Special:Badtitle/NS106:Crystal Grids, Chakras and crystals, making crystal tinctures, and other things a Pixie Knows About Rocks

This is an essay on crystals written by PixiesDen.

The main rule with crystals for me is to take each individual piece of rock on its own terms... obviously stones of the same type will have similar vibes but each stone vibrates differently. I have also looked into the molecular and atomic structure of minerals and find that the distribution and formation of the atoms and the way they were formed has a correlation with the way the type of stone works, For instance fluorite has an octagonal matrix and is layered.. I find fluorite to be a very "expansive" energy good for mental work. Ruled also by water, it's a damned good meditation aid too. (One piece of fluorite I have will induce 4 hour trance states when held and stared into.. a wonderful foci for astral work.)

I know a good way of working out how your own stones interact with each other and that is to lay out a random-ish mandala and see where each rock in yer set likes to sit. Concentrate on the whole mandala and the combinations and "working partners" will become obvious. It's also bloody good for clearing out ya own cobwebs.

Grids are where ya lay stones in the corners of a room or around a person, usually requiring more than one of the same type of stone. Around my flat there is a grid for protection, and I have an obsidian and red jasper grid in the bedroom that makes for an interesting protective grid and somewhat crystal viagra! It's a bit strong so I calmed it down with some moonstone and fluorite. There are many different interpretations of the function of each type of stone because in my opinion they react according to the individual stone and the individual person... it's that simple! I haven't had any formal training with crystals, in magic or healing but i have always been picking up shiny things since I was a kiddie..

I have been working on crystal divination too... it will usually describe the energy of a situation rather than the more direct symbolism of astrology or tarots.

I find books that assign crystals to chakras useful, not all stones are in these books however but I find when first working with a new stone work it down from crown to root and back up to see where it "PINGS" (pixie speak for the most harmonious vibration). This will give a good idea of what it does on a magical and healing level if your chakra knowledge is up to scratch.

Crystal tinctures and waters can be used much in the same way as crystals and grids with the advantage that they can be ingested in teas etc. (don't do this with malachite, it poisonous.. check the toxicity of the stone first!) Charging a crystal in water infuses the water with the vibrations of the stone. Adding alcohol to a tincture makes it keep. Brandy and vodka are best for this (I like brandy) and small amounts can be added to potions and healing mixtures. A charged bottle of crystal water can be used to protect a space, some might even wanna try using it as a circle boundary marker in ritual.. I once charged a bottle to protect my mother's house, sprinkled it at the property boundaries so none who wished ill could enter. I used jade that time if anyone was interested.

A Small Note On Salt and Cleansing Crystals
Placing crystals on dry salt is a good way to cleanse them. However making up your own salt water can corrode stones. I find dried flower petals work for me in normal water cleansing because as long as you focus the cleansing energy onto the water it works. Putting something into the water does this quite happily. I clean my clusters with an electric toothbrush to stop them corroding in the air, (Clusters and Geodes mined longer ago need that to get the dust outta em and they love it bless em!) Sometimes if a stone has been imprinted with something that won't shift or is in need of some serious A&E style attention natural sea water is the only salt water that will do. The concentration of salt is lower and less random than homemade salt water and is the only way salt gets near any of my babies. Cleansing can also involve burying stones next to plants (I live on the 2nd floor and have a balcony with window boxes. I use that a lot) and just leaving them until they are pinging again.

Smoke and fire can also be used. Passing a stone thru a candle flame is a good way of fixing imprinted rocks (i.e. when someone touches it and imprints a heavy sense of themselves into it) and obsidian in my experience absolutely loves fire cleansing.

Sage and incense can be used, pass a smudge or incense holder around a stone a few times (I use charcoal disks and grain incense so I just hold it in the oodles of smoke it produces,) until you feel it's going Ping again.

Cleansing is merely intent. There are many ways to cleanse rocks. Just don't bung some table salt in water and wash yer stones that way please!