Category Archives: Crystals

New Home, Unpacking Crystals

It is with great joy I unpack all of my crystals after two months of not having a home or a plan to receive a home. They can finally breathe, and so can I, as we both unroll and let ourselves expand into our own space. A deep relaxation occurs.

I have a mixture of feelings right now. The Tuscon Gem Show is happening  and I am not going. I have chosen to stay home  this year for various reasons. I have mixed feelings about it but I know in the long term I have made the right decision for my business and my personal life, as much as I would love to go there.

So I unwrap these crystalline friends, one by one, my personal and business collection each receiving their own shelves. As each one is unwrapped my mind is taken to the stories that each one remembers and tells with a whisper. Some remind me of the people who gifted me the minerals – names oft forgotten but not their energy, nor their words as they passed the gift to me.

It amazes me how blessed I am, and how each of us is to receive these minerals and have them choose to work with us. I am so honoured and humbled in this work that I do. They pulsate their love and call me back to them, back to the shifting.

5 Crystals to Ignite Your Creativity | Crystals Teach Art | Crystals and Creativity |

It seems to me crystals are teachers of art.

It may seem like a strange insinuation to be made, however, I do believe it is true.

It was a realization that came to me when I met with one of my crystal brothers in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago. Even though he lives 26 hours away from me, when driving, when he pulled out his artwork it was very similar to what I’ve been learning and exploring. He shared with me poetry and we shared the stories the crystals had told us.

Even though we live 950 miles apart from each other, we are being taught similar, if not the same, things via the crystals we love and work with.

It amazed me. Astounded me, really.

We spent a few hours together expounded our knowledge and comparing notes, creating a portal, reading crystals, receiving new downloads, and it was amazing. But when he pulled out his artwork to show me, and it matched my art perfectly, I knew: crystals teach us art. 

Upon reflection, every single crystal person I know has some form of art they do. From wire wrapping to painting to singing to dance its there. Working with the crystals expands your creativity. They help move the kundalini up. They help unblock your creativity. They will give you downloads of the most amazing kind, opening up your inner vision to see worlds unseen that must be shared.

You might say crystals act as a muse to the creative being. 

And that, my dear, is you!

Think about it. Humans are naturally creative beings. It doesn’t matter if it is in the form of what our society calls “art” or if it is in a more natural form such as creating gardens/tonics/herbal mixtures, creating perfumes, creating engines, etc. All of these, including math, require some form of creativity to make things happen.

We, as human beings, operate in world of energy. We are constantly giving out energy and receiving energy. The energy we give out is a creative energy. This energy builds our lives as we know it, whether we want to admit it or not. Our life is a creative act. The energy we receive is our abundance, our resources, our manifestations.

For those of us seeking more creativity, start with your current ideas,  and do them. As you do them, more ideas will come to you. Creativity is like a muscle. If I wanted to create a coffee machine I would go learn about the components typically required and the multiple ways we can create a machine to make coffee.

Then the only thing limiting me is my own mind. Asking questions like, “How else can this machine make coffee? Can I make it smaller? Can I make it faster? Can I make it fancier? Can I make it float? Can I make it dance when its done?” All of these things stimulate the creative muscle.

These kinds of questions can be used anywhere anytime. Creativity is about asking questions. It doesn’t have to be the right questions, because you find the right questions by asking questions. You know you’ve asked the right question when you feel a hit of inspiration. And when you follow that inspiration you find yourself standing in a room of inspirations. Then its a matter of following one to completion, and if it doesn’t get you where you want to go, go back to that room and follow another. Repeat and continue.

There is no end to creativity or the ideas you have. In my dream world we would have free access to all the things needed to create the things we can only dream of. Mind you, the visions I hold of the places I want to create are rather expensive in our world.

For those of you who would like specific crystals to help stimulate creativity in your own life, here’s a list of five!

1) Picasso Stone – Yes, there is a stone named after Picasso. Pretty cool, eh? I have a piece in my personal collection somewhere around here. It is a type of marble, being gray with black or brown brush stroke markings it has a marble look to it. It aids in dissolving creative blockages, understanding your souls choices in this lifetime (aka destiny and fate), and aids in transformation. It is an ideal stone for meditation. Here’s a really cool link for more info about Picasso Stone. I have yet to find a supplier for this mineral, but am on the hunt. 🙂

2) Tangerine Quartz – I wear Tangerine Quartz almost every day since June of 2013. In that time I have become a paid artist. Mind you, I don’t sell a lot of art, but I went from not considering myself an artist to realizing I’m an artist to selling my first piece of art and receiving multiple commissions since I began wearing the Tangerine Quartz earrings I was gifted before my travels.

