The ways in which you interact with your crystals and experience their benefits is very personal. You might prefer to meditate with rose quartz, keep green aventurine on an altar, and sleep with amethyst under your pillow. You might find that you prefer one method for a particular type of crystal, such as including it on an altar, and then find that you want to change it up by keeping it in your pocket. As with most elements of crystal work, let your intuition guide you.
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The Crystal Ritual Guide
Creating rituals around crystal work can make the effects even more powerful and dynamic. Ritualizing also increases mindfulness, and is a wonderful self-care practice that promotes overall wellness. Here are six ways to work with your crystals, along with suggestions for ritualizing.
1. Altar
Creating an altar gives your intentions and desires a physical form. It also gives your crystals a sacred space to work in.
Ritual: First, designate a space for your altar—a shelf or tabletop can work well. Smudge the area, burning dried herbs or wood so that the smoke cleanses the energy of the space. Choose your intention, pick the crystals and other sacred items that align with your altar’s purpose, and arrange them intuitively. Create a new altar when your intention has manifested or when you feel called to hold space for something different.
2. Bath
Infusing bathwater with crystal energy by dropping water-safe stones into a bath is a gentle way to immerse yourself in their colors and vibrations.
Ritual:First, prepare the space where you’ll be bathing. Perhaps this means dimming the lights, lighting candles or incense, or dabbing a few drops of a calming essential oil on your temples. Draw your bathwater and add a few crystals aligned with your intentions— amethyst or rose quartz are both great for this ritual. Before getting in, draw a few deep, cleansing breaths, close your eyes, and meditate on your intention. Get in and let the energized bathwater envelop your body.
3. Grid
Making a crystal grid—arranging stones to harness the power of sacred geometry—not only is a meditative practice, but can also increase the effectiveness of your crystal work on a particular intention. Grids can be as simple or intricate as you like.
Ritual:First, designate a space for your grid and clear the energy by smudging. Set your intention, then choose the crystals that will support it. Decide which sacred geometry grid calls to you, and place your crystals in the pattern, starting from the outside and working your way in, keeping your intention in mind. Lastly, place the final “master” crystal in the center of your grid. Take a few centering breaths, and visualize your grid’s intention.
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4. Meditation
Holding a particular stone (or keeping it nearby) while meditating can enhance your practice, opening your consciousness and strengthening your connection to the earth.
Ritual:Choose the stone you want to work with (fluorite, celestite, and smoky quartz are good options). Find a quiet place to sit. Take a few deep, cleansing breaths; close your eyes and quiet your mind. Hold the stone you want to work with (or set it nearby), and imagine its energy permeating your body and soothing your mind. Focus on your breath as you hold space in this energy.
5. Physical contact
Placing stones directly on your body, especially over chakras, can help clear energy blocks and guide specific benefits to the areas that need the most healing.
Ritual:First decide which chakra you want to work on and pick a crystal that supports it. Lie on your back, take a few cleansing breaths, and quiet your mind. Take the crystal and place it on the chakra you want to cleanse, open, or heal—for instance, amazonite on your heart or iolite on your third eye. Visualize its energy radiating into your body. Continue for several minutes or until you feel called to stop. Take a deep cleansing breath and express gratitude, either internally or out loud, for the work that was done.
6. Sleep
Keeping crystals on your nightstand, or even under your pillow, is an easy way to benefit from their energies while you sleep. Calming stones like dumortierite are best for this practice.
Ritual: Just before you get into bed, dim your lights, hold your chosen crystal, and take a centering, cleansing breath. Visualize the crystal’s energy, and the deep sleep you know it will give you. Place the stone in your pillowcase or under your pillow, and then drift easily to sleep.
Reprinted with permission from The Beginner’s Guide to Crystals, by Lisa Butterworth, copyright © 2019. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC.
