Introduction to Working with Stones and Crystals

This week in one of the facebook live meditations I introduced the practice of meditating with crystals. I wanted to expound upon that with a blog post about developing a home practice with stones and crystals. 

If you are reading this post then you are either already working with stones and crystals or are curious about the idea. My approach to teaching people to work with stone/crystals is one that is firmly situated along the path of intuition. If you want to look up different stones and learn their attributes that way it’s easy to do with books and the internet. What I will share here is an approach that is designed to help you develop the skills to learn the magic of a language that is spoken in feelings. It is the empathic approach to developing a relationship with the natural world around you. I am tailoring it for stones and crystals for the purpose of this article. 

Energy

Everything in our natural world is made of energy. Each with it’s own unique frequency or voice. To learn the vibration or frequency of anything it invites us to tune into our subtle senses, to go beyond what is being presented to the physical eyes and “feel” the presence of the item or object. This may sound a little hokey but we do this all the time whether we are aware of it or not. It is beginning to practice this skill with intention that develops the ability to pick up on the subtle energies of things like stones and crystals. 

Just by merely feeling called to read this article you have picked up on the frequency of the information within it and followed that to read these very words. This is how we make many of the decisions throughout our day, by following what lights up along our path and engaging with it. I invite you to begin to notice this subtle thread that lies within all things, the more you become aware of it the more you will be able to engage with it intentionally in your life. 

Relationship

I learned long ago that every object that I have in my home is something that I have a relationship with.  Since all things are made of energy then in essence I am cultivating a relationship with those energies. I treat objects, plants, animals and spaces as sacred,  much like I would a close and dear friend. This practice was introduced to me through indiginous feminine earth wisdom from teachers like White Star Woman and Jamie Sams. I began to see all the tools I work with in my personal practice such as sage, fire, yoga mat, phone, computer, candles, stones, books and so on as sacred relationships to be cultivated with intention, respect, and honor. Just like relationships with friends or family I learned it must be balanced and recipirical. I continue to learn how to give just as much as I receive from the relationship. When I forget this practice the energy can become stale or stagnant and soon the value of the connection can be lost. 

Take a moment and look around your home. How many items do you have that you haven’t taken the time to connect with, some you even forgot you had. This is also a powerful reason for decluttering or purging uneeded or unused items from your home so that there is less energy required to maintain a high frequency in your home. 

Permission 

Based on this perspective one powerful practice for deepening your relationship with stones and crystals is to ask permission to work with them.  This is so incredibly important as it sets the foundation of building this relationship. Since everything is made of energy it means that you can interact with that frequency and receive communication from it. Perhaps that doesn’t mean you have a conversation like you and I might, but instead it’s learning once again to tune into the subtle information that is being shared. It also begins to deepen your awareness of the sacredness of all things. Their innate value. It will change your perspective. So first, ask permission if you may work with a certain stone or crystal that you are feeling drawn to. 

We already know that if you are feeling drawn to it then there is something about the energy or vibration of that particular stone that is speaking to some part of you. If you can feel that then when you ask permission you will be able to sense if it is giving permission. 

As a side note here, more than likely if you feel drawn to a particular stone or crystal it has already given you permission to work with it. However, that doesn’t negate the formal practice of asking. It is just good manners and will help you as you develop your ability to tune into subtle energies not to over step boundaries or take the object for granted just because you can. It will help you develop a deeper practice of awareness and respect that will serve you in all areas of your life. 

Another important note here is if you come across a stone in nature on a walk or in the woods it is important to follow this practice of asking permission. In addition it is good manners to make an offering if the stone wishes to go home with you. My favorite offering is my hair. I always have it with me and I have more than enough to share. I will find a piece of hair and place it in the same place as the stone to give something of myself back for the gift. Corn Meal is also a traditional offering that can be given. Offer a blessing and gratitude and give your exchange for the gift of the stone. Too many times humans think that what is in nature is just for us to take as we wish. Having a practice like this sheds light on the sacredness of all in nature and how important it is to be aware of our impact. To walk lightly upon the earth with respect. 