Tangerine quartz stimulates the sacral chakra, which is connected to the throat chakra, areas both responsible for creativity. It feels to me that the sacral chakra is where your creativity becomes stimulated. That’s where it gets stirred up, where your muse lies, and is found. In the throat chakra is your expression of your muse and ideas and how you go about expressing those things. The muse is related to sexual energy, which is another things tangerine quartz works with… I have just sold out of these babies, but if you are interested, email me. Some tangerine quartz is made in a lab (like the earrings I mentioned) however there is also natural tangerine quartz available (the kind I sell, though I’m looking for a supplier for the earrings I wear).

3) Vanadinite – This is an almost mandatory stone for creative types. It is a stone of creativity but the stronger energies within it are accomplishment, grounding, and perserverance. This stone aligns the bottom three chakras, but it will help you actually finish the projects you have set out to do! This is definitely on my wish list right now because when you work with the above two stones, you’ll find yourself overwhelmed with ideas. Vanadinite will help you organize your creativity into doable tasks and help you finish them past the point of inspiration. Woohoo!

4) Pyrite – Listen to this quote from Book of Stones: ” Pyrite stimulates creativity in art, mathematics, sculpture, architecture, science and many other disciplines. It feeds the qualities of ambition, commitment, and persistence…. It increases mental clarity and focus, making it an ideal stone for students.” Amazing! And did you know that pyrite naturally grows in cubes? Epic! It is great for what our society would term “linear” or “logical” creative pursuits as above, and is connected to the third chakra, so helping you step into your own empowerment while getting your work done. It also helps you with manifestation!

I personally have more than a few pieces of pyrite, aka fools gold, in my collection. It is one I am drawn to for the order it can create in my world. I am currently sold out of this mineral.

5) Ulexite – Anyone who has come to a gem show of mine knows about Ulexite. It is amazing, and though it looks like Selenite it is a totally different crystal with a different chemical composition. I argue about this a lot with a lot of different people including vendors. I was tempted today to make a correction with a store in Nelson selling “vogel crystals” when in reality it is a brazilian cut vogel like quartz specimen, but I choose to walk away. You’d be proud of me fellow crystal lovers! I also did not apply to work at that store and omitted it from my list of places that sell crystals. Anyways, I digress! Ulexite!

If you take a piece of Ulexite and you place it over words, the words will be projected to the top of the mineral. It is very cool. It aids not only in creativity but also imagination. In alignment with these two things are intuition, clairvoyance and mental agility. This is a mineral I’ve been working with for years, and one that I highly recommend. Currently I’m sold out.

There ya go! Enjoy these crystals! They are amazing!

My dinner is getting cold so I’ll add pictures later!

Love ya!
Serafina
The Crystal Matchmaker

P.S. I’m currently on the search for business investors and mentors to mentor under inside the crystal business. If you have anyone to recommend, please send me an email.

Double Dates | Matches Made Over Crystals

One of the first things many people think when I introduce myself as the Crystal Matchmaker is that I somehow match partners up with each other via the use of crystals in some strange mythical probably highly esoteric way.

It’s simply not true though.

I wish I had a crystal ball to gaze into (preferably rose quartz or kunzite) that could tell me that sort of thing. That’d be a really fun and fulfilling job! Could you imagine!? I would use it in my own love life, of course, and maybe possibly solve the problem of finding love for people.

But I digress!

The Crystal Matchmaker truly became a Crystal Matchmaker without the magic crystal ball the other night.

An old acquaintance of mine contacted me about coming to view the crystal collection before I leave town. I said sure, and we set up a time. She came by with her partner and we talked crystals for a bit with tea in hand.

There was a knock on the door and another acquaintance had arrived to pick up some items. I thought perhaps to invite him in but wasn’t sure. Suddenly the other man was at the door hugging this man, and it turns out all three of them were old friends!

In he came for some tea, and we continued to talk crystals, but by the end of the night it had been decided: These old friends would be reconnecting with a double date. By the time they reached the door they were already setting dates!

