The Power of Stones

Recently I've been reading more into the esoteric or magical properties of gems, stones, and crystals. I had a cursory knowledge of this area of magic before but had never taken much interest in it as far as actual practice though. That has changed recently and I picked up a few specimens at a recent metaphysical fair to get me started.

My opinion on the power of stones is that they are a way to trigger things within us as well as ways for us to focus on particular energies. I'm not sure if stones have any intrinsic power unrelated to what we give to them but I don't doubt that they have power within the context of magic and mysticism. I've actually acquired a couple of stones specifically to help me out with my astral projection project.

Stones aren't anything new in magic but the New Age movement has brought the use of crystals and semi-precious stones more into the mainstream. As with just about anything New Age there seems to be quite a bit of conflicting information concerning individual stones. One source will attribute certain properties and another source will attribute different ones. Most of the time these properties are fairly similar or at least related and I've not come across too many outright contradictions between sources. That said, I use what sources tell me as guidelines. I realize that a particular stone may not behave the same for different people so I trust my gut. As cheesy as it may sound I think the best approach is to let the stone tell me what it can do rather than other people.

Even if one doesn't use stones in their own practice they may wish to look into the folklore associated with specific stones as it's rather fascinating. For anyone studying mysticism or esoterica the folklore surrounding stones can be informative of how a certain culture saw the world around them and the stones they pulled from the earth. It provides a window into our ancestors' minds in a way. For the student that actively engages in magic, folklore can provide ideas and inspiration.

Something worth mentioning for the person that may be interested in getting started with stones is that most stones are not very expensive. The most expensive piece I purchased recently was a tumbled celestite for $3.50. Prices can be much lower for raw stones such as the small amethyst point I bought for 75 cents a few months ago. Naturally, the higher the quality or value of the specimen the more it's going to cost, but getting started with a few basic stones with lots of ascribed attributes can be done for $10 or less depending on what specific stones you're looking for.

If anyone has any tips or tricks related to stone, gem, or crystal magic then feel free to share in the comments below. Here is a link to a site that I've found has some associations and correspondences for some stones I've found missing in the books I have that discuss the subject:

Psychic Revelation - Crystal Properties & Uses