Working with Crystals: The Magic of Crystal Grids

 I was a total rock hound as a kid. I remember the amazing gifts sent from my aunt and uncle; wall hangings with rainbows made of crystal studded pipe cleaners, little heart-shaped rocks embellished with lavender springs and tiny quartz points. When we visited my relatives in Montana, I was enamored in the rock stores. Our big family vacation out west was when I collected my first piece of amethyst. I still have it. 

My first amethyst

As a teenager I moved away from crystals and gravitated toward people. I remember a friend pressing a piece of rose quartz into my palm and asking me to feel the essence of the rock. 

I thought she was a nut. 

Looking back, she was probably telling me I needed a bit more love in my life! 

At this juncture of my life, I am proud to say that yes, I can feel the essence of that rock. I have embraced crystals and their magic, and I hope to share some of their magic with you!

I Feel You

My favorite crystal friend: selenite

During my spiritual awakening, I would head home from work, totally drained and down-in-the-dumps.

 Until I stumbled across a local rock and mineral store. I realized I could FEEL the selenite, the salt lamps, and that many of the crystals had their own unique energy.

It was an automatic energy reset for me.

Heaven.

It wasn’t always great for my wallet, though. My partner didn’t bat an eye when a 30 pound slab of selenite wound up in our family room. (There may have been a twitch there for a hot minute.)

Over time I started amassing a nice collection.

Having the crystals around was an energy boost. I started spending more time with them, got to know some of my favorites, and how people used them. 

I started carrying crystals in my left pocket, or wore them on my left wrist (energy flows in the left side of the body). I’d sleep with crystals under my pillow or on the nightstand. My girlfriend even gifted me a beautiful handmade scarf with a built-in pocket and hidden zipper…what went into it? 

Crystals.

Losing the Sparkle

Photo by Studio Kealaula on Unsplash

I noticed, eventually, that the crystals at home didn’t have that same lift as they did in the store. I initially thought it might have been quantity. But even if I filled a room with them, after a certain period of time, they lost that little zip. Their sparkle.

I also noticed that a certain turquoise bracelet I wore to help with communication had an imperfectly perfect crack in a stone. It was an antique from my Great Great Aunt Helen (who was also a teacher). It was starting to send off some funky energy and I didn’t want to wear it anymore. I let it be until I could have someone take a peek at it.

I have a friend who is an amazing energy healer; she is a Reiki master and very clairsentient.  When she looked at the bracelet, she could tell what I was talking about-a negative icky feeling coming from the cracked stone. Our theory was that when I was having a conversation with someone who was negative and overstepping their boundaries, I swallowed my response and did not speak up, choosing to walk away and keep the peace. This person would never understand my perspective. It wasn’t worth my time or effort. I could tell part of me wanted to get my truth out-and that this turquoise stone collected some of the negativity from the encounter. (Turquoise is a wonderful healing stone for the throat chakra.)

That got my attention.

I started digging into using crystals for healing.

I learned about clearing negative energy from crystals, and replacing the negative with positive energy and intention. 

It was then I noticed that spark and zip coming back into my stones. 

They had been doing their job very well, trying to keep up with my overly empathic nature, by clearing my energy daily. 

They just needed some TLC of their own. 

As I started to treat them as friends, and with the respect they deserved, their energy became so much more clear and powerful.

Then I learned about amplifying their energy through crystal grids.

Crystal Grids

A crystal grid programmed with the energy of self-love. Tune into the picture anytime you need a boost!

Crystal grids harness the power of clear intention-and the crystals’ energy-using the shape of sacred geometry for healing or manifestation.

I started experimenting with different layouts, different types of crystals- adding in tumbled stones, raw crystals, regular rocks, shells, beach glass, feathers, flowers, or other natural objects. Certain items worked better than others. (I think this is entirely personal, and depends on your own likes and energetic vibration. For instance, I like to work with raw and tumbled stones-other folks swear by crystal points only.)