It was definitely amazing. I didn’t realize the Crystal Matchmaker had come true until I told a friend what happened and she said, “See, you are connecting people through the crystals!”

It was simply good timing I think!

Leaps of Faith and Crystals

I’ve been so busy this month launching this new website (and building it!) and finding new opportunities. I feel like I’m on the fast track suddenly to something. It feels like all of a sudden everything is lining up to perfection. I hope that it is.

This business and most of my life seems to have been built on leaps of faith. Sometimes they’ve worked out really well for me and other times they have not. When they haven’t worked out they’ve sometimes have been the harshest lessons that still have profound effects on me, and that I still have healing to do around.

I have learned a lot, and I’m continuing to learn a lot. One thing that comes to me again and again is that I must let myself be seen. I must let myself be shown. I must let my gifts be known. I have kept them (mostly) to myself but I have been honing and cultivating them.

It was in my yoga teacher training I recently completed that my teacher told me I must follow the crystals. The crystals have guided me on a path I was never expecting to walk but that I love almost more than anything else. I can’t imagine a better job for me.

I am so excited for the Crystal Matchmaker. I am so excited to be sharing my passions with you. I am so excited that this is part of my journey to create the bigger visions I see and hope to bring to the world.

One day I’ll tell you of the visions I have.

Until then, please enjoy this website. Please enjoy learning about these wonderful crystals.

And I invite you to join me on this wonderful journey. (You can do this easily by subscribing to the newsletter on the right or liking the facebook page)

I look forward to meeting you. <3

The Crystal Matchmaker

Crystals for Opiate Addictions

Pills.I am not a doctor yet I often have clients come with medical questions. Before you read this article here is my disclaimer: I am not a doctor and do not have medical training and therefore cannot give medical advice.

I have found five minerals that may be beneficial for those working with Opiate addictions. Each one works in a little bit of a different way and I imagine that as a person heals themselves from this addiction they will go through different phases that will require a different mineral to help them if they so choose.

1) Iolite – This stone came up over and over again in my research on addictions. Iolite helps open up your vision and see the cause of your addiction and release it. It can help you see where you want to go and how to get there. It helps in all parts of releasing addiction from finding the self-knowledge, to releasing it, to rebuilding life after the addiction is gone. It helps you to express who you really are and to release the expectations of others.

Iolite is one of my personal favourite stones. It has helped me with empowerment, with taking care of myself in ways that ensure I don’t reach out for escapism and helped me focus on what is healthy for me.

2) Amethyst – Amethyst seems to be one of the most versatile minerals one the planet right now because of its ability to transmute. It is infamous for this ability and comes up continuously in my research again. It will take pain and negative energy and transmute it into love. When healing with addictions I recommend that this mineral be cleared often, even weekly. I have used this mineral to help transmute cravings as well.

To transmute cravings hold the mineral and in time with your breath breathe in the energy of amethyst. On your out breath see the craving or pain entering the amethyst you are holding. Continue breathing this circuit of energy until the craving or pain shifts. It will shift. Or you will receive clear guidance on what would be most beneficial for you to do. Strongly recommend that after you do this meditation you clear the crystal asap.

I also feel what wearing this crystal with citrine is very helpful. Citrine is one of the few minerals that automatically clears energies so wearing a citrine with amethyst touching means you never have to work about consciously clearing the amethyst.

3) Fluorite – This stone is infamous for its dealings with the mind. It helps clear away all the fog and lies that you might tell yourself. It allows you to see reality for what what it really is. It helps you to work through the different layers of the mind and come to a solid understanding of self and how you work. It can help you make decisions that will better your life, organize it, and implement your creativity in a way that works.

4) Labradorite – What a potent and fascinating stone. Labradorite is heavy. Heavy in the sense that it is grounding while allowing us to work with our own shadow aspects in an easy and gentle manner. It is an important part of the healing process to take a look at the depth and the roots of whatever is going on for you, especially in addictions, and see them clearly. Labradorite will attract synchronicities into your life as well.

One of the reasons labradorite is so potent for doing shadow work is because it has a very strong protective field that enhances your own protective field from the inside out. It actually creates a safe space for you to look at that internal structure, your own duality, your own reckless or self-sabotaging behaviors.

