Crystal Magic for Beginners: A Complete Guide

It’s no surprise with the natural beauty of crystals, that many witches want to get involved with crystal magic for beginners. Crystals inspire awe, wonder, and mystery as we contemplate where they came from and what they represent.

Crystals have been used for centuries all over the world as devices for healing, charms, protection, and other purposes. They have unique energetic and medicinal qualities that are coming into the spotlight again as more people incorporate them into healing and spiritual practices.

This is great news for Wiccans because it means there is a wealth of new information available! There are also many more like-minded folks who you can connect with. So there are even more reasons to learn crystal magic for beginners!

Let’s get started with some basic information. 

What are Crystals?

The term “crystal” is an umbrella term for a variety of minerals and stones that are found within the Earth’s underground or are formed by natural processes. Some crystals, like amber, jet, fossils, or meteorite, are not formed by the Earth’s geological processes. However the vast majority of crystals are.

These stones are composed of a very precise molecular geometric pattern called a lattice. This internal lattice molecular structure makes the crystals hard, durable, in interesting shapes, and often transparent. It also gives the crystals their own individual qualities, both scientifically and magickally.

The particular energy stamp a crystal has is directly related to its chemical properties and structure.

How Crystals Work

Continuing with the special internal geometric pattern crystals have, this is the key to crystals’ power. The geometry follows the principles of sacred geometry, which is specific geometric shapes and mathematical proportions which lend themselves to magickal qualities.

Sacred geometry examples can be found all over the world, although you may not have seen or heard about them. For centuries churches, altars, mosques, monuments, and synagogues have been designed according to sacred geometry principles.

You may have seen the Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci. This is an excellent example of sacred geometry in use. Examples also occur in nature like spiralled seashells which have a logarithmic spiral using the Golden Ratio.

In fact, due to their geometry, many crystals have an energetic effect which is used in science today, known as the piezoelectric effect. When electricity is applied to a crystal, the stone vibrates at a known frequency. This allows us to keep time very precisely.

You might not know it, but inside almost every wristwatch, and inside every computer, is a tiny crystal being used for its energetic properties!

Using crystals in your magickal rituals allows you to tap into the crystals’ own energy and vibration. Because of their vibrations, crystals are excellent directors, stores, and conductors of magickal energy. Crystals can be used to direct magickal energy, because they emit their own energy out into the world and interact with other energies present.

We can channel our intent and power into the crystal, which the crystal then stores. Then, we can use the crystal anywhere we like to send the energy out. Crystals’ energy is universal, because all energy is interconnected. The power of crystals is the same power which makes the rain fall and the lightning flash.

Incorporating crystals in your magickal practice will make your spells more powerful and manifest your intention faster!

Crystal Magick for Beginners

Magickal work with crystals is simply harnessing their natural powers and using those powers for your own magickal ends. Crystal magick is simple once you get past the fundamentals, and it’s also some of the strongest Wiccan magick which you can do. 

Of all the ways crystals can be used, you must first learn how to cleanse and charge. These are the two most important things you can do with your crystal, as they determine how connected you are with the Earth’s energy, what sort of energy you are sending out, and that your use of the crystal is in harmony with your intent.

For example, you don’t want to use a crystal that’s stored up negative energy to perform a love spell! Let you and your crystal work in the same direction. Use cleansing and charging as a way to align your crystal with your purpose. Now, let’s get into more details about crystal magic for beginners.

Cleansing

The first thing you should do with any crystal is cleanse it. This is true whether you just bought a crystal for the first time, whether you are pulling it out of storage, or whether you’ve loaned your crystal to a fellow witch. 

You will also want to cleanse your crystal when doing new spellwork. Using crystals is a cycle. We cleanse the crystal, charge it, infuse it with our intention, use it in rituals or spellwork or bring it with us into the world, then repeat. This can be done over and over again for different purposes and different energies each time.

Crystals are stores of energy, remember, so they can pick up and store energy from anyone or anything they came into contact with. The shopkeeper at the store where you purchased the crystal, the person who mined the stone, the person who cut and polished the stone, or even other shoppers at the store can all affect a crystal’s energy.

