Crystals and the Four Elements
When it comes to energy, there are four well-known elements: Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Working with crystals that correspond to the four elements can greatly enhance your daily meditation practice and/or energetic work. Read on to find out a bit more about each of the elements, as well as which crystals resonate with them!
Earth
Earth represents the physical, material world which includes our bodies, our environment, our possessions, our day-to-day work and our worldly vocations. Earth is the element of fertility, resonating with all the things that grow and sustain themselves over time. Earth is connected to the root chakra, and is the element most commonly used for grounding, protection and manifestation. A lot of us have trouble staying grounded and being in our bodies (especially if you do a lot of spiritual practice!), and earthy crystals can bring a grounding, calming energy that can help you feel safe in your body and in your environment.
Zodiac Signs: Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo
Tarot: Pentacles
Crystals: Garnet, stromatolite, black tourmaline, petrified wood, tree agate, moss agate, unakite, red jasper, mookaite, hematite, jet, onyx.
How to cleanse and work with your Earth crystals: to cleanse and charge your Earth crystals, bury them in the garden or in the pot of a house plant overnight. Carry them in your pocket close to your root chakra or meditate with them during grounding exercises to feel more connected to your body and to work with them during manifestation exercises.
Air
Air is closely connected to the mind. It represents our thought process, our intellectual endeavors, and the things we learn and think about. Air is connected to the heart (and sometimes the throat) chakra, so it’s all about how we use our words to express ourselves and communicate with others. If you’re someone who tends to overthink things and get distracted or spacey, you might have too much Air! The way to balance it is by doing a daily grounding ritual or working with crystals that resonate with the Earth element (see above). Air is also the element of our imaginations, and of the things we want to know.
Zodiac Signs: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
Tarot: Swords
Crystals: Fluorite (all colours), blue calcite, celestite, blue apatite, angelite, lepidolite
How to cleanse and work with your Air crystals: the best way to cleanse and charge your Air crystals is to leave them outside on a windy day (just make sure that they’re big enough to not get blown away!) or pass them through incense smoke. Air crystals are great for when you need to sustain your focus on a task for long periods of time, and they make wonderful companions for students and office workers. Keep them in your workplace or on your desk, and wear them as jewelry during an important meeting or study session.
Fire
Fire represents our creativity, our passions and the way we take action in the world. Fire is what drives us towards the things we love, and it gives us motivation to reach our goals. A little-known fact about Fire is that it’s is the most spiritual of all the elements, because it represents the process of spiritual transformation (think of the Phoenix rising from the ashes) as well as the burning desire to merge with the Divine. On a more day-to-day level, Fire is all about warmth, passion, confidence and courage, and how we share these things with others!
Zodiac Signs: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
Tarot: Wands
Crystals: Fire opal, fire agate, carnelian, citrine, sunstone, amber, ruby, sulfur, sardonyx, candle quartz
How to cleanse and work with your Fire crystals: placing your Fire crystals near a lit candle or holding them (carefully!) above the flickering flame will cleanse and charge them with the energies of their own element. You can grid them around your bedroom during date night, or keep them in your creative space to stay motivated and passionate about your latest project. A cool trick with any Fire crystal is to wear a piece of it during the day as a ring or a pendant and imagine yourself encircled by a protective flame that burns up any unwanted energies in your aura.
Water
Water is all about emotion, intuition, and how we “flow” with life. Water rules our innermost selves, as well as the ways in which we receive others and internally process the world around us. Learning to connect to and work with your emotions is the key to mastering this element, but it’s tricky because Water also represents the places where we’re most vulnerable and sensitive! In its highest expression, Water is all about empathy and our emotional connection to others.
Zodiac Signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
Tarot: Cups
Crystals: Aquamarine, larimar, chrysocolla, rose quartz, pink opal, moonstone, pearl, coral, abalone, Lemurian Aquatine Calcite
How to cleanse and work with your Water crystals: the obvious way to cleanse your water crystals is with water, but many of them are unsafe to keep in water for long periods of time. Simply placing your crystals near a natural source of running water like a lake or a stream (or even bringing them with you on your next beach day!) will cleanse and re-charge your Water crystals. If you don’t have access to a natural body of water, sprinkling them with a few drops of water every now and again is enough to clear them, or visualize them being submerged in the refreshing waters of the ocean.
Which elements do you resonate the most with? Are you called to work with any?
- Meghan Sandor
