Crystals for Beginners: How to Get Started

You’ve recently fallen in love with the healing powers of crystals, and now you’re ready to buy every glimmering talisman the earth has to offer. However, you may be feeling a little overwhelmed. “What crystal should I buy next?”, “What does this crystal mean?”, and “How many crystals should I carry in my bra?” may be among your top questions. I want to remind you that your journey into crystal healing and magick shouldn’t be confusing or overwhelming. This quick guide for beginner crystal users is meant to help you ease into your newfound love. This guide has been written to help you slowly uncover and discover individual connections to crystals. As such, this will not be a post listing every common crystal, with name, color, attributes, and associations, nor will I go into the history of using crystals and gems as talismans, symbols, and spell ingredients.   This post is about a method of tackling such a detailed subject as crystals slowly and making it personal, giving each one real meaning to you. So, let’s get started.

When buying crystals, start small and move slowly

One small crystal is affordable, but as you’ll soon find out, trying to collect every crystal possible to cover every potential future need could be quite expensive. I personally know that a shopping spree is fun, but I prefer to collect slowly and learn about each one before buying another. So, the first thing you need to know is the power of collecting and learning as you go is extremely valuable. Buying one or two crystals at a time helps you learn and retain the crystal correspondences better. This important step helps you relate each individual crystal to a personal experience you had with it.  

How to buy and use crystals:

1. Buy one
   crystal, two at most, per week.
2. Charge your new crystal under a full moon or a new moon (I find that the new moon works best with brand new crystals, but either will do).
3. Carry your new stone in your pocket every day, for at least a week, before moving on to a new one.
4. Jot down anything you notice that might be related to, or influenced by, the presence of the crystal in any way.  
5. During that week, read up on that particular crystal, and do a little research online, but nothing too strenuous. Don’t read so many correspondences, attributes, etc. written by others that you have no room left for your own interpretations.  What a certain thing means traditionally may not be what it means to you.
   1. I am a big believer in tailoring your practice to suit yourself, no matter what traditional practices prefer.
   2. If obsidian gives you a different feeling than the one the books say is associated with obsidian, go with your gut.  
6. Learn the scientific structure of your crystal. Find out how your crystal-of-the-week was formed, where, and when. Take brief notes on the parts you find interesting, but don’t go crazy with it. There will not be a quiz later.
7. Move on to a new crystal or gemstone after a week or even two.  This also gives you plenty of time to choose and purchase your next one.

There are so many choices; how do I pick my next crystal purchase?

Your first crystal should be clear quartz.

If you’ve read about crystals, you know that clear quartz crystals are what everyone recommends as a first purchase. It may be because it is very common and inexpensive, but it could also be due to its positive energy and all-around good guy reputation. Clear quartz crystals work as amplifiers; they strengthen other stones when used together. These beautiful crystals also act as a binder, connecting stones to other stones. For example, I sometimes carry a small cloth bag with two or three crystals, all chosen to work together. If there is any room left, I add a piece of clear quartz, to boost their individual strengths and bind them together to work toward a goal. I seldom use clear quartz alone, but you may feel differently after a week carrying it in your pocket.  

How do I know that my crystals are working?

The best way to discover if your crystals work is to jot down some notes on the crystal itself.

• How has the crystal you’ve been carrying influenced you?
• How has the crystal affected your moods?
• Did the crystal have an inpact on your day at work, etc?

It may be as subtle as feeling a little more cheerful after a bad day, or realizing you were a little more positive while you were at that job you hate.

What crystals should I buy next?

When you are ready to move on to your next crystal purchase, consider what issues in your own life you would like to address. For example, my second purchase was black tourmaline, because it is known for “vacuuming” out your negative thoughts and energy and builds self-esteem. I was looking for a new job at the time I bought it, and I hoped it would help me be more confident in job interviews. I carried it alone in my pocket for a few days, then put the clear quartz in with it to give it a boost. I charged the black tourmaline under the new moon, symbolic of new beginnings and fresh starts (be sure it really is, officially, the new moon; don’t get in a hurry and put it out under a dark moon). I kept notes and I felt very much that this stone, more than the clear quartz, actually did affect me and my day.

Quick list of crystal correspondences:

• Green aventurine, for abundance and financial stability.
• Rose quartz if you are looking for love, or new friends because rose quartz is associated with love, intimacy, and friendship.
• Amethyst represents psychic abilities, mysticism, the paranormal and intuition, so carry it when you want to be more intuitive, more spiritual, or when you’re sure you must have some latent superhero-style powers in you somewhere and want to draw them out.  

There is no order in which this should be done.  I know it is tempting to say, “But I need ALL of those things! I need more money, a better job, more confidence, and psychic abilities!”  Patience. I promise your new crystal collection will mean more to you if acquired slowly, and you give yourself a week or two to get to know them. Once you have a collection of a dozen or so crystals and gemstones, then you can find hundreds of ways to use them and combine them in ways that give them a more powerful effect, as in crystal grids and pyramid frames. If you do not have the patience for this method and just want to buy a dozen or more at once, more power to you. I understand. They are fun and beautiful, and it is hard to buy just one, I know. But if you seriously want to learn about crystals rather than just buying them, slow down and get to know each one. Copyright 2018 Evelyn Cotton + Plentiful Earth / All Rights Reserved.