One weekend, not too long ago, Lee and I were out poking around an eclectic little shop that we frequent. We were looking at rocks and gems when Lee asked me what I thought would be a good stone for a certain issue. Although I regularly use stones in my daily practices, the particular thing that she brought up was something I hadn’t thought about before and I wasn’t completely sure what to answer. I had a few ideas based on things like whether or not the stone should be receptive or projective, align with the masculine or feminine, and even particular traits I’d seen in stones that I’ve used for other things in the past. That said, however, I was still at a loss for a couple good stones that would fit the bill.

As Lee continued to look through a couple bins of stones, I grabbed a book that was on the shelf above the rock display and looked up the complaint. There was a few stones listed, but based off of previous experience with some of the listed gems, I felt like none of them really “fit”. I took another book and found a whole different set of stones for the same ailment. Finally, I turned to my phone and Googled, “crystals for (fill in the problem).” Once again, I was confronted with a whole different list of gems. Although I’ve experienced this in the past, it was a stark reminder that different sources have radically different opinions on the properties for different stones, gems, and crystals. At the very least this can be confusing and frustrating, especially for someone who is just starting out, and at the very most, it might make one question the validity of stone magic in the light of no clear “right” choice of specimen. The questions go beyond just stones and gems; we see some of the same issues when talking about the meanings of colors, the traits of chakras, the associations with herbs, and even the meanings of some symbols used in divination. So, how to rectify the discrepancies?

First of all, the issue of validity. There is something undeniable about the power of gems and stones. We all know the power of a diamond even if it has been tainted by commercialism and, in some cases, even the negativity of the horrific conditions some of the diamonds are found under. We are drawn to the beauty of a sapphire or ruby for reasons that feel almost primal. When we hold a crystal we can feel the vibrations transfer from it to us. Gaze into the spiritually illuminated facets of amethyst crystals and you can feel your psychic abilities get stronger. I could relate countless stories of times when I felt the power of stones within my own life, but the more you work with gems and stones, the more YOU will feel these things. Outside the world of stone magic, we can look at things like color associations. Millions of dollars are spent by corporations and marketing people to find the right colors to affect the moods and ultimately habits of those that the colors will ultimately reach. If there weren’t If such associations weren’t powerful in producing the desired outcomes the practice would have been done away with years ago for shear economic reasons. Tapping into the connection with colors or the vibrations of stones is about tapping into subtle energies that require letting go of preconceived notions and the mental clutter of our modern world. If you allow yourself to truly FEEL and HEAR, however, you can attune with the stones (or other tools). Once you connect with these subtle energies, you can, most definitely, use them to help focus and elevate your petitions to the universe in very real ways.

But, even if you know the power is real, how do you know what is the “correct” tool to use for each situation since no one else can seem to agree? Why so many different, often conflicting viewpoints? Hopefully, this article will provide a little clarity and allow you to use these powerful elements in your own practice confidently. Although I’ll try to focus on stones, crystals and gems just for brevity sake and to help focus the discussion to one point, the same principles hold true for the majority of the associations we listed earlier.

There is no one answer as to which stone to use for what goal; plain and simple. In our western society, we tend to need things that fit neatly into molds and have clear cut delineations, but when it comes to much of the practice of magick, such black and white answers just aren’t there. In all honestly, any attempt to make such designations would be a major failure and in doing so we truly would lose the magic. Why? Because, the meanings and associations in the stones are, and must be, placed there by the practitioner.

For those of you who have practiced magick in some form (if you haven’t please read Magick 101), you know that the three key ingredients of any successful spell are; will, intent, and a way to focus the energy. Remember, however, that it isn’t an even division of these three. If one had no tools whatsoever to work with they could still perform a successful spell based on just the will and intent. The vehicles we use to focus and transport our desires into the universe can be very powerful and important, but they are just that, a means to an end, and not the heart and soul of the petition itself.

When using stones to advance a goal or produce a desired effect, you take all that comes from the heart and mind in the way of will and intent, and use the associations with a particular gem or crystal to resonate with those intentions to produce a successful outcome. The associations we use for each gem help to focus our energies and vision and thus create an increase in power for not only ourselves and our minds (the most important things anyway), but also for the inherent spell that takes on a life of its own. This then leads us back to the original question of which stones to use since no two books seemingly have the exact same associations to start with.

