What is lithotherapy ?
Lithotherapy uses the power of stones (also called crystals) to correct energetic unbalance, improve overall well-being, and regenerate the body as a whole. We live in society where we are constantly exposed to stress and the energies of others, of places we hang around… It doesn’t matter the reasons of the unbalance we have or even their nature, that our ills are physical, emotional or psychological, there is a stone to help us heal it. Each stones emits it’s own vibration and act as an energy regulator, filling a lack of it or removing an overflow.
As I just said, lithotherapy is working on different levels. I did not follow any training in this field, and do not pretend to be an expert. I learn as I go, with the stones crossing my path, my knowledge resumes to the ones used for my creations… Which means the informations you will find here are summary of the different stones virtues (my own interpretation if you will) and focus mostly on the emotional benefits. When it comes to choosing a stone I work in connection to my intuition, which is usaly a good way to go.
If you want to know more and have a better comprehension of stones and lithotherapy in general, there are great websites and books on the topic. One of my reference website is France France Minéraux (no affiliation here, simply one of my sources).
Your stones take care of you, you should also take care of them… You can find informations about how to purify and recharge your crystals in this article.
In the mean time, here is my list (in alphabetical order and in constant evolution) of crystals and their virtues…
Agate
Lucky charm. Stone of luck and grounding, agate brings courage and helps to overcome all type of energetic block. It calms fear, anxiety and parasitic thoughts by neutralizing surrounding negative energies and clearing inner troubling elements and emotional shocks, that way it brings a feeling of security. Yin and yang are harmonized, the mind at ease. We can be confident again and accept ourselves as we are. Calm and plenitude help us be more sincere and develop focus.
Agate ~Moss
Liberation. The moss agate is connected to the cosmos as much the tree of life, it harmonizes and encourage the link with the world’s elements. It brings joy and serenity, soothes and stabilizes. Its energy encourages self-esteem and confidence in our capacities.
Agate ~Tree
Relax. Tree agate is a representation of the vegetal energy. It has the same effect than bathing in nature. Imagine you’re sitting at the bottom of an old oak tree, feel the nature’s calmness fill you and all negative energies being absorbed by the roots that support you and free you. You feel this lightness, you are boosted to overcome your own limitations…
Symbol of serenity, wisdom and temperance, the tree agate acts against stress, calms anxiety and fears, and helps sleep. It opens your mind to understand hidden meaning of things. It’s a stone of travel, may it be inward, on earth, in dreams or in relations with others and Nature.
Amazonite
Truth. The amazonite’s blue energy helps trusting your intuition. It’s linked to the throat chakra, therefore to communication, it helps to express yourself with confidence and honesty. On the spiritual level it also helps find your own destiny and balance the mood.
Amber
Mental strength. Solar stone by definition, amber purifies energies and helps with dynamism, self-confidence and reflection. It allows you to express your personality but also find your place in an environment. Its stimulating properties on the mental scope, promote all forms of psychological work, encouraging intellectual development, boosting memory. Amber promotes pushing your limits to reach your goals, realize your dreams and accomplish great things. Psychological barriers break down and nothing seems impossible.
Amethyst
Calm. Amethyst encourages dreams and intuition, it helps to keep a clear mind, which makes it perfect for spiritual practices such as meditation or reiki. It also purifies the aura, helping to keep an open mind.
Aventurine
Introspection. The aventurine is linked to the heart chakra, it brings clear vision and helps soothing fears and anxiety. By enhancing inner tranquility and self-control, it helps taking decisions and completing your projects (patience and perseverance). Its energy also stimulates creativity and compassion. As a lot of other stones, it absorbs negative energies and protect you from them.
Blue Apatite
Calm. Apatite in general is great to calm stress and emotional excess. In its blue form, more specifically, it gently brings buried emotions to the surface to let go of them. Associated to the throat and voice, this stone helps you verbalize what you have in. mind more easily and express yourself in public. Shyness is replaced by self-confidence, listening and understanding. Apatite is also loved by artists who it helps getting in tune with their originality and their deep sense of imagination. The blue apatite’s energy also tends to increase motivation (in work but not only).
Blue Chalcedony
Serenity. The light color of the blue chalcedony is appeasing at first sight and that’s the way its energy is acting. The inner peace promoted will allow a better relation to human beings, more tolerance and comprehension toward others but also ourselves. Anxiety being gone, we find a feeling of plenitude and the strength to overcome any issues. The blue chalcedony encourages expression of feeling and spirit.
