Arguably one of the most divisive symbols known to man, the cross holds many misconceptions. Some shy away from it altogether, while some claim ownership of it. Regardless of the meaning you associate with it; the cross belongs to no one and everyone.
Aligned with the number four, the square, and the cube; the cross transcends spiritual beliefs because it is born out of sacred geometry. People can’t claim ownership of numbers. I mean, they can try, but the idea is kind of silly.
If we fold the cross, we get the cube. Through the lens of sacred geometry, the cube is thought to represent the physical world we live in. Associated with stability and enduring power, the cross is a symbol of profound strength and has been used by multiple systems of belief.
To understand the cross, think of the cube. Unlike a sphere it is unyielding, it will not roll or shift position. Unlike the pyramid, which is also known for its stability, the flat surfaces allow you to build one upon another. We can create and bond many cubes to create a larger surface to build upon. If we were to stand within a cube we could harmoniously align with others without confusion as everyone would have their own space, while no space is wasted between us. This is a strange thought I know, but these qualities all lie within the cross.
When we unfold that cube, we expand that energy of strength, stability, creation, protection, and harmony. We connect with each other while still maintaining who we are. This is where the energy of the cross can be found.
To better understand how this and other sacred geometry symbols work, please read the Creation – through the lens of sacred geometry article that can be found here.
Part of the feldspar mineral family, this crystal displays the unique quality of adularescence. This is that beautiful movement of color and light the originates from within the stone. Moonstone gets its name due to its resemblance to the glow of moonlight. Its energy works very similar in nature to lunar energy as well. The moon influences the Earth in many different ways, and often the influence varies depending on what else is going on near it, way out in space. Moonstones all take the energy around them, mix it with their own, transform it and then influence its surrounding in an entirely different way. It facilitates the act of creation.
The lore surrounding moonstone is as vast as the colors that it can be found in. Thought by some to be a gift between gods which resulted in the moonlight we know today, all versions of moonstone carry with it certain commonalities. Regardless of the lore you prefer to believe, they all share the idea of something being created out of only what is present. The concept of creation through transformation lies behind all of the stories. The ability to take the energy available and create something new is the number one strength within this stone. All of the colors resonate with this concept differently and the peach variety is the most soothing of the bunch.
Let’s think of this color moonstone as being comparable to a mother’s support. It lends the feeling that you are strong enough to accomplish any task, the inspirational “You can be anything” energy that can be felt when a loved one lends their strength. Providing the courage and determination required for transformation. The strength of this stone lies within its ability to promote change and the act of creation from within.
A few applications for this crystal are:
-Aids all manifesting and magical efforts
-Strengthens the auric field
-Stimulates creativity
-Inspires personal power
-Facilitates all healing efforts
-Strengthens conception and fertilization efforts *this can pertain to ideas and actions alike
-Promotes psychic development
-Strengthens clair-senses
-Promotes emotional understanding
-Promotes lucid and prophetic dreams
-Inspires positivity
-Promotes the willingness to give and receive love
-Stimulates the rise of kundalini energy
-Promotes honest self-expression
-Promotes self-acceptance
-Assists self-control
-Helps address and release negative behavioral patterns
-Strengthens connection to the higher self
-Enhances intuition
-Helps dispel nightmares
-Assists protection efforts by removing negative and stagnant energy
-Facilitates change and acceptance
-Allows one to see the truth of a situation
-Helps combat issues of unbalanced ego
-Facilitates meditation efforts
-Resonates best with the sacral chakra but cleanses and rejuvenates the entire energetic system
A form of volcanic glass sometimes referred to as the “Wizard Stone”, obsidian is a crystal that holds tremendous strength. Believed by some to be a protection crystal, this dark mineral is much more than that generic term. It has been used since ancient times by “average” people, magicians and shamans alike with one of its primary functions being both spiritual and physical. Obsidian comes with a natural reflective surface which allows it to be a perfect vessel for viewing. It was and still is used as a mirror to view what can be seen with the naked eye and more.
This is exactly how the energy of obsidian works as well. It reflects that which we need to see. It brings forth dis-ease within our system and forces us to see it. This is where the protection aspect comes into play which can be very off putting for some, depending on what form of dis-ease is present. For this reason, I don’t typically recommend obsidian for the intention of energetic protection as it can make things seem a worse before they get better and sometimes this isn’t always the best approach. If we are looking to use it for protective purposes; this is a great stone when you are needing to guard yourself against psychic attack, as it will recognize the foreign energy immediately and help send it back to where it came from.
