Many of us intuitively feel the subtle messages and innate consciousness of our crystal and plant relatives, even when we have never been taught anything directly about how to work with them. The beings of the plant and mineral realms are elders to us and we feel drawn to them, though we may not understand the language that they speak. If you’ve ever picked up a stone and felt a warm sensation in your hand, or seen a crystal call out to your awareness by sparkling brighter, then you’ve experienced this. It’s a natural response to then take it home with you, based on feeling that you need what it has to offer. Once in your space, the energy held within begins to emanate, but over time, if we forget to work directly with these allies, the threads between us can get a little thinner.
I recall sitting in a workshop with one of my primary energy medicine teachers from Mexico and hearing him tell the group not to have crystals in their homes and workspaces because it is their nature to absorb and then amplify energies they encounter. He made the argument that if we are doing healings where people are releasing a lot, or if we are emanating heavy emotions ourselves, the crystals will absorb and then amplify these emotional winds and thoughts. There was an audible gasp in the room and every hand went up. Realizing that there was a love present that would not be dissuaded, he elaborated. He said that if crystals are an important element of our lives and work, then to be sure to cleanse them and to program them. This means that if you clear what was amplified before you began your relationship with a crystal ally, and then give it a specific and clear intention, it will no longer act as a general amplifier of energy. It makes sense, especially when we are talking about quartz, which is quite open and programmable, but I think it’s a good practice with all of our nuanced crystals. Each variety has its specialty and unique energy, but that doesn’t mean we should sit them down and forget about them. They need clearing. They work best when we touch them, communicate with them, send our intentions to them through visualization, meditation, and other methods of magical request and communion. And it doesn’t hurt to consider learning to speak to them in their own language, to the best of our ability.
The natural world does have a language that is beyond words. It is expressed in myriad variations of color, shape, movement, and sacred geometry. Ancient cultures from many parts of the world were well aware of this, and our modern cultures are still infused with this language. Systems of prayer, magic, and spiritual development are often based on mirroring the laws and geometries of the earth and the cosmos. How many magical practices, healing techniques, dances, and meditative arts involve the spiral, for example? The spiral is one of natures favorite forms, from the secret unfurling of the fern to the whirl of waters and the patterns of stars and darkness in the skies above, a spiral can take us to our center, call energies towards us, or emanate our intentions outward to merge with the dream of the world outside of us. A crystal in the shape of a sphere can emanate its energetic medicine all around, while a circle of stones or intention can offer us a protective space to open on the psychic level, while we dream by gazing up at the glowing circular orb that is the moon.
A crystal grid is an artful way of asking your crystals to fulfill a specific task for you by mirroring the sacred geometric forms of the earth and the cosmos. Choosing the stones most aligned with your purpose, and beginning with a central stone, you speak the language of shape, from the simple to the complex, creating circles, squares, triangles, spirals, and even the pattern of constellations, symbols such as the cosmic flower or the representation of angelic forces. You can use research, observation, or intuition as you create your works of art and intention. A study of the meaning of shapes is a good place to start, and the articles to follow in the coming months will explore their language in more depth. However you can begin with a shape that has meaning to you personally and relates to what you hope to draw, influence, or release. As we are in a month when love is in people’s conscious awareness quite a lot, maybe it’s a good time to make a crystal valentine for yourself. Using Rose Quartz may be a sweet choice for increasing self caring, activating inner divinity, and increasing harmony. Bring in a cleansing stone like Selenite or Black Tourmaline to add a tone of cleansing and healing past wounds, or some Carnelian to activate passion. With action and artfulness, give your stones a personal activation towards a specific purpose in your life and see what comes.
Crystals are not the only elemental allies that respond to this way of relating. Healers and magical practitioners have a long history of designing garden spaces to mirror the moon, the constellations, or shapes of meaning, such as a pentacle. Sacred forms of prayer dance, from cultures of both East and West mirror the movements of the cosmos, earthly elements, animals, and even the patterns of constellations. In Aztec Danza, for example, aligning with the cosmic forces, through making the significant effort to dance their patterns in reverence, comes first before calling on these forces for any request.
If you are looking for a book that will give you a place to begin, I recommend The Ultimate Guide To Crystal Grids, by Judy Hall. But, remember that before their were books there was the astute and reverent observation of the world around us. We are not separate from the natural world and its laws or language. These can be observed, repeated, and used a sacred form of expression, supplication, and prayer. What do you long for? Call it in with beauty, and let it be a symbol in your everyday world of a sacred intention held by your soul and heart. As it reaches out, it will reach your dreaming mind to.
With open hearts reaching out for beauty and calling beauty in,
the eleventh house
-This blog was written by Melusina Gomez. You can learn more about her work and healing practices at www.metzmecatl.com