The Beginner’s Guide to Buying Crystals

By now, you’re probably pretty excited about the potential of crystals and want to get started using them. This chapter is geared toward the beginner, guiding you to the best places to find crystals—and what to do when you get there and find that there are hundreds to choose from!

Of course, after you decide which crystal to buy, your work is really just beginning. Bonding with your crystal is just the first step in the amazing journey you are embarking on with your crystal. Crystals seem to have the ability to find their owners. They come to you for a reason.

Learn How to …

• ◆ Select a personal crystal for healing and health.
• ◆ Connect with your personal crystal and enter the crystal matrix.
• ◆ Use a pyramid to reduce pain.
• ◆ Use a crystal ball to receive messages.

So Many Choices!

If there were a type of crystal for every illness, the list of crystals and their meanings would be endless. (Actually, the list could be endless, as far as anyone knows because not all crystals have been discovered yet!) Fortunately for those of us who love and admire these gemstones, there are plenty of crystals from which to choose. But how do we narrow them down to manageable choices? A few tips that might help you pick and choose are discussed in this section.

Hold Me Tight

When you are purchasing a crystal for the first time, selecting a suitable one that you will do great work with is critical to your experience. Keep these points in mind:

• ◆ Before you head out to buy a crystal, ask for spiritual guidance to direct you to the crystal you need and at a price you can afford.
• ◆ Set a budget for yourself. In most gem and mineral shops, tumbled stones are inexpensive—usually around a dollar for a small piece. Tumbled stones are smoothed to a glossy finish using a rotary tumbler. It takes several days of continuous tumbling to transform a jagged rock into a highly polished stone.
• ◆ A rule of thumb is that the better the quality, the more expensive the crystal. Because crystals are like eye candy, it’s easy to want many, and you can easily overspend your budget. So concentrate when purchasing, and choose only what really speaks to you!
• ◆ It’s best if you can make your crystal selection when you’re not in a negative mood. If you’re upset or feeling resentment, your purchased crystal will absorb your bad mood.
• ◆ If you’re buying a specialized crystal, be prepared to pay more for higher quality and larger size. Look for any imperfections, such as irregular coloring, which might indicate that the stone has been dyed. Look for specific markings that are desirable in certain crystal types, such as dark concentric rings in malachite or light wavy lines in blue lace agate or rhodochrosite.
• ◆ Ask the staff for help in selecting a crystal. They are usually knowledgeable, and they might even preselect some crystals for you to look at.

Once you’ve narrowed down your choices, you can determine whether you and a particular crystal are a good fit. Crystals will sometimes discharge the energy stored inside them when held. Some people feel this harmless discharge of piezoelectric energy as a small mild electrical wave and might be more surprised than shocked! For most people, holding a crystal causes them to feel calm and relaxed. Sometimes, physical pain lessens, such as a headache that goes away. Sometimes people feel less sad or more energized.

Hold the crystal in your dominant hand at about arm’s length. If it has a point or tip, point it toward yourself. Slowly bring the crystal in line with the middle of your chest drawing it slowly closer to your body. You’re trying to feel the crystal’s power and whether it’s connecting and interacting with your energy fields. You might feel a pulling or tingling sensation at your chest, indicating the energy of this crystal is in tune with you.

If you’re looking for a crystal to expand your psychic intuition, look for a smaller crystal and hold it to your forehead (your third eye) to sense its energy.

Be Decisive!

Here’s a good rule of thumb for any indecisive shoppers out there: if you see a crystal and aren’t sure whether you want it, don’t leave the store without making a definite decision one way or another. Because each crystal has a unique energy on the planet, there is only one like it. The signature of the crystal you touched will still be with you when you go home. You might even have dreams about that crystal. If you make a connection like that, then that crystal should be with you. And if you go back to buy it and it’s gone, you’ll be out of luck and missing out on some potentially great healing sessions!

Sometimes crystals feel sticky on the surface. This is usually from many people handling the crystal and leaving negative energies behind. If a crystal feels sticky, it’s best to leave it there at the store. Its energy will be depleted, and the crystal will need to be both cleansed and recharged before it can be used.