So it’s not a surprise that you should ALWAYS cleanse new crystals before use. This cannot be emphasised enough. For your own magickal uses, you want the crystal to hold only your energy and intention, not someone else’s.

How to Cleanse Your Crystal

You have many options of how to clean your crystal, including cleansing it either physically or energetically.

Use any of the below tactics, or use more than one if you continue to feel any residual energy after cleansing.

• Rise the crystal under running water, which can be tap water or a stream or river. You can also soak the crystal in a bowl of salt water at home. Please note that some crystals are water soluble or porous, and so getting them wet could damage them. Please research in advance to verify that you can wet your crystal.
• Smudging with sage or incense. Quick and easy.
• Bury it outdoors in the Earth in the soil or sand overnight. You can also bury it within a bowl of salt or sand inside your home. This connects the crystal back with the Earth.
• Letting the crystal sit outside in direct sunlight. Please note that some crystals’ colour may fade if they sit in the sunlight.
• Let the crystal sit outside in the moonlight overnight under a full moon. Please note that some crystals’ colour may fade if they sit in the sunlight, so be sure to retrieve your crystals after sunrise.
• Do a small candle ceremony with white candles. 
• Breathe on the stone during meditation. Focusing your intention on cleansing.
• Cleanse with sound and play instruments around the crystal like Tibetan sound bowl, tuning fork, or gong. Crystals are naturally vibrational, and the sound waves from vibrational instruments work well for cleansing.

Charging / Programming

The next step in the cycle of using crystal is to charge them with the desired energy or intention we wish to impart. We always remember that crystals are stores of energy, so once we’ve cleared them of any external energy, we can then add whatever energy we desire into them!

We can charge crystals with our intentions to blend with their own natural energy, creating a very powerful tool for us to wield.

The most important part of charging a crystal is your intention. You are imparting your intention into the crystal, so be sure to have your objective, goal, or target in mind. Intentions can be statements (“Keep negative energies away from me.”) or requests (“Please assist me in keeping negative energies away.”) 

You can hold your intention in your mind, or you can write it down, or you can say it aloud. Or all three!

Whichever method(s) you use, be sure to repeat your intention. Repetition is key. Think your intention over and over. State your intention multiple times. Write down your intention, then read it to yourself over and over. Keep the intention in your thoughts and words for several minutes as you perform your charging ritual.

With your intention in mind, there are a number of activities which you can do as part of your charging ritual. Consider:

• Doing a meditation on your intention while holding your crystal. Visualise your intentions physically flowing from your mind and body into the crystal.
• Giving your intention during a full moon. Then allow the crystal to rest in moonlight for some time after.
• Giving your intention in the sunlight and allowing the crystal to rest in the sunlight for a while.
• Imparting your intention and drawing a rune or sigil onto the crystal.
• Bury your crystal outdoors after giving your intention.

Choosing Friendly Crystals

For the best outcome, try to choose crystals whose energies align with your intention, or adjust your intention to align with the crystal’s character. It’s not to say that you can’t get some aid from other crystals, but some crystals are more effective than others depending on what their energy properties are.

For example, if you want to increase love and empathy in your life, crystals like rose quartz or ruby would be great choices, but sapphire may not be the best choice. Let crystals amplify and intensify your energetic intention, not offset it.

Getting to Know Your Crystal

Before using a crystal in your magickal work for the first time, you should take some time to get familiar with it. You will want to acquaint yourself with its energy and vibrations.

Since you and the crystal will be working hand-in-hand, you need to understand the crystal’s character. This will make your magickal work with them more powerful and more productive.

To perceive your crystal’s individuality, spend some time sitting with the crystal and observing what you think and feel. You can even hold the crystal while meditating if you’d like. It’s a great idea to keep your journal of Book of Shadows handy in case you want to jot anything down. 

First, use all your senses to observe the crystal. What does it look like? How does the crystal feel? What does it sound like? (You may not hear anything the first time, but if you try this a couple of times you might!) Use all your senses to experience the crystal.

