CHASE COHL

“Crystal clear” is a bit of a maddening term, if you think about it. Crystals can be seen in so many forms and lights, throwing epic multi-colored refractions based on their lack of clarity. For centuries they have been considered metaphysical gifts from the goddesses and gods, healing to those that need their powers.

I was living in New York and working in Fashion during college when I was first introduced to the magic of crystals. Like many New Yorkers, I felt at times as though a daily ritual of coffee, cigarettes, and lack of sleep was my religion. Well that, and “Vogue”.  I ignored alternative ideas about things like energy healing, writing them off as hippie non-sense for the Birkenstock-clad.

I have never considered myself a particularly spiritual being. I was not raised in a religious household; I always believed that spirituality was something entirely individual. The most beautiful thing about crystals is that they do not conform to just one belief system, but for centuries have been used by many religious and spiritual communities.

While writing my thesis on Native American mythology and poetry in college, I was given my first crystal, a muddy purple African spirit amethyst, by a Navajo shaman during a power stone meditation. He told me the stone would bring out the best versions of me if ever I was feeling lost, and it was at this moment that my fascination with the vast brilliance of healing stones began.

To start your own crystal education, I recommend a great book called The Crystal Bible. It teaches about the properties of specific stones that support love, success, health or whatever an individual may need.

There is no such thing as a “starter crystal,” but a simple quartz is always a good way to go. I personally shop for crystals at gem shows around the country or at The Crystal Matrix, an amazing shop in LA, but you can buy them online as well.

Once you have a stone, here is the easiest way to start:

1. Be sure your crystal has been cleansed

2. Find a quiet, peaceful place to sit by yourself

3. Place the crystal in the palm of your hand

4. Take three deep breaths to become calm and focus on what you want

5. Imagine your energies being transferred inside the stone and back out to you in order to meditate through the crystal

These special stones are truly magnetic. It is believed that crystals are just as drawn to their carriers as their carriers are to them, and have been known to heal illnesses, clear emotional blockages and ward off negative spirits. For me the most important thing is simply to be open to their energies. We are all children at heart, wishing for the things that we feel are just out of reach. The power in crystals can bring positive vibes to the down and out, love to the broken-hearted and clarity to the lost. At the very least, for skeptics like my former self, they are just wildly beautiful natural gems.