For tens of thousands of years humans have used crystals and stones as weapons, containers, personal decorations, and to beautify our homes. We use them as tools of magick, in religious ritual, as talismans, and as offerings to the Gods. Many of even the most skeptical wears jewelry set with their ‘birthstone,’ the stone considered lucky for a person born during that month.
As tools of magick, stones lend us their energies and provide us with places to store our own energies. They are like natural batteries, storing within them the energies of our selves, and the Earth. They come in a rainbow of colors from ice clear to solid, glossy black and in a variety of shapes, sizes, and textures. They are a direct connection to the Earth that provides us with all we need for existence. Stones are used as talismans to protect from the unknown and are returned to the Earth to insure the fertility of the fields and the success of the crops. Stone magick covers all aspects of life: health, love, prosperity, spirituality, and wisdom, just to name a few.
Before a stone is used in a spell, it is ‘charged’ with the purpose of the spell. This is done by holding the stone in your projective (right) hand and letting the energy that is within you pour into the stone while visualizing the purpose.
Some say the best stones are the ones you gather yourself. For most of us this isn’t realistic, but if you can, try to find stones in streambeds or lake bottoms, maybe from a wooded path or even in your own back yard. Remember, when you do gather stones, ask the Earth first and then thank it for its sacrifice. Some witches perform a small ritual before they go on stone gather expeditions, making offerings to the Earth and praying for a good hunt.
Each type of stone gives off its own unique form of subtle energy. The particular energy given off by a stone is determined by its internal crystalline structure, and by the atomic vibrations that are specific to that structure. Certain stones, including most of the stones normally thought of as healing stones, vibrate in a way that resonates with and strengthens particular energies inside each person. These are the energies of the inner self, the energies that make up the attitudes and human qualities of a person. This resonance can occur because the inner self operates by using a type of subtle energy that is similar to the subtle energy of crystals and stones. The reason this type of energy is called "subtle energy" is because, although it is physical, it is less physical in nature than normal types of energy such as heat, electricity or mechanical energy.
Subtle energy is what puts the "meta" in metaphysical. It is subtle because it is hard to measure. Science hasn't figured out how to measure it yet, and what science can't measure, it doesn't believe in. In spite of its many great achievements, science would not even know where to begin to measure your personal energy in order to find out how much subtle energy you are putting out in the form of human qualities such as patience or acceptance at any given time.
Because of its somewhat less physical nature, subtle energy reveals itself in a quieter, often slower and gentler than physical types of energy. For example, if you put a stone or quartz crystal in your pocket and carry it around with you, it may take some time, perhaps a day, before you notice the effect from it. A list of common stones and their characteristics is here.
The Difference between Crystals and Stones
Quartz crystals are often called the "master stone" because they operate in broad way that amplifies all the subtle energy frequencies. This happens because quartz crystals, unlike stones, are not the actual source of the subtle energy vibration, but instead they amplify and then reflect back those subtle energy vibrations that exist in their immediate environment. For this reason, a quartz crystal is able to strengthen all the energies of the inner self at once. For example, if you feel loving toward someone, and you are carrying a quartz crystal in your pocket at the time, that crystal will amplify and intensify the love energy you put out by resonating with it and making it stronger.
Stones, on the other hand, are more specific with their energies. They operate within a relatively narrow range and frequency to effect small areas of correspondence. For example, a bloodstone can be used to strengthen the health of one’s blood (increased oxygen flow, higher iron content, etc.) but not the entire circulatory system directly. Because of its narrow focus, a stone is relatively stronger than a quartz crystal. This makes stones ideal for concentrating on your growth by working on a single type of energy at a time, or working on several energies at once by using several stones. (Although, in this case, it is necessary for the operator to make sure the energies don’t overlap and/or cancel one another out.) Because of its broad and more general way of operating, a quartz crystal works to strengthen all areas of the inner self at the same time.
Distance
As one might imagine, the effects created by stones and crystals diminishes with distance. Although the larger a stone is, the more energy it emits, and its radius of effect is correspondingly further. For example, if you wear a small quartz crystal around your neck it effects only your personal energetic field. Its sphere of influence is just around you, with an effective radius of about a foot. Hand held crystals of about 3/4 inch diameter have a larger sphere of influence, with an effective radius of perhaps two to four feet. And a three inch diameter crystal will fill a large room or small apartment with energy that will have a positive impact on everyone in that area.
Using Crystals and Stones for Personal Growth
In and by themselves, crystals and stones do not automatically improve or change their operator. They do, however, resonate with the subtle energy of the inner self, attitudes or human qualities, to make them stronger and more intense, so it becomes more obvious to you what is going on inside. This makes it easier for us to see who we are and what we want to change about ourselves in order to become better people. It is nonetheless important to keep in mind that our attitudes don't change unless we want them to, and that we are the only ones responsible for our growth. A stone can only amplify an aspect of who we already are; to grow, we must do the work ourselves.
The magical qualities of crystals and stones lies in the effect they have on people. Because of how they work, crystals and stones have the ability to make someone feel more positive, feel better about life. Among other things, the way they interact with a person's inner self enhances the human qualities of loving and caring, which are often considered rather magical in and of themselves.
~© Lisa Mc Sherry 2005, 2016
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