Now, close your eyes and picture the stone in your mind. Relax and see what else you can notice. Do you have any physical sensations? Tightness, tingling, warmth? What emotions are you feeling? Joy, wonder, content, creative? What thoughts are passing through? What are you visualising? People, places, animals, nature? Is the crystal telling you anything? Do you see any memories? Do you feel the crystal vibrating? Spend as much time as you need.

Over a period of several days, connect with your crystal several times. The first time may be a bit underwhelming, as it takes time to get in tune with the crystal and notice all of the subtle effects. But the more times you connect with your crystal, the better you will know it, and the better you and the crystal will work together.

Directing and Drawing Energy

An easy way to use crystals is to charge them with energies which we’d like to have around us, then keep them with us throughout our day. This way we can let the crystal distribute its desirable energy into our environment.

We may want to wear a crystal to surround ourselves with that energy wherever we go. We may want to maintain that energy in our home. Whatever the case, there’s a way for us to use crystals effectively!

Many of the strategies outlined later in this article use some of these tactics. Here are some examples:

• Wear your crystal on a piece of jewellery like a pendant, ring, earrings, belt, keychain, etc. You can also just keep one in your pocket, wallet, or purse, but be careful not to lose it. Crystals have been worn for centuries as good luck charms and protective items.
• Keep your crystal next to your bed or under your pillow.
• Place one in your area of meditation.
• Maintain a crystal as part of your altar, or decorate your altar tools like pentacles and wands with crystals.
• Keep your crystal in a particular area that’s needed, for example at your office desk, in your car, in your travel suitcase, etc.
• Place a variety of crystals around your home to maintain energy flow.

Healing

All of the practices described throughout this article are healing in nature by correcting imbalances in your life, working on emotional areas, or bringing peace and calm into your life.

However, crystals can also be used for healing of the body as well. Crystals should never be used as a substitute for professional medical advice and treatment! (See our disclaimers.) However you can use them as an additional healing modality to complement your conventional medical treatment. 

Keep a crystal near the part of your body which needs healing, or near the chakra which you believe to be out of balance that is causing your physical ailment. The set of crystal correspondences to specific physical issues is a separate and complex topic, which we will not discuss here.

However, whole-body healing is much easier. Consider grounding work, which is invaluable to your overall holistic health. Also consider sleep work. These can both be beneficial whether you have a physical ailment or not. They are also both address later on in this article.

Grounding

In our modern age, we don’t really need to interact with nature at all. Our food is prepackaged, we use electric lights to read and work, and we sit inside all day. However connection to the Earth and its natural energies is essential.

Grounding is a technique which allows us to revive our relationship and energy exchange with our planet. Try grounding if you feel lost, afloat and adrift in life, lonely, or empty. Crystals like hematite, smoky quartz, and kyanite are excellent grounders.

Sit awhile with these crystals, carry them with you, or meditate with them to keep a healthy balance in your life.

Altar Rituals

You can incorporate crystals into your usual Wiccan practice. When casting a circle, you can use different stones to represent each of the elements and cardinal directions. Alternatively, you can use crystal to honour deities. For both of these, reference a correspondence chart to see which elements and deities a crystal corresponds with.

Supercharge Spells

In addition to using natural crystals’ energies to enhance specific rituals, you can use them to charge your spells as well. This is an easy way to give your crystal magic for beginners a boost. Before performing a spell, you can write it down onto a piece of paper, fold up the paper, then place your crystal on top of it like a paperweight for some time.

Stones like quartz and amethyst are great general-purpose crystals to supercharge your spells. You can also use crystals as you would an athame or wand in directing energy, or arrange them within your circle or on your altar to direct energy. You can purchase crystals in shapes known as “points” for this purpose.

Divination

You can use crystals to enhance your divination. Just keep your favourite crystal (or two) nearby while reading tarot cards, runes, tea leaves, pendulums, scrying, etc.

Clear quartz, amethyst, lapis lazuli, and azurite work well to enhance divination. Choose crystals to include with which you feel a connection. Crystals can also be used in a more active role during divination, as in crystal throwing, yes/no, coupling with tarot cards, etc but this is outside the scope of this article. 

