The Best Crystals For Beginners
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The 13 Best Crystals For Beginners
Crystals have been used for millennia by many different cultures, from India to Scandinavia; they hold a deeply important position in many rituals and people’s lives. They can be used for a variety of reasons- from attracting love or abundance, calming and soothing anxiety or stress, increasing focus and clarity, boosting creativity and much more. Some people like to use them more as healing crystals, others for mental health, and some people just like the look of them!
Known to store and emit energy (or vibrations), technology as we know it would be impossible without them (specifically quartz and ruby), and they are also said to help amplify our own personal vibes and intentions. The great thing about crystals is there’s no one right way to use them, it’s totally customisable to what feels right for you.
So if you’re curious about which ones you might like to try integrating into your life, learn about crystal healing properties in our roundup of the 13 best crystals for beginners below:
Different Crystal Properties
Crystals are said to radiate good vibes because they vibrate at higher, more stable frequencies with respect to other objects, much like happy people also vibrate at higher frequencies! You can use them in crystal grids to amplify their properties based on different sacred geometrical shapes; these can be for protection, good luck, love or any number of things- you can check out some more options here.
They’re also particularly useful for adding to New or Full moon intention setting rituals and any other spiritual practices you have. Some people like to carry them around for an extra boost when they need it (for grounding say), use them in special elixirs, or just for beautiful decoration around the home! It’s hard to deny how pretty crystals are and how they can instantly put you in a better mood just by holding/appreciating them.
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We know that matter is made up of 99.9999999% empty space, and this empty space is energy. Technically, energy is everything, and everything is energy. You, the chair you’re sitting on, the phone you’re holding, and crystals- all of them are vibrating energy.
As Einstein said: “Everything is energy and that’s all there is to it. This is not philosophy. This is physics”.
Crystals have a super stable energy frequency that doesn’t change because they’re made up of a fixed, regularly repeating, perfect geometric pattern of molecules.
How to pick a crystal
Generally the best thing to do when picking a crystal is to either choose one based on an area you would like to focus on (such as inspiration or money), or just go for one you simply like the look of/are drawn to- especially if done in person because most often these are the ones we are called to because they’re exactly what we need at that time!
Wherever you decide to buy crystals from, it’s important to check that they have been ethically mined and are from a reliable source to ensure their authenticity.
Once you’ve decided on your crystal, many people like to “cleanse” them to get rid of any potential stagnant energy and “reprogram” them with their own intention. This can be done a number of ways, such as burying them, leaving them out in direct sunlight or moonlight, soaking them in fresh or saltwater (if this is OK for the specific crystal), smoke cleansing (with herbs relative to your lineage), or by using white light visualisation and affirmations. For more detailed information, check out our comprehensive Crystal Guide For High Vibes!
In the meantime, here’s a breakdown of some of the most popular crystals that are always a great idea to add to any repertoire:
1. Clear Quartz
First, the quartzes. No crystal collection would be complete without a quartz, and clear quartz is known as the master healer of all crystals. Because of its multi-purpose use, this is the best first crystal for starting out with if you had to pick just one!
It’s also a great one for creating clarity and diffusing confusion, helping you to get clear about your direction and intentions. Clear quartz can be used to improve any area of your life and is especially beneficial if used during meditation for higher intuition and with manifestation practices. When doing spell or ritual work, clear quartz can act as a substitute for any other crystal as well.
2. Rose Quartz
The most famous stone for love, rose quartz represents the heart chakra, of course, and is an incredibly beautiful, loving stone that can help us with self-acceptance and unconditional kindness. This is another super healing crystal and a great addition to your collection, especially if you keep it in the bedroom for peaceful relationships. It’s also a beautiful stone to use during loving kindness meditation practices and with gratitude journalling.
3. Smoky Quartz
This crystal is great for absorbing negative energy and pessimistic thinking, and offers protection from electromagnetic fields so is a great one to keep on you or at your desk where you might be influenced by others. Associated with the root chakra, it helps keep us grounded and present, so is really helpful to use in your day-to-day life, such as in a high vibe water bottle!
4. Pyrite (Fool’s Gold)
This is the ultimate crystal for representing money and wealth. Named as such because inexperienced miners would often mistake it for gold, fool’s gold/pyrite is great for calling in extra abundance. It’s great to keep in your wallet or in a coin dish at home and is especially useful on your work desk!
5. Hematite
This is an extremely grounding stone. It can help centre and balance us and bring us back to the present moment. Because it’s metallic, it’s also very heavy and cool to the touch, which can also help ground us in our senses.
