Crystals are widely used within the pagan and spiritual communities as tools for healing, spell correspondences, magical tool, or accessories. There are plenty of people who use them, and a quick Google search will show many recommendations which crystal should be used for a headache, to aid motivation, to improve psychic powers, as well as its correspondence to plants, chakras, zodiac signs, elements, etc. Unfortunately, not all of these suggestions are congruent.

So do crystals work and, if so, where does their power come from? That entirely depends on your life philosophy. A common belief is that crystals vibrate on a certain frequency, which may be the right frequency to help us in a particular time. They are seen as absorbers and transmuters of energy, that work through rebalancing the biomagnetic field that surrounds the physical body and bring chakras back into balance. Opinions may vary on whether crystals need to be programmed to do their task, or whether their nature already dictates their programming and speciality (Brown, 2007; Hall, 2009).

Another explanation points to the sacred geometry within the structure of the crystals, which then filters the energy around us a certain way. Some argue that they are Divine gifts, designed to aid us on our spiritual paths, and therefore only tend to work who people already on this path, as such people are able to feel and connect with their energy (David & Heath, 2013).

On the other hand, an animist would argue that it is not the crystal, but rather the spirit of the crystal that’s important. It is through forging these relationships with spirits around us that we are able to benefit from their aid. This would mean that rather than a type of crystal being beneficial for a specific thing, the spirit of that particular gem or stone may be willing and able to help us, and this may differ even for two crystals of the same type. The argument here is that the crystal is a being in its own right (Hall, 2009).

Sceptics of course would argue that there is nothing more to crystals than a simple placebo effect – which in its own right can be quite powerful, even if known to be a placebo. That may very well be. They may also point out that some of the common crystals are actually synthetically made and therefore cannot naturally possess the assigned healing properties. Some of the explanations propose a way around that, since even a synthetic stone will have its own structural pattern or a spirit. It may even be that all of the aforementioned explanations are in some way true.

Over time I have come to appreciate that, no matter which explanation is right, both natural and man-made crystals do tend to work well for me, and I stopped worrying about why that is. There are a few I particularly enjoy working with, but my method of choosing one for the day is random. All of my crystals are in their individual velvet bags, tucked away in a box. When I feel I need something ‘extra’, I pick a bag my hand is drawn to without looking. Interestingly, I found that the properties of the stone I choose reflect what I need that day, for example randomly choosing a red tiger’s eye when I’m feeling low in energy. I also really enjoy meditating with them and I’ve had some wonderful experiences with personal gnosis about their properties. Admittedly these may sometimes differ from the standard properties discussed, but it works for me. Maybe this comes down to the relationship with the individual crystal or spirit? Either way, I know that I will happily continue exploring my crystal journey for a while longer.

References:
David, J., Heath, V. (2013). Tiers of Light. Shrewsbury:The Torch Publishing.
Hall, J. (2009). The Crystal Bible Vol.1. London: Octopus Publishing Group Ltd.
Brown, D. (2007). Beginner’s Guide to Crystals. Leicester: Silverdale Books.