The real strength of obsidian however, lies in its ability to help us address that which we would rather hide from – our own skeletons in the closet. It forces us to see ourselves as we are, flaws and all and facilitates the acceptance, healing, and growth past our own traumas and baggage so that the energy of the world can’t use those things to influence us in a negative way.
This is a stone that is not gentle with its approach to healing. It is born out of volcanic activity and holds that power within it. I like to approach working with this crystal the same as I would a volcano – with gentle, cautious respect. I say this because obsidian works very much like a volcanic eruption. It is capable of unleashing all that is hidden, all that causes blockages in one explosive burst; only once it does it doesn’t just vanish, all of that stuff needs to be addressed in order for that energetic lava to settle and be cleared away. As harsh as this crystal can be at times, it is an invaluable tool for helping to harmonize the conscious and shadow self, allowing us to know who we truly are and not just who we think we would like ourselves to be.
This is a perfect ally for personal growth, healing and divination alike. When used in divination efforts, it allows us to see a situation exactly as it is without our own personal filters getting in the way of interpreting messages from our higher self and spirit. Once that energetic lava settles, obsidian is a wonderful tool to help promote clarity and maintain energetic neutrality so that we can see the world and our place in it exactly as it is.
A few applications for this crystal are:
-Protects against electromagnetic fields
-Guards against psychic attack
-Draws out and transmutes stress and tension
-Facilitates emotional and energetic stability
-Helps find a creative way through problems
-Helps dispel nightmares
-Enhances intuition
-Strengthens clairvoyance
-Provides grounding energy
-Provides protection from hostility, negativity and psychic vampires
-Assists divination efforts
-Aides all healing efforts
-Facilitates astral travel and lucid dreaming
-Facilitates deep soul healing
-Assists in examining unresolved issues
-Helps accept and overcome trauma
-Facilitates past life healing
-Removes harmful attitudes that inhibit personal and spiritual growth
-Assists manifestation efforts
-Helps release behavioral patterns that no longer serve us
-Promotes self-control
-Helps detoxification efforts
-Assists meditation efforts
-Enhances confidence and personal power
There are different variations of obsidian, all holding the same strengths just with different specialties.
*Below is an excerpt from my book Crystals Book Two which is available on Amazon
Apache tear (also known as marekanite), will help resolve issues of grief and guilt. Helping us to face truths and accept them with grace.
Snowflake obsidian has small inclusions of cristobalite which brings with it the strength of calming waves of emotion, so this variation is a bit less aggressive than the “pure” (no inclusions) variety and will provide emotional support as you address your shadow self.
Rainbow obsidian has a more of a bit of a positive feel to it and this is due to the nanorods of hedenbergite that it contains. It will work to raise your spirits and greet your troubles with a more positive outlook. It helps one to see the rainbow that waits at the end of the storm that is healing.
Then there is fire obsidian with its inclusions of magnetite nanoparticles and this one helps draw out unbalanced energy and promotes a strong circulation of energy flow through all the chakras. This one will help to keep you balanced and grounded during your time exploring the shadows.
Mahogany obsidian occurs when it blends but does not mix. The molten obsidian has a high viscosity and doesn’t mix well with other molten minerals. Magma with hematite and iron blend with the molten obsidian and cool to form one mineraloid that has distinct separations. Like a candy cane with its two-colored sugars rolled into one, you have one piece of candy, but you can clearly see there are two separate candy sticks rolled into one perfect cane. This one helps to integrate what may seem like opposing energies and unifies them into balance. This can be in the form of personality traits, beliefs, or even externally by helping two people come together and resolve opposition. It helps to draw energies to common ground.
Silver & Gold sheen obsidian get their chatoyance from tiny gas bubbles that are trapped within, as well as microscopic bits of feldspar and or mica. While these are similar, they have very different feels to them. The silver resonates more with “lunar” energy while the gold is more of “sun”. This could mean many things depending on how you look at it. From my perspective, silver sheen helps to address the unseen, our dreams, or that which would be hidden. While the gold helps to shine a light on the areas of our physical life where we need to make changes.
The classic variety of obsidian works so well to facilitate protection by forcing us to face our true self, flaws and all. It helps us to reconcile the parts of ourselves that we may not want to fully embrace so that we are a unified “self”. When our light and dark blend in harmony as one, there are very few forces from the outside that can cause us harm. Obsidian is a must in any healer’s journey, but that place only comes after a strong foundation and understanding of our own energy is made.
