How to Use Crystals in Your Meditation Practice

The practice of meditation has been around since the beginning of the human race. Prehistoric man gazed at the stars, Aztecs worshiped the sun, Egyptians built pyramids, Islanders worshiped the sea gods, and others prayed to Buddha, Ganesh, Jesus, or other deities. All of them used objects of nature such as crystals to contemplate the meaning of life and we still do it today.

Natural objects can help you connect with the Universal Consciousness, God, or your soul to aid you on your personal journey into self-discovery.

Meditation is a unique experience for everyone. You can do it by staring at a spot on the wall, gazing into a candle, or staring at a fire.  It helps you to center yourself and look inward, so you can set your intentions to manifest your desired outcome.

What objects of nature give you a sense of peace?

I’ve always loved shells, gemstones, and crystals because they are beautiful to look at. It is said that they heal your spirit, bring love into your life, good luck, happiness, and even prosperity. It may all be hogwash, but I swear I can feel the energy coming from them. If I focus on them, it feels as though energy is flowing through my body. Call me an airy-fairy Loony Tunes, but they make me feel good.

I put my crystals to the test

I was asked to be a fortune teller for a Halloween event at a Boys and Girls Club. I brought a collection of my crystals with me as a prop for my booth and had each child hover their hands over them to feel the energy. Then I asked them to send the energy back into my hands. I’m not going to lie – I felt vibrations, and it inspired me to give them words of inspiration and hope. It must have worked because they have asked me back several times.

We are all energetic beings and can pull vibrational energy from its source to make it flow and radiate throughout our bodies.

The magic of the natural world

When I was in Banff, my daughter and I walked into a store that sold crystals, gemstones, and other spiritual items. Each stone had specific properties and came with cards that described their meanings. I bought a citrine because I was interested in manifesting prosperity. Its card read:

Fire element: Citrine is known as the abundance stone. It attracts prosperity on all levels; health, wealth, and joy. An empowering stone of the sun, it resonates with the solar plexus chakra, the Seat of Manifestation. It assists in turning your dreams and wishes into reality. Emanates the golden ray of joy and creativity.

I also bought a Green Aventurine, known as the stone of opportunity, as well as a few others that caught my eye.  I have a collection of stones and crystals I’ve gathered over the years. Some came with cards but I lost them when I moved, so I need to get a rock expert to tell me what they are.

Later, I bought crystal jewelry online on Etsy. One item is a bracelet made of citrine, green aventurine, and sterling silver.

Click to see more prosperity necklaces by Saging Karma on Etsy

It’s way nicer than wearing a rabbit’s foot, right? Remember how popular they were when we were growing up in the 50s and 60s?

How to meditate with crystals and gemstones to set your intentions

Hold one in your hand and feel its energy radiate into your fingers. Close your eyes, focus on your desired outcome, and feel the vibrations. In other words, go with the flow. You can also lie down on the floor and place crystals and stones on the chakra points of your body. I sometimes place the citrine on my solar plexus chakra near my belly button.

Clear and activate your objects of nature

Crystals, stones, shells, and other natural objects have a continuous flow of energy if they are vibrating at their natural frequency. However, negative energies or proximity to electronics may cause their vibrations to shift away from the vibrations of their natural environment. You can clear and activate your meditation objects in several ways.

Some say to set them in the sunshine for 15 minutes or smudge burning sage over them. You can also use a Tibetan Singing Bowl and let the vibration of the sounds it emanates flow through them.

I’ve also been told that soaking them in salt water will re-energize them.

Create a dedicated altar for your meditation practice

Put objects on your altar that will inspire you and help set your intentions. Your altar can be as simple and have only one object to focus on or be a collection of many objects.

Abalone shells have energizing powers as well. They stimulate our psychic development and enhance intuition. They also increase our ability to be more emotionally open and expressive. Some people use them as smudge pots.

You may want to place a vision board near your altar. It’s a poster or board you create using magazine clippings, photos, and text that display what you want to manifest in your life as though you already have it. Vision boards are powerful and are excellent to help you focus on your intentions.

It’s common in Mexican culture to place pictures of loved ones on altars used for prayer.

Use aromatherapy to enhance your meditation and raise your consciousness

The scent of essential oils or incense is also powerful for meditation. Lavender oil creates a sense of calm and peace. The musky, earthy scent of Patchouli may remind you of your hippie days.

Cut out distractions with sound, music, or white noise

Complete silence is ideal for meditation but sometimes there are distractions you have no control over. Members of your household may gab, dogs bark, doorbells ring, or a neighbor starts yelling. You can try wearing a headset so you can listen to soothing music. Or play a singing bowl, repeat a mantra, (repetitive phrase) or chant Om out loud. There are CDs recorded specifically to put you in a deep state of consciousness.

Do you practice meditation? What have you done or used to make it effective for you? Or, is there something that keeps you from trying it? Please leave a comment.