Listening

Now that you have formally begun to work with your crystal it is time to listen. When I say listen, what exactly am I referring to? For most of you it won’t be audible words that you hear you will need to feel what is being shared. Since each stone has a unique voice by feeling called to that stone you are wanting to hear what that voice has to say. Just like people, crystals have personalities. Dominate energies that flow through them and this is what we are called to. How do we then allow that information in and process it in a way that we can work with? 

Trust the Process

This is all about trusting the process. I would first and foremost invite your inner child to come and play with you while learning these skills. Let your imagination take the stage and give it permission to run wild. The reason why is that logic can kill the subtle insights that come from our receiving the vibration from a stone and a teaching that it has for us. We as humans have the tendency to rationalize away what we experience from our subtle senses. I invite you to be open and receptive for all the thoughts, images, instincts, visions, messages to be allowed and valued. This means everytime you feel like you are making something up, doubt the doubt. This is often the most challenging part of developing a practice like this. 

Personal Experience

Utilizing the skills I’ve outlined I have learned some of the most powerful healing practices from “listening” to the messages that have come from the stones and crystals that I worked with. For example, I learned how to create a space that is self cleansing and self charging by working with stones like citrine and kyanite. I implemented what I learned when building my yoga studio so we would have a sacred space that was designed for people to do powerful self healing work without alot of energetic upkeep for me to keep it vibrationally clean. This is just one example of how I have implemented what I’ve learned from working with stones and crystals into my everyday life and how powerful those teachings have become. 

Practice

You may already have a stone or crystal you are working with, or many for that matter. If you haven’t gotten that far yet you can use this simple exercise to open yourself up to working with these energies. 

1. Take a moment to connect with your breath. Close your eyes, bring your awareness to your heart. Allow your energy to settle here and feel your connection to the earth through your seat. Feel yourself breathing through all the pores of our skin and begin to relax into your heart space. Rest here for a few moments. 

2. If you don’t have a stone/crystal that you are working with yet use this time resting your awareness in your heart space to ask for what stone/crystal would like to work with you. Perhaps you have something going on in your life you would like support with. Ask that you be lead to the the stone/crystal that is best suited to help you with that situation or issue. Offer gratitude for the assistance and guidance.  Now pay attention the next day or so. You will see that the crystal or stone that you are going to work with will find its way to you or you will be draw to it. Trust the process. 

3. Ask permission - once you sense the stone/crystal you are being drawn to, ask for it’s permission to work with it. Introduce yourself like you would as if you were meeting someone new. Come back into the heart center space as we did before and sit with your stone/crystal in your hands. Breath and feel. Notice what arises. What do you see, sense, feel, hear and know about this stone/crystal. Write in your journal what you discovered. If you are unsure of the name of your stone do a little research and look it up. If you do then you can go and look up it’s qualities. See what lines up. Remember just because a stone is said to have certain attributes doesn’t mean they are the only lessons for you from that stone. They are the ones that have been collectively agree upon. What that crystal has to share with you maybe different and very unique. Trust whatever you learn. 

This practice will help you learn how to tune into the subtle energies of stones and crystals. If you have questions about this information don’t hesitate to reach out to me and ask. I will share more information about working with stones/crystals. This is just the first step. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post. Please share your insights, questions and feedback in the comments. Share this post with anyone you feel could benefit from the information. There is so much magic in this world, I look forward to continuing to be a source for how to explore it and cultivate it in your own life. 

Audrey MacNamara Sheldon is the founder of Free Spirits Yoga in Greensboro North Carolina. Audrey offers Shamanic Healing Sessions, Intuitive Spiritual Mentoring, Reiki Sessions and Certifications. Audrey also creates traditional frame drums for meditation, prayer and shamanic work. Please contact Audrey with questions or to schedule a session today!