Calcite
Energy. Calcite is protecting and grounding, it increases and amplifies your energy. It’s a powerful stone to open your mind and help with deep reflection and inspiration. It also helps bringing inner peace and developing extrasensory capacities. It helps clear depressive states and so forth encourages motivation, intuition and fair judgement.
Citrine
Warmth. Citrine is the stone of ‘joie de vivre’ and abondance, it enhances energies balance, positive behaviors and stimulates enthusiasm. It does attract abondance, prosperity, wealth, and success, and also protect. It absorbs and get rid of the negative energies surrounding us.
This little sun helps develop confidence and overcome fears and hang-ups. Excellent ally to creativity, citrine will reconnect its bearer to his inner light and intuition.
Chrysanthemum
Optimism. In Japanese culture, the chrysanthemum stone represents fulfillment, bliss and longevity. Symbol of renewal and beginning it gives hope, patience and confidence. Because it boosts concentration, it’s a useful stone during introspection times to better understand our surroundings and tame our deep and unconscious thoughts. Negative thoughts are pushed away, which allow us to concentrate on the positive aspect of a situation and foster optimism and enthusiasm, but also prevents nightmares for a better sleep.
Cornelian
Courage. Cornelian helps believe in yourself and be more spontaneous. It brings you more courage and helps you push your limits. It helps loving and accepting life as it is, without the illusion of being in control of everything happening to you. Its energy supports emotive people, encourage creativity, concentration and responsible behavior.
Epidote
Patience. Epidote stimulates the heart’s chakra green energy. It helps you get rid of worries, self-pity, and grief. Great meditation stone it can help you go back on your previous lives to let go of angst and find strength and serenity. You will be capable of freeing transgenerational memories and create your own story, realizing your image of happiness and plenitude. Epidote also eases communication and can help improve relationship. You will face your problems and speak from the heart. Able to say no and/or stop, you will return to balanced bases for your life.
Hawk’s eye
Vision. Called the eye of Horus (god of the sky) in ancient Egypt, hawk’s eye is considered as ‘the eye that sees it all’, the omniscient guardian angel. Symbol of adaptability, empathy, and the art of dialogue, it’s recommended for ‘closed off’, very conservative people. Hawk’s eye helps being open to new ways of thinking, new perspectives, and helps develop openness to others. Stone of protection and clairvoyance, it allows introspective work.
Howlite
Dream stone. Native American use the howlite in shamanic rituals but also as a protective amulet. It’s a stabilizing stone allowing to clear the mind and establish consistency between feelings. It gives a sense of responsibility and helps free from fear and anger. The white howlite invite to peace of mind and so is a precious help for deeper sleep and remembering your dreams.
Jade
Honesty. Represents honesty, temperance and tolerance, therefore helps objectivity while judging others. Jade helps balancing rest and activity and increases consciousness. It frees you form guilt and helps facing reality.
Jade ~Black
Life. Stone of interrelation with life, black jade develops our vision of the invisible and reconnects us to our surroundings (rivers, mountains, plants, oceans, universe), our perception and our sensitivity. It helps us to stay neutral and find the right balance in our behaviors by drawing the Earth nourishing forces.
Ancient civilizations considered the stone magic as it allows us to accept our inner darkness while clearing and purifying the darkness around us. Calmer and more in tune, we are free to develop our perception’s intelligence and our capacity to express things.
Jasper ~Kambaba
Roots. Grounding stone, the kambaba jasper connects to the original forces of Nature and helps to find our vital balance. Also associated to the heart, it heals spiritual energy and detached from deep scars. Centered, connected to body, heart and Earth, our thoughts are more relaxed, more perceptual and deeper.
Jasper ~Landscape
Grounding. Stone of grounding and strengthening, the landscape jasper helps calm down, step back for a more peaceful mind and a better reflection. Therefore, influencing your decision-making abilities in a positive way. Its powerful earthy energy has a reassuring warmth bringing harmony and spiritual rest, appeasing your thoughts.
It’s also a stone inviting you to creativity, facilitating the creative visualization necessary to overcome artistic blocks. Emotional people with overwhelming feelings will find it helpful to refocus.