5) Pink Kunzite – One of my all time favourite stones! Pink Kunzite is a powerful heart activator and is considered one of the most needed Ascension stones on the planet right now by some. It helps you harness your own power and come into your heart. It will help to alleviate stress and anxiety and is ideal for PTSD. It can help you release the need to control things and relax into the fact that you cannot control everything. It will help you release emotional blocks and traumas. It aids in positive thinking, the release of depression, and harmonization of your energies.

What are your experiences with these minerals? Have you worked with any of them in your own healing with addictions?

When Your Angry Grab These Crystals!

Crystals to Help You Work with Anger

Anger is a complicated emotion in my experience. For a long time I really feared it, and I still do fear anger in others. My first desire when I experience anger in myself or others is to run for the hills until the storm passes. But that is not the best way to deal with anger. It must be experienced and respected for what it is. It is like any other emotion that comes and goes but for some reason is less accepted than other strong emotions humans experience in our day to day lives – happiness, sadness, depression, judgement.

This leaves many of us in an odd position of having anger and not knowing how to experience, release or express it in a healthy and positive way. Instead, many of us will bottle down the anger to explode at a later date. Or we will hide it carefully, deeply within us, carefully placing layers and layers on top of the feelings. Then there are those that let the anger flow right through them terrifying the rest of us!

carnelian3

Working with Fire

I have used one of the most fiery stones to help me understand and experience anger in a positive way: Carnelian. Carnelian is a deep, passionate, strong stone that will bring your anger to the forefront so that you can experience it. It moves your anger so you can see it and know yourself at a deeper level. Carnelian and I worked together closely for my journey of releasing and learning about the anger I experience in my life. It gave me a courage I didn’t feel that I had, and soothed my fears around experiencing this emotion. It let me go deep and know that I wasn’t going to get lost in it.

Overwhelming Feelings

I remember when I was working through the deeply bottled anger I had collected throughout my life. I suddenly was experiencing bursts that would go through my whole body. My adrenaline would be activated, heat waves and tremors would shake my body, I could get so lost in how it felt that I could not speak it was such an overwhelming experience for me. And it often would come out of nowhere at the most random of times. Once I got used to it – I felt like a fireball for a few months becoming randomly angry at the smallest things – I learned how to experience anger with wisdom.

By this I mean I learned how to utilize it for what anger is good for – standing up for yourself. Making sure you and another person know when something has gone too far. Giving you strength and courage to stand up for what is right for not just yourself but others. I knew I had learned this when I got into a fight with an ex boyfriend of mine. We were having an argument on the phone when he said something that just made me furious. Beyond furious. I didn’t say a word. I hung up on him and hopped on my bike. He lived a ten minute bike ride away and I arrived still boiling. He had tried calling several times and I ignored all of them.

Sugilite-Tumbled-Stones-29-TPS

Transmuting the Anger

Sugilite and Amethyst were other major minerals I used to help me in my process. Both of these crystals are noted as transmuters. What’s interesting is that Amethyst is resonant to and carries the Violet Flame of St. Germain. This is a major purifier of old and new energies that no longer serve us. It releases patterns we no longer need to keep replaying. Amethyst will help us find new ways of experiencing things and help establish new patterns within our life.

Sugilite is noted as a mineral that works directly with transmuting rage and anger. It is also noted, and I used it for this aspect, to work with the inner child. It gives an ease of access to the inner child and there were often times when my journey working specifically with anger that I would feel my inner child, and witness my inner child either screaming with rage or running away as fast as she could. My work with this mineral allowed me to tap into this aspect of self and even have conversations with her. It helped me to find healthy ways to shift my anger into something beautiful like artwork or writing.

Powerfully Using Anger

I very intentionally went up the stairs to his door, and knocked. He opened the door and didn’t know what to do. I stepped in, looked at him straight in the eyes, and said in a very low voice trembling with the anger I felt towards him, “If you ever say anything like that again to me, you will never see me again. You will never be allowed to speak with me. You will never know that I was in your life.”. Instead of running away from anger – both mine and his – I had gone directly into it. I had faced and experienced both mine and his.

Howilite

Eliminating Anger

Howlite is an amazing mineral that works to eliminate anger and rate. How does it do this? In my experience it is a purifier which is a little bit different than a transmuter. When you are wearing Howlite it is automatically “taking” it away from you very much like an air purifier. Howlite helps you to act in alignment with your highest self no matter what is going on around or inside of you. It able to help you keep clear sight and keep your centre and base your decisions on what is best for all involved.

