Special Properties

by John and Micki Baumann

HOW CRYSTALS GROW:

Generally, quartz crystals grow in a hexagonal (six sided) structure, with additional faces sloping towards a point at one end. A crystal with these characteristics is itself also called a POINT.  Points may be totally clear and transparent, or they may contain streaks, lines, rainbows, water bubbles or other inclusions.  They may also appear cloudy if they have grown in a place where it freezes in the winter.  Optical clarity usually has little to do with a crystal's quality and its ability to amplify the subtle energies.

WHAT CRYSTALS DO:

Quartz crystals are a gift from the earth. They have the ability to amplify or strengthen the things in you that are positive, and can help you put away things that cause you fear or anger. They can strengthen your ability to be a loving person, and can enhance your abilities to enjoy life and accomplish the things you want in life. They can amplify INTENTION, reduce stress, help with CENTERING (balancing or calming), strengthen HEALING abilities, and surround you with PROTECTION by amplifying white light. Any healthy quartz crystal point can strengthen these things and help produce personal growth by amplifying the subtle energies that flow inside you.

SELECTING A CRYSTAL:

To select a crystal, first put yourself in a calm space. Hold the crystal in your right hand with the point towards you. Feel it physically. Be open to sensations like TINGLING, or change in temperature. Also feel the crystal emotionally. Think of the purpose you want it for, and see if you feel attracted to it. Be more concerned with how it feels than how it looks. Allow the crystal to pick you by interacting with it in this way. And remember to go with your initial feeling. If you need a specialized type of crystal to work with, consider one of the types described below.

THE MOST USUAL FORM OF QUARTZ CRYSTALS:

Quartz crystals exist in a number of varieties.  In particular, some forms of quartz have different numbers of edges surrounding the largest of the faces that slope toward the point.  A quartz crystal with six edges on the largest face is the most usual type.  It acts as a comprehensive amplifier of energy in that it strengthens all of a person's energies or human qualities.  Its attributes are the most general because it does not have the more specific characteristics of the isis, channeling, or grounding crystals that are described below, which have 5, 7 or 8 edges.  
 

In addition to the general characteristics mentioned above, quartz crystals sometimes have other special attributes that enhance their power. To identify these special types of crystals, pay particular attention to the largest of the faces that slope toward the point. Does it have pyramids (triangles) on it? Count the number of edges surrounding the face. This number can be anywhere from 3 to 8, and is one of the things that determines the special characteristics of the crystal. In addition to strengthening the Inner Being as all crystals do, the crystals listed below are true teachers and provide additional special help. Most of them are relatively rare, and they should be highly treasured when one of them finds you.  

ISIS CRYSTALS have five edges surrounding the largest sloping face. These crystals strongly amplify the feminine energy, and can help you get in touch with the 'female' or unselfish side of yourself, no matter whether you are a man or a woman. These crystals are useful in balancing your male-female energy if the female energy has been suppressed, or if you need a greater balance of female energy for any reason. Isis crystals put you in touch with the power of the Goddess.

For men, the Isis crystal will help you become more in tune with your feminine side and to become more aware of the aspects of women that you may find troubling.

For women, the Isis crystal will help you regain some of the power and energy that society has taken from you. Teaches that feminine is not weak. Anyone doing healing work with another person needs the Isis energy to be effective.  The Isis crystal should be carried or held when dealing with issues that are emotional and difficult.

Exercise: Isis crystals can be used to project nurturing energy toward another person. To do this, sit quietly with the Isis crystal in your hand with the point directed away from you. Visualize the person that you wish to help and visualize white light going from the point of the crystal and surrounding the person.

To nurture yourself, sit with the Isis crystal in your hand with the point directed toward you. Visualize white light going from the point of the crystal and surrounding you. After doing this you should feel strong and cared for.
 

CHANNELING CRYSTALS have seven edges surrounding the largest sloping face. These crystals are especially useful for obtaining information from deep within yourself or from sources that are outside of your normal realm. They can help you draw on the knowledge and information that is provided by the universe, and can aid you in getting help from a higher source. A channeling crystal can be used anytime you are seeking answers or help from outside of yourself. You must `listen' very carefully when using this crystal and realize that answers can come from many sources.

Communication with Guide: A channeling crystal is a line of communication with sources outside yourself. Generally, the main source is your guide. A guide is a non-physical entity whose primary job is to look after you. Every human being has a guide. Guides are sometimes called other things, such as conscience, or angels, but they are always with us. We must learn to listen to what they have to say. Your guide will never tell you what to do, or interfere in other ways with what you want to do, but your guide is there to help you find answers for yourself. And you can use your channeling crystal to let your guide be your conscience.

