THE WITCH'S CORNER

As a very young child, I began keeping boxes of collected rocks beneath my bed.  I'm sure, at the time, I had no idea of the power  stored within these creations, or the magick they could wield.  I just loved the rocks...the look of them, the feel of them in my hands, and even the smell of them.

I believe that most children are drawn instinctively to those things in nature that contain ancient magicks, ancient powers and strengths.  And I believe that they hold within their subconscious this esoteric knowledge; indefinable, ethereal as it is, until one day-- someone tells them not to.

Fortunately, for so many, once we've grown, we rediscover this lost knowledge.  And I believe, if you're here, you are drawn to crystals and stones just as instinctively as am I.

Upon this page you will find my personal information for charging, cleansing, and using various crystals and stones for magickal workings.  By scrolling further below, you will also find correspondences for these magickal objects that will help you receive the most benefit from their magickal use.

This page is under construction, thank you for your patience.

Upon this page you will find:

Choosing & Cleansing Crystals

Using Crystals in Your Home

Correspondences:  Magickal Intentions

Correspondences:  Elemental Rulers

*Balancing Chakras

Video:  Healing with Crystals & Stones

  (The photo above is a small sample of my own stones.  A few of them were gifted to me and the rest I chose and purchased myself.) 

How do you choose your own crystals and stones?

I don't think there are any hard and fast rules for this.  It has to do with the type of stone you need for the intended purpose, of course.  But it also has to do with the depth of color, the shape, patterns that may be found upon it, and most importantly of all-- the 'feel'.

I don't believe anyone can choose a stone for someone else, not even in a piece of jewelry.  You have to choose it yourself, or rather, it chooses you.  And yes, I do believe there is a great deal of truth to that statement.  I've been looking over stones in a shop before, and I've had one catch my eye.  Even though I continue sorting through a whole handful of the same type of stone, that particular one will keep drawing my attention back to it.

Don't be afraid to dive in, hold the stones in your hands, rub them between your fingers, turn them over in your palm and really look at them, listen to them, feel them-- feel them beyond just their physical presence, pay attention to the energy they are emitting.

Take your time, don't let anyone rush you, and don't let anyone talk you into purchasing a stone you don't feel drawn to.  You also want to make sure that the dealer you're buying them from is offering the stones at a fair price.  Some merchants tend to get a little slap happy when tacking a value on their wares.  Stop at more than one shop and compare prices-- this also applies if you are purchasing your stones off the internet.

Now you've purchased your lovely handful of gemstones and taken them home with you-- It's time to cleanse them, to wash away all the accumulated energy they've picked up sitting around the shop, being handled by merchants and customers, passed from hand to hand.

How do you cleanse your crystals and stones?

 The easist way, and the way I prefer myself, is to hold them under running water.  There is nothing more absolutely cleansing, clarifying, and rejuvenating than the magick of water.  Period.  I 'know' my stones and crystals are truly cleansed after doing this; I can feel the difference.  If you feel a heaviness to any of your stones--as in energy, or they have been used for some particularly heavy duty rituals or healing, this is the best method and the most complete method of cleansing.

Another way to cleanse your stones, and  a way I've used myself when I'm in a rush, is to hold them in incense smoke.  This is fast, easy, and it does the trick for light cleansing.  Though I still advise, if your stones are particularly heavy with negative energy, use the first method.

You can also leave them lay in moonlight overnight, or you can fill a bowl with salt and cover them for a period of time determined by you, till they feel 'clean'.  You can even immerse them in a bowl of water to which a pinch of salt has been added-- but be cautious about this method if your stones are polished and finished, because the salt water will ruin the finish on your shiny stone.

 (My kunzite crystal...purchased at Next Millennium in Omaha, Nebraska.  Charlie has a wide  assortment of gemstones and crystals to choose from, and I've purchased many a stone from this shop.  You can also purchase items online.)

http://www.next-mill.com/

You can take the energy wielded by specific crystals and stones and use it to your advantage in the most important space you have-- your home.  You can change the atmosphere, discharge frenetic energy, repel negativity, fill a space with healing energy, or energy for peace, love, lust, health, etc.

