Within the following crystal property sections you will see that the crystals are often related to the various chakras, these are guidelines, as is all the information here - some may work for you, some might not - it’s not set in stone! If you feel that you want to place a crystal on another chakra, or part of the body, which isn’t mentioned then go with it, trust your intuition. The colour red is in purple, so if you felt compelled to put red jasper on the third eye chakra it may be that you need grounding at that level, or energising for expansion and opening. There is often a reason why we may feel inspired to do something and this is the beauty of crystals, we may be inspired to use it, then look up the properties later and find that it does have relevance. Included in the properties over the next few pages are some of my own insights and experiences with the crystals, from meditating, self-healing and treatments, as well as a compilation of information from The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall, Love is in the Earth by Melody, and Crystal Power, Crystal Healing by Michael Geinger and help with compiling some of these properties from Sheila Barclay.

When choosing crystals in a shop it will often be the one to which your attention is first drawn - what catches your eyes, what looks beautiful. You may experience a profoundly inexplicable emotional response, you may feel like you cannot leave that crystal behind in the shop - any number of responses to the crystal. Choosing crystals are a fundamental introduction to beginning to listen to yourself and your intuition - you need to pay as much attention to your own bodily responses as you do the visual impact of the crystal.

Care & Cleansing of your Crystal

When you get your crystal home you will need to cleanse it of previous energy influences that is may have picked up on it’s travels (they can be like sponges). You may choose to cleanse your crystal with water (but be careful of crystals such as selenite which dissolve in water), salt (burying the crystal for a day or so), the earth (returning the crystal to the earth for a day or so), or using reiki. The intention is the most important aspect, set the intention that you are cleansing the crystal and removing any negativity or previous influence that it has picked up, so that its energy vibrations return to it’s original state.

Programming Your Crystal

Next you need to programme your crystal. This activates it, and also sets the intention for its therapeutic use. Research some of the crystal properties (or tune into your own intuition and listen to what the crystal is telling you - ‘crystal whispering!’) and out loud or in your mind set the intention that you are dedicating this crystal for the purpose of, for example, ‘helping to heal my headaches and work through the process of grief’ for amethyst. If the crystal is to be used for others too, include that in your programming.

Charging Your Crystal

Once the crystal is programmed you can then ‘charge’ it. This further activates it and restores the energy, much like recharging batteries. Some crystals can be charged in the sun for a few hours (but be careful over time that they do not fade in the sunlight, amethyst in particular is susceptible to this) or you may wish to leave your crystal out in the moonlight overnight. Holding your crystal in the palm of your hand, you may also choose to charge it with Reiki or channelled white light/ universal energy.

properties which are said to match the healthy functioning physical, mental, spiritual or emotional aspect of our body’s ‘energy prints’.

When we become ill - or out of balance - using this specific crystal may help to restore this balance to the individual. This form of energy work is known as resonance or sometimes referred to as entrainment. An example of resonance in action is when a string is plucked on one guitar; the same string on another guitar in the vicinity will vibrate and sound too.

So, if for example, someone has headaches regularly after suffering from a bereavement, amethyst may help with headaches and grief - so as well as getting their condition checked out by the GP to check for any underlying causes -  carrying some amethyst or using this crystal may be helpful to the person.

Another way that crystals are said to work is where healing energy is mentally focused and directed through the stone. The crystal then works by amplifying the energy from the healer or spiritual realms towards the individual requiring healing. This method is commonly used with crystal wands.

A further way of looking at the energy of crystals is that every molecule of the human and animal body vibrates with it’s own electromagnetic frequency and we are surrounded by invisible energy fields (the aura, subtle bodies or biomagnetic sheath). Energy fields could be said to be more fundamental to reality than matter is; matter essentially being crystallised spirit. This is illustrated by the analogy of water vapour. We cannot always see this vapour in the atmosphere but when the conditions are right, for example when it meets a cold surface this will cause the vapour to condense as droplets and if the temperature drops sufficiently it will then solidify into ice crystals. Our energy fields are extremely important in maintaining the condition of our physical material form, our bodies. If we strive to keep our energy fields clear, healthy and free from blockages then from a preventative viewpoint hopefully dis-ease will not con-dense in the physical body. Crystals can be used to help the layers of the aura to re-align, which can help us to feel more connected again.

How do crystals work?

Crystals give out a stable energy vibration and it is for this reason that crystals are used in computers, televisions, laser technology, ultrasound, surgical equipment, Cd players and watches. Crystals act as energy transformers, amplifiers and transmitters. It is said to be the crystals ability to concentrate and focus and direct rays of light and waves of sound which makes them such useful objects.

Each crystal is said to vibrate energetically at a different rate. One of the theories is that each organ in our body, or each mental, physical,  emotional or spiritual aspect of our body and soul has a specific vibration - a different ‘energy’  print.   Each    crystal     has   different