The reason that there are so many different associations is because people across the world inherently have different associations for MANY things. These differences occur along societal, religious, economic, and personal lines. Think about just the idea of colors. For some, red is a sign of love and sexual desire (a good thing). For others, that same color can bring feelings of anger and anxiety. Some cultures even consider the color taboo. Black is often seen as a melancholy color or a color to fear in some religious contexts, but others find the color balancing and comforting. Some people think that pure white or crystal light is undeniably a healing color, but what if that light brings a feeling of feeling exposed, raw, or in the spotlight? Such an association might bring fear and anxiety. Stones, gems and crystals will take on associations that might link them to geographical locations, religious contexts, social meaning in modern times as well as historical times, and even family beliefs in particular gems. All of these lead to radically different associations by different people. In the end, however, the diversity of views doesn’t negate the power; instead the diversity is a direct result of very personal associations that touch deep within the people who seek to explain them and therefore make them very powerful tools. They key is in finding your own relationships with the stones and tools you chose to use.

That’s all well and good, but what to do if you are just starting out and don’t have the cultural, religious, or familial ties to certain gems? Also, what do you do if you’ve been practicing for a while, but never really put much effort into making deep associations with certain stones? By never having connected on a deeper level with the vehicles of your expression, you might feel that your magick is lacking and often unsuccessful. For those seeking a deeper connection with these powerful tools, I offer a starting point of how to increase your connections and thusly increase your power as a practitioner.

Before we get started, I want to first say that this is a journey and not an overnight or weekend project. This isn’t about a mere housecleaning and tidying of your gem shelf, this is about a commitment that may take months, years, or even a lifetime to fully attune with the power of crystals and gems. Start simple…fully connect with a few stones and work from there. It is better to have powerful relationships with a handful of stones, than to have amassed a collection of stones that have little or no meaning to you and therefore little or no power as magickal tools.

Although I speak quite a bit about commitments and lifelong journeys, I do understand the realities and time constraints inherent in our modern world. We can’t always devote ourselves to the studies our hearts feel passionate about, but our calendars honestly can’t accommodate. For those people who want a connection with stones, crystals, and gems but feel that they don’t have a lot of time to devote to immersing oneself in the subject, I offer this first method.

Go to a metaphysical shop, bookstore, or gem store and look through their books on crystals and stones. Also feel free to ask others in the community for recommendations. (I have provided a couple recommendations at the end of this article.) Take time to look through the books you find. Don’t worry too much about the meanings and associations they provide; instead look for things that make the book easy to use and enjoyable to spend time with. Many books are just field guides to gems and minerals. These books have a lot of information, but they are usually targeted at the naturalist or scientist. Look for books that might have things like; elemental associations, associations to specific Gods, Goddesses, or angels, references to the signs of the zodiac, magickal uses, spiritual relevance, and even physical uses. Feel free to even consider things like whether or not there are good pictures for identification of gems. If you plan on practicing with other family members or using the book as a reference between you and another person, involve them in the process as well. Once you’ve found the right book for you, buy the ONE book. That book now becomes your personal source for gem knowledge; your ONLY source (at least in the beginning). At the same time, purchase or make a record keeping system that you will use. This might be a journal type book, or maybe a note card system; it’s purely up to you. The book will be your source, your notes will ultimately be YOUR guide and your source of personal magick.

Many people might feel a tinge of anxiety at this point. In a world of fast-moving information, we don’t like the feeling of being locked in. “What if I didn’t choose the right book?” “What if I find out later that the things I learned from the book I chose are different than someone else’s book?” Thank the thoughts for stopping by, and then dismiss them. In effect, what you’ve done is “programmed” the language in which you are going to interact with gems. For a modern example, take the major computers on the market today. You have a Windows based system and then the Apple based system. Both of them work “correctly” to send emails and write articles for a blog, but the fundamental language underlying the systems is vastly different. Neither one is more correct than the other (I know there are those computer geeks out there who will disagree). They both work equally well so long as the language they use within their systems is standard. Trust that the language you’ve chosen is the right one for you.

