The Wiccan Way: the journal of a first generation witch

Crystals

Crystals, as well as plants, can have a strong effect on us. There are so many crystals and gems out there that this becomes a very big topic but bare with me. I'll do my best to break it down into more manageable pieces.

Let's start by explaining how crystals are used. Different stones have many different properties, their color, texture, weight and even the way the light shines across their surface can influence our own feelings and actions. 

As you know, there is energy that flows through everything in existence. This is easier to see in creatures such as ourselves, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't exist in other places. 

Many witches out there know how to charm something. This is when you store your own energy into an object to help influence what happens when you are near it. Crystals, and other gems, are a great way to do this as they naturally hold energy well. 

Depending on what you wish to accomplish will affect what stones you use, where they come from (if you prefer getting them yourself), and different methods of cleansing, purifying and charging. 

Let me give you an example.

I have a necklace of the triple moon that holds a moonstone in the center, set on top of a penticle.  This is a classic symbol of the goddess, psychic prowess, and strength. 

The moon stone can vary in color and each kind has different properties. Mine, however, is white moonstone. If you take the time to sit and look at the stone you will notice it seems to have fog hiding what is deeper. This is a symbol for the search for hidden knowledge. What this hidden knowledge is will depend on the purpose. 

I chose the triple moon because I seek a deeper connection to my feminine side and with the goddess. This coupled with the pentacle in the center speaks of the power and psychic strength that I also long for.

As you can see, there is a lot of meaning behind what seems to be a simple pendant. It doesn't end there. When I get something from the store or even from a friend I like to do a cleansing ritual. This prevents negative energies that are still being held from causing negative effects. These can be done using the sun, fire, water, the moon, and even the wind. What you choose will depend on you. 

I'll go into detail about cleansing in another chapter. I used the moon to cleanse my crystal because I was seeking the connection with the Goddess. When cleansing it will naturally absorb some of the power used to clear it of negative energy.

Purifying can be done in the same step as cleansing but is usually thought to be a deeper ritual. This goes all the way through the crystal. I like to use what feels most powerful to me at the time. Like letting the water of the rapids in a river run over it, or holding it over a fire.

Then we look at how to charge it. This is the step where you use your own energy to give it the power it needs to help you. While the stone by itself already has the aptitude to affect you, it is very weak without support. 

The ritual you make will vary greatly from another's, this is because each of us have a different pattern of thinking, our energies naturally flow different from one another, and no one spell is perfect for everyone. You will have the most success if you have designed your ritual. The time put in planning it will add to it's strength. This isn't easy, it can be scary, even, for new practitioners that have been reading stories of spells going bad. 

The thing is, what you are doing here, hopefully, if only for good and therefore if it doesn't work as well as you would like you won't get hit by the Rule of Three.  My advice, don't go try to cause harm to others with your spellwork. You will be the one that gets hurt in the end. Let's get back to today's topic.

With my charging ritual, I used a candle for each element and one to symbolize the goddess and psychic strength. I performed the ritual on my alter with my pendant in the center of the circle of candles. 

I don't like to share my words used for most things as they often are very personal but I will give you an idea of what I did say. I asked each element of the goddess to help give me the strength. I focused strongly on what I want the pendant to do. I also told the goddess of what my dream was that this would help me reach.

As you can see crystals by themselves are only a small part of what makes them powerful, the rest comes from you and your connection to the world around you.

In the next chapter, I will give you a few examples of how you can use crystals and stones.