In addition to their endless variety and beauty, precious and semiprecious gemstones, whether they’re polished, tumbled, sliced or in their natural state, can enhance your health and well being, as well as help boost things like energy levels, courage, memory, psychic ability, communications skills, emotional stability and higher consciousness.
Generally speaking opaque stones like agate, jasper, bloodstone, onyx or hematite are calming and benefit your body and support everyday activities. Clearer stones such as citrine, amethyst, clear quartz, aquamarine, sapphire and emerald, vibrate more quickly and support the higher-level functions of your aura and energy bodies.
There are many exceptions, of course; opaque stones like sugilite, azurite and lapis lazuli are very powerful 3rd eye openers and aid in channeling; pearl, rhodonite and rhodocrosite are powerful emotional healers; kyanite repels negative energy and enhances clairvoyance.
But the easiest way to sort through the bewildering variety of stones and their properties is to associate them with the natural color and focus of each of the seven chakras, or spinning energy centers, which are spaced along the center of your body from the base of your spine to the top of your head. The word chakra is derived from a Sanskrit word meaning wheel, and people who work with energy consider them to be extremely important spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically.
First (Root) Chakra – Located at the base of your spine, its natural, healthy color is a clear, vibrant red. It is the seat of your life force energy, and focuses on survival, men’s sexuality, physical health and the immune system, and feelings of security and safety. The ultimate stage of manifesting is occurs here. Stones which refresh the root chakra are usually red, a deep, earthy green, or brownish-orange. They include leopard jasper, hematite, bloodstone, malachite, red tiger’s eye, petrified wood, garnet, smoky quartz and smoky topaz.
Second (Belly or Sacral) Chakra – About two finger-widths below your navel, this energy center is the intense orange of molten metal, and is concerned with creative expression, passion, women’s sexuality, parenting and intense, personal emotion. It is the seat of earthly love, while the Heart Chakra (4th) is the place of unconditional or compassionate love. To enhance your creative expression, emotional availability and sexuality try orange or deep pink stones like carnelian, petrified wood, rhodonite, rhodocrosite, and spessartine.
Third (Solar Plexus) Chakra – Located 2″ below your breastbone, in its healthy state this chakra is a brilliant Sun yellow. It is the seat of your will, ego and self confidence, and rules your digestive, energy and detox systems. To boost your assertiveness, energy levels and clear out toxicity, try citrine, golden topaz, fire opal, tiger’s eye or yellow calcite.
Fourth (Heart) Chakra – Vibrating in the center of your chest, where your physical heart is located, a healthy heart chakra is a clear, emerald green. In it resides your capacity for unconditional or compassionate love, including self-love, and it connects, balances and integrates the lower three physical chakras with the higher spiritual vibrations of the fifth, sixth and seventh. The stones which help maintain the full power and beauty of this chakra are usually green or pink, including rose quartz, watermelon tourmaline and kunzite.
Fifth (Throat) Chakra – This center for self expression is a clear, intense light blue. It rules listening and creative writing, as well as speech, song and sound healing. Celestite and aquamarine are very beneficial for this chakra, as are blue opals, sapphire, and quartz crystals paired with blue opal or aquamarine.
Sixth (Third Eye) Chakra – This center of psychic power is located in the middle of your forehead just above your physical eyes. This chakra allows you to receive guidance from your Higher Self and Spirit Guides, is the seat of psychic abilities, and supports one form of channeling. To enhance these functions wear sugilite, azurite, lapis lazuli, amethyst and quartz crystals.
Seventh (Crown) Chakra – Usually seen as white or violet, the crown chakra is located either on the top of your head or just above it. It is where you connect with Universal wisdom, cosmic consciousness, and realities beyond our time-space framework. Amethyst, Herkimer Diamond quartz crystals, black and Oregon opals and moldavite all enhance the crown’s functions.
Stones, like the rest of Earth’s bounty, have a magic and presence uniquely their own, and bringing them into your energy field and environment will add beauty and subtle magic to your life!
