Crystal and Gem Magick: An Introduction to Stone Magick

Crystals and gems are everywhere. They are deep within the Earth. They are high on a mountaintop. They are at the bottom of a river. Crystals and gems come in all colors – blues, reds, greens, pinks, blacks, and whites are but a few examples. These crystals and gems that are so a part of the world are also a source of great power.

The Ancient Power of Stones

The Earth is full of energy. It ebbs and flows like a river. Stones, crystals, and gems are the concentrated energy of the Earth. They absorb this energy through contact, and retain this link even if they are removed from the Earth. They are like little tiny batteries, fueled by the planet.

Crystals and gems have been used for magick since the first humans found sparkling gems and carried them for protection against the unknown. For many thousands of years, stones have been carved into sacred shapes and worshipped as religious or magickal artifacts. Crystals and gems were used to magickally enhance many things in life, from ensuring conception to protecting the dead.

The Modern Use of Crystals and Gems for Magick

In the modern world, crystals and gems are used by many people around the world to effect internal and external change. The types of stones used are many and varied. Some commonly used stones for magick are:

• Agate – strength, bravery;
• Alexandrite – luck, love;
• Amber – luck, healing, protection;
• Amethyst – dreams, psychic powers;
• Aquamarine – psychic powers, purification;
• Aventurine – mental powers, money;
• Bloodstone – healing, strength;
• Calcite – spirituality;
• Carnelian – protection, peace;
• Cat’s Eye – wealth, beauty;
• Citrine – protection;
• Diamond – spirituality;
• Emerald – money, love;
• Fluorite – mental powers;
• Garnet – healing, strength;
• Hematite – healing, divination;
• Jade – love, healing;
• Jasper – health, beauty;
• Lapis lazuli – joy, love;
• Moonstone – divination, psychic powers;
• Opal – astral projection;
• Ruby – wealth, power;
• Sapphire – love, meditation;
• Topaz – protection, healing; and
• Quartz – protection, healing, power.

These are not the only gems used in modern crystal magick. Those who use the power of stones have learned that all stones, even the ones picked off the driveway, have power. Some stones will have to be purchased, but many others can be found on hikes through natural areas or simply walking in your own yard or through a downtown park.

Crystal and gem magick is based upon very simple ideas, much like candle magick, and it has quick and direct results. Anyone can work crystal magick, for the stones themselves bring their influences and magick with them. The magick of stones and metals is the easiest of all magicks, and so this is suitable for the novice magician, and can help to awaken the magick within.

Readying Yourself for Magick: An Internal Elemental Balance

The practice of magick is a mysterious and complex art. There are many tools and accessories that can be used to enhance its practice, including athames, wands, cauldrons, and ritual robes. However, all of these are useless without the most important tool of magick – you.

The Elements Within

Most people, including most magicians, are elementally imbalanced. There are five elements, and each of these corresponds to a point on the pentagram and certain human qualities. The elements are:

Earth – physical and practical concerns;

• Air – intellect and imagination;
• Fire – passion and will;
• Water – emotion and intuition; and
• Spirit – relationship with the divine.

If you want to be at your best as a magician, then your own five elements must be balanced within you. Very few people are truly balanced, and if you look at your life, you’ll probably see that you are actually lacking balance.

Perhaps you’re obsessed with earning money, but have difficulty with relationships. Maybe you have a hard time getting passionate about anything, but you’re incredibly smart. Whatever the combination, it is important to rebalance yourself for your magick to be at its most effective.

Achieving an Elemental Balance

Finding an elemental balance isn’t as hard as is might sound. With some meditation and personal exploration, identifying imbalances should occur quite quickly. After this, rectifying them is simple enough, though it usually takes quite a bit of time and energy.

Select one elemental area of your life at a time. Don’t try to tackle too much at once, or you might become overwhelmed.Once you have selected one particular area of you life, try the following steps:

• Be very clear about your goal. Write it down.
• Chart your progress using a diary or journal, otherwise you won’t know when you’ve achieved your goal
• Break down your goal into simple, attainable, steps. This will help to keep you motivated.
• Think about what obstacles you might encounter and decide how best to remove them.
• Evaluate the resources you already have, including friends, family, spiritual counselors, etc.
• Set dates for progress, and keep them.
• Look at your list of steps every day, and try to accomplish something, even if it’s only a small thing.
• When you finally achieve your goal, have a celebration to acknowledge your achievement.

Repeat these steps for each area of your life, until you’re satisfied that you are more elementally balanced that you were previously. This balance will enhance the effectiveness of your spells and rituals. Revisit the idea of finding your balance one a year, and you will truly empower the magick within.