We're even going to go one step further and use "lo shu".  I know, the possibilities are endless, the amount of knowlege is overwhelming, and the whole concept of using these magickal objects is incredibly exciting to me.  It must be to you as well, or you wouldn't be here.

We're going to work just a bit with the Chinese art of placement called 'Feng Shui'.  We're going to incorporate a "Lo Shu Grid" of numbers that is inspired by the plan of nine chambers or rooms in the ideal home according to this ancient art.  Not everyone's home is going to fit all nine places on this grid.  Mine doesn't.  We're lacking three; and although this grid is treated as a map of the 'ideal' home, modern individual homes are going to vary greatly...so don't fret.

Lo Shu grid for the Northern Hemisphere:

East                              South                              West

Magickal Intentions

 This is a pile of stones tucked in the corner of our back porch-- but I have just such piles of stones all over the house as well.

Elemental Rulers

Earth:  Stones for this element are useful in promoting peace, grounding and centering of energies, fertility, money, business success, stability, gardening, and agriculture. Candles used in conjunction with these stones should be green.

Air:  Air is the element of communication, travel, and the intellect.  It's color is yellow.

Fire:  Fire stones are used for protection, defensive magic, magickal energy, physical strength, courage, will power (such as in dieting), and purification.  Candle color is red.

Water:  Stones of this element are used in love rituals and for healing, compassion, reconciliation, friendship, purification, de-stressing, peace, sleep, dreams, and psychism.  The corresponding candle color is blue.

The stones I prefer to use for this process includes:

Hematite—root chakra
Carnelian—sacral chakra
Citrine—sacral chakra
Rose quartz—heart chakra
Blue lace agate—throat chakra
Sodalite—third eye
Amythyst—crown chakra

Make sure the recipient of this charka balancing session is reclining comfortably.  Place a small pillow under their head and one beneath their knees if they wish, to relieve back strain.

Before I begin, I explain to the recipient what I’m going to do, and I use this opportunity to assure them they can place the stones for the root chakra and the breast chakra (if the client is female) themselves.

To lay the stones, begin at the feet with a smoky quartz, if you choose to use this stone in this position.  This is a good practice to facilitate grounding.  Otherwise begin at the root chakra, placing the hematite stone, or having the client place the stone, on the pubic bone.
Everyone’s body shape is different, and it may be awkward or impossible to get a stone to lie in this spot for some people.  If that is the case—the body, in this position, forms a ‘Y’; place the stone at the base of the ‘v’ formed by the crease of the legs, at the top of the thighs, and at the base of the genital area.

Place the carnelian stone over the sacral chakra, the lower abdomen.  In women, this would be where the womb and ovaries are located.

Next, is the solar plexus, located approximately three inches above the naval.  Here, place the citrine crystal.

At the heart chakra, between the breasts, you’ll lay a stone of rose quartz.  If your client is a female, she may be more comfortable placing this stone herself.

To lay a stone for the throat chakra, place the blue lace agate at the base of the throat, in the hollow that you will generally find here.

The third eye chakra can be found between the eyebrows and just slightly above them.  Gently lay the sodalite stone in this spot.  Occasionally you will have a client who feels the weight of this stone, no matter how small, very acutely.  Be careful in placing the stone in this very sensitive spot, and reassure the recipient that sensations she/he may feel are not unusual. 

For the crown chakra, you will want to take your amethyst crystal and lay it gently on the pillow just above the client’s head.  Tuck it up close so that it’s in contact with the body.

There, you have your crystals and stones in place.  Allow the client to remain laying in this position for 15-20 minutes.  It helps to set the tone if you have some soft ambient music in the background, perhaps a subtle incense, and low lighting or candlelight.  It also helps the client to relax if they feel secure, that their privacy will not be violated, and that they will not be interrupted.

Make sure your client knows that if any of the stones happens to slip from their position during this process, they should leave them lie and not try to replace them.  This often means that the stone’s work is done.

After 15 or 20 minutes, we’ll now check the chakras for inconsistencies in their energy…

I personally prefer a pendulum for this process, and you may find that this works well for too.

(to be continued-- I'm working on it, really!)

© Amythyst Raine 2009

The bulk of the narrative on this page is my own ramblings and is protected by copyright.  However, the charts & other information may have been taken from some of the following sources:

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