Scrying

Scrying is using an object for introspection, divination, or omens. Anything with a reflective surface can be used, and of course there is the iconic crystal ball.

Most crystal balls are made from clear quartz, ground into a sphere and polished. For something a bit natural, consider hematite. Hematite is great for grounding and protection, and its naturally reflective surface can be a great tool for scrying.

Tiger’s eye is also a very nice crystal to use for scrying. You can try different crystals until you feel one which feels right for you. Or, you may find that different crystals are suited to different types of scrying. Perhaps hematite works best when looking into yourself, but tiger’s eye may work better when intuiting about your career. Use your intuition.

Protection

The ancients used stones and crystals for their protective properties. They can be worn on your person or kept in areas you frequent to form a protective energy barrier.

Black tourmaline is by far the best crystal for protection. It absorbs negative energy and forms a protective shield around you. Tiger’s eye, hematite, onyx, and salt are also great spiritual protectors. Visualise these crystals forming a barrier between your space and external influences and energies.

Here are a few examples of how you can use crystals for protection:

• Protect your home from outside energies, toxic guests, and intruders with a crystal at your front door.
• Protect your home from within by placing crystals near the tv, phone, computer, or anywhere you receive outside contact. Prevent negativity from news channels and contact with friends and family.
• Wear crystals or carry them with you throughout the day. You can keep crystals that absorb and shield you from negative energy, but you can also keep ones that draw positive energies to you.

Wealth

Who doesn’t want more money in their life? Certain crystals are known for attracting wealth, improving luck, and increasing your abundance. Citrine and green aventurine is a great crystal which draws money towards you.

Keep a stone anywhere you can use some wealthy influence– your wallet, purse, workplace, etc. You can also keep a stone near items which symbolise wealth and success like a bank account statement, a business card, etc.

Love

Want more love in your life? Check out rose quartz as a first entry to love work. This crystal speaks directly to your heart chakra and can help you work on compassionate and romantic love. Keep the stone close to your heart. It works well for friends, neighbours, family, enemies (mend relationship), romantic partners, and on yourself!  You can use rose quartz to not only foster love towards others, but love of your own self. 

Want to spice things up? Connect with your lover, lower your inhibitions, and create an exciting energy in the bedroom. Try keeping a vibrant, deep red crystal near your bed like bloodstone, carnelian, or garnet. Ruby and pink tourmaline are also great. 

If you’re searching for love, try selenite, which is known as a love stone. It will create possibility for you where you previously thought none existed. You may meet a stranger, or a friend may suddenly become a romantic interest. It can also show you clarity about someone you may currently be pursuing or involved with.

Stress and Anxiety

We can all use something to take the edge off of our stressful days. Crystals like blue lace agate, amethyst, and green jade are natural soothers. Their energies release stress, promote relaxation, and calm the mind.

Try also incorporating crystals into your self-care rituals. Take a relaxing bath and anoint your bathtub with your healing crystals. Place them next to you as you cosy up with a book. Meditate with a crystal in each hand. Light some candles with your crystals next to you, and recline on your bed with your eyes closed for a few minutes.

Sleep and Dreamwork

Our unconscious world is just as large, if not larger, than our conscious one! So many things can go on while we sleep which we see in our dreams, and sometimes unfortunately, nightmares. Our dreams may convey hidden truths to us, tell us something which we are lacking in our lives, or foreshadow events.

To enhance your dreamwork, keep a piece of amethyst under your pillow. It will help to end nightmares, bring foreshadowing dreams, and help you to remember your dreams. You may also keep it near you during the daytime to aid in interpreting the dreams which you remember.

For help falling asleep, try keeping celestite near your body as bedtime nears. It helps to relax your mind from the day’s worries and allow natural sleepy feelings to come. Jasper and amethyst can be used for this purpose as well.

Combine stones for severe insomnia. In addition to keeping the stones next to you at bedtime, you can do a short bedtime ritual. In the ritual, hold the stone(s) and acknowledge to yourself that you are going to sleep. Let the stone help you drift off to a peaceful sleep and wake up feeling refreshed and renewed.