Known as the Fire Stone by the Inuit people of Canada and believed to contain the Aurora Borealis, it is hard to deny the irresistible beauty and mystery of this crystal. In order to understand how this mineral works with energy, we are going to look at its physical characteristics and not the extensive lore.
Labradorite is feldspar mineral and that display of colorful rainbows comes not from the surface but from deep within the stone. This schiller effect is known as labradorescence. This amazing feature is actually born out of a developmental “error”, a mistake within the crystal structure. When the crystal encounters variations in temperature while forming, we end up with the phenomenon known as lamellar twinning. This is when there are three or more crystals (at a microscopic level) inter-growing together creating sheets of crystal lattice that mirror one another. There is a whole lot of more scientific words to describe this but our understanding of labradorite’s energy lies within these last few sentences.
That amazing mesmerizing color we see when we gaze into a Labradorite crystal is born out of a mistake. Only, there are no real mistakes here. We are going to quote the great Bob Ross and call this a “happy accident”. Something that maybe didn’t go according to “plan”, but the result is a beautiful surprise. Often when we encounter something that isn’t part of the plan, we find disappointment instead of finding the happy accident within the change. We focus on what we don’t have instead of what we have to work with. This creates personal roadblocks. These things can be situational or deeply personal and regardless of the details labradorite facilitates the acceptance of the happy accident. A stone of change and empowerment, it shines a light on the options available and lends the strength to embrace how things are as opposed to how we want them to be.
For a long time, I struggled to explain this stone. It is said to be a stone of magic one with strong manifesting abilities. This holds truth, but why and when is it effective? This stone brings out our inner self. This seems like a great thing but if we avoid who we are and all we are made of this, creates conflict and will result in the opposite effect of manifesting. When I say our true self, that includes all good and all that we hide in the shadows as well – our perceived negative traits. When faced with these “errors” we can become overwhelmed, especially if we are not prepared for this to be a result of working with a particular crystal. However, if we can approach working with this stone as knowing we will encounter our own “happy accidents” the result will be an energy shift of change towards personal empowerment. This is the ultimate stone that displays the beauty, strength and magic we all have within ourselves.
A few applications for this crystal are:
-Amplifies all psychic/spiritual “abilities” *recommended that you have “mastered” your grounding, shielding and self healing prior to working with this stone for the best results
-Aids all manifesting efforts
-Strengthens connection to spirit
-Strengthens connection to higher self
-Increases energy flow through all chakras and auric field
-Assists with shadow work efforts
-Facilitates inspiration and creativity
-Promotes clear communication
-Connects one to inner guidance
-Aids meditation efforts
-Stimulates spiritual “visions” & journeying
-Enhances telepathy
-Aids acceptance and healing of trauma
-Promotes compassion
-Aids past life recall
-Facilitates lucid dreaming and astral travel
-Promotes dream recall
-Awakens a sense of adventure & zest for life
-Brings balance to the elemental forces within one’s self
-Helps recognize and release destructive behavioral and emotional patterns
-Aids all divination efforts
-Inspires a sense of wonder and promotes faith in the unknown
This uplifting crystal is a variation of quartz that has layers of iron oxide coating within the quartz, resulting in a golden hue. Thought by many to harness a powerful frequency of positivity; the energy of iron is amplified by the crystal quartz that surrounds it. Iron itself has a long history of being used to fortify and protect. Used to stabilize and strengthen both energetic and in “real world” applications, iron helps to reinforce the structure that is working behind the scenes.
By reinforcing the energetic pathways within our “structure”, the golden healer works to usher in life force energy while clearing blockages and stagnant energy. This crystal brings with it strong high vibrational energy in a soothing and calming way as it facilitates a connection between spirit and all living things. This crystal holds its greatest power in reinforcing the connection to the true self. As a master healer, it is a beneficial tool in all healing efforts and works wonderfully to both raise vibrations and strengthen the clarity and quality of intentions resulting in more successful healings and manifestation efforts.
Some applications for this crystal are:
-Associated with all Zodiac signs and the Sun
-Resonates best with the solar plexus chakra
-Increases creativity
-Boosts confidence and self-esteem
-Attracts success and prosperity
-Strengthens communication with spirit
-Aids astral travel and lucid dreaming
-Strengthens spiritual and psychic abilities
-Facilitates the discovery of one’s spiritual “purpose”
-Provides the focus needed for meditation
-Promotes honesty and integrity
-Promotes overall healing
-Enhances the circulation of life force energy through the entire system
Out of the Void 