The Pagan Heart
Tools of the Trade

Tools of the Trade: Crystal Magic

  1. Amber Harmony
  2. Balancing Your Chakras - Onyx
  3. Banishing Jealousy with Periodot
  4. Boost Your Sensuality with Red Tiger's Eye
  5. Bring Balance and Passion to Your Relationship with Emerald
  6. Courage from Bloodstone
  7. Dispelling Fear with Quartz
  8. Fluorite Energy Balancing Ritual
  9. Focus with Calcite
  10. Harmony in the Home with Jasper
  11. Healing with Aventurine
  12. Inner Calm through Jet
  13. Opal Communion with the Dead
  14. Relief from Nightmares - Lapis Lazuli
  15. Protection for Your Sanctuary - Agate
  16. Restful Sleep with Hematite
  17. Sunstone Energy
  18. To Increase Love in a Relationship by Using Rose Quartz

   

   

   

Amber Harmony
Amber radiates calm and tranquility, bringing the sun's energy into the soul of those who wear it. It slows the hectic pace of life, encouraging us to stop and smell the lavender. And, like fresh sunlight in an old and dusty house, it brings balancing strength and energy to most stagnant situations.

If you have a room or space that seems to have stagnated and become a sucking pool of apathy or disinterest, use amber to clean it out and revitalise it. Begin with a simple clean-up to remove excess clutter and junk. While you're doing this, leave your amber sitting in a bowl of lukewarm water. After 15 minutes, remove the amber and place the bowl outside in the sunlight. Invole a sun deity and ask blessings upon the water. Then leave it there to charge. Don't leave the amber in the water as concentrated sunlight isn't good for amber. When the space is cleaned, bring in the water. Use a spritzing bottle to spray some water around the room - especially in the most "stagnant" feeling places. Then secure the amber in a prominent place.

Rub the top of the stone and recite:
"Golden stone, honey bright,
bringer of the god's sunlight,
banish gloom and banish doom,
bring harmony to this room."
   

   

Balancing Your Chakras with Onyx
Buy some Sardonyx and Black Onyx and cleanse. Perform a Dancing Fingers meditation (February edition of Magazine link) and then pick up the pieces, one in each palm. Continue meditating while focusing upon the flow of energy in your body. Direct it to flow through your palm, through the Onyx, into the other Onyx, through your body and repeat. Continue until you feel warm, relaxed, and energized. Place the stones beneath your matress, the Black Onyx level with your feet, the Sardonyx beneath your head. Once a month, cleanse and charge the stones again.
   

   

Banishing Jealousy with Periodot
Because of periodot's effect upon harmful emotions, this stone is a good one to wear when you know you will be facing difficult situations. If you can wear a pendant long enough to place the stone over your heart chakra, do so, otherwise use a piece of bandaid-tape to secure a smooth crystal to your skin. Wear the stone against your skin for the entire period of time you know your emotions will be less than calm. Take care to cleanse it each morning before reattaching it so that it is as free from the previous day's negativity as possible.
   

   

Boost Your Sensuality with Red Tiger's Eye
The red Tiger's Eye encourages the user to delve inwards and build confidence - making it the perfect rock to work on sexual issues.

In the evening when you are preparing for bed, take a half hour to work through the following exercise. Begin with a simple breathing exercise while lying on your bed. (Your bed should be clean and made to help this working).

When you are comfortable and relaxed, mind focused, take a chunk of red Tiger's Eye and place it over your Root Chakra. Close your eyes and continue the breathing meditation. Direct your attention to the crystal and feel its energy. Fiery, hot, passionate - let it trickle into your body and connect with your Root Chakra.

As you breathe, feel your Chakra loosen up and begin to expand as it rebalances with the aid of the crystal. Let the meditation continue as long as you feel comfortable, and then close it off. Repeat this nightly for a week, refraining from sexual activity in the interim. If your partner is inclined, have him/her join you in the meditation. Lie next to each other and place the innermost hand upon the crystal resting upon the other's pelvis. Let the energy flow between your bodies.
   

