With so many varieties and forms, the idea of working with crystals can seem daunting. Everyone seems to have their own opinion of what stone is best used for what, and in what form it should be in for best results. And then there’s actually using the stone! The entire thing can seem like quite the complicated mess that’s better off just left alone. But working with crystals is actually very straightforward and can be quite rewarding as it is a rather basic and hands on form of magick. 

While certain stones do possess certain qualities and attributes, basic correspondences for all stones, be they expensive gems or simple stones found in your own backyard, come down to one thing: color. There’s no need to memorize endless lists of correspondences for crystals to be able to use them successfully, just look at it. Oh, you’ve got a lovely purple stone? Why not use it for developing psychic powers and intuition. What, you found a small red stone walking to your mailbox? Bet it would be perfect for a protection spell or balancing your root chakra. It really is that simple.

Using crystals is also pretty straightforward. They work because, like all matter, they’re made of energy and this energy vibrates at a certain frequency (dependent largely upon what color the stone is, though not entirely.) For this energy to effect the change that you want, it must be near to what you want to be affected. For example, if you are using your crystals for healing, they should be near or touching the person you are healing, or their representation in the case of distant spells, for as long as possible. If you’re going to use crystals to protect or cleanse a space, the stones should be placed throughout the space, so that their energy can affect the space as much as possible (i.e. place crystals about on shelves, in corners, above doorways, etc.)

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that your crystals will need to be cleansed periodically. It is often suggested to soak stones in a mix of salt water, but this is highly ill advised, as certain stones can and will dissolve in water. The safest bet to ensure you don’t accidentally damage your stones is to pass them through incense smoke. Just pass the stone through or hold it in the smoke until you feel the energy of the stone change. It will feel lighter and stronger.

And as for what form the stone should be in, this truly does come down to personal preference. Smaller stones are easier to work with as they travel well. Tumbled stones are less likely to get damaged while traveling. Raw, uncut, unpolished stones can be quite powerful, especially if they contain a bit of the matrix material. Large stones are great for permanent displays, such as in a healing or sacred space, and work well for magick regarding the home. And stones that are set in jewelry are great for personal use as they are very discreet (who would ever guess you’re wearing those Ruby earrings for protection?)

When first purchasing crystals, the most economical thing to do is to get one or two small stones in each color. Not only do most metaphysical stores carry small crystals, raw and/or tumbled, at a very low cost, but that way, you’ve a stone for every need you can think of. An initial cleansing is advised. After that, you can begin using your stones immediately. As for what you use them for, well, you truly are limited only by your imagination. Good luck and have fun!

Contrary to common belief, we’re all psychic. Granted, this may not mean that we’re all beset by visions of disaster and doom, or are frequently visited by the spirit of our deceased Grandmother, but psychic abilities are talents that are open to us all, and always have been, we just closed ourselves off to them somewhere along the way.

Also contrary to popular belief, psychic abilities don’t always manifest themselves in blatant ways (i.e. being visited by ghosts and spirits, being able to “guess” the lucky lotto numbers, etc.) Rather, one’s psychic abilities may manifest themselves as a strong “gut feeling” about something or someone, this is intuition, also known as “clairsentience.” Another example may be a strong connection you have with someone, perhaps a friend or relative, that allows the two of you to know when the other one is having a rough time or is just thinking about calling on the phone. This connection, a psychic connection, allows for various psychic senses to manifest as needed in order to provide you both with the information you need (i.e. clairsentience, “psychic knowing,” lets you know when something’s wrong, clairaudience, “psychic hearing,” means you may “hear” the phone ring all afternoon, with that person’s specific ringtone, until they finally do call.)

Within the practice of magick and Witchcraft, as well as the religion of Wicca, there is a strong emphasis on cultivating psychic talents. The reasons for this, though not readily apparent, come down to one fundamental point: the ability to recognize and manipulate energy. This one thing is the entire basis of magick and Wiccan ritual: if you cannot recognize energy or work with it, then you have no chance at being successful at either. 

The ability to work magick comes down to recognizing that everything is made up of energy, including us, and as such, we have the ability to influence this energy, to redirect the flow, and thus create changes (i.e. “make magick.”) Wicca is a religion that is strongly grounded in the ability to work magick, the entire process of ritual, without any formal spell casting or such, demands the ability to work magick. How can one cast a Circle if they are unable to feel and project energy? How can one call the Elements to their Circle if they don’t know how the varying Elemental energies feel, what makes Them different from each other, and how to go about channeling that energy? And what of calling the Gods? Sure, They may come of Their own accord, but if one is working with more generic forms (such as “the Goddess” and “the God”) rather than specific Deities, how can one “call” anything/anyone if they don’t know what they’re calling (i.e. how that energy feels) and how to do so (i.e. how to channel and direct that energy)? This is why the need for honing one’s innate psychic abilities becomes so crucial.

The ways of increasing one’s abilities are many, and can be found in any basic books on magick/Witchcraft or Wicca. But two factors are a requirement, regardless of what exercises you choose to do: 1) you must be open to the idea of psychic abilities and that you are fully capable of possessing them, and 2) you must pay attention, so that when your abilities do begin to make themselves known (and they will!) you can recognize them as such, for doing so only makes them stronger.

