From the beginning of time, stones and gems have been used as a measure of wealth, adornment, and even currency. As people became more accustomed to using and wearing stones, attributes were assigned to them. It was discovered that crystals and stones could aid in healing. Similarly, chakras were identified in the body. It was soon discovered that certain crystals and stones could help realign the chakras.
Stones come in many different shapes and varieties. You can purchase tumbled stones, jewelry made of stones, gemstone eggs, stone pyramids, spheres, etc. You may wish to purchase a gemstone ring to wear for protection, a rose quartz heart-shaped pendant to draw love, a pyramid to place on your altar to draw energy, a large "chunk" of stone to use as a magickal decoration in your home, or a handful of tumbled stones to place around a candle to increase the power of a magickal spell. I have many different shapes and varieties of stones for all purposes. I wear a lapis ring for psychism, wisdom and power, a blue sapphire, aquamarine, and tanzanite ring that DragonHawk made for me for psychism and love, and an orange Mexican fire opal ring for energy, power, luck, and protection. On any given day I may choose to wear one of the many gemstone chip necklaces that I own for an illness I may be trying to overcome, or any number of other magickal needs. On days when I'm feeling spacey, I may choose to wear my hematite heart pendant to help me to ground. I have a HUGE collection of tumbled stones which I use for various magickal spells. I also have larger pieces of any number of stones at any given time strategically and decoratively placed in various parts of our home for protection or other magickal needs.
When you first obtain a stone, it is necessary to cleanse it to clear it of any extraneous energy from others that it may be holding. There are many ways to cleanse a stone:
1. Run under cold tap water for several minutes (this is not as effective as other methods).
2. Place in bright sunlight for an hour or so (be careful not to do this to certain stones, such as amethyst, rose quartz, ametrine, kunzite, celestite, aquamarine, smoky quartz, and flourite, as the colors of these stones fade quickly in the sun).
3. Place overnight under the light of the Full Moon.
4. Bury in the earth for several days.
5. Place in salt-water (from the sea, or your own mixture made with a tablespoonful of sea salt in a cup of water and placed in a ceramic or glass cup or bowl -- do not use metal or plastic). Allow the stone to soak in the salt-water for several hours or overnight. This is my favorite method and the one I feel is the most effective.
6. Place in a jar and cover with herbs, such as dry sage, cedar, or rose petals. This may take a little longer than some of the other methods.
7. Smudge the stone with sage or cedar.
After using the stone for your magickal purpose, you may again wish to cleanse/clear it. This is not necessary if you will be using the stone again for the same purpose (for example, using green aventurine for all your money-drawing spells), but if you have used the stone, say, for healing or drawing out illness, you should cleanse it after each use.
Programming or charging a stone is necessary before it is used in magick. To do this, simply hold the stone in your projective hand (right hand if right-handed, left hand if left-handed), visualize your magickal need, and pour energy out from your body and into the stone. See the power flowing out from your body, through your hand, and into the stone. You know you are finished when you can feel or sense the stone vibrating with your personal power. It is now ready for your magickal use.
It is first very important to charge your stone! Hold the stone in your projective (dominant) hand, letting your natural energy pour from your body and into your stone! Don't be stingy Give it all you can! You have lots of energy. We all do! It is our personal power which we can move from ourselves and into our stones. Or any Wiccan tool for that matter. You want to charge this stone just as you've charged your other tools. This is the heart of magick. Your energy, right? Be sure to charge it while concentrating on whatever need you have. Be it good health, money, or whatever. When you feel the stone vibrating with your own energy, it is done. Pretty nice, huh?
It is actually very important to keep an even usage of projective and receptive stones. If utilizing too much of one and not enough of the other, it is most likely that you will feel it physically within your body. Be it an unexplainable feeling of aggression or an increase in moodiness!
Projective stones are outward, aggressive and have strong energies to deflect or create movement. They are often dense stones in fiery colors like red, orange, yellow, gold. But they can also be opaque or clear. They are usually shiny like a ruby or a topaz.
Receptive stones are for inward uses. They have a calming effect and have a magnetic energy. They are used to draw things in or to absorb your negativity and allow you to experience peace. They are usually cooler colors like blue-green, gray, silver, pink, black (no color) or white (all colors). Examples are aquamarine, moonstone, pink tourmaline and rose quartz.
Empowering
To empower a stone, place it in your left hand (your right hand, if left-handed) and place against your "third eye" chakra (this is located on your forehead between your eyebrows). Now concentrate strongly on what power you want the stone to have (to help you quit smoking, to bring peace, to attract success, to draw love, etc.). You may wish to verbalize this, such as "amethyst, I empower you with the ability to help me quit smoking", or "aventurine, I empower you with the ability to draw good luck to me", etc. When you feel the stone has been properly empowered, it is ready for use in your magick.