   

Bring Balance and Passion to Your Relationship with Emerald
There is no magic able to fix an ailing relationship, just as there is no spell to create love. But there are rituals and magics you can use to help you and your partner in your efforts to heal and strengthen your love. This one combines the powers of emerald, rose, rosemary, and lavendar to help restore balance, trust, communication, and passion. Three days before the moon reaches full place two cups of fresh rainwater (or distilled) in a bowl on a windowsill where the sun and moon can bathe it. Add 1 cup of fresh rose petals and 1/2 cup of fresh lavender buds and leaves. Place a piece of charged emerald in the water and leave the bowl to soak up the energy. On the night of the full moon, strain out the herbs and crystal, reserve a few ounces of the liquid and decant the rest into ice-cube trays. Place a fresh rose petal and lavender bud or leaf in each compartment and freeze for future use.

Take the reserved portion and the crystal to your bedroom, along with a sprig of rosemary. The crystal should be placed near the bed with a photo of you and your partner. Use the rosemary to sprinkle the bed with the water.

Anytime your relationship hits a bump you can defrost some water and repeat this ritual. Remember, this won't fix the problem, but it will help smooth the path for you two to do so.
   

   

Courage from Bloodstone
We all face trials that seem impossible - demands we can't meet, fears we can't face. The reality is, however, that we can do anything we set our minds to - sometimes we simply need a little extra help to find the strength within ourselves.

Select two pieces that fit nicely into your palms. Dedicate them to a god/dess of strength and courage and place one upon your altar and the other in your pocket or purse when you go out. Each time you return home, reunite the stones on the altar to recharge and be reaffirmed by the god/dess. Through sympathetic magic, the one you carry with you will bring its own power and that of the god/dess to bear, helping and supporting you as you confront your fears.
   

   

Dispelling Fear with Quartz
Quartz filters out much of the dross, leaving the mind focused and clear. This allows the fear to be examined in its actual state, rather than under the veneer of exageration and discomfit that normally conceals it. At this stage, quartz's ability as a focal stone comes into play, enabling us to examine the fear, its cause and reason, in a calm and reasoned state.

To work on current fears, select a cluster of quartz crystals and sit down in a darkened room. Enter into a light meditative state, focusing upon even breathing. When you feel ready, connect to your Solar Plexus Chakra and place the quartz against it. This Chakra controls the will and determination which you will use to confront your fears. Let your current fear enter your conscious mind and begin to examine it - what causes it; what stimulates it; how does it affect you? Allow your doubts and concerns to fill your mind as you continue to breathe evenly. Release the feelings down into the crystal through your Chakra. Cintinue to meditate and focus upon the energy returning to you from the crystal. Let your mind wander and solutions will begin to surface. When you feel ready, end the meditation.

Ensure you thoroughly cleanse the cluster after this session.
   

   

Fluorite Energy Balancing Ritual
Fluorite will add its power to this ritual helping the herbs to balance and stabilise your internal energy. Take equal parts of the following herbs (fresh is best, but dried also works): lavender, rosemary, sage, and thyme and mix with one 3-ich cinnamon scroll in a large bowl. Pour 2 cups warmed olive oil over the herbs and then place in the sunlight to steep and charge. When the water has cooled, add charged fluorite crystals, and then leave until sunset. Decant into a bottle, with the crystals and herbs included. Use this oil to annoint the seven major chakra points, palms, and soles prior to meditating.
   

   

Focus with Calcite
Calcite stimulates our memory centres and increases retention - both short and long term. When you find that your ability to focus and recall is fragmented, it's time to work with some calcite. First you need to select a piece to work with. Small and smooth, like a worry stone, is good. Chose a colour that is stimulating and a crystal that feels "warm" when you hold it.

Sit in the sunshine with the crystal in one hand. Close your eyes and feel the rock. Roll it about in your hand. Develop familiarity with the contours and shape. Open your eyes and look at the rock. Smell it, taste it, listen to it. Become very familiar with this piece of polished crystal. Now, return to a place where you work - a home desk, your office, work - and place the crystal upon your desk where you will see it as you work.