Be sure your purchases are wrapped up well for the trip home. You don’t want to get home and find that the tip on your crystal is chipped. Chipped tips don’t hold or direct energy well enough for healing purposes.

Shopping for Crystals

The internet is a great source for finding and learning about crystals, but the downside is that you don’t get to hold them or connect with them and see what they feel like until after you’ve purchased them. For these reasons, I’m a big fan of supporting local businesses when you’re making a purchase. You must know exactly what you’re getting.

If you are traveling, find out where the crystal shops are and drop in for a visit. You might see something different or unusual to bring back with you. Check out rock hound clubs or gem and mineral shows. Many hobbyists and prospectors bring raw rock and mineral finds from the field to sell or trade at shows. If you find something really special, you can ask a jeweler to make your specimen into a pendant or ring.

I added a special sapphire from the Arctic Circle into the design of a pendant that incorporated a luminescent opal and a matching blue pearl. What a great way to show off a rare gemstone! Why not try your hand at designing your own jewelry?

Here’s some advice about wearing crystal jewelry: exercise some restraint. Wearing more crystals could interfere with your energy wiring. Remember, seven crystals at one time is considered the maximum for most healing purposes. I had a neighbor who wore over 40 different crystals all at once in different rings, bracelets, and pendants. She was covered in them and said the more crystals, the merrier. She was shorting out her energy. Just standing near her actually unbalanced my own energy.

Crystal Collecting

I’ve heard some pretty amazing stories of people who collect masses of crystals. Some people believe that their crystals are precious jewels that will increase in value. Most common crystals, however, don’t appreciate as much as you might think. The earth provides a bounty of crystals, but few are rare. Some specialty crystals will sell for tens of thousands of dollars and are handled through known dealers. However, it’s difficult to resell a crystal without some documentation, including its original source, lab testing, a gemologist’s certificate of authenticity, or an invoice. Is there any value to a casual collector in reselling a crystal? If you think you have a valuable crystal, check it out with a certified appraiser—then you’ll know for sure.

There are crystal hunters like Daniel Trinchillo of Mardani Fine Minerals, New York, and others with fine mineral galleries who deal with serious collectors. Remarkable museum quality specimens will go to corporations or private collections, and depending on their rarity, some may be handled as investments. At Sorenity Rocks in Malibu, California, Lenise Soren integrates her boutique of massively large rare crystals with a venue that showcases many forms of art and holds wellness events that offer a unique experience. When large crystals are mined from the earth, everyone benefits whether they are in museums or private collections. Their healing vibration spreads out into the community.

The responsibility of having crystals is huge. Their unique healing signature has come to you in trust. Treat them with the same respect as you would any healing medicine. Keep personal crystals out of the eyes and hands of others. I keep two sets of crystals: One for educational purposes that can be handled, dented, dinged, and chipped without remorse. The other set is a private collection of museum-quality specimens and personal pieces used for healing. None are so valuable that they can’t be replaced.

Gemstone Investing

Gemstones have inherent value. However, it requires shrewd investing to have a collection worth anything. It’s not stamp collecting. There are numerous crystals in the earth. Miners are facing rising prices to get them out of the land and into gem markets. Gemstones only return value when they are unique, from a limited source, or are really big or flawless.

When buying, your own outlay of cash must be large, in the thousands of dollars, and when selling, it may take a long time and multiple agents to find a buyer. Commissions to agents may also be high. You may not gain much profit since a buyer will be looking for the lowest price. There are other sellers out there, too, as it’s a competitive market. Save yourself the trouble of overinvesting in a commodity that’s difficult to move into the market and will be slow to resell. Yes, there’s currently a décor trend in exotic crystals, but will it last?

Originally, moldavite, which was created from the Nördlinger Reis meteor impact in Southern Germany, was very expensive since it was quite rare. Locations for moldavite were limited to a small area in the Czech Republic. Then new locations of moldavite were found in Germany and Austria. As new sources for this green tektite from the cosmos brought more moldavite to the market, the price went down. They’re just now becoming rare again, as supplies are once again reducing.