A channeling crystal can only be used by the person holding it. In other words, you can't send the energy to someone else in order to let him receive the information directly. However, since guides communicate readily with each other, you can become good at getting information to people by asking your guide to give you the needed information for someone else, and then relaying it to the person. This is how you channel information for others. Channeling crystals amplify the quiet inner voice of your guide, and can be a big help in learning how to channel information, both for yourself and for others.

Exercise: Sit quietly holding the channeling crystal in your hand and focus on or consider the problem or area that you need help with. `Listen' carefully but remember that the answer might not come immediately. Often, in the beginning you may find that you wake up some morning and seem to `know' what to do. When you are working on a problem, keep the channeling crystal with you as much as possible and keep it close at night. Sometimes that is the only time the answers can come clearly when you are just starting to open yourself.
 

GROUNDING CRYSTALS have eight edges surrounding the largest sloping face. They are quite rare and not always easily available. Grounding is the ability to deal with practical matters in a realistic way. For example, in dealing with the question `How am I going to make a living', a grounded person will consider his skills and decide how best to use those skills to make a living. An ungrounded or `spacey' person does not like to deal with the practical or realistic aspects of life.

Grounding crystals help you deal with practical matters in a realistic way. They connect you with the earth and keep your energies from being scattered. They help you think clearly and express yourself clearly. When used in meditation they help you form a strong connection with higher knowledge, but keep you grounded so that you can apply that information in practical terms. When using a grounding crystal to work through a personal problem, remember that it will require you to look at the truth of the situation and compel you to deal with that truth.

It is sometimes difficult to recognize times when you need this crystal because not being grounded can be a way of life for some people. These days, it is common to be a little spacey because of things going on in our world. When you are having trouble concentrating, feeling a reluctance to tackle a task that needs doing, or find yourself running in circles but accomplishing nothing, you need a grounding crystal.

Exercise: Sit quietly holding the crystal. Visualize yourself firmly rooted to the earth. Breathe deeply and visualize the roots going deeper into the earth. Continue this exercise until you feel calm and peaceful. When you are having a `spacey' time be sure to keep your grounding crystal close to you. Some people may need to keep it with them most of the time.

You can sometimes help another person become more grounded by sitting quietly, holding your grounding crystal, and visualizing that person being firmly rooted to the earth.
 

WINDOW CRYSTALS have a small diamond shaped face which takes the place of one of the corners where two of the parallel faces usually meet the corresponding two sloping faces. Window crystals are introspection crystals in that they help you see what is inside yourself. They help bring things to the surface so you can see them and effectively deal with them. If you are having problems and aren't sure why, a window crystal can be a good help.

Window crystals are used for working within yourself to deal with problems and changes that must be made in your life. They are used in meditation to help you solve problems that are troubling your Inner Being. For example, if you find you are very jealous of a friend, you can use a window crystal to work within yourself to find the reason and deal with it.

Think of a window crystal as a window into your soul. These are very personal crystals, and when one comes into your hands, it is intended to help you specifically.

Exercise: Sit with the crystal in your hand and concentrate on whatever there is within you that needs dealing with or changing. Just sit quietly and allow your mind to go where it wants to go. If you aren't sure what changes you need to make, sit with the crystal and ask it directly to help you find the areas in your life that may be causing you problems that you are not aware of.

This crystal can be used when trying to help someone else solve problems. If a friend comes to you to talk about a problem have him hold the window crystal while you talk. It can help him open up.
 

RECORD KEEPERS have a pyramid shaped indention or elevation that appears to be etched on one of the sloping faces. These are fairly rare, and often the pyramid will not be noticed until the crystal comes into the hands of the person it was meant to work with. Sometimes the pyramid can disappear and sometimes more pyramids show up. Each of these crystals has its own special lesson to teach, usually the lesson the person most needs to learn.

Record keepers differ from window crystals in that window crystals help you look inside yourself to let you see the various things you need to learn, while record keepers deal with a specific lesson that you need to learn. A record keeper will often pass from your hands very quickly once the lesson is learned.  Carry your record keeper or put it close to your bed so that it can work with you. It can also be used for meditation.

Some crystals have several special characteristics, i.e. an Isis with a Record. In this case there is a specific lesson to learn that deals with the feminine side of your energy. If you have an Isis with a window it means that you need to look inside to find the areas in your feminine side that are causing you problems.
 

TWIN CRYSTALS have two terminations (points) at the same end, which have developed from a single base. You can tell a twin crystal from two crystals that are simply attached to each other, by the fact that both parts of a twin crystal are exactly parallel to each other, and have no boundary between them in at least a small region of the crystal. These are wonderful crystals to use when dealing with `relationship' things. They can help you gain insight into the underlying problems in a relationship, and help work through them. They can generate very positive energy towards improving a relationship. This works for any kind of relationship, not only a man-woman relationship. A twin with a rainbow can be very effectively used to project healing energy into a relationship or to keep a good relationship strong.