When you need to focus, or recall data, or mental clarity is less than it could be, pick up the crystal and begin to roll it about through your fingers.

This may sound very simple - the fact is that the vibrations between calcite and your body are conducive to memory and attention. So having it nearby, and handling it will help you when you need to use your brain.

To work on current fears, select a cluster of quartz crystals and sit down in a darkened room. Enter into a light meditative state, focusing upon even breathing. When you feel ready, connect to your Solar Plexus Chakra and place the quartz against it. This Chakra controls the will and determination which you will use to confront your fears. Let your current fear enter your conscious mind and begin to examine it - what causes it; what stimulates it; how does it affect you? Allow your doubts and concerns to fill your mind as you continue to breathe evenly. Release the feelings down into the crystal through your Chakra. Cintinue to meditate and focus upon the energy returning to you from the crystal. Let your mind wander and solutions will begin to surface. When you feel ready, end the meditation.

Ensure you thoroughly cleanse the cluster after this session.
   

   

Harmony in the Home with Jasper
First you need to obtain a large chunk of brown jasper, or an assortment of smaller pieces. Cleanse and charge them then dedicate them to your intent. I like to invoke the Roman deities for this simply because home and hearth is such a strong constant in Roman mythology.

After clearing a small ritual space outside your home (if possible) or in your kitchen, offer some milk and honey to the earth/sink (the drain will carry the libation to the ocean and from there to the goddesses). Annoint each crystal with a small dab of olive oil (preferably blessed and consecrated for ritual work) and then hold them up and dedicate them as follows:

Ceres, Juno, and Vesta
- Those who guard the hearth and home -
To you I dedicate this sacred crystal.
I ask that you charge it with your energy, empowering it so it can ward my home and hearth from harm and evil intent.

Place the crystal/s in a prominant location near the main entrance to your home and let them do their work. Make sure you cleanse and change them monthly - and offer a libation to the gods at the same time. It's also a good idea to decorate the space about them with a few items sacred or special to the three goddesses.
   

   

Healing with Aventurine
Sometimes we get rundown. There's no particular illness for diagnosis and treatment. But nonetheless we feel stuffed up, bogged down, and just generally blah-like. A good night's sleep and some decent food doesn't seem to fix the problem and life continues to demand we meet our obligations - work, school, children, and so on. This is a good time to bring the power of aventurine to bear. You need seven pieces - smooth, green, and unflawed. Cleanse them under fresh running water and then leave outside or on a windowsill to be charged by the sun for three days.

Place the crystals in a circle and sit inside to meditate on why you feel so rundown. Reach out to the stones mentally and draw upon their energy, visualising it surrounding you. When you finish, gather up the stones and place five in a pouch to be worn or carried. Tape the remaining two to the backs of your hands and leave them there for at least a few hours each day. The longer you can wear them the better. Recharge the crystals as needed.
   

   

Inner Calm through Jet
Jet has the ability to calm and bring control to life - probably through its electric nature. When rubbed, it builds up an electrical charge. When worn it drains negativity, worries and fears, and emotional stress from the wearer.

Buy a jet pendant or necklace and wear it for a few days when life is spiralling out of control. It won't stop the craziness, but it will help you deal with it all. If you wish you can dedicate the necklace to a deity and ask his/her help - in such cases, choose an Underworld god/dess for jet is a crystal of the psyche, the subconscious.
   

   

Opal Communion with the Dead
Opal is a wonderful stone to use when you want to feel close to those who've died - especially on nights such as Samhaine. Wear the stone during any ritual you may be holding to remember loved ones, or if you plan to invite them home for supper.

Placing an opal or two, some rose quartz, and a pink candle on a round mirror will help impart love and harmony to the procedings of the eveing. And opals by mementos of the dead will help open the pathways of communication so you can release the things you never said when they were alive.
   

   

Protection for Your Sanctuary with Agate - A Dark Moon rite
Agate is a wonderful crystal to help ward your sanctuary or spiritual/magical work place. In the Dark of the moon, gather two handfuls of Agate (pieces about the size of your thumbnail are perfect). Aim for clear, gray, milky white, blue, green, brown or pink shades.

