New Stone Age

Mystical

HOW TO GET YOUR CRYSTAL ON By Jo Robinson Minerals:

With celebs like Miranda Kerr, Adele, Victoria Beckham and Kim Kardashian professing their love for them, it’s no surprise that crystals have come up as one of the hottest wellness trends in recent years. Around since literally the dawn of time, these age-old semiprecious stones were rumoured to possess magical properties, and have been used by healing practitioners since time immemorial to treat a number of physical and emotional issues.

While it may sound a tad on the new age side, in the world of crystals, every gemstone has a specific frequency related to its unique molecular makeup. Harnessing the power of those individual frequency types can help encourage certain emotional or mental states.

Whether you’re a cautious skeptic or totally sold on the crystal trend, it can be overwhelming knowing where to start and how to integrate them into your daily life. So we asked Sonia Samtani, founder of alternative therapies clinic All About You Centre, for the lowdown on some of the best crystals to surround yourself with.

Amethyst

“This purple stone is associated with the crown chakra. The amethyst encourages spiritual connection, and is ideal for those wanting to connect to their life purpose and looking for the deeper meaning of life. The stone has a calming effect and strengthens tranquility.” Crystals

Black

Tourmaline

“This is a shamanic stone used for protection. Most healers have this stone on their altar and use it to ward off negative energies. This stone is good for people who tend to be overly critical, or feel like they take on the negative energies of other people.”

Rose Quartz

“This stone is associated with love and relationships. The rose quartz is connected to the heart chakra, and is useful in opening up the heart to love and trust. It’s a great stone to assist in healing trauma from relationships, and neutralising past pain. The stone is said to represent unconditional love and puts people in a space of more peace and acceptance.”

Carnelian

“This is a red stone and associated with the root chakra, which is about grounding and stabilising. This is good for people who are anxious, or have a tendency to go into flight mode and flee when dealing with difficult situations. Carnelian improves motivation, and brings back presence so you are more focused.”

Tiger’s Eye

“This is a beautiful stone that combines yellow and brown, literally resembling the eye of a tiger. This stone is great for giving you power and energy to move forward. It helps to bring together parts of you that are scattered so you can move forward towards a goal. It’s good for people who tend to procrastinate and find it difficult to take action.”

HAVING A CRYSTAL BALL Once you’ve picked out your crystals, it’s time to put them into action! Here’s how to get your rocks off throughout your daily routine, and hopefully reap their healing potential.

DURING MEDITATION: Supercharge your crystals with an intention and use them in your meditation practice, if you have one. Not sure how to do that? Sonia recommends wetting your crystals under a running tap while you visualise your intention, then place them in the sunlight for 20 minutes.

INCORPORATE THEM INTO YOUR BEAUTY ROUTINE: From rose quartz face rollers to skincare with finely crushed crystals, you can find gemstones in just about everything in the beauty aisle these days! This gorgeous highlighter from Kora Organics by Miranda Kerr mixes in your choice of amethyst, rose or clear quartz microparticles.

WEAR THEM: For a subtle intro to crystals, try picking up some gemstone jewellery like this amber baltic necklace from Flo Jewellery, which helps to alleviate stress and absorb negative energy.

CARRY A TALISMAN OR AMULET: Keep a personal stone or crystal on you as you go about your day. To notch it up a level, some people have even been known to keep their crystals tucked into their bra or chest pocket to keep them close to their heart.

CREATE YOUR OWN ALTAR: Carve out a small sanctuary in your home: a place to reflect, meditate and just be. Even if it’s a small corner of your bedroom, place a few crystals along with some photos, a scented candle, your journal - whatever helps you feel balanced and harmonious.

Citrine

“This is a yellow stone associated with our solar plexus chakra, which is about power. The stone is great for manifestation, and attracting power, success and money.”

Clear

Selenite

“This is a white crystal, and probably one of the softest stones. Selenite has an ethereal quality and is used to connect us to our intuition. It is also useful to calm us and aids in meditation.”

Quartz

“This is a clear, transparent crystal - excellent for bringing clarity and focus. This crystal can also behave like other crystals, based on the intention that you put towards it energising it.”

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