How to Use Crystals: Grids, Pendulums & More

Looking to gain a deeper understanding of crystals and gemstones? In this post, learn how to use crystals for energy protection, inner healing, manifestation, and more.

Crystals and Gemstones

You don’t need to have any special superpowers to work with crystals and gemstones.

You just need an open heart, an open mind, and trust in your own innate intuition.

If you’re looking to incorporate crystals in your daily life, I’ve included everything you need to get started below: how to cleanse, program, and use your crystals, plus how to use crystal grids and pendulums.

I’ve also included a section on using crystals for manifestation as well as the best crystals for beginners. Finally, throughout this post, you’ll find links to crystals and accessories you can purchase today.

It may seem like an overwhelming amount of information at first, but I’ve simplified it into the most basic steps. Once you get started, you’ll find that using crystals and gemstones in your daily life is very easy—and also very worthwhile.

In This Article

• How to Cleanse Crystals
• How to Program Crystals
• How to Use Crystals
• How to Use Crystal Grids
• How to Use Crystal Pendulums
• How to Use Crystals for Manifestation
• Best Crystals for Beginners

How to Cleanse Crystals

When you first purchase or receive a crystal, it’s likely touched many hands before you. It may have had a previous owner, or it may have traveled long distances in a shipping container.

However your crystal comes to you, you can bet that it still holds the energy of the people and places it’s been in contact with.

That’s why cleansing your crystals after you receive them is so important. By cleansing your crystal, you’re starting with a blank energy slate, and you can then intentionally program it with your own positive energy.

Additionally, you should cleanse your crystal regularly, especially if it’s part of a piece of jewelry you wear often or if it’s one that you carry with you throughout the day. Your crystals continue to hold and store energy, and if they’re holding onto too much energy, they start to lose their effectiveness.

Cleansing your crystals releases this energy and allows them to be fully effective for you.

Luckily, cleansing crystals is easy. Use any of the methods below for cleansing your crystals to release trapped and stored energy within.

Water: For this method, I like to use clean, natural water like a creek, river, or stream, but it’s totally okay to use a faucet as well. Hold your stone beneath the surface or underneath the running water to cleanse. Just make sure to first do a quick Google search or consult a book on crystals to make sure water is safe for your stone. You don’t want to use this method for soft stones like Selenite.

Use Selenite or Clear Quartz: Selenite and Clear Quartz are unique in that they’re able to cleanse and purify other crystals. Lay your crystal on a piece of Selenite or Clear Quartz for at least 24 hours. If you can’t place your crystal on top, you can also place them side-by-side with their edges touching.

Nature: Nature is a powerful healer, not just for humans but for crystals as well. Lay your crystals out in nature and let them experience the healing presence of the earth for a day. You can place crystals on the soil, on a tree branch, on a potted plant, among the blades of grass, in your garden, or anywhere else outside where you feel a sense of peace and harmony.

Sun: Many crystals love the bright energy and light of the sun. Just make sure first that this is safe for your stone. Some stones, like Amethyst, shouldn’t be placed directly in the sun for too long.

Moon: You can place your crystals outside overnight anytime, but this is especially powerful during the Full Moon when the moonlight is brightest.

How to Program Crystals

Programming crystals is all about setting intentions. This allows you to align with why you chose this crystal and what guidance, answers, or healing it can provide for you.

It helps to come up with a sentence or two that aligns with the intention you want to set.

For instance, if you want to embrace more creativity in your life, your intention might be, “I am filled with inspired ideas and unlimited creativity. Limitless creativity is always at my fingertips.”

For protection from external negative energy, your intention may be, “I am protected from negative energy. All of the energy that flows within and around me supports my highest good and total well-being.“

To begin programming your crystal, find a quiet spot where you’ll be free from outside distractions. You may want to light candles or cleanse your space before you begin. Do what feels most comfortable for you.

Hold your crystal within your palm and close your eyes. Visualize your intentions coming to life. For instance, to manifest more creativity, visualize yourself living your most creative life. Feel the positive feelings associated with embracing your inner creativity. Continue your visualization until you feel that the crystal has been programmed with your intention. (This will simply be an inner knowing.)

Some people like to begin by raising their crystal to their lips and gently blowing on the crystal. As you breathe, internally state your intention, repeating this for several minutes. If this practice feels comfortable for you, you can add it to your programming ritual.

• You May Also Like: 7 Grounding Crystals and Stones for Stability & Protection

How to Use Crystals

There are several ways you can use crystals, some of which are more passive and others that require more active involvement. Even during the more passive practices, though, it’s still important to keep your intention in mind. Return to this intention throughout the day, and acknowledge the work your crystal is doing for you.

