Blue Calcite has the most cooling energy of any crystal in my opinion - it rarely if ever gets physically hot, no matter how long you hold it in your hand - so is great to use if you’ve got a bruise or are suffering from hot flushes. Those cooling energies also relate to our feelings, if you’re a bit of a hot head or prone to angry outburst this could be the crystal to work with, soothing those tendencies & helping us to communicate our expressions more clearly to those around us & also to ourselves.

Blue Lace Agate is great when our emotions cause us undue stress, if we feel in danger of being overwhelmed by a tsunami of feelings then this is the crystal to be working with - it will take the intensity out of the situation, soothing & calming you until you feel like you can manage again.

An excellent stone to aid communication, giving you confidence to speak your truth it works wonderfully well with the throat chakra, helping you to voice yourself in a calm & diplomatic manner.

Carnelian is a stone of strength; it works well with the base chakra helping us to feel like we belong to our "tribe". This crystal will instill a sense of courage within us, helping to strengthen the base & solar plexus chakra teaching us how to believe in ourselves, empowering us in knowing that we can & will power through all of our challenges in the end.

Determination, Perseverance, Self Belief & Inner Strength, Grounding.  A suggested use would be when we are feeling at the end of the road with a certain situation & don't know where to turn - carry this crystal with you, meditate with it in your hand or just sit quietly & see how it makes you feel.

Wonderful to use if you feel a connection with the devic kingdom, fairies, plants & all the associated beings from that realm. Will help with dream recall & when used in meditation will help you to remember any messages that you received. If you’re suffering from writer’s block or need inspiration for a creative project this is the crystal to use. 

Loves to work with plants either in conjunction with healing a person/place or actually healing a plant/tree. Has the ability to help you see the magic currently in your life or help you get the magic back into your life. Encourages a return to nature. Can have a bit of a naughty energy, encouraging you to push yourself but within safe boundaries. Tells you to have the courage to live your dreams.

I find most crystals that either come from the sea or are associated with the sea have some degree of cleansing energy - with the wonderous fossil coral it helps to dissolve & clear karma, especially that which is held in the Heart & Solar Plexus - when I meditated with this stone I saw the infinity symbol, heard the ocean & felt the tide washing over my feet when I walked along the beach - cleansing, restorative & promoting a sense of inner peace. 

These crystals natural tendency to branch out & create a network (skeleton) supporting a whole eco system on the reef tells me that it offers us a a huge amount of support during challenging times, especially for those that give of themselves too much. Lightly grounding, wonderfully cleansing, peaceful & reflective. 

Petrified Wood is such a helpful tool if we are prone to rushing our lives in any way, it helps to promote a sense of steady growth, especially when it comes to our spiritual pathway. 

A wonderful grounding crystal that helps us to feel rooted into the Earth, giving us a feeling of stability & assurity that we are where we are meant to be. One of the true wonders of Petrified Wood is its ability to share its wisdom with us, watch & listen, learn & grow is its message for us.

Garnets come in many different forms & colourways, from the almost black Melanite & deep red Almandine, to the purple red hues of Pyrope & then the fancy colours of orange coloured Spessartine & Hessonite along with the beautiful green Tsavorite & Uvarotite - these are crystals of intense grounding, one of the strongest that we work with, it helps you to feel like you have two feet firmly planted on the ground at all times aiding your decision making & helping you to see things from a balanced perspective.  

Garnets are stones of transformation; they may either instigate that process or offer their support whilst you experience that transition. When used as grounders during a healing session they will amplify the energies of the other crystals around them, almost like a power boost.

Labradorite is a magical stone - at first glance it may appear grey & a bit boring but shine a light on this beautiful crystal & you'll be treated to a wonderful show with many colour flashes in it - this is what we call it's labradoressence - for me this tells us a lot about what this crystal can do for us, helping us to unlock our own inner magic, expanding our awareness of ourselves & what we are capable of - if you are drawn to Labradorite it may mean that you need to learn to trust your gut instinct, listen to your intuition & pay attention to any "coincidences" that are occurring at this time - take a moment & decide what this may mean to you.

