Crystals in the Home

As I have mentioned before, I am on a quest to live a more holistic lifestyle.

For those of you who have heard me talking about eating a Stouffer’s Lasagna recently or watched me drink iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts, I did say it’s a quest damnnit. A quest that I just happen to be taking one very slow step at a time and the step where I give up caffeine is pretty far down on the list so I wouldn’t hold your breath. A life in which I don’t need legal uppers? I just don't see it.

Anyway, the things I am focusing on right now: using safer, more natural personal care products and transforming my energy through reiki and crystal healing. In short, I put witch hazel on almost everything and my windowsill is covered in pretty rocks.

You think I’m joking.

Surprisingly, this is not my first encounter with hoarding precious gemstones.

My grandma was a gypsy.

Ok fine, she was an astrologist and tarot card reader. Gypsy just has a more eccentric ring to it and one of my favorite hobbies happens to be embellishing the characters and tales from my childhood. Not that they need embellishing. I mean, how many people have a grandma whose part-time gig included divination?

I tell you this because I’m pretty sure it was her interest in metaphysics that brought about frequent trips to the Bristol Renaissance Faire during my youth. Not that I would ever complain about going to a place that sells giant pickles out of bourbon barrels and encourages me to wear a crown like the queen that I am. Too far?

Anyway, the renaissance fair was my first encounter with crystals, gemstones and their various uses but at 10 years old I only picked out the really pretty ones and mostly carried them around in a velvet pouch pretending I was a princess, a pirate or a thief stealing from princesses and pirates. Where are they now? I can only speculate but if I had to guess I probably used them as “buried treasure” in one of my childhood adventures and failed to mark the spot appropriately. If you live at 222 Lilac Lane in Belgium, WI and have unearthed a handful of rose quartz, amethyst, and pyrite, you’re welcome. Use them wisely and on the off chance you’re going to do something weird like bury them, make sure you mark the spot appropriately.

25 years later and I have another set of crystals. Only this time I made my selections based on a very real desire to find spiritual wellness and recommendations from the reiki master at a local metaphysical store.

Lucky for me I had already mined many of them last year while we were sequestered in Dahlonega, GA on our hurrication after being evacuated by Florence.

I know what you’re thinking, “SHE’S A WITCH! BURN HER AT THE STAKE!”

I urge you, put down your pitchforks and don’t light those torches just yet.

Crystals have been used for centuries as a source of healing power as “ancient cultures all over the world have used crystals and stones to align, clear and transform their energy, spirit and physical health.” You think the Egyptians, Sumerians and Mayans wore all that fancy jewelry for shits and giggles? Each sacred stone served a purpose; lapiz lazuli enhances one’s insight, wisdom and truth, obsidian for protection against the chaos and confusion of the physical world, garnet to fill your life with inspiration and passion, the list goes on.

How can a shiny rock promote a feeling of inner peace? Or encourage hope? Or protect you from negative energy?

Well unless you missed most of your science classes from elementary through high school you know that everything on this earth is made up of energy. Yes, even the pants you’re wearing vibrate at a fundamental level. Ok, don’t get all weird on me.

Still think I’m more cracked than a fried egg? Ever wonder how your watch keeps time? Or what the LCD acronym stands for on your computer screen? Or what makes that ultrasound work so you can see your unborn babe?

CRYSTALS!

For ages, scientists have been using crystals in modern technology, pharmaceuticals, musical equipment, you name it.

How does crystal healing work? Just like magnets, healing stones and crystals use the energy the same way. “When you place crystals over certain parts of your body, your energy transforms, vibrates, pulses, moves and shifts in accordance with the properties and energetic signature of the crystal.”

If you’re still convinced I’m practicing witchcraft and wizardry then you can see yourself out at this point. But on your way out you better put down that smartphone, stop listening to your radio and start using the position of the sun to tell time. Don’t feel bad, every time I pull out my crystal guide or start moving my precious stones around the house even Travis gives me quizzical looks. But we are firm believers in “happy spouse, happy house” so he doesn’t protest too much. He keeps his golf clubs in the corner of the bedroom and I put rose quartz by the bathtub, it’s all about compromise.