A relatively simple psychic skill for any Witch to master, Scrying is the art of gazing at an object in a manner that calms the mind and body, allowing the subconscious to come forth and reveal messages. These messages may present themselves as full on visions, complete with sights, sounds, smells, and sensations, or they may be just pictures, like watching a movie.

Virtually anything can be used to Scry with; it is truly a skill available to anyone as fancy tools really aren’t necessary. Common things to Scry with are Fire (i.e. a candle flame, bonfire, or glowing coals,) Water (e.g. a bowl filled about an inch with water, the water may or may not be darkened,) Smoke (as from incense,) a Mirror (any will do,) a Speculum (aka Dark Mirror,) or a Crystal Sphere. 

Despite what you use, the process is the same: calm and center, then gaze at the object. Do not stare. Staring is a purposeful concentrated “looking” and that is not the point of Scrying. You want to gaze, to relax yourself, quiet your mind, and allow any messages from your intuition or Gods to come forth. 

Scrying doesn’t always work the first time and many people find that their first visions are nothing more than colored clouds; the color of these clouds can be interpreted and read if a specific question was asked prior to Scrying. Eventually, these clouds will pass and a picture is revealed. With increasing practice, you will find yourself able to achieve full visions simply by gazing at a blank wall in a dark room. Or, as many a kitchen witch knows, by gazing at your streak-free oven door.

These are very simple to use and as such, are quite popular. You simply hold aloft the small end so the larger end can swing freely.

For divination, you must first ask the pendulum to show you which way it will swing for "yes" and which way for "no." Then, concentrate on your question. The pendulum should begin to swing, slowly at first, but then faster. Which way it swings indicates your answer. 

But, pendulums are easily influenced by the conscious mind, so for more accuracy, it is advised to suspend the pendulum, a "banana tree" (that snazzy little plastic or wooden device in your kitchen that you hang your bunch of bananas from) works well for this, that way you won't be touching it at all. Now, your subconscious , your Higher Self, is free to move the pendulum, without the conscious mind interfering, via the aura. 

Pendulums can also be useful for communication with spirits, finding haunted locals, healing, and realigning chakras.

The I-Ching is one of the oldest known forms of divination. It has been practiced in China for thousands of years. The name translates to "the Book of Changes" as this divination method foretells patterns of changes specific to that one moment in time. 

The method is simple: hold 6 coins of a similar size in your hand (5 of these coins should be the same type, 1 should be different, e.g. 5 pennies and 1 dime,) these are then tossed into the air and let to fall as they may. The coins are then aligned vertically in relation to the distance they are from the caster (i.e. the coin farthest away is at the top, the coin closest is at the bottom, the coins in the middle are aligned accordingly.) Based upon which coins are heads up and which are tails, a corresponding symbol, called a hexagram, is selected from the book. The differing coin's position enhances the meaning, adding another phrase to the definition of the hexagram.

This method is easy to learn, and all one really needs to practice is a copy of the I-Ching and a few coins, though, traditionally, yarrow stalks were used. However, this practice has fallen out of favor as it is more complicated.

Clairgustance
This is psychic taste. Perhaps you taste cookies when the spirit of your deceased grandma visits you,or maybe you can taste (not smell) the cigarette smoke from that great uncle that everyone just wondered about. What ever the case may be, that is Clairgustance.

Clairkinesthesia
This is psychic touch. This can be feeling the temperature change when a spirit is in a room or feeling the spirit touch your shoulder.

Clairaudience
This is psychic hearing. This can be hearing the voice of your spirit guides offering you advice, or it can be hearing music when working with faeries and angels. It is hearing things that have no physical explanation and cannot be heard by the ears.

Clairvoyance
This is psychic sight, such as in prophetic visions or dreams. It is also seeing faeries, spirit guides, spirits, auras, et cetera.

Clairsentience
This is psychically knowing things that you couldn't possibly know otherwise. For example, upon first meeting someone, you know very intimate details about them, without ever having been told, or knowing that you're not alone in a room, that there is some entity in the room with you.

Clairolfaction
This is psychic smell. If you work with faeries, perhaps you've smelled flowers or incense when neither was present: this indicates the presence of the Fey. Or, perhaps when alone, feeling lost and confused, you suddenly smell the perfume of your deceased grandmother who always knew just what to say to make you feel better. These are both perfect examples of Clairolfaction: smelling something when there is no physical explanation for it. Also, if there are other people around, you may be the only one who smells it. Of course, there are also a few medical conditions that can cause frequent occurrences of smelling things that aren't there (check with your health care provider if you have any concerns.)

Tarot readings are a fun and wonderful tool to help one make decisions. That is the key, though, to "help" one make choices. We all have choices and sometimes with the big ones we just want another opinion. The thing is everyone has one, but what is often forgotten is that the Universe has one as well, whether we like it or not. Can we change what is going to happen? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Does this mean we should or shouldn't? Well, that is for you alone to decide.