Then one day I was doing a Reiki session for my good friend, David Singing Bear, who was experiencing uncomfortable chest congestion. As I worked on him, I heard very clearly, “put that green calcite on his chest”.  Yes, I am psychic, but I don’t often hear a voice as clear as that.  There were three pieces of green calcite on the windowsill which I placed on David’s chest.  Then I saw this weird vapor-like energy spiral out of his chest.  WHAT??? I was slightly freaked out.

When the session was over, I told Singing Bear why I had put the calcite on his chest.  He was not surprised, turns out he had been using crystals and specifically calcites for years in his healing practice. He was just surprised that I had not used crystals prior to that time.

Since that day I have studied and learned about using crystals and minerals for the benefit of myself and my clients.  I can hardly do a “basic” Reiki session now.  It just seems so natural to incorporate my healing friends and allies. I’ll often start with green calcite on the heart chakra, especially if the client has talked about heartbreak or wounding.  I have a Golden Healer and a Time Link quartz that are usually in one or the other of the client’s hands. I always use the Time Link quartz if I suspect wounds or trauma from a past life or early childhood. The Time Link quartz links up to the past to root out and heal those traumas.  It can also be used to clear the way for future work, or manifest intentions. The Golden Healer was a gift from another healer­–and it is a powerful ally in healing physical or emotional wounds.

Usually, I have a simple grid around my client, alternating quartz points with fluorite.  The quartz amplifies our healing intentions and the fluorite helps clear and cleanse the energy centers. I add any other mineral that “feels right”, often celestite to connect them with Spirit world or Black Tourmaline to ground them.  Many people use Hematite to ground the client, but personally, I feel it bounces the energy around.

 I always choose the crystals based on what the client needs and what the spirits suggest. Generally, I am using colors that correlate with the chakra color for that chakra.­ For instance, Amethyst or Clear Quartz for the Crown; Lapis Lazuli or Sodalite for Third Eye; Blue Lace Agate for Throat; Green calcite, Aventurine, or Rose quartz for heart chakra; Citrine for the Solar Plexus; Carnelian for the Sacral; and Red Jasper for the Root.  Other minerals I frequently use are Ruby Zoisite if working with past lives,  Fire Agate for sexual empowerment, Garnet for sexual healing and Orange Calcite for claiming back lost power.

I almost always use green calcite as it is so powerful in releasing any blocked or negative energy. And nearly every session I include a Herkimer Diamond and Pyrite under the head.  Herkimer Diamond for conscious attunement to the highest level, allowing the higher self to advise us.  Pyrite for help in decisiveness and action.  From there it’s always a mix, sometimes I have an idea ahead of time of what I’ll use but usually it happens as I begin. My guides and the client’s guides show me the best healing tools to use.

 I always have beautiful wands available.  I use my Selenite wands to clear negative energy. There is also a Selenite pad in each healing room.  If I want to reposition a crystal it can first be placed on the Selenite to cleanse it as Selenite will cleanse the crystal in five minutes.  My Apache Gold wand aids intuition and detoxifies energy channels; I also use it to clear blocks and amplify other crystals’ work. My most recent acquisition, a Smoky Quartz wand, lifts depression and negativity and promotes the elimination of the digestive system.  If the client is nervous or stressed the Smoky Quartz brings emotional calmness.  In that case, I place it vertically running from their solar plexus up to the heart chakra.

 Another tool I always have on hand is a pendulum, which I use to check the chakras if I’m not getting a good read when I do an energetic scan.  My pendulum can also give me a quick, clear answer if the client has a question that I don’t get the answer for right off.

Clearly, there are infinite ways to use our crystals and minerals for healing work.  As you begin to work with healing tools, experiment with what feels right; feel the energy of the crystal/mineral and how it works with your clients.  Allow yourself to stretch and grow beyond what I say or what a book says. Use your intuition and guidance to determine what crystals work best for and with you.

As I was completing this article my cat pulled a piece of orange calcite off the shelf on my desk.  It just so happens that it is a piece of orange calcite that was once owned by and worked with David Singing Bear.  When he passed into the next realm his family sold his crystal and mineral collection and I was able to acquire some beautiful tools that had been infused with my friend’s powerful healing energy. It would be just like Singing Bear to prompt Spencer (my cat) to pull down the orange calcite as I typed this article.  David, are you with me today?  What a gift, thank you!

 Enjoy working with your energetic allies in the mineral world!

                                   Love and light, BakeR 

p.s. there are pages and pages of info on the web about crystals and minerals and how to use them, including the use of grids that are powerful for manifesting your intentions.  I highly recommend The Crystal Bible 1 & 2, and The Book of Stones as well.