Wear Crystals as Jewelry: Rings, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings aren’t only beautiful, but they offer an easy way to keep your crystals nearby throughout the day. By wearing your gemstones as jewelry, your chosen stones can protect your energy, calm your mind, and soothe your spirit.

Meditate With Crystals: If you already have a meditation practice, or are looking to start one, crystals can be a profound addition to your practice. As you meditate, you can hold your crystal(s) in your palms or near your heart center. You can also place the stones over their corresponding energy center (chakra) while laying down. To learn more about chakras, check out my introduction to your body’s energy centers. I also have a guide on specific chakra healing crystals and stones.

Keep in Your Office/Workspace: Keep your gemstones visible in your office or workspace, or if you have a job that requires you to walk around, see if you can keep it in your pocket or somewhere accessible to you. Blue Lace Agate is the perfect crystal to keep with you while you work as it calms your mind, soothes your spirit, and helps you to maintain tranquility. Black Tourmaline is another one of my favorites because it protects you from external negative energy.

Create a Sacred Space: Crystals, candles, essential oils, pillows, books, plants . . . any and all of these components can be used to create a sacred space for yourself. Whatever you want to include, make your sacred space your own. Allow it to be a safe place filled with positive, healing energy. You can fill your sacred space with as many crystals as you want. Allow this to be a place where you can meditate, journal, or simply sit and hold your crystals, restoring harmony and peace within. For creating your own sacred space, check out my in-depth guide on how to create the perfect meditation table for you.

Create a Crystal Grid: More on this below!

How to Use Crystal Grids

A crystal grid is a special geometric layout of stones formed with a specific intention in mind, such as to heal one or more of your chakras. The central stone in the grid corresponds with your intention, and the surrounding stones amplify your intentions and support the flow of positive energy.

To begin creating your grid, you first want to set your intention. Why are you creating this grid today? Know that there are no wrong answers. Maybe you want to manifest abundance. Maybe you want to align with your higher self. Or maybe you want to cultivate the courage and strength to make a big step in your personal life.

Whatever your intention is, take a moment to align with it and allow it to guide you as you create your grid.

After you’ve set your intention, you can begin creating your grid. To do this, you’ll want to pick your grid shape (triangle, circle, square) and which crystals and gemstones you want to incorporate into your crystal grid.

Choose crystals that coincide with your intention. For instance, if your intention is to open your heart and cultivate more self-love, you might incorporate crystals such as Rose Quartz, Rhodonite, Pink Opal, and Clear Quartz.

Place the stone that most powerfully resonates with your intention in the center; this is called the Anchor Stone. Place the other stones around the Anchor Stone in the specific layout you’ve chosen. If this is your first time creating a crystal grid, it may help to use a grid template. You can find some on Amazon (I’ve linked to a few below) or online. I really like this article from Love & Light School of Crystal Therapy on how to create a crystal grid, and it also includes links to a free template pack.

You don’t have to only include crystals in your grid, though. Do you have a special item that represents unconditional love to you? Use this powerful loving energy in your grid.

Finally, you can activate the grid by stating your intention aloud. You can also use a clear quartz point to activate your crystal grid. The article I linked to above gives a detailed explanation on how to use a clear quartz point to activate your grid.

Now that your crystal grid is ready, you’ll want to make a point of sitting with your grid daily to connect with its energy. I like to do this through meditation, but if you don’t meditate, you can simply sit in front of it. Think back to your intention. If your intention is to cultivate more self-love and self-compassion, feel the energy of unconditional love flowing to and through you.

How to Use Crystal Pendulums

A pendulum is a string, cord, or chain with a small object at the end. This object is usually a triangular shaped crystal, but some pendulums will have objects made of wood, stone, metal, or glass on the end.

Pendulums are most often used to gain clarity and insight into a question or issue you may be having. The practice of crystal dowsing or pendulum dowsing means to use your pendulum to receive guidance on a situation you may be dealing with.

There’s no rules about what kind of situation this might be, or whether it’s objectively big or small. You might turn to your pendulum for help on finding your lost car keys or for guidance on what to eat for dinner tonight. You can also turn to it for guidance on whether you should leave your job or move across the country or fully commit to that new person you’ve started seeing.

There’s a lot more to be said about the power of the pendulum, and if you’re curious to learn more, I encourage you to read my blog post on all things pendulum-related here.

For this post, we’re going to skip right to the how-to’s: how to use a crystal pendulum to receive guidance on any situation you may be encountering in your current experience.

Before you use your pendulum, you’ll want to cleanse and charge it as outlined in the steps for cleansing and programming crystals above. Consider the time you spend working with your pendulum to be sacred, removing distractions so that you can focus solely on the connection between you and the pendulum.

