Crystals have been favoured and admired since the ancient ages. Formed deep within the earth over thousands of years, and being some of the strongest materials we know, crystals last well beyond our own lifespans, so it's no wonder our fascination with them has stood the test of time.

What are crystals?

Crystals are solid minerals with a natural 3d geometric repeating pattern of atoms. They can take thousand of years to form deep within the earth's crust. They come in a variety of different shapes, sizes and colours, and are all unique in their own way.

Some crystals are extremely rare, such as diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds. They’re known as precious gemstones and have been highly prized throughout history.

Other more commonly occurring crystals, such as rose quartz and amethyst are known as semi-precious stones. They’ve been historically used for medicine and were believed to be gifts from the gods

How crystals are used today

Crystals are used today in technology, for emotional and physical healing, and for meditation and manifestation.

In technology

Today we live in the world of technology, but in actual fact it should be called the world of crystals! Quartz crystals are made from silicon dioxide. They maintain a precise frequency standard, which means they can be used in microprocessors - small computer processors that incorporate the functions of the computer processing unit. Without the quartz they wouldn’t work and we wouldn’t have watches, computers or smartphones.

Crystal healing

Crystal healing is age old method of holistic medicine that has been used in many different cultures around the world.

Crystals naturally release energies that you can use to heal yourself and others. In crystal healing different crystals have unique properties and vibrations that work with certain parts of your mind and body. The cut and texture of the crystal can also influence its energy focus. Crystals are most commonly worn in jewellery to connect the wearer to their healing energies, but you can also gain their benefits by lying down and placing them at different points of the body. By placing the crystals in these areas you can transfer these healing energies into your body and use them to shift pain.

Most crystals are cleansed before use in crystal healing, because every time these crystals come in touch with a person they can pick up their energies and transfer them to you. By cleansing your crystals, you can clear them of other energies they may have picked up before use. Some crystals need to also be charged regularly to ensure they’re kept at their most efficient.

Mediation

As they come from the earth it makes sense that crystals help you feel more connected to nature. They can help you with your mediation practice to feel more connected to the earth and universe, or to guide you to certain thoughts if placed around you, worn on you as jewellery or held in your hand. For example if you wanted to guide your meditation towards thoughts of addiction, you would use amethyst which is connected with overcoming addictions and has soothing and strengthening properties.

Manifestation

You can manifest your desires through crystals by using them as beautiful reminders of your goals and dreams, to help you step one step closer to them. You can do this by placing crystals that emit energies that are inline with your manifestations in places where you’ll see them regularly. For example if you want to manifest being more confident you can wear citrine which is a sunny, confidence bringing crystal as a necklace. You’d be able to hold on to it whenever you feel nervous to feel its confidence bringing energies and you’ll see it when you look at yourself in the mirror, which will help remind you to manifest your desires to be more confident.

Used alongside the law of attraction - the belief that by focusing on positive thoughts you’ll bring positive experiences into your life - you can use crystals that help to realign your mindset and help take you to where you want to be.

The most popular types of crystal

If you’re looking to start using crystals for crystal healing, mediation or manifestation these are 5 of the most popular gemstones and their uses:

Crystal Quartz is known as a master healer. Crystal Quartz transforms energy and encourages mental thought processes. It is naturally clear with inclusions and forms in beautiful clusters.

Rose Quartz is known as the Stone of Love. It represents not only romance but love towards friends and family, and brings peace, healing and compassion energies. It is a delicate pink, translucent stone that grows in masses around the world.

Citrine is known as the Merchant’s Stone, it exudes prosperity and confidence and it is best worn in the workplace as it encourages creativity and positive energy. Citrine is naturally a pale yellow and forms in clusters like crystal quartz.

Amethyst is the Stone of the Spirit. Purple and violet, this vibrant stone is used to soothe the mind and it represents strength, balance and stability. They’re formed within cavities in geodes.

Aventurine is the Stone of Opportunity. Green aventurine comes in forest green shades and is strongly connected to nature. It too (as like rose quartz) is a type of quartz that grows in masses.

I hope you've enjoyed my introduction to crystals and it has inspired you to want to learn more about these beautiful gifts of nature! If you have any questions let me know in the comments.