The Mineral Kingdom is full of a rainbow of vibratory brothers and sisters. Sometimes we like a simple rock, other times we need to have the shiny blue polished stone or we won't be able to think of anything else. The simple fact is that the Mineral kingdom brings out the kid in us, perhaps more easily and quickly than any of the other kingdoms. We see an oddly shaped stone and stick it in our pocket. I've been collecting rocks, stones, and gemstone since I was a kid. Most of the ones I've picked up thru the years attracted me by their shape or color or by the place they were found in. Before I ever knew anything about stones, I'd collected quite a collection. Later I discovered that I favored stones with low vibrations which have a grounding effect. (since I'm a Cancer with all my planets in fire but one, that makes perfectly good sense!)


All stones have different vibrations that have properties with influence us. Some ground and center us. Others send us flying off into fits of radical energy. (I love clear crystal, but can't keep many stones around me because clear crystal is an energizer and I'm already bouncing off the walls) Other's promote healing or energizing of the chakras, body organs, or even effect the way your body uses its own energy. Some stones have such a clear energ of their own that they can't be used for anything else. And still others are so high and clear in their vibrations that they can be used to channel Universal energy, or Prana for healing, communication, or many other things.


Part of the fun of learning anything is taking the beginning steps. That is true in working with gemstones, chakras, witchcraft, shamanism, and just about anything else you can think of. The basic work prepares you and trains you so that you can make responsible life choices and...learn from your mistakes. So if you see a stone that you like, go ahead, pick it up. Admire it. Turn it over in your hands. Ask permission to take it home if that is your belief. But most of all BEFORE you take it home, ask yourself what it is about the stone that attracts you. If it is and feels like a true and good choice, a spirit led choice, then go ahead and take it. But if it's something as silly as you don't have one that particular color of purple, then put it back. That's not a good enough reason to remove the stone from its home, or the store for that matter. Someone right behind you might actually need that stone for something important. So be considerate not only of the stone, but of others who might benefit from it.


There are many ways to use stones. Sometimes just having one nearby can be helpful, a quick look at it bolsters your mood or makes you grin. You can wire them, hang them from a chord, and wear them so that they hang in front of particular chakras. Or you can learn some of the many ways to lay them on the body in patterns that are beneficial to the body systems. I have a particular fondness for Malachite-Azurite mixes and, generally, have one hung around my neck or in one of my pockets. It's a good grounding stone, but it is also a stone that is excellent for past life work and learning Karmic Patterns; something I work on alot. Having it close to hand reminds me that I have chosen to do this particular level of work and, sometimes, just reminding myself that this was MY idea, works miracles. The same is true of any other stone.


When you start getting stones to work with, treat them with respect. Most, especially the ones with pointed edges, are fragile and some are just plain soft and need to be wrapped for safe keeping. When you first get one it's nice to give it a cleansing in warm, sudsy water with a little sea salt (or whatever) added to the water. Then set them in the sun to dry and be energized by the glowing rays. I'll go so far as to get myself in trouble here; some say you MUST cleanse stones of all UNWANTED ENERGIES and they give a whole list of things to do to that stone to accomplish that. I completely disagree. IF a stone attracts you, it's because of the energies in the stone...why on earth would you want to get rid of that? If doing such ritualistic things is part of your belief system, fine. Do it up. But if it isn't something you ever did before, why start now? (unless you want to) Think of the stone as a new friend. Be kind to it. Dress it nicely. Take it places. Maybe even tuck it into your pillow for a few nights and see how it effects your dreams. Keep it dusted off. If its fragile see that its put somewhere safe. Give it some fresh air once in a while, show the Full moon to it, or set it out in a lightning storm. Pay attention to your intuition because, if the stone is going to communicate with you, it is limited to whatever symbols, images, and emotions that you have stored in your mind-body system. If it feels like the stone wants to be in your left pocket, put it there! If it feels like it wants to be hidden up behind the vase on the high shelf so it overlooks a room, then put it there. Don't listen to books, or people, or even me-- instead listen to yourself and the stone.


The following is a simple list of various stones and what they're commonly associated with. It's the last word, the last word always should come from you and your new friend, the stone.


  • Agate:Fertilizes concepts of growth. Grounds.
  • Amber: acts as an earthing, grounding, anchor. Past life work.
  • Amethyst:Good for working with any vibrations of Love and for working with spiritual, crown chakra issues.
  • Aqua Marine: Calming, serenity, peace, good for working with emotional issues.
  • Bloodstone: A useful healer and balancer; gives stability emotionally and mentally.
  • Carnelian: Stimulates curiousity and initiative, encourages searching and opening.
  • Clear Quartz: Powerful transmitter and amplifier of energies, good to amplify intentions.
  • Citrine:Cleanses vibrations in atmosphere and in digestive tract, opens and stimulates mental bodies, aids in bridging mental and intuitive selves.
  • Diamond: Represents divine focus; roots one into what they already are, magnifies qualities of stones it's placed next to.
  • Emerald: Increases earthiness or grounding, magnifies patience and excellent for deep meditative exercises as it promotes a stronger ability to focus.
  • Flourite:opens receptivity, good for channeling energies of higher vibrations, combined with calcite and pyrite will awaken higher mind consciousness.
  • Fire Agate: aids in meditation to link you to higher aspects of the lower bodies.
  • Garnet: grounding, relieves high blood pressure, promotes balance, peace, and solitude.
  • Jade: Assists wisdom, clarity and tranquility, energizes the higher chakras when worn over heart.
  • Jasper:Lends healing vibration to organs and gastrointestinal tract. Opens mind to new ways of thinking.
  • Lapis: good for opening the throat chakra.
  • Malachite: stimulates optic nerves, good for astral vision, used with Azurite will purge deep emotional issues, mental purifier, good for past life memory work, excellent for journey work.
  • Moon stone: Inner growth and strength. Stimulates organs connected to the soul essence, promote and supports feminine issues/problems.
  • Aventurine: Heals heart of deep emotional trauma, good for soul retrieval work, good for heart work when used with Rose Quartz.
  • Opal: builds bridge between waking mind and subconscious and super-minds.
  • Peridot: calmer and purifier.
  • Rose Quartz: transmits calm, especially helpful during heart work of any kind, divine love.
  • Sodolite: creates harmony, balance and healing on physical plane.
  • Smokey Quartz: healing to etheric and mental bodies, good for grounding chaotic energy, helpful for ADD and ADHD.
  • Tourquoise:steadies one's stores of strength and balance, opens to wisdom.
  • Topas: Emphasizer and intensifier of information so that abstractions are easier to grasp.
  • Tiger's eye: works on mass consciousness to separate false need from physical pacifiers.

This is but a small sampling of the uses of stones. There are many other uses and many, many other stones. More will be added to this section over time, as well as some physical layouts that you can try for healing, grounding, and meditative purposes.





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