Perhaps you own some crystals or have seen them at a yoga or meditation studio, and you’re wondering how to meditate with crystals—or why someone would do so.

Crystals are more than just pretty rocks. (They’re technically minerals.) Ancient writings show that crystals have been used in healing for a long time; it’s only recently that Western culture has adopted them in revivals of various New Age practices.

The modern belief that crystals have healing powers traces back to Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. In Chinese medicine as well, crystals are believed to contain “qi,” or “life energy.” In the Buddhist faith, crystals are used as messengers to transmit various energies.

Rebecca Gitana, a certified crystal healer, says “magic is nothing more than a shift in consciousness. If you want to experience the magic of crystals—you have to believe and be present.” 

This article explores how to choose your meditation crystals, how to meditate with them, and also discusses the criticism this practice has faced.

How to Pick Crystals

Gitana says to approach picking crystals from a place of intuition. “Have an open heart and an open mind and be very curious when you’re picking stones in a shop,” she says, “As they’re all alive. Just listen to what is drawing you at that time.”

One of the great benefits of crystals, she says, is that “we can be so up there in our heads, but the crystals can help us be more rooted and grounded in the moment by giving us a connection to earth.”

But if you’re the kind of person who needs a little more structure or guidance as you learn to trust your intuition, Gitana provides insights into how to begin exploring the world of crystals.

For example, if you’re looking to feel more grounded, Gitana recommends orange, red, metal, or deep earth-toned colored crystals. If you are looking to connect to a higher realm, she says that clear crystals are great.

Here are some specific crystals to start with and why you might choose them:

• Clear quartz: Great as an introductory crystal, as it’s sometimes considered a “master” crystal that takes on any energy you ascribe to it
• Amethyst: Used for mental clarity
• Celestite: Associated with inner peace
• Celenite: Can clean other crystals and is powerful for meditation
• Peacock ore: Brings great happiness and joy
• Petrified wood: Calms down fears about survival
• Tigers eye: Associated with finding courage and confidence
• Mookaite: A nurturing stone that can be used when you are experiencing stress
• Tourmaline: Helps banish negative energy—whether it be yours or someone else’s
• Rose quartz: Dispels negative energy and replaces it with the energy of love, while also promoting self love and inner peace

Gitana says that if you find that a certain stone seems to be drawing you in, then that’s the perfect stone to select.

Getting to Know Your Crystals

Because crystals are said to have energy, Gitana stressed “getting to know” your crystals. “To connect with them, you can sleep with them or have them by your bedside. Just keep them as companions and get to know their energy. You’ll find what these stones want to present to you.”

She also says you can “program” your crystals. For example, if you have a hard time with flying on a plane, you can talk to your favorite crystal and ask it to prepare and support you, she says. Crystals are also programmed in technology to transmit energy.

How to Meditate With Crystals

Giana says there is no “wrong” way to meditate with crystals, but Verywell Mind got a few pointers from her on how to meditate with crystals in case you needed an idea of where to start.

• Set your intention. What is it that you want to focus on while meditating? What are you hoping to feel? Select a crystal or crystals that you’re feeling drawn to for those reasons. Remember: there are no “wrong” crystals!
• Pick a song. You might want to play some gentle music, or you might want to meditate in silence. Gitana says she sometimes chants or sings to “activate” the crystals.
• Place them in your right hand. Placing them in your right hand is preferable as it is the most “respected” hand, Gitana states. Or, it if feels more organic, you can place one in each hand.
• Incorporate your body. You may want to lay stones on the body. Lay down and put on some meditation music and put them on areas of your body connected to different chakras, known as the energy centers in the body. Placing them on these parts of your body can help you use your intuition. A particularly nice one to start out with is placing a crystal on your third-eye chakra, which is located on your forehead between your eyes. This is said to assist in grounding you into the space you’re in. 
• Get comfortable. Find a relaxing space and listen to the messages the stones are sending you as you meditate.
• Go slow. Take your time getting out of the meditation and take some time to process anything that might have come up during the meditation. You might want to take time to journal about anything that came up or what you think the crystals are trying to tell you. 

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Criticism

While there are many people who engage in crystal meditation, there are people who are not in favor of this practice. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why.

Cultural Appropriation

Crystals have been used for healing throughout history long before they began being used in the Western world. They have been used for rituals in Buddhism, Judaism, by Native Americans and Egyptians. Oftentimes, many of these groups were persecuted for the use of these practices.

If you choose to participate in practices such as crystal healing, be sure to respect its history and background and practice cultural appreciation, rather than cultural appropriation.

An investigation found that many crystals are being mined irresponsibly, so also be sure to ask where your crystals come from when you buy them and buy from Indigenous people if you can.

It’s Hard to Know for Sure If Using Crystals Really Work

However, there is little research that exists proving that crystals themselves actually help. Instead, research has shown the power of both the placebo effect and interpersonal healing.

Although the placebo effect has been derided as evidence that a certain medicine doesn’t work, researchers are beginning to look at it as evidence of how strong the brain-body connection can be.

In other words, let’s say you take a pill that’s supposed to help reduce the severity of your migraines, but this pill is a placebo, meaning that it doesn’t actually contain any ingredient that would reduce headache severity. However, after you take it, you start to feel better over time. The fact you do feel better may indicate that even though the drug itself does not work, the fact that your brain believes that it does work, and responds accordingly, shows how powerful the brain-body connection is.

So, maybe crystals don’t work, but if a placebo effect takes place and you do notice signs of healing, then it’s possible that using crystals may actually be beneficial to you.

 What Is the Placebo Effect?

A Word From Verywell

Although modern day research has yet to prove that crystals support our health and well-being, they can be a tool to deepen your connection to the earth and your own intuition. Crystals can also expand your practice as another tool to support your journey. You may find that using crystals while meditating can create more focus and peace in your life, even if it happens to be a placebo effect.