Graduation

Ever since then I’ve been able to experience my anger and the anger of others with less fear. I still go on my tip-toes but I can stand it. Sometimes I feel like I am a wooden post withstanding the torrents of the ocean and rain. And it feels like a good thing.

In my experience of my own anger, a lot of it had to do with traumas I’ve experienced in life and with self-forgiveness. Along with carnelian, rose quartz was a constant companion. In fact I slept with a large rose quartz ball for almost two years! Rose quartz was very important to my journey because it is a crystal that helps to forgive oneself and others. It opens up the door to fall in love with yourself. It helps you come into your own love for life. And to release anything that gets in the way because you don’t need it!

Anger will tie up and block the heart chakra. Rose quartz will unknot it and take down the walls slowly and gently. You don’t need it. All we need is love.

Meditation Suggestions

Meditate with Carnelian, Howlite or Blue Kyanite. Blue Kyanite is often used to clear blockages inside the energetic system and can be used on any chakras though it is mostly resonant with the throat and heart in my experience. You can meditate with each stone individually by just holding it in your left hand if you wish, or you can meditate with all three stones. I am wary of all three stones because it feels like a very potent and powerful combination – the only “cooling” stone in the mix is Howlite. To meditate with all three place the stones in a grid around you or on you in key spots – put one mineral on your heart and hold the other two, etc.

To meditate with Sugilite and the only child I suggest you find somewhere comfortable. Tune into the crystal by focusing on how it feels wherever your holding it. Does it pulsate? Is it cold? Does it buzz? Then ask the mineral to help you speak with your inner child. Imagine yourself taking 21 steps towards your inner child. When you arrive on the 21st step imagine her/him waiting for you. Take note of the surroundings your inner child has put him/her in and approach him/her. At this point you can have a conversation with your inner child and when you wish to leave you can take the 21 steps “out” and come back to your body.

If you do a laying of hands crystal session on yourself or another you may wish to place blue kyanite on the heart/solar plexus, rose quartz on the heart, Larimar on the throat, moss agate on your root. Moss agate and Larimar are calming agents. They slowly clean and clear and connect you deeply to nature. They help to gently heal traumas and hurting hearts.

Ulexite VS Selenite | My Pet Peeve

Ulexite

I have to say something about this because this drives me absolutely nuts! It is one of my pet peeves with the world, and I do believe the cause of it is ignorance. Let this post dispel the ignorance!

There is this wonderful stone called Ulexite that I love! It is beautiful, semi-transparent, very soft and looks very similar to a piece of cloudy Selenite. And that, my darlings, is what drives me crazy. I get into an argument with people about this mineral often. There are those selling Ulexite as Selenite. There are those who believe that Ulexite is Selenite. There are those who can’t believe that this “low-grade selenite” is as expensive as it is. The thing is that they are VERY different stones.

Ulexite has a chemical composition of NaCaB5O6(OH)6•5(H2O), aka hydrated sodium calcium borate hydroxide and was discovered by Georg Ludwig Ulex in the 1800s. It is only transparent to white. What is special about Ulexite is that it has a secondary name, the TV Stone, because of its ability to project what is beneath it to the top of the stone. This means you can read through Ulexite. It acts as a natural fibre optic. 

Selenite has a chemical composition of CaSO4·2H2O, aka Hydrous Calcium Sulfate, and is a form of gypsum. It comes in various colours and types – from white to gray to brown to orange depending on the variety. Selenite comes commonly from Madagascar and Morroco whereas Ulexite is from the USA (California and Nevada), Chile, and Kazakhstan. Selenite has been known for a much longer time in modern day history – from at least the 15th century. 

seleniteWhile both stones look similar and can feel similar – both are often white, and both are scratchable with a finger nail being only a 2 on the Mohs scale they look quite different once you know them, and they act quite differently. Selenite is usually long and fibrous, leaving a soft trail of minerals behind it unless its cut and polished. Then it is rare to find one that is transparent in my experience, at least as transparent as Ulexite. The ultimate test for ulexite is if you can read through it, even at an angle in my opinion and how soft it is. When you look at the side of a flat piece of ulexite you can see that the fibres go up and down, not side to side or any other direction. This is the way the stone must be cut in order for the projection to occur.

Both will dissolve slowly in water too! So be careful cleaning those crystals!

On a metaphysical level they both do different things as well.