Similarly, a massive amount of lab-grown gemstones are now available. You can make as many as you want! However, the market demand is currently high because these lovely bobbles are a fashion trend. The new age is the “now age.”

If you’re a cautious person, you might want to check out any newly available mineral finds with organizations that track materials coming on the market, such as the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy outreach and education website, Mindat.org. It claims to be the world’s largest open database of minerals and their localities, deposits, and mines worldwide. Check out your new find and its value with some of their experts.

Initial Introductions

Once you’re home and you’ve unwrapped your new crystal, you’ll need to cleanse and recharge it. (Read Chapter 8 for complete instructions on both processes.)

Now you can spend some quality time with it. Remember even the smallest crystal can be effective in opening your consciousness to a whole new level because it’s a portal to awareness expansion. After you’ve chosen a crystal, it’s time to really get inside it (and I mean that literally), and see how the two of you affect each other.

A crystal initiation is a session during which one meditates and enters into the crystal matrix. For your first crystal initiation, select a clear quartz crystal with a natural tip— one that hasn’t been polished or one that has been polished to a point. This is an all- purpose crystal, perfect for people who’ve never been through this ritual.

Again, be sure that your quartz crystal is cleansed and fully charged before you begin. Sit quietly in a room that has natural light, which is best for seeing inside a crystal. Spend a few minutes looking outside the crystal and all over its surfaces. Observe its lines, faces, and sides. Be aware of its dimensions. Feel any surface bumps with your fingertips. As you handle the crystal, be aware of your breathing. Maybe your breath becomes quicker; maybe it slows down and is barely audible.

Get the Inside Information

Now, look inside the crystal. Look through the sides of the crystal. Look through it to the other side and observe any distortions. Tilt the crystal and look through the tip. Look down inside to the bottom, to the floor of the crystal.

After you have truly explored the crystal inside and out, select a spot inside the crystal. While focusing on that spot, breathe in and out until your breath slows and becomes regulated by the crystal. When you are ready, close your eyes and feel yourself floating and entering into the crystal. Explore what you see inside the crystal using your inner eye and your deeper connection. Be prepared to see something special. Maybe there’s a rainbow of colors. Maybe you hear music. Maybe you see someone there, like a crystal guide to help you in your healing journey, so stay and have a chat! Listen for a message about the healing mission of the crystal. The power of crystals is limitless, so anything is possible here.

When you’re ready to return, take a deep breath in and mentally say the word release to bring your consciousness back into this reality. Open your eyes. If you’re feeling a bit lightheaded, walk around in some fresh air to get your head out of the clouds and your feet back on the ground.

A crystal initiation is a sacred way to bond with your personal clear quartz crystal. Now that you and the crystal have been introduced to each other, keep the crystal constantly near you for at least three days so your energies become well integrated. See Chapter 8 for some instructions on how to dedicate your crystal for specific use, purpose, or mission.

Harnessing Power with Familiar Forms

In Chapter 3, we talked about crystals that were formed into other geometric shapes and how their crystalline alignment is more powerful. (For example, a pyramid shape can amplify the power of a crystal.) Now, let’s talk about some familiar forms of crystals—so familiar, in fact, that many of us don’t think of them as crystals at all! And yet, their power to shift and move energy is every bit as genuine as any other gemstone.

Crystals come in all sorts of shapes and sizes—some of these shapes are especially intended to magnify the effect of the crystal’s power and can produce amazing effects in your home or on your outlook. They hold powerful energy and can amplify the intent of your layouts. Learn how to use these shapes as part of your layouts and crystal grids in Part 4.

Crystal Pyramids

If you’re drawn to pyramids, you might be looking for structure in your life. The pyramid shapes sense from chaotic mental and psychic energies into a logical, creative life force.

Interesting, right? But how do you put this to use in your life? Well, a pyramid structure used during meditation harnesses and focuses your energy. If you have a small crystal pyramid, you can use it as a guide for visualization by placing it gently on top of your head or by holding it over your head. If you’re lying down, simply place the pyramid above your head. You can also hold it in front of you and gaze into it.