This crystal came to me in a moment when I was feeling quite hot and overwhelmed and had a lot of emotions abounding. As soon as I saw it by chance in a market, I was instantly drawn to its smooth, shiny surface and the second I picked it up I felt immediately more level-headed. This is one that I also really like to travel with to help keep me mindful in what can sometimes be a bit of a stressful experience (delayed flights anyone?), it’s also said to absorb excess EMF radiation so great for that too!
6. Citrine
This is the go-to crystal for all things related to career, creativity and purpose. Associated with the solar plexus, it’s an inherently happy stone that can give us a boost of morale and keep us on our steady path. It’s a great one to keep on your office desk for supporting matters on the job front, or keeping in your wallet to help attract abundance. It can also boost the effect of other crystals around it! Citrine is one of the few crystals that is said not to need cleansing and can help cleanse other crystals.
7. Amethyst
The most spiritual of stones, amethyst is associated with heightened intuition, representing the third eye chakra, and is often used during meditation or kept under your pillow to encourage insightful dreams and assist with insomnia. It’s also said to bring peace and tranquility to the home and mind, and shield from negativity. This is another great one to keep in your bedroom, or when journalling for higher-consciousness downloads, pulling tarot cards, or any other divination practice.
8. Aventurine
This is the stone of luck, fortune, prosperity, and travel. Representative of the sea and water elements, it’s a great companion for travelling overseas! Its light green colour is beautifully soothing and is good for building confidence too. This is a great one to keep in your suitcase or bag when taking any trips, as well as around the home or office for general abundance.
9. Black tourmaline
This is seen as the master at absorbing bad vibes, negativity, and EMF signals (shungite is also excellent for this). It’s particularly good at protecting us from toxicity, and like trees absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen, tourmaline absorbs all the bad and restores all the good. For these reasons, it’s a great stone to keep on you when out and about, as well as when travelling. I never leave home without it!
10. Moonstone
This is a beautiful crystal of peaceful inner strength and growth, it gives emotional balance, and is symbolic of “new beginnings”. This one also came to me when I was actually going through a big change in my life and I was drawn to it to wear as a pendant. It’s a soft, loving stone that is said to ignite the kundalini (divine feminine energy) flame, and heighten intuition. For this reason, it’s a popular choice to wear as jewellery.
11. Selenite
Representative of the Greek Goddess of the Moon, Selene, this is an extremely calming and soothing stone. It can help bring us peace, clarity of mind and help stagnant energy flow. Because of its serenity, it’s another great one to keep in the bedroom! Whenever you need a little loving boost, you can also use it during yoga, meditation and journalling, or any other self-care activities you do.
Because of the structure of selenite, it often comes in a beautiful cut “tower” shape, which makes a great addition to your decor; or as a “wand” which makes it an excellent addition to healing work! I sweep my aura with it every day.
12. Tiger’s Eye
This is known as the ultimate confidence builder, this is related to the solar plexus chakra and helps keep us feeling secure, courageous, and brave! A strong earthy stone, it’s also said to be good for helping to deal with difficult or stressful situations. This is a useful stone for keeping on you at work or whenever you know you’ll need a little self-esteem boost. As one of the oldest stones used ritualistically, it also has strong protective capacities. Be fierce like a tiger!
13. Carnelian
A happy stone associated with the sacral chakra, this stone helps promote optimism, creativity, motivation, and endurance. It’s also great for self-expression, artistic pursuits and balancing emotions. This stone is amazing for using whenever you’re working creatively or want to add some positivity and energy to your life, I love this gem and it brings a smile to my face the second I hold one!
This is of course not an exhaustive list and there are so so many options out there to choose from, even just going based off of colour alone (which are different frequencies) is a good place to start. You can also choose based on your birth month, Zodiac Sign or Chakra you would like to balance- experiment and see what works best for you.
Crystal shapes
When choosing a crystal shape, again there’s no best option- it would mainly be what you’re called to (or what is available and in your budget). Small tumbled stones are usually one of the most popular forms because they’re accessible and portable. Points are said to have more focus and clusters (natural or raw shape) are said to have a broader, diffusive energy.
They can also be polished into specific shapes such as spheres, hearts or pyramids, you can read more about some of these different properties here. Size is of course a factor and it would be logical to assume that the bigger the crystal the more energy it emits, and this is true, but smaller crystals are no less powerful! Especially if you keep them on your person.
So that’s my guide to the best crystals for beginners! I hope you enjoyed it, if you have any others to add let me know in the comments section below.
For ways to integrate crystals into your daily life, check out my guides on How To Use Tarot Cards and How To Mindfully Meditate!