Selenite is well known for its connection to the moon – the name means stone of the moon. It was once believed that Selenite wax and waned with the moon. This mineral can tune us into Mother Nature’s own cycles – which is very important for city dwellers, provide us with clarity, strengthen intuition and help with dream work. It is a self-clearing mineral that will constantly clear your energy field and help calm the mind down. It has a very gentle relaxing energy to its presence.

Ulexite is known for its clairvoyant and telepathy abilities. It needs to be cleared and easily absorbs the energy around it to the point that it may break (this has happened with one of my pieces). Ulexite will help you develop your psychic abilities and can be programmed to call up on the Angels and other Guides. It will help you learn to read the energy around you, and help you learn to manage your energy.

I actually use Ulexite pieces to do very special psychic readings because of their ability to absorb the energy of the client to such a high degree that I am able to tune in like a radio to give impressions. However, these readings as of yet, are usually very abstract and symbolic – taking another’s subconscious language and translating it is a bit tricky.

Very different stones. Both are wonderful stones.

There is an article here about a form of gypsum that is being sold as ulexite as well (I realize now I’ve seen this before).

Major Sources:
Wikipedia: Selenite and Ulexite

5 Ways to Cleanse Your Crystals

So you have a shiny new friend and you are wondering what to do with it. Well, one of the first things that I used to recommend to all people is to cleanse the new crystal or gemstone that you have so its clean and shiny when you play with it.

Used to?

Through my continuous work with the mineral kingdom I’ve discovered that no crystal or gemstone or mineral needs to be cleansed or cleared. All of the minerals are little pockets of unconditional love, and nothing negative can live in unconditional love just as no virus can live in an alkaline environment. What this means is that each crystal contains the vibration of unconditional love and is always transmuting any energy lower than that which it encounters. Consistently. It never stops.

However when the mineral gets an overload of energy to transmute they do tend to break. So if you are doing a lot of work with a particular crystal (wearing it each day, using it daily, etc.) I recommend you take the time to cleanse it so your crystal stays in one piece! They tend to do their best work when they are feeling shiny, clean and loved, just like us. Remember, the mineral that your  holding contains a consciousness that is very different from ours. The mineral still enjoys being treated like the sacred being it is, just as we do.

This means that when we take the time to cleanse or clear our mineral we are doing a service to that mineral and helping it do its job more effectively and faster. We are showing the love and gratitude we have for the mineral giving its service here. The way minerals have described being left out under the moonlight is like a human going for a day at the spa. They feel loved, pampered, joyful, and ready to be of service again with a renewed zest.

MoonlightAnd that leads us to the first and most common way to clear minerals: By the light of the full moon.

The light of the full moon contains a particular energy that has been harnesssed for centuries by all sorts of mystics, alchemists, witches, yogis, and pretty much anyone who is in tune with natural cycles. The moon’s energy controls most of life on the planet, from the tides, to the cycles of each woman on the planet. The full moon is known as the time to release all that binds us and all that no longer serves us. Crystals are commonly left outside on the night of the full moon in a ritual type way so that the light can clear them. Minerals can also be left on a window’s ledge if you don’t trust the raccoons and crows. 🙂

By moonlight is the way to give your minerals the VIP treatment.

The second common way to clear minerals is with cold water. 

This is the process of washing the mineral under running cold water. Water has a cleansing effect and with the intention to release any energies that are not serving from the crystal most people find this to be an effective way of clearing a crystal. This method can be a bit dangerous if you don’t know about the crystal you are washing as there are minerals that will dissolve in water. You do not want to put selenite nor halite in water. For a full list of highly soluble minerals click here. For common somewhat soluble minerals click here.

This method is a good quick method that I’ve commonly used between crystal healing sessions.

Another common way to clear minerals is energetically. 

This is one of my personal favourite ways because it is easy, simple, and doesn’t require anything so it is ideal while travelling. For this one you hold the mineral in your hand and close your eyes. Imagine white light cleaning and clearing the crystal, travelling from Source into the middle of the mineral expanding outward. Continue to imagine this until you feel or know that the mineral is clean. For me I will see wolves running from the crystal. When there are no more wolves I know the mineral is clean. What happens for you may be different and is just as true.

This method may take some practice but comes in handy when travelling or when there is a lack of time to cleanse the minerals. The exercise can be expanded to include several minerals at once.