A crystal pyramid makes it possible to move into other dimensions where information can be accessed and where you can create manifestations on a material plane. Pyramids are the teachers for students learning to use the dynamics of energy!

There are several healing properties of meditating with a pyramid:

• ◆ Physical—It regulates all bodily systems, speeds healing, reduces aging, and smoothes wrinkles.
• ◆ Emotional—It reduces stress and worry, decreases feelings of alienation, and assists in emotional releasing.
• ◆ Mental—It increases mental clarity and dreaming; improves memory, communications, and logic; develops a deeper sense of one’s self; and improves creativity.
• ◆ Spiritual—It improves psychic abilities (clairvoyance), enhances spiritual connections with other beings, assists in astral travel, helps access deeper levels of esoteric knowledge, and strengthens all energy fields.

There are pyramids made of many different types of crystal. Clear quartz, rose quartz, and lapis lazuli are popular, among other semiprecious stones. With a genuine crystal pyramid, you have the properties of both the gemstone and the pyramid energies. A dynamic link exists between the two energies that defies description, although the word expansive comes to mind. The bigger the gemstone, the greater the energy, when it comes to pyramid energy.

A crystal pyramid can be programmed to facilitate meditation, telepathic communication, channeling, astral travel, and healing, among other uses. (See Chapter 8 on programming crystals.) With the pyramid shape and the crystalline structure synchronized by its sacred geometry, a full spectrum of light interaction is possible.

Pyramids are great for manifesting your wishes and are helpful for solving problems. For example, as part of a pyramid workshop, I asked 30 participants to imagine themselves within a pyramid about 5 feet high. Then I asked everyone to focus on something they’d like to come true within 24 hours. The next day, I received a phone call from a Reiki master who had attended the workshop. She’d been distressed for several months after misplacing a $1,000 bond. That morning, she had suddenly found the missing bond and she felt absolutely certain that focusing on the bond during the pyramid workshop had helped resolve the issue.

Pyramids can be very practical in other ways as well. Try these suggestions:

• ◆ Hold the base of a small crystal pyramid against a sore tooth to help reduce pain.
• ◆ Place a small crystal pyramid inside a filtered water container to energize the water and reduce toxins.
• ◆ Place a crystal pyramid over a person’s photo to send distant healing to that person.
• ◆ Meditate with a small crystal pyramid made of labradorite or amethyst taped over your third eye to increase psychic abilities.

Obelisks

Obelisks are very popular in home décor. Original Egyptian obelisks were magnificent pieces of stone, often quarried from several kilometers away and carved with the local history of famed rulers. Obelisks are wider at the base, pulling up energy from the earth. At the top of the tall four-sided, tapered spire, the tip is in the shape of a pyramid.

The symbolism is that the obelisk is life-giving. The healing aspects of an obelisk draws negativity from the environment and shoots the energy up the shaft to be replaced on its journey with positive energy. The four sides of the pyramid-shaped tip are like a lighthouse, beaming the positive energies out from its tip over the community or relaying energy to other obelisks, like antennae.

If you have even one obelisk crystal in the middle of your room or home, energies will be kept in circulation, and it will release pent-up energies that have accumulated. When used for healing purposes, place the base of the obelisk over the area of the body to be healed; the obelisk pulls up energies for transformation. An obelisk works well when balanced with a crystal ball nearby to circulate the energy in a room.

Crystal Balls

Most people associate crystal balls with looking into the future. Crystal ball gazing, also known as scrying, is an ancient form of divination using a reflective surface, such as water or a crystal ball. A seer or clairvoyant will look into a crystal ball for images that tell the reader about future or hidden events.

However, crystal balls are not just for gazing. They can be used for healing and for dream work. You can even perform energy massage therapy by rolling the crystal ball over areas of pain or discomfort.