When you are having a problem with a relationship sit quietly with the twin and ask for help. Remember, that answers come from many directions.

Twins are personal crystals as one of the twins is very closely tuned to your energy, so it is not possible to use this crystal to work for others in relationship matters.

DOUBLE TERMINATED CRYSTALS are crystals that have points on both ends, allowing energy to flow readily in both directions. Double terminated crystals strengthen energy flow, and are especially useful when you need to share or exchange energy between you and another person. They are useful when you are working to help other people, for example in massage or counselling, where energy needs to flow in both directions. In these situations, energy flows toward you when you tune in to a person to find out what that person needs, and energy flows from you when you give the person the needed healing energy. Double terminated crystals are very important to people doing healing work for themselves or others. They also help teach sharing through energy exchange.

Exercise: If you are feeling out of balance with the world, sit quietly and hold the double terminated crystal in your right hand. Visualize white light flowing into the first point, through the crystal and out the other point directly into your body.

If working with someone else, visualize energy flowing into you through the top of your head, down your arm, through the crystal, and into the other person. This can be done while you are with the person or it can work from a distance.

If you have children, try using this crystal to send positive energy to the child when the child is upset or angry. It can have a very calming effect on both of you.

RAINBOW CRYSTALS have a rainbow reflected from within the crystal. Usually they are best viewed in sunlight. These crystals are especially good as meditation crystals for working deep within the subconscious. They work particularly well to lighten the mood for people experiencing sadness, grief or depression. Just holding a rainbow crystal can lighten your mood. Rainbow crystals are also very good at drawing negativity from a room or a situation. Always cleanse a crystal that has been used to clear negativity by letting it sit in the sunshine for a while.

Exercise: Rainbow crystals bring joy into your life. If you are sad or depressed sit and meditate on the rainbow. It can help lighten your mood. If working with another, let him hold the crystal if he is with you. If he is not with you, hold the rainbow and visualize white light leaving the rainbow and going to him.

CRYSTALS WITH BABIES are crystals that have tiny crystals growing inside a larger crystal. These are very good for people who have had traumatic childhoods, physically or emotionally. They are helpful for people who are blocking painful memories. They help bring the cause of the pain to the surface and allow the person to successfully deal with it, while shielding that person from the pain those memories can cause. These crystals work well for people who are working through current family problems.

Work slowly with this type of crystal, so that things can be cleared at your own pace. You may not feel inclined to work with it at all in the beginning. Don't force yourself. When you are ready, you will find yourself drawn to that particular crystal. You may have this crystal for years before you use it.

Also, sometimes crystals come to you so that they can go to someone else. For example, someone might receive a crystal with babies, have it for some time and not be drawn to it at all. Suddenly they will have an urge to pass it on to someone else.

You can use this crystal in meditation or just keep it close to you. Just be prepared to deal with whatever comes up. Try to have some sort of support around you if you are going to work with this crystal.

TRIGGER CRYSTALS have a smaller crystal growing out from them. This `trigger' can be gently squeezed to activate the power of the crystal and strengthen its attributes. These are just used for a surge of a particular kind of energy.
 

 

SELF-HEALED & PHANTOM CRYSTALS: A self-healed crystal is one that has been broken off and damaged quite badly, but then begins to grow again. A phantom is a crystal that has had some impurity drop on it during growth, but then continues to grow right around the impurity. Either of these types of crystal can help you heal from being hurt, heal from emotional injuries. These are important crystals that will usually come into your life at a time when you are carrying a lot of pain. Just sitting with this crystal will help you deal with the pain effectively.
 
 

 

CLUSTERS: These represent community and are very powerful at clearing any negative energy from a room. Just set one out somewhere and allow it to work to clear the environment.
 
 

AMETHYST/SMOKY CLUSTERS: These particular clusters are mined in a very small area of the Colorado Rockies. They are powerful in keeping the spirit centered because they carry a special kind of energy that keeps all the energy centers within the body aligned, balanced, and in harmony with each other.

BRAZILIAN CRYSTALS: Crystals from Brazil have the special quality of enhancing your ability to project energy over a distance. For example, in some of the above exercises, where you are sending healing energy to someone that is too far away for you to touch physically, hold a Brazilian crystal along with the other crystal to strengthen the transmission.

TIBETAN CRYSTALS: These extremely rare crystals are hand mined high in the mountains of Tibet, and are carried down the mountainside by backpack. Tibetan crystals are for protection. Just having a Tibetan crystal close to you puts up an automatic shield against negative energy. It also helps shield you from other people's negative energy. This shield is even stronger if you do a centering exercise while holding the crystal.