Crystals and Healing
Whenever someone finds out that I’m a little “witchy” or “woo-woo,” a common question I get asked is, “What are your thoughts on crystals?” Usually, this question is prompted by me offering some offhand herbal advice. I’ll talk more about that in later posts. This question about my thoughts on crystals is valid. On one hand, by the time these topics come up, I have usually proven myself to be a fairly rational and well-researched person. However, writing this, it does occur to me that perhaps this question isn’t always asked genuinely. Regardless of the intent, my answer is always the same: “I’m not really sure, actually.”
Early Experiences with Crystals
Crystals were one of the first tools I looked at, other than tarot and the diet connection. I was working with crystals even before Reiki and Yoga. Ultimately, I believe they helped. I am not sure that I will ever be fully convinced that it was more than a placebo effect. However, I did have some interesting experiences with crystals over the years that are undeniably correlated. I’ll share some anecdotes and some backstory about my experiences.
A Journey into Healing
When I started my journey into crystals, I had been in talk therapy and diagnosed with C-PTSD. My therapist was great, but as with many others with C-PTSD, talk therapy wasn’t much help beyond validating what I had gone through and the work I did to understand it prior to therapy. It turns out actualizing and intellectualizing aren’t the great solution I assumed them to be. This left me looking for other ways to calm my nervous system and move through life with healthy perspectives. Some other things I was working with at the time were cannabis and other mild but legal psychoactive herbs, a CBT workbook, and a homemade gratitude journal. An important piece of information that wasn’t available to me at the time was that the relationship I was in was one of the more damaging partnerships I had been in my adult life. I had been with some real winners, including a man who I quickly understood was ramping up to physical abuse and would sniff me down if I was five minutes late walking home from work in the winter. I tell you all of this to paint a picture of where I was mentally before deciding to work with crystals.
Rose Quartz: A Catalyst for Change
The first crystal I decided to work with was rose quartz. It is said to help with self-love. I KNEW I was struggling with that based on the way I would speak to myself, causing an anxiety spiral. These anxiety spirals would cause me to become hyper-controlling of my environment and lash out easily. Shortly after I started working with rose quartz, i.e., throwing a piece in my bra every day, I started to do two things that I would have never really expected me to do: yoga and meditation. It's funny, actually, because I remember when I would ask a medicine man and a self-proclaimed prophet for advice, I was often told to go within, and I would scoff. “I simply CANNOT meditate,” I would retort. My ADHD does, in fact, make achieving a meditative state more difficult, but it turns out that I can, in fact, meditate. These two things would prove to be some of the most powerful acts of self-love that I can practice for myself. Do I believe rose quartz to be responsible for this change in direction? No, not really. Do I think that the ritual act of picking up the rose quartz off of my nightstand, throwing it in my bra, and remembering to focus on self-love was a catalyst? Yes, but not necessarily the vibe of the crystal, ya know?
Picasso Stone and Creativity
Another stone I ended up working with wasn’t one I sought out exactly. I was wandering through some metaphysical shop, perusing the aisles for books and tarot cards, and my eyes landed on a stone I hadn’t seen or read about. I picked it up and bought it. I researched the Picasso Stone later and found that it was supposed to heighten creativity. I started working with the stone, though this time I believe I put it on a makeshift crystal grid of sorts on a bookshelf in my makeshift home office. Around this time, I learned how to make shower steamers. I was aiming for bath bombs, but hey, it was a fun craft. My best friend understood the assignment and perfected my vision. Together, she made and we sold 400 of our “ritual” bath bombs. (Friend, if you are reading this, I would love a bath bomb!) Here again, we have a “Was it the stone or intentional and inspired action?”
