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THE BASICS:

Chakra: Heart

Birthstone: May

Zodiac: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Libra

Planet: Mercury

Element: Earth

Typical Colors: Green

I love all crystals for their unique, marvelous purposes, but pink and green crystals are usually my absolute favorites. This is mostly because pink and green are my favorite colors, but also, the properties of the heart chakra really resonate with me. As you may have guessed, the best stones for the heart chakra are pink and green- including emerald, of course!

I think my love of emerald originates from my mother, because she wore a emerald wedding ring when she was married to my dad. I was totally mesmerized by the deep, royal color of the ring, and remember thinking when I was little that I wanted an emerald ring, too.

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I may not have gotten my emerald ring yet, but, I do have a lovely tumbled emerald piece in my crystal collection! Tumbled emerald looks quite different than the deep, rich stone you may be visualizing, because it’s less saturated than what you would find on a fancy ring. To my knowledge, the tumbled emerald I own is “B grade”, because it’s a pale, opaque shade, rather than being bright and “true green.”

Nonetheless, it’s still emerald, and the healing properties of the stone still apply. Because emerald correlates with the heart chakra, it can help to promote love, romance, joy, and faith, along with a plethora of other wonderful things. Emerald is often called “the stone of domestic bliss,” or “the stone of successful love”, because it helps to enhance romantic love and loyalty. That’s not to say your partner won’t cheat on you just because you have emerald, but, people do say the stone changes color if infidelity is occuring. The chances of that being true are slim, but still, what a fun fact!

Emerald doesn’t just aid in love, loyalty, and bliss. It can also help you overcome physical ailments, like arthritis, blood pressure regulation, colds and flu, and overall heart health. As a whole, meditating with emerald promotes a healthy equilibrium for your physical, emotional, and mental health. I find that any type of heart-specific stone can be beneficial in promoting overall harmony and peace, and emerald is certainly no exception to this.

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In regards to rarity, emerald is a very common stone, and can be purchased quite cheaply in a number of online and brick-and-mortar shops. Village Silversmith has a great crystal selection, if you live in the Boston area, but there are also plenty of awesome online shops. Etsy has some great shops, like Auramore and NewMoonBeginnings. I also really like getting crystals from Monk and Moon, because they always have an impressive collection of raw chunks. I do not yet have a raw chunk of emerald, so maybe that will be my next crystal endeavor!

No matter what your reason is for using emerald, I’m sure you will find that the crystal gives you a sense of peace and unconditional love. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but the more you practice self-care and meditation, the easier the love will flow to you.

Sources: https://www.charmsoflight.com/emerald-healing-properties

https://www.healingcrystals.com/Tumbled_Emerald__Brazil__-_Tumbled_Stones.html

Pictures: Blackthornandroseshop.com, Crystal Cactus

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To me, watching over my collection of crystals feels like taking care of a tiny family. Each crystal is different, unique, and beautiful in its own way, and it’s my responsibility to make sure they’re all taken care of. In that case, if crystals are my little babies, then selenite is definitely a “co-parent.” Selenite is the only crystal that can cleanse other crystals, making it extremely forceful and dynamic. Despite the fact that it contains so much power, selenite is still wholesome, pure, and soft in nature. It’s available in a few different shades, but the most common color is a bright, brilliant, pearly white. My dad says it reminds him of dried pineapple, which always makes me laugh. He’s right, the thick lines in raw selenite do make it look like dried fruit.

So what makes selenite so special? Well, similarly to how selenite can heal/recharge other stones, it can do the same for your own wellbeing. Selenite is beneficial to all seven of the chakras, but you’ll notice it is especially helpful in soothing the crown chakra. Selenite carries incredibly powerful vibrations that clean and activate your higher being, your mind, and even your memory. For this reason, selenite is ideal for all types of reiki and spiritual healing work.

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I don’t really identify as religious, or even seriously spiritual, but I do like to pick apart different ideologies and practices into my own sort of philosophy. For example, there are many of elements of LaVeyan Satanism that I find powerful and appealing, but I don’t identify as a Satanist. There are also creeds of metaphysical healing that I find useful, and then there are ideas that I think are solely placebo and based on “pseudoscience.” Essentially, this is what I believe in and strive to live by: I reject life-after death existence and supernatural beings, or worshiping anything that I feel is irrational. Instead, I follow a principle of self-exploration, finding a higher power in yourself, and using nature as a tool to reach self-enlightenment and self-actualization. For that reason, when I say selenite assists in helping me reach a “higher power,” what I really mean is a higher power and level of thinking within myself. I hope that makes some level of sense.

When I meditate on myself, or practice reiki on others, I use the vibrations of selenite to open a deeper level of the mind, to bring the conscious closer to ultimate peace and clarity. Selenite has something of a motherly presence: comforting, nourishing, and embodying safety for its user. Noteworthy, selenite is often used in conjunction with breastfeeding, or kept nearby to promote peace and protection for the baby.

Like all crystals, selenite is available in all different shapes and sizes. My favorite form of selenite is a “wand”, because it complements the the idea that selenite is an entity of power and even a form of magic. And no, you don’t need to tell me it looks like a dildo, I’ve heard that at least 4,000 times so far (this isn’t actually the selenite wand I own, but it looks very similar).