Lapis Lazuli was considered one of the stones of Egyptian Royalty - it's beautiful colour led to it being ground down & used as paint & makeup - my favourite gothic church in Rome has the most amazing ultramarine vaulted ceiling (Sopra Minerva) & the Medici's amassed a fabulous collection of trinkets & jewellery made from the crystal.

A wonderful stone to use in meditation, allowing us to access ancient wisdom, unlocking our inner divinity & helping us to explore past lives - my first encounter showed me the great library in Alexandria & I its custodian - this goes a long way to explaining my book collection I suppose! Lapis Lazuli is also incredibly absorbent both physically & energetically - a wonderful pain reliever - I've successfully banished a migraine or two with it

Lodolite is in essence quartz which may have a whole variety of minerals included in its internal & sometimes external growth - also known as Shamans Lens or Garden Quartz it is for me outstandingly beautiful. One of its uses is as a scrying tool, you can literally get lost within it & that is what shamans do when they use it to journey to the different realms. 

Its introspective properties make it an excellent ally when we are exploring & looking inwards, it has the potential to create & support personal transformation. This stone has all of the usual quartz energies, from clarity & focus to energising & amplification, which subsequently enhances the different minerals which are present, making each & every piece unique & energetically different.

Orbicular or Ocean Jasper could still be considered as a relatively new crystal - it was first acknowledged by geologists in the 1920's but wasn't commercially mined until the early 90's & is only found in Madagascar. 

It's a wonderful multi-purpose crystal as its energies have such a wide-ranging brief, it is calming & will ease stress of all kinds, with an uplifting quality to it, helping us to see the blessings that we have in our lives, encouraging a joyful approach to all that we do. An excellent choice to work with if you are having a difficult time but can't quite pin down the reason why.

Polychrome Jasper is the stone of infinite possibilities, opening our hearts & minds to the wonders of this life & encouraging us to explore all avenues available to us. Gently grounding, it helps us to see our own potential from an observers' perspective, without judgement or fear, guiding us in the direction that our highest self knows is the right path.

Rhodochrosite gives us the strength to address deeply emotional situations with grace & dignity, supporting the heart centre it helps us to say what needs to be said with great compassion in these challenging situations.  

It is said to help us reconnect with our lost talents, allowing us to find our way back to those gifts that we may of buried along life's way.

Rose quartz, one of the most popular & well-known crystals - with very good reason. It's gentle energy & association with love, tenderness & compassion make it a great starting point for those interested in crystal healing. I call this the Mummy stone, it's all about nurturing - as a child when your home from school poorly, you Mum tucks you up on the sofa with your duvet, hot chocolate & her favourite day time TV whilst popping in to make sure you’re doing Ok. 

It relates to the Heart Chakra, helping those to access motherly love & understanding, encouraging self-love & kindness. It can evoke a sense of Harmony, so maybe used in offices or homes where the energy is particularly fractious. It's energy is also supportive & encouraging, sending you off to dare greatly in life's arena.

Rutile in Quartz (be that Clear, Smokey or Amethyst) can be a raw, powerful & dynamic crystal.  Helping us to expand our conscious awareness, bringing light down into our energy bodies which illuminates area's that we may need to work on or acknowledge, encouraging us to manifest our deepest desires & align ourselves with our true goals.  

This crystal has many of quartz's properties, such as clarity & focus which will be substantially amplified by the addition of Rutile along with magnifying your intention, connection to the divine/higher self & finding yourself flowing effortlessly when expressing your thoughts/feelings & emotions.  Excellent when looking to explore the world of Astral travel. its grounding & stabilising abilities will help to keep you from permanently wondering off to other realms. Rutile is a form of Titanium Oxide & can be gold, silver, copper or red in colour.

Tigers Eye is an often-overlooked crystal however, it has some amazing properties & is well worth having in your healing kit or crystal collection. 

Strengthening & warming energies are beneficial to pretty much everyone, empowering the solar plexus chakra helping us to feel more capable, grounding our base chakra enabling us to be more centred & balanced - this could be why some people suggest that it is a stone to be used when you are either entering negotiations of any kind or are an arbiter of any kind.  Key words for Tigers Eye are: Empowering, Grounding, Protection, Strengthening & Balancing.