clean it, crystals will reset, recharge and even grow in energy.

What are the key benefits of crystal healing?

Crystals can affect everything in its line of energy. That’s why if we were to list out all the benefits of healing crystals, this would take up the whole of the internet. Instead, take a look at the following list of brief benefits.💖

• Physical benefits such as healing diseases related to eyes, heart, brain, lungs, throat, kidneys, liver, stomach, reproductive organs, limbs, thyroid, blood, and so on.
• Emotional perks like easing depression, heartbreak, anxiety, sadness, self-confidence issues, insecurity, and inferiority besides helping to build personality, self-esteem, compassion, empathy, contentment, joy, love, intimacy, friendship, pride, gratefulness and much more are found with stones.
• Spiritual merits from enlightenment to divination, fortune-telling, intuition, mental clarity, wisdom, prosperity, luck, and success, crystals bring extraordinary gifts to users.

Finding the right crystal for you

When you’re completely new to the world of crystal healing, picking one might seem overwhelming. But it's a cakewalk once you know how crystals work, what their properties are, and how to handle their energies.

Moreover, crystals often find you when you need them rather than you having to hunt for them.

How does this happen? When you send out the urge to embrace crystal healing, the universe will present the right crystal you need in your path. This might feel like an inner voice telling you to browse crystals or buy one that you’re suddenly smitten by on screen.

All you need to do is open your heart to new thoughts and the rest will happen on its own.