Crystals were one of my first loves. I know I’m not alone when I say that seeing The Craft in 1996 totally changed my view of spirituality, and made me realise there were many other options beyond the Christianity that was spoonfed to me in school. But even before that movie came out — and I started wearing a tiny black patent leather backpack and lipstick to match — new age stores were my favourite places on the planet.

Whenever I wasn’t in school, you could find me browsing within their inevitably purple walls. I’d sniff every single type of incense, flick through the pages of books I was a long way from understanding, stare at tarot cards, and fixate on the colours, shapes and textures of their crystal selection. I’d pick out my favourites, handing over $2 or $3, before scampering home to hold them in my hand, hide them underneath my pillow, and place them on my windowsill.

I was definitely a Witch Baby.

My love for crystals hasn’t waned at all over the years. I still buy them for myself and my friends, place them next to my computer and zip them into my wallet. I am devoted, for sure.

Crystals are also one of the easiest and least intimidating ways to start bringing magic into your life. There are thousands of varieties, all with different properties and assigned meanings. They’re inexpensive, and a lot of them are really beautiful. People often keep them beside their bed, on their desk or deep in a dark pocket. My friend stuffs her bra with them. They’re really great for being used as a visual marker of what you want, too — they can help remind you of whatever it is you are seeking.

If you’re new to the cult of the crystals, here’s what you need to know!

Choose your crystal
When it comes to choosing a crystal, it can be helpful to know what area of your life you’re looking to supercharge! Love, money, friendships, creativity, dreams? There is a great crystal quiz here, or you can just look at the answers. Have a look at it and see which crystals come closest to what you’re looking for.

Once you know this, go to a shop with a good assortment (new age stores usually have the best selection), and pick a crystal which feels right to you. This will not always be the most beautiful or sparkly-looking one, it might just be one which feels good in your hand or which catches your eye straight away. Use your intuition when you choose. I like to close my eyes and pick that way.

Some of the most popular crystals are…
Clear quartz helps you achieve your goals. It’s also a good crystal for protection.
Rose quartz is a beautiful crystal for love, compassion, tolerance, and radical self love! (Every babe needs some rose quartz in her arsenal.)
Amethyst is a good crystal for protection against all sorts of psychic negative energy. It expands the mind, encouraging creativity, intuition, and calm.
Citrine is the prosperity crystal. It attracts abundance, as well as boosting your self-esteem!
Hematite protects against negativity. Its mirrored surface deflects other people’s moods and bad vibes.

Cleanse your crystal
Don’t be tempted to bust out the Cetaphil! I’m talking about an energetic cleansing, to get rid of any accumulated energy that it might have picked up on its way to you. There are a number of ways to do this, but the easiest involve running it under cold tap water and setting it in the sun, or putting it somewhere that the moon will shine on it overnight.

How to use it
You can protect your home from negative energy and nasty people by placing hematite or black onyx near your front door. (It works the same way as a line of salt!)

Keep rose quartz and amethyst in your handbag. Hold onto them when you feel stressed, drained, or need a radical self love boost!

Aquamarine and moonstone are great stones to travel with.

Put a piece of amethyst under your pillow or beside the bed if you can’t sleep! It’s also good for warding off nightmares, and aiding you in remembering your (good!) dreams.

Sapphire, aquamarine and topaz are known to aid in clear, confident communication. Wear one as a pendant or just keep it in your pocket next time you have that difficult conversation!

Does your sex life need some spicing up? Place carnelian, garnet, bloodstone, ruby, or pink tourmaline near the bed. Pink tourmaline is good for lowering inhibitions (ooh err!), while carnelian, bloodstone and ruby improve stamina. Meow!

Put citrine or green aventurine in your wallet to increase your wealth.

You can balance your chakras by using this seven-colour chakra layout.

Some of my other favourite stones include opal for providing emotional balance and stability, green jade for calming the nervous system, and aqua aura quartz for encouraging self-expression.

Rock on (haha!),

Title image taken by me. The other images are of agate slices and gemstone magnets, which are available for purchase at LEIF!