Firstly a little bit of the science about crystals.
Crystals formed deep within the Earth’s crust and depending on where and how they formed, and the nature of the minerals present, have resulted in the wide range of shapes, forms and colours that have been discovered in all parts of Mother Earth.
The word Crystal is derived from two Ancient Greek words, Krustallos which means both ice and rock crystal and Krucos meaning icy cold, frost, and these are a good description of the appearance for probably the most commonly know crystal of all Quartz. Quartz is the second most abundant mineral to be found on Earth and when combined with other minerals, has produced many of the vast array of colourful crystals and gemstones that are known and loved the world over.
Quartz is a silicon dioxide mineral which is made up of atoms of silicon and oxygen that arrange themselves to form to a highly ordered atomic structure, and it is precisely this ordered structure that gives all crystals the special property of being able to hold an energy. The addition of other minerals increases the scope and ‘fine tunes’ the energy a crystal holds.
Crystal Energies and Properties
The energy of a particular crystal is unique to that crystal and thus gives it the ability to possess certain ‘properties’. Energy which has a specific vibrational frequency can then be used to help restore that vibrational frequency or energy and thus ‘balance’ areas where that specific vibration has become depleted or distorted.
Their ability to hold energy is a particular property which makes them perfect to be ‘programmed’ with a specific vibration, which can then be used for a specific purpose and for the ‘greater good’.
Many crystals can also pick up negative energy from certain environments, which in itself makes them perfect under certain circumstances, to help remove negativity from within one’s energy fields or from the environment, however it does mean that they will then require ‘cleansing’ of this negativity.
You might like to view our article concerning the cleansing and programming of crystals
Variety of Crystals
Although not all crystals contain Quartz a large number do, albeit in a number of forms, however it is due to the placement of the molecules of Quartz within the structure that has given rise to the many classifications of crystal groups.
An example is the cryptocrystalline (minute crystals) type of Quartz, Chalcedony, which is further divided in other named crystals and crystal groups.
Chalcedony when banded is known as Agate, and if the bands are straight, parallel and of consistent size it is known as Onyx. If the presence of included minerals is over 20% the group is then referred to a Jasper. Opaque forms of Chalcedony which have a ‘solid’ colour include orange/red toned Carnelian and green toned Chrysoprase and Mtorolite.
When found in what is described as a macrocrystalline (large crystals) form, Quartz comes in an range of colours, shapes and forms such as multi terminated clusters or geodes and single or double terminated points. It can also have various ‘special’ identifying features which are known as Master Crystals.
It is the addition of various minerals with the Quartz’s crystalline matrix that gives rise to the many varieties of different coloured and included forms, some of which are outlined here.
Amethyst is purple variety of Quartz is colour being derived from the addition of iron and aluminium minerals within the crystalline matrix.
Natural Citrine is a gold/yellow variety which has been subjected to high temperatures and whose colour is derived from iron based minerals.
Smokey Quartz has been naturally irradiated to produce the smokey brown hues.
Rose Quartz comes in a range of beautiful pink tones due to the presence of Manganese within the crystalline matrix.
Rutilated Quartz contains fine needle and hair like pieces of rutile which is a Titanium oxide.
Tourmalinated Quartz contains small thin pieces of Tourmaline usually black although other coloured Tourmalines have been found within Quartz.
It is obvious that Quartz is a major component of a very large number of crystals however there are those that do not contain Quartz. A group of beautiful colourful crystals composed of calcium fluoride is Fluorite another colourful group is Beryl which are beryllium aluminium silicates that include Aquamarine, Emerald, Morganite and Heliodor.
All the crystals mentioned so far have a regular repeating atomic structures but there is a group that does not and these are known Obsidian, which are composed of vitreous, glass-like volcanic rock often with various mineral inclusions. As a group they are said to be amorphous (from the Greek meaning without shape or form) which means they have no highly ordered atomic structure as found in other crystals, however this group will still hold an energy which can be used in healing.
There are also crystals that have been enhanced by man, either by treating naturally grown crystals or by growing them under laboratory controlled conditions. You either love them or hate them, however they all have individual energies that add to the variety of crystals available to use in healing and energy work.
We know that crystals come in a variety of shapes, forms and colours each with an unique energy depending on their composition. Many are ‘natural’ however there is a wide range of crystals available today which been sculptured, cut and polished by man to produce such items as wands, spheres, points, palmstones, tumblestones and made into items of jewellery. Many of which can be found in our shop.
Shape and form direct a crystal’s energy, for example a single terminated point will move energy in one direction whereas a double terminated point will move energy in two directions. All the various shapes direct energy in different ways so you might like to look at our article describing the different types and how they direct energy.
Colours and Chakras
The colour of a crystal along with it’s inherent energy are what makes crystals perfect tools for healing. The energy of every crystal has a frequency that is specific to that individual crystal, and that frequency will have a connection to a specific chakra which has the corresponding colour associated with it.
An example is the solar plexus chakra whose associated colour is yellow. Yellow crystals such as Citrine and Amber have a strong connection to the solar plexus chakra and will aid with issues that are controlled by that chakra, such as on a physical level digestive issues or diabetes and on an emotional level personal willpower and confidence.
The frequency of a crystal can connect to more than one chakra however there is usually one chakra that it will have a strong connection to and this is often colour related.
There are so many different crystals to choose from, the task of selecting which one is best suited for a specific need can be daunting. I always feel that one is naturally drawn or guided to a specific crystal or crystals that are required at any given time.
There a number of ways to make this choice such as using a pendulum or by seeing which one/s you are drawn to. Another is to read about the properties a specific crystal possesses and how those properties match you requirements. Whatever method one uses I feel trust plays an important part.
There is no right or wrong to choosing a crystal and more often that not more that one crystal energy will be required to help with an issue.
Healing with Crystals
Every human ‘being’ is composed of energy vibrating at different frequencies, from our physical bodies (vehicles) that are at the slowest level to higher frequencies associated with our subtle bodies and energy fields. On whatever level an issue requires healing, crystals are the perfect tools to help.
To benefit the most from any crystal energy it is important for one’s chakras to be open and balanced and one’s subtle bodies aligned. One way this can be achieved is by placing various crystals around and on one’s physical body, paying special attention to the chakra points. We have an article that describes how to carry out a crystal healing which may be of interest.
There are others ways in which one can benefit from a crystal energy such as keeping tumblestones in a pocket, as this will make sure the energy of the tumbled crystal is merging with one’s energy fields, or holding a crystal that has been shaped into a palm stone will serve the same purpose.
Having crystals about one’s home is an excellent way for their energies to help cleanse and purify the energy of one’s environment and crystal clusters are perfect for this as they radiate their energy in all directions and are extremely beautiful as well!