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AKA: The basic science behind crystal-related metaphysics / Information about these semi-precious minerals!

Photo: Cave of Crystals, Mexico

Hello there ~! As a witch and a constant crystal user, I have come across my fair share of skeptics. These people may have even presented themselves to you at one time; claiming that ‘crystal magick’ or ‘crystal healing’ methods are not at all effective or real, and giving you a bit of grief for your crystal usage and beliefs. Well, I’m here to give you a nice long post on the physics and properties of metaphysical stones! I also figured it would be nice to have an explanation post going around for all those who work with stones and crystals, yet have never considered the science behind their energies. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I feel that this is the type of post that will collect a few comments in my ask, so please be sure to handle any comments/questions you may have with patience, and I will gladly chat with you about the contents of this post! On the other hand, aggressive and/or rude messages will be deleted, if they should reach my message box ~ Thank you

Energy Explaination ◊

Crystals and stones have been treasured and sought after for hundreds of years and used in nearly every culture of the world. Not only are they beautiful, collectable, and make wonderful jewelry or trinkets; but crystals are very powerful subjects for energy movement and manipulation! These precious minerals use a type of energy called

* Piezoelectricity *

Which is a huge factor in why many crystals are commonly used to transmit energy in technology and devices, such as the computer or phone you may be reading this from. Along with the ability to transmit, they can also take in, enhance, or ‘mingle’ with the natural energies from your own body or with the energies of another organism/object to produce a desired outcome!

The chemical makeup of each type of stone determines what exactly it’s own energy will do when combined with a persons’ natural energy, and because everyone has a different energy, this is also the reason why we all have different responses to the energies of varying stones. 

For example, although Rose Quartz and Smokey Quartz may both be in the same family of stone, their differences in formation and make-up will act in different ways. 

Here are some interesting informational posts that go deeper into crystal energies and makeup:

Pizeoelectricity: What is it?

Scientific Build of a Crystal

Quartz Crystal in Technology

The Natural Forming Process of Crystals - Smithsonian

How Shape Effects Energy ◊

Crystals, not only those used for jewelry, are often cut into specific shapes and sizes for personal use. Among the most common types are spherical/tumbled, pointed, and obilisk ~  And although you might not have considered the shape while thinking about crystal healing, meditation, or magick, it still plays an relatively important role! Here are a list of shapes and their best uses, as known by myself and collected from various sources:

(Cut) Pointed: Best used when energy is meant to be concentrated and strongly ‘pointed’ in only one specific direction. If a stone has more than one point, the energy will also tend to shoot in those multiple directions. (The second portion of this definition also fits for a crystal cluster piece, though those points are naturally formed rather than cut)

Raw/Natural: (Can included naturally pointed) Much like a crystal’s natural and seemingly random shape of growth, the energy of a raw stone will come out in a ‘blotted’ manner, and will most likely be emitted in different directions and frequencies from different areas of the stone, determined by the formation.

Spherical: The energies of a crystal sphere, much like those used for crystal ball scrying and divination, come out in a round and even manner; the smoother and more even the spherical shape of the ball, the smoother the energy will emit. Because it is completely round, energy will emit from all areas of the ball in even amounts.

Tumbled: (Similar to spherical) Crystals and stones that have been ‘tumbled’, or smoothed out - yet not into a sphere, will behave similar to the shape above. Although, because they are not completely round (just ‘soft-edged’) the energy will slightly differ in means of even-ness to that of a sphere.

Obilisk: A stronger version of the (cut) pointed stone, as the bottom of an obilisk-shaped crystal is solidly flat, and allowing for a more ‘grounded’ directional energy. Because these are meant to be displaced standing and pointing upwards, they are best used when energy is needed to be pointed up.

Now that I know these things, what could I do with crystals? ◊

Meditate with them

Create “Crystal Grids” ~ Tutorial post here

Aline and balance your bodys’ natural energy points with crystals (Also known as ‘Chakras’, first introduced in Hindu texts)

Use stones and crystals to create a desired effect or feeling (They can be used for love, physical & mental healing, focus, grounding, balancing, communication, emotional subjects, strengthening mental/metaphysical abilities, cleansing, etc.) ~ List of Crystal Properties (by name)

Create amulets from stones/crystals

Craft them into keychains/pocket keepsakes to carry with you for everyday use (Be sure to take gentle care of softer stones that scratch easily!)