When it comes to gridding, it boils down to your wishes and intentions. 

Desire is a potent manifesting tool. 

As I programmed grids (you can see an example of my older work on my IG handle @theleafheartpath), certain grids would send out incredibly palpable positive vibrations. They felt like a light massage all over your body. These feelings would get more intense the closer you got to the grid. 

AND, people who came into my home would act in accordance with the grids while they were present. If there was a grid for peace, people would be very chill. For joy? Folks were giddy. 

After a few weeks, the grids would start to lose their oomph, sort of like something hitting an expiration date-and it was time to take them down, clear them, and program them into something new.

Creating Your Crystal Grid

Photo by Darius Bashar on Unsplash

So how do you set up a crystal grid? 

First, you need a positive intention for yourself, or for the world (if you are sharing with the collective). 

Second, find some crystals that vibe with your wish. As I mentioned earlier, each crystal has its own unique energy signature, and some are better suited for certain intentions than others. You can find LOADS of information out there about crystals and their purposes. I’ll be adding information on crystal types down the road here, too. However, it doesn’t matter if your crystals aren’t perfectly suited for your intention. If you are trying to boost creativity and can’t find citrine or carnelian-it’s OK! Crystals want to work with you. As long as you give them a job, they will be happy!

If you are into sacred geometry, you’ll next want to look into the best grid shapes to support your intentions. It is thought that the shape of the grid can harness the properties of sacred geometry and amplify your grid. (I’m more into doing grids with my intuition, but to each their own.)

You’ll want to make sure your crystals are clear of any stagnant or negative energy. You can do this in many ways; holding them with intention, using Reiki, clear and cold running water (be careful with your water soluble friends), burying them in loamy dirt or sand for a while, moonlight, and sunshine (be careful again, some colors fade in UV light). 

Big tip: Make sure your own energy is clear as you handle your friends from this point on. 

Crystals want to help and will do so. If you are carrying around astral debris and negativity from a difficult day, do some meditation and ask your favorite Archangel or Ascended Master to clear your energy for you. Being in a positive place yourself will help you to better connect with the crystals’ frequencies. You are more likely to feel their positive vibrations and you won’t put your own extra stuff into them accidentally.

When your crystals are sparkly and happy, it’s time to program them. Tell each crystal your intention as you place it on the grid. I talk to each one out loud and repeat the same intention for each stone, so they are all working in tandem. Begin with your master or center crystal (usually a big one here is nice), and add in crystals where your attention draws you. 

After all your crystals are placed, you activate the grid by using another crystal (a wand, quartz point, etc.) You tell the activator crystal your intention, and repeat the intention out loud as you hover over each crystal in the grid. It’s sort of like connecting lines in a dot-to-dot picture. This is when the energy really starts to build. You can feel it in your gut as you are working. My hands and face get extremely hot during this portion of the gridding. When you are done using your activating crystal and repeating the intention (for as long as you’d like), your grid is complete.

I usually leave the grid up between 48 hours and a week or two before the energy clears out or I reach a goal.

A Purpose

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

I have used crystal grids for in-person cord cutting sessions and private healing sessions. They are a wonderful addition to Reiki appointments or massage therapy. They can also be created and photographed for clients as the energy will reside in the photos forever. 

Grids are also very effective for manifestation, self-healing, amplifying prayer, and sending energy to the collective (as in a shared photo or blog post). There are stunning works of art where artists and healers glue down their programmed crystals and frame the pieces using smaller crystals. Other folks enjoy the impermanence of crystal gridding, and the idea that we can always be creating something new using the same pieces.

Keep in mind, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to crystal gridding. It can be a joyful intuitive experiment, using trial and error to see what resonates the most with you.

Intuition and intention are the true magic here.

Enjoy experimenting with your grids!

I’d love to hear about your experiences, and see your pieces! Drop a comment in the box below to share your crystal gridding tips and stories. Most importantly, have FUN!

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