Basics: Choosing crystals or gemstones;
Crystals and gemstones can come in many different shapes, sizes and varieties. You may obtain them polished (tumbled), gemstone eggs, natural state, stone pyramids, as jewelry or some may even "call" out to you. Some people often use, and or, wear them for protection (Apache Tears), scrying (Hematite), love (rose quartz), place a pyramid on their alter to draw energy or place a handful around a candle during spell work to increase the spells power. Feel free to experiment, place them around your home, in your car, or wear them. Crystals and gemstones can be used for all of your magickal, health and simple everyday needs!
Cleansing:
When you first obtain your crystal or gemstone, it will be necessary to cleanse it of energy left behind by others. There are many different ways to cleanse your stones. After using your crystal or stone, you may wish to cleanse or clear it again. This is not usually necessary if you are using the stone for the same purpose again. If you have used the stone for any type of healing or drawing out illness, you should always cleanse it after each use.
A.) Place them in bright sunshine for an hour or so, (use care with certain types of stones such as amethyst, rose quartz, ametrine, kunzite, celestite, aquamarine, smokey quartz and fluorite as the colors of these stones will fade in the sun.)
B.) Place under the light of the Full Moon overnight.
C.) Bury in the earth for three days.
D.) Place in sea salt placed in a ceramic or glass bowl or jar. Do not use metal or plastic. Allow the stone [s] to soak overnight.
E.) Place in a jar and cover with herbs (sage, cedar, or rose petals) for three days.
F.) Smudge with sage, cedar or both.
Charging: Programming
Charging your crystal or gemstone before use is necessary before using the stone in magickal works. One way to do this is to hold the stone in your projective hand. Then while visualizing your need, watch the energy pour from your body into the stone. You will know when you are successful when you can feel, or sense, the stone "vibrating" with your personal power.
Associations & Uses:
Below is a directory of crystals and other gemstones, their most common associations and uses. Do not be surprised if, as you use your stones, you find new uses and discover new powers for your stones. For Additional stone and crystal uses, correspondences and associations, see our Correspondences and Elementals page!
A ~
Agate - Gardening, this will increase the fertility of your garden while carried. It is also useful as a form of protection for children. It aids in healing disorders of the blood, skin and intestines. Agate can also increase strength, restore energy, courage, and longevity. It can also be useful in ridding oneself of negative thoughts and easing stress. Banded Agate is especially useful as a divination and meditation stone.
Alexandrite - Used to enhance luck and love into ones life.
Alum - Used in matters of protection.
Amazonite - This is an excellent stone for 'health maintenance'. Used to center oneself, refocus and stabilize. Balances one's yin-yang energies, in addition to many aspects of one's character. Can also be used in matters of gambling and also success.
Amber - Used to enhance beauty and attractiveness while helping to attract love, happiness and pleasure. It can also be used for protection, good luck and can increase the effectiveness of your spells. It has been said that Amber can increase strength while one relieves or cures health conditions. Also a good source of protection for children.
Amethyst - Aids in the relief of fears, stress, dispels negativity and promotes good judgement. It can also aid in dream work, and increase psychic and mental powers. This stone is also helpful in attracting true love.
Ametrine - Used when working with spirit or animal guides, meditation, astral travel or divination. Ametrine points are also useful in balancing between spiritual and daily life while enhancing psychic powers.
Angelite - Used as a calming stone, it also aids in easing anxiety and stress. It can also be sued for creative work, public speaking ad becoming more assertive. May also be used to reduce anger, aid in self-forgiveness and gain protection. Also used for telepathy.
Apache Tears - Excellent for grounding and centering. Promotes peace and harmony. It is also a good luck stone and contains very potent protective energies. It may also be used for scrying.
Apatite (Blue) - Used to help rid oneself of grief, guilt or over sensitivity to other people's problems. This is, needless to say a very beneficial stone to most Pisceans I know who have a tendency to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. It is also useful in dealing with pain and also aiding the body's immune system. It can also help open oneself to the joy, peace and beauty of life's wonders.
