So why do we love crystals so much? Well, first off, they just plain beautiful. Touching a crystal feels like a gift, partly due to their visual power. And the energy of a crystal is thought to be a separate gift all its own. So, if you’ve been feeling left out of the crystal craze or have yet to be convinced that crystals are for you, check out this guide to healing crystals, their meanings, and how to use them. At the time, I decided it would be best to look for a stone to keep me feeling calm and grounded and confident at my new job. The lady at the desk suggested tiger’s eye for courage, hematite for grounding, and citrine for a positive outlook. Before I left, I also decided to choose a “mystery crystal”—one I knew absolutely noting about but just called out to me somehow. After looking at and touching many, many stones, I ended up with a bloodstone. It fit, like a new friend who you feel like you’ve known for your entire life. Plus, bloodstone happens to be a great stone for Aries (my sign!) due to its ability to temper worries, lend emotional strength and support the physical body. This more intuitive method has since become my favorite way to choose a crystal. Here are some other general “rules”, though I use the word loosely, to help guide your crystal search. Here are seven popular stones, along with the energies that they are thought to carry: Crystals also make for beautiful additions to your personal altar, and displaying them in a space you pass by often can remind you of your intentions. On the other hand, if you have smaller crystals laying around, you can carry them with you throughout the day like you would a good luck charm. Finally, crystals can be used to help you tune into the energy of mother earth throughout the year. This crystal ritual by mbg’s Emma Loewe will help you celebrate the transition into fall: Elyssa got her BA from Harvard University in Visual and Environmental Studies. Always a bit of an eccentric and passionate about the mysteries of human nature, she wrote her thesis on the inner spaces of boudoirs and dressing rooms under the tutelage of Marjorie Garber. She has just completed (and begun) a warriorship mastery program with Sandra Van Olmen. Visit her at her website.