Communication

Have a big meeting coming up? Or maybe you have a difficult topic to discuss with a friend? Or maybe you struggle to get your ideas heard? All of these situations will benefit with crystal work. Use sapphire, chrysocolla, blue lace agate, and aquamarine have energies which are excellent for improving communication.

Use these stones to strengthen your voice, articulate your ideas, speak clearly, and convince others. Carry them with you during difficult conversations or presentations. You can also work on unblocking your throat chakra which is a channel for communication.

Creativity

Carnelian is a great stone to use to bring out your natural creativity. It can stimulate new ideas, tickle your imagination, give you a fresh perspective on stalled areas, boost originality, and light your inspiration. It helps to unblock the sacral chakra, which is your pathway to creativity.

Try reciting a mantra affirming your creativity like “I have endless creativity” whilst holding carnelian. You can also wear it on a ring or pendant in situations where you need to call on your creativity. For artists, writers, and designers, try decorating your workspace with carnelian.

Colour Correspondences

Crystals can also be used for their colour correspondences. This a great component of crystal magic for beginners because you don’t necessarily need to know all of the individual crystals. You can just learn about the colour families and use crystals within them.

It’s also good for newbies because it doesn’t require a large investment in a bunch of specialised crystals. You can just buy a couple of the more common crystals, a couple of crystals in particular colours you want to work with, and you’re good to go!

The colour of a crystal matters because colour is a function of light, and light is energy, so colour is energy too! Depending on a colour’s vibration, that crystal will carry certain qualities and affect certain areas of your life. Use the table below to help you choose what colours you want to work with.

Colour	Correspondence
Red	Passion, desire, strength, courage, self esteem, perseverance, revenge, ambition, combat
Pink	Love, attracting love, loving yourself, friendship, harmony, romance, healing, passion,
Orange	Emotional healing and balance, happiness, ending depression, kindness
Yellow	Opportunity, success, productivity, self esteem, confidence, positive thinking, optimism, empowerment
Green	Money, wealth, abundance, trust, new beginnings, change, success, grounding/Earth
Blue	Truth, wisdom, patience, communication, insight, calm, inspiration, opportunity
Purple	Intuition, psychic abilities, wisdom, spiritual growth, memory, forgiveness
White	Transformation, enlightenment, clarity, spirit world, introspection, outgoing
Black	Protection, creation, rebirth, karma, death
Brown	Generosity, nature, endurance, strength, new beginnings, safety
Gold	Money, wealth, power, success, drive, prosperity
Silver	Psychic abilities, mystery, foreshadowing

Advanced Crystal Magic for Beginners

Although it is beyond the scope of this article to get into more advanced techniques, it is good to know that they exist so you can research them later on if need be.

Balance Chakras

Chakras are focal points of energy within the body. There are seven chakras and each one is located in a particular place in the body from the spine base to the top of the head. Each chakra has a colour correspondence. Use the correspondence of each chakra to balance their energies.

We can use crystals in specific colours to magnify or dampen each chakra’s energy to achieve an overall balance. The actual type of stone can vary, but they must be a certain colour and energy type. Here is a quick overview with some example stones:

Chakra	Colour	Correspondences
Root Chakra	Red	Red jasper, bloodstone, fire agate, tiger’s eye
Sacral Chakra	Orange	Citrine, carnelian
Solar Plexus Chakra	Yellow	Malachite, citrine, topaz, orange calcite, yellow jade
Heart Chakra	Green	Rose quartz, jade, green tourmaline, green calcite, green aventurine
Throat Chakra	Blue	Lapis lazuli, turquoise, aquamarine
Third Eye Chakra	Indigo	Purple fluorite, black obsidian, amethyst
Crown Chakra	Purple or White	Amethyst, diamond, selenite, clear quartz

Crystal Grids

A very advanced application of crystals is to build a crystal grid. They are very powerful as they allow for a synergy between the energies of multiple crystals and sacred geometry (discussed earlier) which work to amplify your intention many times over.

Detailed knowledge of each crystal as well as familiarity with sacred geometries is required, so it takes a bit of experience and practice to build effective crystal grids. Check out my article on crystal grids to find out more.