Selecting Part II
The Right Crystal for The Right Job
In this section, we're going to review the various ways in which you might work with crystals, and discuss the particular types of crystals that are most suited to each.
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If you did not read the previous page, "Selecting the Right Crystal", please go back
and do so now. Much of the information on this page depends on your understanding
of that information.
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If you remember from the Methods section, we looked at how you can work with crystals
in your home, in direct contact with you/your body, and lastly in indirect ways
(not touching your body). Let’s revisit those now.
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In Your Home
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Décor/Design: One of the mistakes I see people make most often when decorating
their home or apartment is choosing pieces (this includes furniture) that are either too small or too big for the space. Pieces used in home design should be large enough
to make a statement, but not so large they just suck up all the energy in the room
or feel irritating to someone.
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The same goes with crystals as décor. Here is where you can really use some size-able pieces; not your little tumblies or a single 2” pyramid, but pieces in the 6” to 14” range (depending on the size of the room and shape of the crystal). Pieces larger than that
may negatively affect both the energy in the room and the people who spend
time in that room.
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Remember, crystals are not just a decoration; they’re giving off energy as well.
Too much energy or the wrong kind of energy can make some people very
uncomfortable or even create an overall chaotic or negative vibe in the room.
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The right kind of energy would depend on your purpose. Do you want the room to be lively and active? Or more subdued and restful? Check out the crystal meanings on
the Crystals A – Z page and match the appropriate crystal to your desired energy for
the room.
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The shapes that work best as décor include free-form stones, spheres, geodes, and clusters. These shapes all give off energy in a diffused way, sending a comfortable,
steady flow to all parts of the room.
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As a rule, avoid large towers and obelisks as decor objects. In this size, they simply generate too much energy.
Feng Shui: This topic is just too involved to cover appropriately in this space. Suffice
it to say that it works a lot like I describe above in the Décor/Design section.
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I am planning to do a video or videos on the topic of crystals and Feng Shui and I
may even add a separate section on the web site just for this discussion if people are interested enough.
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The only thing I want to say here is to be careful about stones with sharp edges, ESPECIALLY if you have children and/or pets. Anything that can cut or injure you is
bad Feng Shui.
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For Protection: This is referring to protecting the inside of your home (we’ll cover protecting your property in the section on “Nets”). If you remember from this page in
the Methods section, we talked about protecting you from the emotional energy within the home, EMF fields, and geopathic stress and also ensuring a nice flow of energy.
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In these cases, it’s less about the size or shape of the crystal and more about the type of crystal you use. There are crystals that have very strong protective and transformational vibrations, such as Selenite and Black Tourmaline.
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And you don’t need really large pieces to get the job done. The Selenite towers I use inside my home are about 4” tall and the Black Tourmaline stones are approximately
2” x 1 ½”. They could be slightly larger if you wanted, but they don’t have to be.
Stones that are known for their protective or transformational qualities (meaning, it’s
their primary energy vibration), like the two mentioned above, tend to be pretty strong energetically. This means you can typically use a smaller piece to achieve your objective.
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Yard/Garden: Again, similar to the suggestions in the Décor/Design section. The
difference is that in a yard or garden, you can use even larger pieces than described
above depending on the size of the area.
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Also, you can use towers and obelisks outside; although I’m not sure I would leave valuable pieces out in my yard. However, if your yard is fenced this may be a
great option.
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Let me just add that it is still important to think about the purpose/reason you are putting the stone in the yard or garden. Then choose the type of stone accordingly.
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For example, if you are using crystals to construct a protective net around your house
or property, be sure to use stones with that vibration, such as Black Tourmaline or
Smoky Quartz. For this purpose, the stones do not have to be that large. Remember, stones with protective qualities tend to have fairly strong energy, so you don’t have
to use huge specimens to accomplish the goal.
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Direct Contact
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Jewelry: There’s really not too much to say about crystal jewelry other than to go for quality pieces whenever you can. Also, if your stones are going to be mounted in
metal, try to use real sterling silver, real gold, or stainless steel. Most base metals used
in costume jewelry contain all sorts of cheap ores that can interfere with the energy
of your stones, and if you’re like me, make you break out.
Healing: With regards to placing stones on your body (or that of a client), there’s just a
few things to keep in mind.
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The stones should not be too heavy. You don’t need huge stones in healing work.
You’re not trying to pin yourself (or a client) to the surface.
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The stones probably shouldn’t be rough, since these could cut, scratch or poke you.
I know some healers do work with rough stones and that’s fine. They have probably learned through trial and error what works best for them. However, if you’re really driven
to work with rough, try to get pieces that don’t have any sharp edges or points. Calcite
is a good example of a rough stone that tends to have soften edges.
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Tumbled stones are excellent for healing work, especially if you can find flattish ones. These are usually light weight and will stay where you put them.