Moonstone and Relationships
The last story I’ll share about crystals for now is my moonstone story. Did you guys see the moldavite trend on TikTok? Too niche? Well, back in 2020, a bunch of folks bought moldavite and have come back telling stories about how their world got flipped on its head in what I call a tower moment. This also allowed them to build back better. I recently saw a TT alleging that moonstone is similar but for relationships. Some time early on in my crystal journey, I bought a moonstone ring. I wore this on my left index finger. I don’t know if this was “right,” and I don’t care. I don’t think that the tools and modalities we use always have to have rigid rules. If that helps you, cool, but I will continue to be my spiritual authority and would encourage you to be that for yourself. So I was in this relationship with the fella I mentioned earlier. We were a team for work, we were raising his daughter, and I was doing the lion's share of what was paying us and keeping up with the house and childcare, among cooking and hosting two separate holiday meals. The lifestyle of working from home and taking care of my house felt really nice. Unfortunately, this partner felt that because his name was on the business, he did enough. I would express needing help, and he would tell me in action that I was unworthy, just absolutely echoing my fears and internalized beliefs from childhood. This is actually why I chose moonstone. I knew the problem had to be that I was not in touch with my femininity. Clearly, I was too masculine, and that was why I was struggling to keep up with everything. My partner also questioned me about literally everything. Small decisions would require me to explain myself and result in a 10-20 minute argument. It did not help that for about six months, my mother was living with us. My mental health was... not great. At one point around Christmas, my friend had to physically take a pair of scissors out of my hand for fear of witnessing self-harm, a behavior I hadn’t struggled with since high school and haven’t felt again since. Again, I’m just painting the picture here. Eventually, my mother moved out. I expected things to get better, but they somehow went from bad to worse. The last argument I had with this man was so bewildering that I admitted to a mutual friend that I felt like running away. She, from what I can tell, immediately called him to tell him this. (Katie, I hope you heal and be thankful I never shared your secrets.) This led to a discussion where I admitted to wanting to be deleted from the population for months, and he broke up with me. He left the home his mom bought for us to live in to give me time to get out, and I immediately called his sister, my best friend. By the time she got there, I was done crying and had decided that him calling it off was the best thing for me. I healed, got my own place, and started working on MY life again.
Reflections on Crystals
The moonstone obviously can’t be blamed for the downfall of a toxic relationship that should have been left alone to start. However, it is an interesting correlation. All of my experiences got me thinking, do these solidified earth excretions actually hold power? So I looked around and found mostly anecdotal evidence from folks I fear don’t know the difference between science and pseudoscience. No hate or shade to them or anyone—I am, after all, a bit woo-woo. It just wasn’t the answer I was looking for; I could provide that evidence for myself. What I eventually found were excerpts from Nikola Tesla's work involving crystals and their vibrations. Tesla wasn’t working with crystals in the capacity I was, but he did seem to hold them in very high regard. Reading this work sent me down two other rabbit holes: crystals in tech, and quantum physics.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, I decided that I like the use of crystals in spiritual and healing spaces. As with any tool or modality, I fear that there is room for abuse. Please always do your own research from reputable sources. Trust your gut. If someone is trying to sell you a $600 crystal that they SWEAR is going to fix everything, they are swindling you. On the other hand, if you are walking through a little shop and feel drawn to a crystal, let it tell you where you can shift your focus and help create the life you want to live. They are a fun and pretty addition to what you are already doing to support your mental and physical health. They may not help, but they certainly can’t hurt. So, throw them on your mantle or toss them in your window, sleep with them, meditate with them; just don’t put anything in water without checking if it is safe! Do your own research, have your own experiences, but remember intentional action and doing the inner work are always going to be what dictates your life.
I’d love to hear from you! Have you had any interesting experiences with crystals? Do you have questions about how to incorporate them into your life? Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below.
With love and compassion,
Mia Marie
Direct Experience: Tarot
I started reading about the history of Tarot when I was probably 12 or 13 though I didn’t get my first deck until I was 17. Before I got my first deck, I used playing cards. I read about how to read the face cards, the suits and different number meanings. When I was 17 and got my first real -starter- deck I gave readings to anyone that would let me. One staff member was kind enough to accept a reading from me. It was just a general reading and she didn’t voice any questions to me. I believe I did a Celtic Cross spread as it has always been my favorite for diving in. I remember her coming back to me about a month later confirming what the reading said. From there I gave readings to friends that would ask me to - usually helping them make sense of their situation. I prefer to interact with Tarot in an introspective way more than a form of divination.
