The Prettiest Way To Use Your Crystals Is Also The Most Effective

There's no "wrong"way to use a healing crystal. Sure, there are certain things you ought to do to maintain its helpful energy (like cleansing and charging it as needed), but if it's providing you with the type of influence you chose it for in the first place, your crystal is doing its job. That said, you can intensify the effects of any crystal — and even make those effects more nuanced — by using it in tandem with other stones. You just need to get familiar with crystal gridding.

This practice is pretty straightforward: All you have to do is arrange your crystals in a symmetrical shape. You can use a pre-made grid or create a shape of your own — that choice is up to you, and there's a wide variety of layouts to choose from. What's more important than the shape of your grid is the assortment of crystals you select.

As Yulia Van Doren writes in Crystals: The Modern Guide To Crystal Healing, the most effective grids consist of stones with similar properties. In other words, you're better off working with a specific intention that could be addressed by the stones you're using, rather than creating a crystal grid with a vague or general goal in mind (or just creating a grid that's simply cool-looking — though doing this by the book will certainly make for pretty grids).

For example, if you're creating a grid to improve your love life, you should use stones associated with openness, unity, confidence, and passion — properties known to promote love. Rose quartz, rhodochrosite, and emerald, to name only a few types of romance-stoking stones, could all make an appearance in that particular grid. If you feel ambitious, you could even throw in a sprig of rosemary, thyme, or another herb similarly connected to feelings of love.

Once your grid is complete, you can meditate on your intention with it in front of you, or just leave it out somewhere in your home. Again, there's no "wrong" way to use your crystals. You can keep your grid as you originally laid it out for as long as you'd like (you can even make it a part of your alter, if you have one), or you can leave it out for as little as a few hours. Just keep in mind, as with any crystal practice, your grid won't deliver instant, obvious results.

What that means is, crystal grids will certainly have a more concentrated effect than a bunch of crystals scattered around the house, but they won't make your ideal partner materialize out of thin air. Instead, you can expect the crystals that make up the grid to be more targeted in their energy, even if only subtly. By placing them in a symmetrical, geometric shape, you instill a common cause in the stones. Until you break up the grid or recharge the crystals, they'll remain focused on the intention you set.

Another bonus? You don't have to be an advanced healer to pick up this practice (but you will need more than one crystal to make a grid). Creating effective grids takes time, patience, and a willingness to believe in the power of healing crystals. You'll have to focus on building up an assortment of stones, getting acquainted with their properties in general, and then seeing how they affect your life, in particular.

So, no, casual crystal fans don't need to worry about gridding, but those who are committed to the practice stand to reap the benefits — and enjoy plenty of Instagram "likes" along the way.