There is a method of leaving your minerals in the sun. This is a good way to clear minerals but there are some minerals that will actually loose their colour or shine with this method including amethyst, rose quartz, flourite, aquamarine, kunzite, smokey quartz, hiddenite, and spudumene. If you’ve done this already you may be able to bring out the colour again by rubbing a small amount of mineral oil into the mineral.

sageThe fifth way I will mention here to cleanse your minerals is to smudge them. 

This is an easy way of taking whatever your preferred smudge method is, and smudging the minerals you want clean. As per most methods it is up to you and your intuitive feelings to know when your minerals are clean. This is a subtle feeling or knowing, or just simply guessing when your first learning to listen and trust your intuition, that will tell you the mineral is clean.

You can’t “over-clean” a  mineral, nor can you “not clean it enough”. This is an additional step you can take to help the mineral be of more service to you. Even a little help is better than nothing.

These methods are the ones that I feel are easiest and most effective ways of clearing crystals. There are many more ways that you can cleanse your minerals that are much more ritual based including the use of herbs, burying the crystals, and using other minerals to cleanse minerals that you could research.

Keep in mind that there are three minerals that it is said never need to be cleansed. They are kyanite, citrine and selenite. These minerals can be placed touching other minerals and will clear them overnight.

Bonus Methods: Rice and Sea Salt. 

Placing the minerals in a bowl with rice or sea salt will clear minerals but in a different way than the ways mentioned above. Rice has a neutralizing effect. The mineral will feel more “in-balance” and often cleaner after sitting in rice (preferably submerged) for a few hours. With sea salt the crystals definitely feel clear after a few hours. The sea salt absorbs quickly any negative energy and rebalances, while often charging the mineral as well. I do not recommend eating the rice or salt afterwards as I’ve noticed that the rice often will change colour.

Happy Clearing!

How to Tell if Your Amber is Real

A client recently asked me: “How can you tell if Amber is real? There’s a lot of fake stuff on the market these days!”

image by Krzysztof Szkurlatowski; 12frames.eu

image by Krzysztof Szkurlatowski; 12frames.eu

I did some research and here ‘s what I came up with:

First, I’d like to discuss a bit about what Amber is so we know what we are looking for:

Amber is one of the lightest “stones” on the planet. It’s not even really a stone: it is fossilized tree resin. Amber is similar to a substance called copal, which is commonly used in smudge ceremonies, and as my research dictates, is being used as a fake amber on the market. Copal is much younger than amber is, and will turn into amber when all of the volatile terpenes have been released.

Amber is not made of sap, but of tree resin which is a syrup-like fluid that flows beneath the tree’s bark protecting the tree when it’s damaged. Sap provides nutrients for the tree and flows inside the main part of the tree, not just beneath the bark.

Amber is also one of the softer minerals so if you use a penny to make a scratch on the material it should leave one. Pennies rate at 3.0 on the MOHs scale while Amber is a 2.0

So when we are testing for real amber we are looking for a soft mineral with a light weight. Most ambers are red-yellow-orange and may contain parts of plants/insects inside the resin but they are rarely perfect looking, like many fake amber inclusions. Note that the price rises rapidly for pieces of real amber with plant or insect inclusions, easily well over $1,000 depending on the type and quality of the inclusion.

Now we are ready to talk about how to tell if its real.

Five ways to tell if your amber is real:

1) Safest and least common way: Wash the piece with soap and water, and after giving it a good rinse taste it. Amber has almost no taste to it, and may leave at most a light sensation on the tongue. Other plastics and copal will have a strong flavour!

2) Using nail polish remover: Amber will not be harmed with a small amount of nail polish remover, but plastics and copal will have a tacky surface after being gently rubbed with it. Sometimes the colour of the piece will disappear and you know its definitely not amber!

3) Salt Water: Boil 1 part salt with 2 parts water to create salt water. Make sure the salt is completely dissolved. Put the piece inside the water. Amber will float. Copal and plastics will sink.

4) Hot Needle: Heat a needle over a candle or match until its red and then poke the piece with the needle. Amber will emit a pinemtree-like scent.

5) Friction: Rub the piece of amber with a soft white cloth gently but quickly to create friction. Real amber may emit a resinous scent and will get charged with static electricity with which you can pick up small pieces of paper. Copal will become warm and sticky.

Now that you are empowered Amber shoppers and you know what to look for and how to test for real amber enjoy! Happy shopping!