Apatite (Yellow-green) - This is typically used in ritual work involving the ridding oneself of shyness, shame, a negative self-image or the feeling of inadequacy. It can also aid in opening oneself to support, comfort and feelings of love. This particular stone is especially helpful to those who suffer self-image problems (i.e. those who feel "fat", "ugly"), it will aid in improving ones body image while releasing the negative feelings typically associated with them.
Aphrodite - This stone is so named for the Goddess Aphrodite. Use of this pink stone is most common in spells involving love magick. It can also aid in opening up the Heart Chakra allowing you to be receptive to the feelings of love while increasing your capacity to give love. It can be useful in magick for the purpose of finding your true love and soul mate. For those in an already established relationship, it is used in promoting fidelity and trust.
Aquamarine - Use of this stone increase psychic power while making the mind more alert and open. It is also excellent for the purpose of cleansing and purification. It can also be used during rituals for good health. This stone can also aid in calming fears, soothing emotional problems while promoting happiness, peace and tranquility. May also halt fears.
Argonite - This particular stone aids in grounding and centering. It can also be particularly helpful in facing the truth, accepting reality and overcoming illusions.
Avalonite - This is a very calming and soothing stone due mostly to its blue-violet color. It is very helpful in soothing, calming and developing a sense of security. It can also aid in divination and meditation. Avalonite is often used to promote psychic power and gain insight into past lives and the collective consciousness.
Aventurine (Green) - Most noted for its properties concerning luck, prosperity and good fortune; it is also excellent in healing, heightening mental powers and increasing ones perception.
Azurite - A beautiful dark blue stone which can heal mental blocks, emotional trauma and rid oneself of negativity. It can also be very helpful when working with animal, spirit or totem guides as well as the Goddess. Some have said that it can also increase ones healing ability and visualization.
Barite - This particular stone is an unusual peach and black. It is commonly used in spells or rituals for clearing obstacle's in ones path. It can also help to conserve energy and especially helpful to those who suffer from immune problems { HIV} or can be excessively stressed. It can create a balanced flow of energy to the user.
Beryl - Used in matters of energy, healing, love, and also psychic power.
Bloodstone - This stone is said to increase a body's physical strength and also a persons courage. It can aid the user in legal matters or matters of business. It has been found to increase the effectiveness of spell and ritual work as well. When worn by the user, is has been known to increase ones lifespan in addition to being an excellent source for healing matters of the bloodstream. If you wish not to attract attention to yourself, then this stone shall aid one in invisibility.
Black Moss Agate - This stone is particularly useful in protecting against physical dangers. It can be especially beneficial after dark. It is a stone that represents a quiet power, one that combines and balances the spiritual with the physical.
Blue Aventurine - This particular stone is very helpful in calming or completely ridding oneself of negative emotions. It is very useful in healing matters and is an excellent source of purification and harmony. It has been said that when held this stone can greatly reduce, or completely eliminate from the body, pain.
Blue Lace Agate - This stone is most useful when carried or worn to promote happiness and a sense of well-being. It is especially helpful in eliminating domestic quarrels. It can also aid one in greatly reducing stress when the user holds the stone in their hand. It can aid in promoting a tender and caring emotional state as well.
Calcite (Optical) - This stone is very useful when performing gemstone magick. It can double the strength of the spell or its power. It can also aid in cleansing ones aura while clearing out all entities and attachments. It can aid in allowing one to see and experience the spiritual more easily.
Carnelian - Common uses for this stone include wearing to promote a sense of peace and self-confidence. Carnelian is an excellent source for increasing ones courage, and especially helpful for those who are very shy. It can help to off-set doubts and negativity. This stone is widely used for spells relating to lust and can increase sexual desires. It is also very useful in all forms of healing. Some use this stone to guard against others reading their thoughts.
Chalcedony - (Blue) Used in matters of courage, aids in uplifting ones spirit, level mindedness helps one to return to reality.
Chrysocolla - Often referred to as 'The Woman's Friend', it is said to be beneficial in alleviating period pains, pms and other related disorders. Used in matters to alleviate guilt, tensions and phobias, inspire creativity, personal power, joy and serenity.