First thing in the morning cleanse them under warm running water - I place mine in a sieve so as not to lose any - and then lay out in the sun to dry. Leave them there until after nightfall, then gather them up and empower them while standing outside in the "dark". Concentrate on feeling the moon's energy and drawing it into yourself and then channel that into the agates. Hold them in your cupped hands and concentrate upon thoughts of safety, protection, warding, and invisibility. You can do a more elaborate rite if desired, but this is sufficient.

Use small plastic baggies (or make little material pouches) and divide the Agates up. You need one bag for each corner of the space, and two for any doorways. Save a chip for each window if desired. Focus upon your intent (the warding of this space) and walk about the room (either deosil or widdershins) placing one bag in each corner and one to either side of the doorway (I hang mine from nails I have placed about head height). If you wish, place one chip on the top of each window. Burning a cleansing incense while doing this is beneficial.
   

   

Relief for Childhood Nightmares with Lapis Lazuli
Try and find a reasonably large chunk of Lapis - 2-4 inches is good. Hold it and see if it feels ssothing and calming before buying. This is important as the purpose will be to soothe and calm. With the child, cleanse and charge the rock - placing in in both sun and moonlight to charge is necessary as this will draw in the positive influences of these celestal bodies to empower the child at night.

Make a velvet pouch for the rock - a dark color is good - with a drawstring. Place the rock inside and then carry it around with you for a day - concentrate upon thoughts of the child whenever you feel particularly happy - try and hold the rock at this time, feeding the energy into it. Place the rock, in its bag, beside the child's bed. Explain that this is a nightmare sponge, and it will absorb the nightmares. If the child awakes, s/he should hold the rock, feeling it warm, and (if necessary) tell it the nightmare.

The Lapis will generate a calming sphere about itself, which includes the space where the child is. Linked to the child's energies, it will also draw away the negative emotions. Cleanse the rock after each nightmare-night.
   

   

Restful Sleep with Hematite
First pick out a crystal that feels good - when you hold it you should feel safer, more comfortable. Light an indigo or black candle and sit gazing into the flame while holding the stone in both hands. Feel the stone's energy and allow it to flow into you. Feel the weight of the stone, feel its connection to the earth, its pull downwards. Hold the stone so the candlelight plays over it as you recite:

Candle light, candle bright
Fill this stone with light tonight
Travel with me as I sleep
Pull me into sleep so deep
Let my mind be free tonight
Warded by the stone of light.

Place the hematite beneath your pillow before sleeping. Because of its grounding nature and abilityy to ward off negative energies, hematite creates a pseudo-sleep environment. When we sleep well, we feel grounded, secure, and comfortable. By creating this atmosphere around us, hematite encourages a comfortable sleep environment that encourages us to rest.
   

   

Sunstone Energy
To bring the energy of the sun into the home, cleansing and purifying it, perform this simple ritual. Dedicate a yellow or white 9 inch pillar candle to the sun god of your choice and place it in a central location. Place seven sunstones around the candle, light it, and let it burn for at least an hour or longer. The stones will feed sun energy into the candle which will radiate it out as the flame burns.
   

   

To Increase Love in a Relationship by Using Rose Quartz
Sometimes relationships seem to plateau out for a while. We get stuck in a rut and the passion dies down. Reawakening our feelings for each other is important as - if left untended too long - the flame of love suffers. This ritual makes a nice centerpiece for a romantic dinner for two - or simply an addition to the hectic family evening. It acts as a reminder that no matter how chaotic life gets, or how tired you feel, the love and sharing you have together provides a safe haven from it all. Together, place a selection of rose quartz stones in a glass bowl and fill it with fresh water. Then each take a red floating candle and inscribe each other's name in the wax. Rub rose, patchouli, sandalwood, or ylang ylang oil into the wick and wax and place the candles together in the water. Scatter strawberry leaves and red rose petals over the water.

Let the candles burn out. Making this a part of your evening routine one or more nights a week will help you to rediscover yourselves and each other.

   

   

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