Now, with your book in hand, your note taking system at the ready, choose a couple of stones that you wish to work with. You might choose three or four stones based on magick you tend to do more often; say for love, psychic ability, or grounding. You might also choose to just pick a few stones that call to you and learn about them with no intention in mind. Someday when you are in need of those energies, however, they will be ready for you to use. Nevertheless, start with a few stones that you want to learn more about and go from there.

I truly recommend taking a full day to connect with each individual energy of the stones you’ve chosen. Start by looking up basic information about the crystal or gem and noting that in your record keeping system. After that, take five minutes to just meet the stone. Hold it in your receptive hand (typically your non-dominant hand) and feel the subtle energies of the stone. Look at its color, shape, opacity, and brightness. Take these few minutes to just listen. Now turn to the section of your book that talks about the spiritual, magick, and physical properties of the specimen you’re holding. Most books will offer a few different meanings and associations with different gems. As you look over the list of uses and associations, allow your subconscious to focus on the words and attributes that resonate with you after having held the stone for a while. Quite often you will instantly relate to some of the attributes and uses while others don’t seem to speak to you right away. For the ones that jump out at you, write those in your notes in some way that differentiates them for you; capital letters or underlined. These become the energies that have the highest powers for you in conjunction with the gem you chose.

For those things that didn’t make themselves immediately apparent to you, take a moment to look through them and work with the concepts for a few seconds individually. For instance, let’s say that under a crystal’s attributes, you find something like, “a good stone to use for money magick”. Take a moment to visualize something associated with that intention; maybe money itself or a successful business meeting. Send that image out into the crystal you are holding and then wait for a response. If all of a sudden you sense that the crystal does, indeed, resonate with that energy write that in your notes as well. These energies are more subtle; the associations are still there, but they aren’t the powerhouse associations of the previous examples. Finally, for those associations that you truly don’t connect with, discard them. You’re not challenging the writer or hurting anyone’s feelings, you’re simply allowing perfect attunement, in the language you’ve chosen to use, with the message of the crystal in question.

Finally, carry the gem or crystal close to you for the day. Whenever possible, notice situations that might resonate at high levels for the particular stone. For instance, if you are holding a stone that resonates closely with money, as you interact with money or the finances of your business or home, take time to check in with the stone and feel its energy connecting with those situations. Visualize it attracting money to you or balancing your need for money so that it doesn’t take the shape of greed. Even if you’re carrying a stone that you don’t necessarily want to use in your life at the moment, you can still connect with it throughout the day. Let’s say you are holding a very powerful stone that resonates with the energy of strength. One of your natural gifts might be that you normally feel mentally strong and confident, and so the stone doesn’t necessarily bring you anything during your day. However, at lunch you run into a co-worker who seems rather down and out. Check in with the stone and feel the vibrations of energy increase. Send those vibrations out into the world and visualize them energizing her. One quick note here; be careful what energies you send out to other people. Make sure that they are motivated by the person’s highest good, and not your own.

That’s it…you have just found the answer for which stones to use in which situations. You didn’t memorize as set of answers, you programmed the answers into your practice and thus charged your magick with a power that came from within; a very powerful power born of you. Continue to find crystals and gems that work for your desired outcomes and energies. Using this method, you would have 52 stones in your magickal toolbox if you did one every week for a year.

Use this same format for setting the personal language of other tools. Take a color a day and think about the associations given in one particular reference. Meditate on those associations and their relevance in your heart and mind. Also remember to listen for associations that come from deep within; associations that might not be in the reference. Once you have a list of attributes that resonate with you, take a day to reflect on those associations as you go through your normal routines. If you are “carrying” pink that day; check in with that energy as you avoid a sweet roll for breakfast and feel a sense of self love for your physical body. When you are talking to a friend who is having a relationship issue, once again touch base with the color to send self-love to her. Another side note; never send the intent of patching up a particular relationship to someone. As hard as it may be, that relationship might not be for the greatest good, and only the two involved can connect on that level. Sending the intent of self-love, sets a foundation for the friend to truly know love first and then connect with energies that resonate with her love of self.

Once you’ve connected with each crystal, color, or chakra association, make sure that you use them in your practices. Connecting with the natural world and all of its powers is an ongoing practice and lifestyle. Touch base with your practice as much as you can, and above all, enjoy the journey.

© 2016, 2021 Marcus Everett & The Victorian Society of Metaphysics & Magic