Here are the essential steps for using a pendulum. Again, I go into a bit more detail in the blog post I linked to above.

1. Sit in a comfortable position holding your pendulum between your thumb and forefinger (using your dominant hand). Hold the pendulum out in front of you until it becomes motionless.
2. If this is the first time you’re using your pendulum, you’ll want to learn how it communicates. To do this, you can simply say, “Please show me a yes response.” Patiently watch and wait for the pendulum to start moving; it might move side-to-side, back-and-forth, clockwise, or counterclockwise. Make note of the direction it moves. This is your “yes” response. Do the same thing for a “no” response. If you’d like, you can also ask for a “maybe” or “neutral” response. You can also ask questions you already know the answer to, such as your name, birthday, and where you live. Just make sure to formulate your questions in a “yes/no” format.
3. Once you’re comfortable with your pendulum and understand how it communicates, you can begin asking it deeper questions. (Or keep it lighthearted, if you’d like.) Just remember to phrase your questions to have yes/no answers, and be as specific as possible to get clear answers
4. You can also use your pendulum for help finding lost items or people. If you lost your keys, hold the pendulum over a map of your house and let it lead you to the right location. On a larger scale, you can hold the pendulum over a map of a city, state, or even the world.
5. Again, for deeper insight into pendulums, I definitely encourage you to check out my post, How to Use a Pendulum (A Complete Guide).

How to Use Crystals for Manifestation

Manifestation is the practice of visualizing your dreams and vibrating at the frequency of your desires as if they’ve already come true. This belief is rooted in the idea that what we give out, we get back.

So if you vibrate at the frequency of love, you attract more love to you. If you vibrate at the frequency of abundance, you attract more abundance to you. And if you vibrate at the frequency of joy, you attract more joyful experiences into your life.

So how exactly do crystals help with manifestation? Crystals help you to become the energy of what it is that you want to manifest. They restore harmony and balance within you and empower you to live as your highest and most authentic self.

If you want to manifest love, your chosen crystal isn’t simply helping you to attract love; it’s gently guiding you to release any blockages and barriers you may have to receiving love and helping you to heal any inner pain you’re still holding onto.

Your crystal will guide you to cultivate a deep sense of love within so that you truly become the embodiment of love. And by becoming the embodiment of love, you become a magnet for more love to flow into your life.

To use crystals for manifestation, you’ll want to follow the steps outlined above for cleansing and programming crystals. My favorite way to program a crystal for manifestation is to hold it in my hands during meditation and visualize my dreams and desires coming true while feeling all of the positive, high-vibe emotions related to my dreams.

Below, I’ve listed some of the powerful crystals that help with manifesting different emotions and experiences into your life. You can use any of the methods I outlined in the How to Use Crystals section to help you get started with using crystals to manifest what you desire. I will note that when it comes to using crystals for manifestation, I recommend being intentional with placement whenever possible.

If you’re keeping a crystal nearby, think of the ways you can amplify the crystal’s powers. For instance, if you want to manifest financial abundance, you might keep a small Citrine crystal in your wallet or purse. Want to manifest creative ideas? Keep a Carnelian gemstone in your creative studio or with all of your art supplies.

Crystals for Manifestation

• Manifest Abundance: Citrine, Pyrite, Clear Quartz, Tiger’s Eye
• Manifest Love: Rose Quartz, Rhodonite, Pink Topaz, Emerald
• Manifest Friendship: Pink Opal, Citrine
• Manifest Health: Garnet, Bloodstone, Clear Quartz, Selenite
• Manifest Creativity: Carnelian, Citrine, Amethyst

To boost your manifestation powers, pair the crystals above with Aventurine, Goldstone, or Jade, which are all powerful amplifier crystals.

Best Crystals for Beginners

If you’re just starting your crystal collection, I’ve listed some of the best crystals to start with below. However, don’t be afraid to walk into a crystal shop or scroll through an online crystal store and simply find the ones that speak to you. When I bought my first crystal, I knew absolutely nothing about crystals and simply admired them for their beauty. I picked out a beautiful Amethyst crystal that called to me, and it’s still one of my absolute favorites to this day.

• Clear Quartz: Clarity, Manifestation, Healing, Spiritual Growth
• Selenite: Purity, Peace, Light, Clarity, Consciousness
• Amethyst: Peace, Spirituality, Intuition, Calmness, Wisdom
• Rose Quartz: Love, Compassion, Peace, Friendship
• Citrine: Joy, Abundance, Prosperity, Energy
• Black Tourmaline: Energy Protection, Grounding

Also remember that Clear Quartz and Selenite have the special ability of cleansing other crystals, so I definitely recommend having at least one of these crystals in your collection.

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