Do I encourage you to parade around cloaked in jewels like King Tutankhamun? If that heats your hot dog, sure. But if you’re thinking about utilizing crystals to supercharge your mind, body and spirit there are a myriad of ways to approach crystal healing that don’t involve you looking like Mr. T.

When we moved into our new home I saged the shit out of it and then placed black tourmaline in each of the four corners for protection and to ride of the space of negative energy There is also a clear quartz in every room to create harmony and purify existing energies. If you want to do this in your kids room I suggest putting them in discrete locations; like the top of a bookshelf or behind their headboard. Speaking from experience of course. I lost a piece of sodalite because Rinn decided it was treasure and carried it around until he somehow dropped it down the garbage disposal. How that even happened will probably remain one of life’s greatest mysteries.

I also have seven healing stones that represent the seven chakras. I use these during my lame attempts at meditation and place them at the top of my yoga mat to enhance my practice. Trust me, doing forward folds at 21 weeks pregnant, I need all the help I can get. Combining nature’s natural healing stones with the energy centers in your body is a great way to cleanse, revitalize, and balance your health.

Black tourmaline for my Root Chakra. Moonstone for Sacral. Tiger's eye for the Solar Plexus. Rose quartz for my Heart. Blue lace agate for the Throat Chakra. Sodalite to open my Third Eye. And to top it off, quite literally because it's for the Crown Chakra, Clear Quartz.

I use sodalite, garnet and tiger's eye in our "office". Sodalite protects us from electromagnetic pollution and enhances creativity while encouraging communication. Garnet boosts motivation, inspiration and passion. And tiger's eye to attract abundance and good fortune. We definitely need a bigger piece of tiger's eye. Like the size of a boulder. While definitely not as aesthetically pleasing, I prefer raw gemstones over polished ones. Mostly because all of our raw stones were mined by our own hand but also because I like their authentic, natural appearance.

Clear quartz is in the living room, and every other room of the house, keeping the space free from negativity by radiating positivity. The amethyst and rose quartz encourage a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere while supporting open communication, harmony and happiness in the home. Who doesn't want that?

And yes, I even keep crystals in the bathroom. Can you think of a better space that needs refreshing energy? And the amethyst and dried lavender to relax and destress.

Part of, and perhaps the most important step in the crystal healing process is cleansing and aligning your crystals. Crystals are made to absorb, repel and attract all sorts of energies around them; cleansing them is much like wringing out a sponge so they can be used again and again.

Some people soak them in purified or holy water. Personally I haven’t performed this ritual as some crystals are soluble meaning they will dissolve in water and I don’t exactly have a bunch of water that’s been blessed by a member of the clergy lying around.

Others will smudge their crystals with sage or palo santo. I am guilty of using palo santo in my home and to cleanse my crystals and while it’s a quick and effective method, palo santo is also on the watch-list for endangered species. Pretty soon it might be easier for you to get your hands on holy water than it is to get palo santo. Save the trees, and try the third method.

My personal favorite is bathing my crystals in the light of the full moon. Okay, now I do sound like a witch. Whatever. Just place all of your crystals outside overnight in the direct moonlight and let nature do the work. This is much easier now that we have our own home in the country and I can throw them all on the deck. While I sometimes worry that woodland creatures and wildlife might help themselves to my crystal stash, I worried more when I put them out for their midnight cleanse while we were living in a condominium complex. We had a covered patio, inaccessible to moonlight so I would have to find safe places for them amongst bushy landscaping and then I would have to make sure I collected them early in the morning before they were spotted by runners or the landscaping crew.

Me, clad in my pajamas, scampering across the parking lot to squat in a cluster of bushes and then scurrying back with my fists full of rocks. Not my coolest moment. I often wonder if any of our neighbors spotted me and what level of concern they experienced. So if you live in an apartment with a covered deck maybe do yourself a favor and ask a priest to bless you some water.

For more information on crystals, their properties and how to use them check out this article from Conscious Lifestyle Magazine or visit my personal favorite, EnergyMuse.com. It’s a great learning resource and because not everyone has the luxury of mining for their own crystals, you can shop online. Even better and if you’re lucky enough to live in the Myrtle Beach area, you can visit Labyrinth Walking, an awesome soul-centered metaphysical store that features a storefront, classes and a menu of services of everything from reiki to tarot readings.

Happy healing!