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Selenite is a powerful tool to use at the end of a long day, preferably for a nighttime meditation before bedtime. As an empath and a highly sensitive person, I feel like a wet sponge that picks up the energy of everyone/everything around me throughout the day. It’s exhausting to carry around all that emotional weight, especially when you’re trying to prepare for a good night’s sleep. If I’ve had a particularly hard day, I enjoy laying down and meditating with pieces of selenite, and waving the wand around my body to clear out some of that negative energy. By doing so, I feel like I am communicating with my higher self, strengthening my intuition, and raising my own vibrations.

The official affirmation of selenite is “I am at one with myself, the Earth, and the Universe.” I feel like this perfectly sums up everything I advocate for: self-love, self-care, and an intimate connection to the Earth around me. I recommend selenite as a beginner stone to everyone interested in crystals, especially other highly sensitive people. It really is a “Mother Stone”, and its calming meditation effects can be felt almost immediately. As with many other stones, selenite is extremely affordable and found in bulk at all crystal shops. If you’re interested in starting your own crystal healing journey, consider adding selenite as one of the primary pieces in your collection.

Sources: https://www.healingcrystals.com/Selenite_Articles_53.html

Selenite wands

https://quartzcrystalpoints.com/products/large-double-spiral-unicorn-horn-hand-carved-selenite-wand

https://www.chakrubs.com/small-selenite-wand/

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Over the years, I’ve definitely noticed I tend to pick up a lot of green crystals. It makes a lot of sense; green is my favorite color, and as a hopeless romantic, I definitely need to pay a lot of attention to my heart chakra. For those of you unfamiliar with chakras and their correlations, here’s a recap:

Root Chakra

Color: Red

Aids in: Grounding, emotional security

Sacral Chakra

Color: Orange

Aids in: Creativity, sexuality

Solar Plexus Chakra

Color: Yellow

Aids in: Self-confidence, identity

Heart Chakra

Color: Green

Aids in: Love, compassion

Throat Chakra

Color: Blue

Aids in: Communication, truth

Third Eye

Color: Indigo

Aids in: Wisdom, intuition

Crown Chakra

Color: Purple

Aids in: Spirituality, our relationship with the universe

Like I said, I’m definitely a stereotypical hopeless romantic. I fall in love easily, I get attached on a whim, and I’m guilty of over-fantasizing about every relationship I enter. That being said, I would much rather be too full of love, than not full of enough love. The thing I need to work on the most is just managing my love, so I don’t get hurt so quickly and deeply. I think that’s a lesson we can all learn from: saving our love for someone who really deserves it, instead of just pouring it into the first person who gives us attention. That’s how hurt feelings develop, and in severe cases, abusive relationships.

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I don’t really think crystals can heal every aspect of our life. In some ways, I don’t even really think of chakras as being “real”; I think of them more as metaphors for self-care and positive energy. The rawest healing comes from finding truth within yourself, and facing your demons for what they are.

That being said, I really do feel a strong connection to heart-focused crystals. They may not fix all my problems, but I do find crystals give me a sense of peace and clarity.

Whew, that was a hefty introduction. With that out of the way, let’s get into the metaphysical properties of green aventurine.

Aventurine itself comes in quite a few colors, including shades of blue, purple, brown, orange, and even pink. The most popular, however is definitely green. The beautiful lush green color comes from Fuchsite particles within the quartz, making it appear similarly to jade. Along with being a great stone for love, green aventurine can also strengthen your relationship with nature and Earth. The vibrations of the stone will not only nourish your body, but also your personal living space. Because of this, green aventurine is an awesome stone to use in crystal grids and gardens.

Some other benefits of aventurine that are unrelated to the heart chakra are its abilities to aid in physical growth and promote vitality. Some people also believe that green aventurine can calm unruly school children who struggle with hyperactivity, as the stone can help its wearer focus on the task in front of them.

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Green aventurine aids in emotional stability and helps to soothe the mind, making it ideal for difficult situations like grief and heartbreak. Being close to green aventurine is said to open your heart chakra, and even serve as “armor” for your heart- blocking it from negative energy and emotional pollution. It can be used to give us a sense of control over our own heart- we own it, it is our own possession, and we have the power to choose who enters it. Green aventurine obviously isn’t a magic wand, but it can help provide a sense of comfort and love. I myself struggle with having strong emotional reactions, romantic or not, and green aventurine helps me to harness that energy. It’s a great stone to have on-hand, especially in the form of jewelry. If you have a loved one with a very big heart, green aventurine would be the perfect gift for him/her.

Additionally, green aventurine honors Kuan-Yin, the Chinese goddess of mercy, compassion, and unconditional love. To many, Kuan-Yin is regarded as a protector of women, children, and unsung heroes. All green crystals honor Persephone, the Greek Goddess of Spring & growth.

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Ultimately, I think of green aventurine as being an essential stone. It’s certainly a stone that I have felt a strong connection and fascination with, especially since it relates to my own emotional energy in such a spot-on way. As with almost any stone, green aventurine is extremely inexpensive, usually ranging in price from $2.00-$20.00. This, of course, depends on the the size and quality of the stone you purchase.

If you’re interested in doing some further research on green aventurine, Crystal Vaults is full of information about every stone you could think of. Let me know if there are any particular stones you’d like me to write about next; crystals are one of my favorite blog topics!

Source: https://www.crystalvaults.com/crystal-encyclopedia/green-aventurine

Pictures: https://www.healingcrystals.com/Green_Aventurine_Articles_103.html

https://uae.souq.com/ae-en/natural-tumble-green-aventurine-stone-pendant-necklace-11072413/i/

https://owlcation.com/social-sciences/Persephone

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