In my own search for answers I often found that a disturbing amount of folks in the tarot community are out here telling folks what they want to hear or worse using fear to manipulate their clients and keep them confused. This of course isn’t the only case of abuse of power within the spiritual community, but that’s a conversation for another day. I have found ethical readers and they are appreciated. When searching for a tarot reader I have found its important to find one that can help empower you even when they are giving a “bad message”. Things are almost never as dire as they first appear. Use your discernment when wading into the waters of all spiritual practitioners.
Some practitioners will warn you away from buying your own deck - they will tell you it has to be a gift. This is leftover sentiment from before the internet existed and if you wanted to learn you had to learn from a Master of the craft thus allowing them to control how many readers were in an area. If you want that deck, if you feel called to do tarot - DO IT. However, that being said, all of my best decks were gifts. I received one at Christmas this last year and fell in love with it. It’s the Labyrinth - which if you know me, you know it is one of my favorite movies of all time. At the beginning of THIS year I lost two decks in a nasty car accident that threw my belongings all over the snow. Yes, there was a message in the 3 cards found sticking straight up in the snow beside my totaled car. No, I won’t share that here, but it gave me strength and courage to keep moving forward. Since then I have offered a few readings to my friends as a means to help sort through the noise that life can throw our way.
That being said, I don't want to be seen as a Tarot reader. I want to be seen as someone who can help you cut through the noise - take a shortcut to untangling how you feel. I won’t answer questions about medical health, pregnancy, or if that human is your twin flame. Go to the doctor, there are far too many threads of possibility, they are not your twin flame. I am available to book for all other life situations if you are having trouble sorting through and getting to the heart of it.
With Love,
Mia Marie
Direct Experience: Reiki
Reiki is commonly taught as a Japanese method for channeling universal healing energy. However, it actually has its roots in Buddhism and was popularized Japan. Universal energy is vague isn’t it? What does she MEAN by that I hear no one asking. It is energy that belongs to the everything as opposed to a deity, singular person, place, or thing. This energy is harnessed through a practitioner and given to others to help clear out energetic blockages hiding in our bodies and our spiritual bodies or auras. Did you know that science says that your energy - vibration - extends roughly 3ft out from where you physical body ends? Well, technically your heart’s electromagnetic field does.
I have been experiencing energy since I was a child in the form of emotions. I didn’t always have the language for it but I could definately feel things that people didn’t always want me to feel. So for me it wasn’t a big leap to believe that everything in this life is energy. The words we speak, the thoughts we think, the food we eat, even the media we engage with - it all has a vibration - an energy. The first time I was introduced to Reiki as a concept it was actually by a fella I didn’t exactly trust. So, it was something I read briefly about and quickly decided that I thought it was nonsense.
That is until I visited my sister, a massage therapist, for Christmas one year. By this time I was already practicing most of the 8 limbs of yoga. Though I wouldn’t come to understand yoga and meditation that way for many years but that is a story for a different day. My sister decided that for Christmas she was going to give me a message and do some Reiki. She asked if I was familiar with it and I said I was vaguely. She ask if it was okay for her to do Reiki on me and I gave her permission. I didn’t know what to expect going into it, not really. I just knew that my sister is further on her healing journey than myself and she has never once steered me wrong. Let me tell you, I knew when the massage stopped and the Reiki started.
I was laying there on her massage table, eyes closed, deeply relaxed and almost asleep when I started to see color. This is actually not a new phenomena for me. I’ve seen colors with my eyes closed since I was a child. Typically at this point in my life though I was only seeing colors when I was meditating. So it was very shocking to me to see hues of gold. I didn’t know this then but gold is a color that often shows up for people while recieving Reiki. It is seen as the color of universal energy in some circles. However it is worth noting that the next Reiki practitioner I went to didn’t emit gold but blue. So, I’m not convinced that it is truly the color of Reiki energy.
That direct experience set me on a path to learn it myself. I found my mentor about 3-4 years later. She attuned me and I’ve been practicing on myself and my anxious kitty ever since. As soon as I was certified level 2 - I started offering to do energy work for my sister in another state. Who said that I showed up for her in the colors of gold and maroon(my signature color). Now, I want to offer it to as many folks as I can.
With Love,
Mia Marie