Crystal balls come in different types of crystal, such as amethyst, rose quartz, sodalite, and obsidian. Many clear quartz crystal balls are not perfectly clear and are cloudy with inclusions (flecks or specks in the crystal) or are opaque. Take the time to hold the crystal ball in your hand and listen to it; feel what its energy is telling you without making a judgement about what it looks like. Make your purchasing decision based on your personal interaction with the crystal.

For scrying (which is just a form of harnessing psychic energy with a crystal ball), you’ll need a very clear crystal or glass ball. A perfectly clear quartz is hard to come by, but it is worth the money because it provides a clear surface for the mind to project upon. Large glass balls are quite expensive and have less distortions.

Scrying takes practice. You’ll need several sessions of sitting with the ball and just gazing softly into it. There’s a relaxation within the physical eye after a while, and a connection will open to the inner third eye. You might start to see images. At first, these will be subjective, like seeing your dreams. For those with natural talent, reliable images will be seen along with impressions about them. The interpretation of these images is up to you and your intuition, which of course is strengthened by the crystal itself.

Geodes and Clusters

Geodes are typically formed when volcanic activity spews out lava and forms balls that cool on the outside. The balls contain various gases that promote the growth of crystals inside, such as amethyst. Some geodes are like caves, as big as a person. When they’re broken open, you’ll see pristine sparkling crystals inside, like a whole colony of crystals. Sometimes, small pieces of the geode are broken off and sold as clusters.

Clusters are groupings of crystals of the same type or different types. They are used in feng shui for balancing energy in a room, in a garden, or in buildings. Feng shui (pronounced “fung shway”) is the ancient art of placement based on the principle of an eight-spoke wheel and each spoke represents a part of one’s life and environment. Using “cures” for bad influences, objects and colors are placed in areas of the home or in building elements to restore balance and to achieve harmony. (See Chapter 15 for more information on crystals and feng shui.)

Like an acoustical microphone, geodes are cupped to pick up negative energies. They can be positioned within a room to absorb and transmit energy. Place one on each side of a doorway or facing a door to catch and cleanse negative energies on their way in.

Changes in Thought and Presence

As you begin to work more with your crystals, you’ll become more comfortable and start to feel enlightened. What’s happening here? Is it real? Is there a name for it? There sure is—it’s called intuition, and it’s popping up to say hello. Get used to it because it’s going to stick around for a very long time!

Let Intuition Be Your Guide

What is intuition and how do you know if you have it? Intuition is the knowingness that is already inside you. Sometimes people refer to intuition as a “gut feeling;” it’s the ability to know when something is right or a warning that something is wrong. Our own intuition is something we trust because it comes from within ourselves.

When you hold a crystal, you may get an energy rush as your intuition awakens and guides you through a new learning experience. Intuition is activated from the energy of the crystal, releasing its energy into your subtle energy fields. It’s your own energy that the crystal energy is supporting and enhancing.

If you can sense this awareness or feel other sensations while using a crystal, your consciousness is opening to another level of perception. As your intuition opens, you’ll have the ability to know how connected you are to the infinite universe and to the possibilities of love, peace, and healing.

Your awareness expands, and you find that you’re living life on a whole new level. Your energy is revitalized, and you become more stimulated by living your personal truth. The positive energies amplified by the crystals can be seen in the way you look, the way you act, and the way you interact with other people. Don’t be surprised if others are drawn to you. They feel good in your environment and are feeling uplifted and happy around you!

Keep a Crystal Journal

One of the best ways to keep track of your crystals and your experiences with them is to keep a journal. You can write down details, such as where you purchased the crystal, its cost, the country and area from which it was mined, and special characteristics like inclusions or other crystals growing with it. You might also want to write down your first impressions or images that resonate with the crystal.

Later, you may want to review your notes and identify crystals to help fill your collection or to determine a constitutional crystal (see Chapter 9) for long-term personal use and development.

For some, using crystals can be a wild life-altering, mind-expanding experience. You can become captivated by these new treasures you’ve found. You realize there’s more to learn about life beyond four walls. You feel alive with energy. You no longer need to feel separated from nature or feel separated from yourself. You feel reconnected to your own intuition and to higher realms. You are living your truth.