Chrysoprase - This stone is an unusually beautiful apple-green and is found in Australia. It is said to be especially helpful in soothing loneliness and heartache while cultivating a sense of balance, inner strength and peace. It can bring about feelings of courage while opening up life's traumas and grief in order to heal them. Chrysoprase can also be particularly helpful in establishing a bond of trust with the Goddess.
Citrine - When worn, this stone can work to prevent nightmares while promoting a good night's sleep. It can also aid in tapping into the user's personal power to give their energy to their magickal works. It is also worn or carried to increase luck, self-esteem and creativity.
Crystal Quartz (Clear) - When this stone is used, it has the ability to be used, charged or programmed with the powers of ANY OTHER STONE. It may then be substituted for that particular stone in the ritual you are doing. It is excellent for building your circle, psychic power and also as a general magickal power "amplifier". In healing, it aids in the relief of toothaches, fevers, and headaches.
Diamond - Used in matters of peace, reconciliation, protection, strength, spirituality, and faithfulness. Also said to aid in matters of healing.
Emerald - Used in matters of wealth, said to aid mental powers, psychic power and eyesight.
Fluorite - The beauty of this stone is in it's many shades of blue, lavender and green. It is an excellent source of calming depression, anger and desperation. It can aid in heightening ones analytical abilities while helping to organize thoughts. It works very well with other stones to strengthen their power over-all.
Garnet - This stone is an excellent source for protection when worn. It helps to erect a barrier of charged vibrations that will repel any negative energies on contact. It is also helpful for protection after dark. Also, use this stone to strengthen your aura, increase a spells magick or increase ones bodily strength and endurance.
Green Aventurine - Good Luck is this stones primary use. It is also used in magickal work for business success, money or gambling. It is said to increase intelligence, creativity and perception as well. Also useful is its ability so speed general healing and calming emotions.
Green Jasper - This stone is known for its receptiveness which is extremely useful in healing magick. Most specifically disorders involving the eyes, kidneys or stomach. It can be worn to prevent migraine headaches while guarding ones general health. It is also well known for its properties which aid in spells for wealth, prosperity, luck, balancing and grounding. When placed in ones garden, it will promote healthy lush growth. Can also aid in all types of fertility magick.
Green Moss Agate - When worn this stone gives the user the ability to attract new friendships. It is also known to aid in the search for lost treasure. Often called the "Gardner's talisman" it is said to relieve exhaustion, heal disorders of the neck and back. Also used in magickal works for money and happiness.
Hawk's Eye - Colored a black and silver this stone is useful in aiding psychic powers, transforming the negative into positive and also healing negative energies from past lives. It is also said to be able to release karmic attachments.
Hematite - This stone is most commonly used for grounding and centering. It is also used in matters of healing especially when worn by the user. Hematite appears to have the ability to "draw out" illnesses from the body. Some use it's shiny, mirror-like surface for a scrying tool.
Iolite - This unusually beautiful indigo stone is particularly useful when working with the third eye chakra. It can also aid the user in opening up their psychic power while encouraging exploration of the psyche. This stone is also very useful in guiding one through spiritual growth.
Jade (Green) - When placed against the third eye chakra {located on the forehead} it is said to grant he user wisdom. It is also commonly used for protection and attracting love into ones life. It is said to actually aid the body in healing itself and it particularly helpful in healing disorders of the heart, stomach and kidneys.
Jasper - (Red) Said to assist in rectifying unjust circumstances and can also assist in dangerous situations. Often worn during divination practices to protect one during out of body experiences, astral travel and vision quests by helping to provide solid grounding.
Jasper - (Yellow Flame) Same qualities as Red Jasper, in addition to, encouraging the release of stress. Enables one to appreciate the joys of life. Said to balance yin-yang energies.
Jasper - (Zebra) Same qualities as Red & Yellow Flame, in addition to being used to help dispel distress and worries resulting in the feeling of well-being. Also said to stimulate the imagination, allow for acceptance 'mentally' of one's basic impulsive and intuitive energies.
Jet - May be used in matters of protection, luck, divination, as well as to aid in matters of healing.