Mixing up a gem elixer (see tips below; some stones are toxic to water)

And many more! While I could not list everything you could possibly do with these treasured pieces of earth, there are likely more options that I have never even explored myself

Extra Crystal Tips ◊

Some stones are toxic to water, and/or may ruin or dissolve when come in contact with it! Click HERE for a list of crystals that do not enjoy water, along with the materials that make them this way 

In metaphysics, crystal magick, and technology, quartz is the universal substitute for all stones. Quartz can be physically and technologically programmed with an extremely high amount of data, and can also be programmed with intent for personal, healing, and magickal use. Think of quartz as the ‘empty jar’ of crystals: filled with possibility

When buying stones and crystals online, make absolute sure that you order from someone who a.) has positive and over 10+ reviews, and b.) will be willing to tell you the EXACT measurements and dimensions of the product. Too many online stores will trick you into buying a stone that is smaller than you were led to think upon purchase! I also recommend buying from someone who will provide insurance over fragile crystals possibly broken during shipping

When cleansing them, be sure to choose a method that is best for each type of stone. Some may fade in sunlight, dissolve or ruin in water, react badly with salt, etc. Do your research!

If the chemical makeup of a lab-produced crystal is the exact same to the makeup of a naturally-formed one, the only things that will differ between the stones are the frequency rates of energy they emit (a lab-produced stone would not be as powerful as a naturally formed one), and the energies they contain. Contained energies aren’t so important as the frequencies, as stones and crystals can be “cleansed” (cleared out / turned into a ‘blank-slate’) by multiple methods.

If you are wondering whether or not you have any crystal/mineral stores near you, try searching google maps with the terms “crystal”, “mineral”, or “metaphysical” - as these will usually yield the best results!

After acquiring a stone, it is best to cleanse out the energies that may have been transferred into it by the formation process or by other people handling it

If you feel fatigued, sick, head/body pain, or any sort of discomfort while using a stone for metaphysical purposes (on more than one occasion) give it a good cleanse before further use

Thank you for reading!

I hope everyone learned a thing or two from this gathering of information, and as always, feel free to send me any questions or comments you may have! I’m sure I will think of a few more things to add to this post, so similar to my Witch Types post, I may post updated versions as needed.

I want to pick out this very important transitory phrase in your essay, in which you go from talking about facts about piezoelectricity, to a huge leap in speculation on what you think piezoelectricity does to the human body:

“Along with the ability to transmit, they can also take in, enhance, or ‘mingle’ with the natural energies from your own body or with the energies of another organism/object to produce a desired outcome! “

Your entire claim seems to be resting on the idea that piezoelectricity is the “energy” that people claim crystals have that can have physical effects on us, such as rose quartz imparting feelings of love or amethyst imparting healing. You are demonstrating a serious misunderstanding of the parameters of piezoelectricity.

To explain it in very simple terms, certain organic materials (and some synthetic ones), to include some forms of crystal, as well as dry bone, wood and others, are what is known as piezoelectric. When you squeeze or otherwise put pressure on a piezoelectric material, it emits a very small electric charge, and when you subject it to an electric charge it physically vibrates. Piezoelectricity is a response to physical or electrical stimulus on the material in question; it is not something that just emanates like radiation from the crystal.

The reason quartz is used in watches and other sensitive equipment is that it converts electrical to mechanical (vibration) energy at a very predictable rate. The battery emits electricity at precise intervals, the quartz vibrates, the watch ticks.

If you squeeze a quartz crystal in your hand hard enough, maybe you’ll get a teensy electric charge, but not enough to really register–you certainly won’t shock yourself. And you won’t get any magical healing powers. Moreover, there is absolutely no proof that the minute vibrations/charges of piezoelectricty have anything more than a strictly mechanical effect.

Everything else “energy” in this post, to include “frequencies” and the like, is all speculation at best. There are no solid scientific studies proving amethyst can heal or anything else of that nature, outside of confirmation bias. (Please familiarize yourself with confirmation bias before telling me “But I held a crystal in my hand for five minutes and my headache went away!”) Don’t forget the placebo effect, either, or the difference between correlation and causation. 

“But maybe we just haven’t determined the causative link between crystals and healing! Maybe piezoelectricity has healing powers!” If it does, we haven’t discovered hard, irrefutable evidence of it yet. And believe me, in a capitalist society we’ll harness anything that can make money. If holding quartz crystals had actual, verifiable effects on one’s health, don’t you think someone in the medical industry would have capitalized on that by now?

Moreover, it’s bad science to say “well, there’s electrical energy in crystals, therefore that proves my belief that crystals have magical powers!” Research has not borne that out (again, let me remind people that anecdotes are NOT research.) If you are going to try to use science to prove your point, at least use the proper parameters of science, not speculation. 

Finally, you don’t have to have a formal scientific background to understand the basics of the scientific method. My formal training is all in the humanities, but the graduate-level courses I took in research methods and statistics for my psych degree were more than sufficient. I am a pagan, yes, but I am a naturalist pagan, which means that I don’t use supernatural explanations to try to explain natural phenomena. It also means I’m skeptical, particularly when pagans and similar folk try to misuse science to prove things like crystal energies. 

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