Tai Chi: Charting Your Progress in Tai Chi for Motivation

Very often, people stop doing those things which are best for them, such as exercising, eating healthy, meditating, etc., because they do not immediately feel the effects. Other times, they do feel the initial effects, and then stop because they feel that the problem is fixed, at least temporarily; sometimes, this occurs during the practice of Tai Chi.

Using a Chart to Encourage the Practice of Tai Chi

Tai Chi is a long term exercise, and most of its benefits are only noticed after prolonged practice. While waiting for this progress to become evident, it is easy to lose interest. As a result of this, it is highly recommend that you chart your progress in some way, possibly on a calendar, or in a diary or journal. Write down how many minutes a day you practice Tai Chi, as well as anything else that you might have done that was healthy for you.

These things may include making a healthy food choice, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or maybe even deciding not to have that second helping at dinner. This will help you to feel good, reinforcing your level of commitment. It will also help you to see that you are indeed making progress, and this idea will help you to stay motivated to continue practicing Tai Chi.

Progress in Tai Chi Can be Easily Seen with a Graph

After about two months or so, make a graph; a bar graph is usually most helpful for this. Most likely you will see a wavy line. This is normal. In fact, it is quite healthy. Everyone is influenced by multiple factors, even those who try to resist these influences.The biological energies of the body are constantly at work, the cosmic energies of the world flux and have an effect, and busy schedules take time away from Tai Chi. A straight line, or a line that steadily increases without fluctuation, is not to be expected.

Graph your progress over many months and watch it grow. Compare your graph with significant events in your life, whether they are positive or not. People respond to events differently, so one person might find that they practice more during a traumatic event, such as a death in the family, while another person might find their practice time reduces significantly. Over time, the practice time should steadily increase, and this will be seen in your graph. This can be the motivation necessary to continue with Tai Chi.

Try to be consistent when it comes to practicing Tai Chi, but do not fret if you can’t find more than a few minutes every day. Tai Chi is the type of program that allows for the flexibility when necessary. With commitment and determination, you will see a steady increase in your progress.

Tai Chi: The Benefits and Exercises of Tai Chi

Tai Chi has been described as many things. Some call it the ultimate martial art, claiming it is a powerful fighting form. Others say it is an exercise purely for health. Some refer to it as ‘meditation in motion,’ while others claim it is the physical manifestation of the Tao.

Some people insist that it is only a series of breathing exercises, meant to clear the mind. There are those who claim that Tai Chi is the ultimate route to spiritual enlightenment, and yet others say that it is only a mild way of keeping fit.

The Art of Tai Chi and Its Effects

Tai Chi is widely regarded as an amazing art that affects practitioners on many levels. It certainly is a physical exercise, designed to tone and strengthen the body while simultaneously increasing flexibility. It permits the body’s life force or ‘chi’ to flow freely throughout the body, thereby making it a wonderful method of maintaining health and vitality.

On a more spiritual level, it promotes the calmness of the mind and the balance of emotion. If you allow it to, Tai Chi can even become a spiritual guide, regardless of your religious belief system. It teaches you to use your own internal energies to affect both yourself and the world around you.

Despite all of these benefits, there is something even more powerful about it – anyone can do it. You do not have to have any previous experience in any type of physical activity. You do not even have to be physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually healthy. All you need is a desire to be truly healthy, and a firm belief that Tai Chi can work. Not only must you believe that it can work, but you must believe that it can work for you.

How to Learn Tai Chi

Tai Chi cannot really be learned from a book or video. Books and videos are wonderful resources, but they are not teachers. To effectively learn Tai Chi, you do need the right teacher.

How do you go about finding the right teacher? This question is not one that is readily answered. There are many decent teachers available in most cities, though make sure you check out their credentials. There are inevitably those who claim to be teachers when they’re obviously not. One class does not turn someone into a teacher.

Ask a potential instructor if you can sit in on a few classes before committing. Most decent teachers will allow this. Speak to some of the other students, ask their opinion of the training they have received. Also, it is better if you find an instructor who specializes in Tai Chi.

What Might You Learn Through Tai Chi?

Each instructor teaches Tai Chi with just a little variation. This is inevitable. Some teachers are more inclined to teach the meditative aspects of Tai Chi, others will focus on its strengths as a fighting art. However, at the beginning, there are some basics that you can probably expect. These might include:

• Warm-up exercises
• Breathing techniques
• Chi Kung
• Tai Chi stances
• Meditation
• Extension
• Tai Chi sort form
• Pushing hands exercises

Through studying Tai Chi with a qualified instructor and charting your progress, you should be able to thoroughly understand at least the basics of what Tai Chi is and how to perform both the short form and various other techniques. If these techniques are practiced regularly and with dedication, they will guide practitioners to a deepened awareness of self, while encouraging the development of personal creativity.