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You can also easily find tumbled stones (and small pyramids) in the colors of the chakras like in the picture below. These are great for healing, and especially if you want to
balance the chakras.
Meditating: You can meditate with any crystal you can comfortably hold.
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Again, I would caution about stones with rough edges or sharp points. And the stones
do not need to be huge. Holding a heavy crystal could become distracting and/or
tiring after a fairly short period of time.
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Elixirs and Essences: If you’re using the indirect method of making elixirs or essences (which again, I highly recommend), I would say that any stone would work. The only
real factor is if it fits in your dish or container.
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If you’re using the direct method, which is putting the stones directly into your water,
I would make sure the crystals are clean of dirt, debris or dust. You probably shouldn’t
use any stone that chips or peels easily either, as these pieces could come off in the
water.
When I make elixirs, I use tumbled stones.
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Carrying On You: As I mentioned previously, you really shouldn’t carry anything that
is sharp and/or pointy. It could injure you or tear your clothing.
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Also, if the crystal is too heavy, it may become burdensome through the day.
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I usually carry tumbled stones with me. Sometimes I put them in a small organza bag (which is a very thin, porous material) or just put them directly into my pocket.
I have, on occasion, carried a clear crystal point. However, I always make sure to
choose one that is sturdy (not matchstick thin) and that I feel will survive the day
without breaking.
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My favorite (and frequent) way to "carry" stones with me is in jewelry.
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Indirect Contact
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Crystal Grids: I am going to cover this topic in much more detail in the Crystal Grid
section of this website. However, I will make a few comments here.
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I cannot stress the importance of using the best quality crystals you can reasonably
afford. Again, I’m not talking the Hope Diamond here. But if you can afford “A” grade stones, then go with those.
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Second, the size of the crystals should match the size of the grid and should balance
and harmonize with each other. This means that the center (focus) crystal should
not be HUGE compared to the stones you have in the rest of the grid, or worse,
vice versa (small focus stone and large outer stones).
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To reiterate, select crystals that harmonize with each other; meaning, they have similar properties. Refer to the Crystals A – Z page to see the properties of various crystals.
Along the same lines, you don’t need 20 different types of stones on your grid. To use an old cliché, too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the soup. Too many crystals are like too many voices and too many opinions; they start to interfere with each other. Stick to no more than about 3 main types for any grid.
Crystal Nets: Here’s where your rough stones can come in handy. Since these crystals
are not going to be placed on your body, you don’t have to worry too much about
sharp edges (However, ALWAYS be careful with stones with rough edges). Also, you typically want to have a crystal a little larger than the average tumbled stone, and
rough stones tend to be less expensive. This means you can get a larger size then you would in a tumblie.
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If you’re setting up a net outside, I would probably stick to large rough stones, especially
if it’s going to be left in place overnight or for days or weeks. That way, you don’t have
to worry that your favorite large tower might get knocked over by the wind or broken
by a squirrel messing with it (it happens).
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If you want to use your favorite large tower in a ritual but don't want to leave it outside
for too long, you could simply bring that out for the actual activity and then bring it
back into the house afterwards.
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Sleep Enhancement: If you’re going to place a crystal on your night stand or under the bed, you can use almost any size or shape crystal that will fit in that space. The only
shapes I would avoid here are towers and obelisks as the energy could be too strong
and work against the sleep issue.
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The best shapes for the bedroom (regardless of why you’re placing one there) are
spheres, free-form shapes, clusters and even chunky rough pieces. Remember, these shapes tend to disseminate energy in slow, steady streams, which is perfect for the bedroom.
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If you’re going to put a crystal under your pillow, I would stick to tumbled stones.
Anything else might get broken or worse, might cut or scratch you in the middle
of the night.
Ritual or Spell Enhancement: The crystals you choose here will really depend on your purpose or type of activity.
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If you’re using a crystal on your altar, say to represent the element of earth, you can
use virtually any shape. Just be sure the size is appropriate for the altar and matches
the size of the other elemental representations.
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If you are leaving a crystal as a gift or blessing, you would probably use small to
medium tumbled or rough stones.
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If you’re going to hold a crystal to assist in journey work, you would want to choose something that is comfortable in your hand and that is appropriate to the work you’re doing, such as healing work. Again, you would probably avoid rough stones and even clusters, since these could have sharp edges and be uncomfortable to hold.
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If you’re going to hold your crystal to create sacred space, you would most likely use a wand (a wand is like a tower but with smooth, rounded sides), or a medium-size single or double terminated point. The reason you would use a point, and not something like a tumbled stone is because you need to direct the energy in a straight beam.
I think you get the picture now.
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The recommendations on this page are just that; recommendations. You can ultimately use any stone you wish for any purpose. However, years of experience have taught
me that certain crystals just work better for certain situations (or work against them
as the case may be).
Feel free to experiment with different sizes and shapes for different activities. Just do be careful with sharp and pointy stones (such as obsidian) as they can injure you.