So, a lot of people who don't work a lot with crystals and are somewhat intimidated by this realm might ask - how exactly does one go about working with them? What are you supposed to do with them? This is actually a very GOOD question, and one that has several answers. Depending on what you hope to accomplish, you can pick a crystal to carry around with you in your pocket (or otherwise on your person), add to a mojo bag along with herbs, oils, and other crystals, sleep or meditate with, place them in a key area of the home, place them strategically on the body, in grids or layouts...
But, a really fun and interesting way to work with the energies of crystals is by making them into elixirs, which means basically infusing water with their energies. Luckily, making a crystal elixir is WAY less complicated than it might sound. Here's how you do it.
Place the crystal into a container of water or a water bottle. Spring or filtered water is preferable. An average - sized tumbled stone is sufficient to infuse the average glass or bottle - but, if you want to make a large quantity of an elixir, you could add as many tumbled stones as you would like to your larger vessel. Cover the glass and leave it in the fridge for, ideally, a full twenty - four hours. Twenty - four hours later, you have your crystal elixir - remove the stone and enjoy! Typically, crystal elixirs are thought to only hold their power for about twenty four hours, or three days if kept refrigerated.
As usual, there are a few words of caution. Make sure you give your tumbled stone a rinse before submerging it into water. Also, make sure that the crystal you are using is not damaged by water contact - if this is the case, you can indirectly make an elixir by putting the stone in a smaller sealed container, and putting this container inside of the glass of water rather than just the stone itself - this way, the stone makes no contact with the water, but its energies will still slowly infuse it. However, when making elixirs via the indirect method, you will want to leave your crystal in the water for a full forty - eight hours, as it takes a little longer without the direct contact.
Most importantly, you are going to want to FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF with an accurate list of TOXIC CRYSTALS - generally, you want to avoid crystals that contain aluminum, copper, lead and mercury. Before ever using a crystal to make an elixir, do a little research and make SURE the stone you are using is not toxic. I'm going to do an upcoming blog post about toxic crystals, because I think this - while not a particularly fun or romantic topic - is nevertheless an important one. Off the top of my head, a few big ones are cinnabar, malachite, turquoise, azurite, chrysocolla, arsenopyrite, galena...to name a few. But, AWAYS err on the side of caution and don't use a crystal in an elixir if you are unsure of its toxicity. I typically recommend avoiding smoky quartz in elixirs as well, even by the indirect method - it is never a good thing to ingest radiation, even at the symbolic level. If you are unsure or nervous about a crystal elixir, then just don't go there - but a good rule of thumb is that typically, calcites and quartzes are safe.
So, why might one want to make a crystal elixir? Well, the first big reason would be to DRINK. If you have a sore throat, making a crystal elixir with a soothing stone, such as gentle, anti - inflammatory blue lace agate, and then using the crystal elixir to make a warming tea is a GREAT way to benefit from its throat - soothing properties. Additionally, if you want to use, say, banded agate to stimulate digestion (for which it works wonderfully) you could make it into an elixir to drink. One of my first moves when I feel a cold coming on is to drop a carnelian into my water bottle - this a great measure to take when you're sick, as carnelian's energy is revitalizing, uplifting, and energizing. Moss agate and amber are also both wonderful for colds and general healing (and elixir safe.) Fluorite is, too, but needs to be made into an elixir by the indirect method.
Another important use for a crystal elixir is on the SKIN. A rose quartz elixir is wonderful for not only treating existing skin conditions, but maintaining skin health; fluorite is also good for healing skin conditions, wrinkles, and blemishes. Snakeskin agate keeps the skin looking young and heals wrinkles when made into an elixir and applied to the skin.
Crystal elixirs can also be sprayed into an environment to CLEANSE it. A wonderful stone to use for this is smoky quartz. You could also add a few drops of essential oil (something cleansing, like sage) to this elixir to make a really powerful, cleansing spray to neutralize the energy of a room or space.
The last major purpose is a practical one; some crystals are actually natural pesticides. Cerussite, for example, has insecticidal properties, and elixirs can be sprayed on houseplants to protect them from pests. Cryolite, additionally, is an officially sanctioned pesticide in the U.S., leaving a toxic fluoride residue wherever it is sprayed; however, this toxic stone contains aluminum, so make elixirs using the indirect method, wash your hands after use, and NEVER consume internally.
So, hopefully that clears up any confusion about how to make and use crystal elixirs (and, of course, how to do so SAFELY.) As always, if you have further questions I am happy to address them. Thanks!
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