Landscape jasper keeps all harmful vibes from reaching your mind, it protects from surrounding negative energies. It offers a great emotional stability and clear your mind. Willingness and courage to go through difficult times will be strengthened.
Jasper ~Mochaite
Creativity. Stripey jasper helps see the upside in all situations while being realistic in your perception and way of thinking. It helps staying ground yourself and focus, which makes it a perfect stone for meditation (balance between the physical and the spiritual world). Its energy is also extremely benefic for developing your creativity.
Jasper~ Red
Rebirth. In Antique Greece as well as for the Indian Americans, red jasper is linked to earth. For one, it represents Gaia (goddess of the earth) and for the others the earth’s nourishing blood. It actually is the stone the most used to represent the root chakra which, itself, represents our link to Earth. Its red color boosts our willpower, our brain is sharper and quicker.
Red jasper brings strength and courage to its bearer, boosts it confidence. It becomes easier to take initiatives, desires are coming back, and we find the will to act. More open to the world, we face life with a serene mindset, feeling more secure. Its protective energy blocks harmful vibrations and influences.
Jasper~ Silver Leaf
Supreme protector. The jasper silver leaf stone act as a powerful shield against negative energies. It’s a grounding stone facilitating balance and harmony of the yin and yang energies. It also encourages esteem and comprehension of one’s self and others, while bringing support and serenity in difficult times. This type of jasper has a soft and quite strength, meaning it will act on the long term, you will have to wear it for a bit of time before feeling its influence.
Jasper~Yellow
Traveler’s stone. Powerful and sacred protection stone, the yellow jasper will protect its bearer through travels in both physical and astral plane. Ancient civilizations considered it as the “rain bringer” and nurturer, as healer of the spirt and stone of courage. Its deep connection to Earth makes it a great ally to (re)connect with Nature and wildlife. Yellow jasper also helps keeping the mind clear and focused (perfect for meditation) and it would help strengthen the long-term immune system.
Labradorite
Reflection and truth. Rainbow moonstone.
Strengthen intuition, depth of feelings and medium gifts. It brings back forgotten memories and helps recognize illusions. Labradorite is also a great protective stone, it absorbs negative energies until they dissolve. That’s why it’s important to regularly cleanse it.
Lapis Lazuli
Intuition. Lapis lazuli elevates the soul and stabilizes the spirit by bringing wisdom and confidence. It promotes introspection and so helps develop intuition and creativity. It symbolizes protection but also our connection with the cosmos (the pyrite in it reminds of a starry sky) for better comprehending our place in the universe. Its energy helps going through hard times by reviving courage and letting go of anxiety and stress. Anger is fading in favor of serenity and inner peace useful to accept our own self. An aura of joy and kindness spreads from the bearer and helps solving conflicts, pushing people to honesty.
Lava Stone
Fresh start. The lava stone is a purification and reconstruction stone, helping to let go of past negativity so to build back on good foundations. It encourages you to push your limits and discover yourself while helping you face difficulties with strength and courage.
Malachite
Heart. For Egyptians, malachite was a symbol of rebirth, eternal youth and life after death. It greatly amplifies positive energy while absorbing the negative one and the ones you could not evacuate. That way it protects form negative and polluting vibes.
Before anything else the Malachite is a stone associated with the heart chakra to reestablish harmony in the soul. It opens all chakras but its green color helps harmonizing the chakra of your hear and its opening. It soothes the soul’s anxiety and fears to enhance compassion, discernment and plenitude. In that way malachite is helping you to take risks as you accept changes and transformation.
When the heart chakra is open and in perfect harmony with the others, it promotes inner peace, serenity in the mind, kindness, unconditional love, and joy of living. The green color inspires hope.
Moonstone
Yin. The moon stone is associated with yin energy and so it helps connecting to the feminine side in all of us but not only. Its soft and nourishing energy makes it a perfect stone for tolerance by opening us to others and harmonizing emotions. It protects night wanders by improving sleep as well as inducing lucid and prophetic dreams. It’s also a great stone for developing intuition, sensitivity and creativity.
Mother of Pearl
Intuition. Strong stone for intuition and open-mindedness, nacre (or mother-of-pearl) stimulates imagination and creativity. Its capacity to regulate our moods helps balance energies between body and mind. It plays its role of protective and reassuring shell by freeing us of our fears and anguishes, by appeasing anger, tensions and other strong emotional states.
The nacre also helps strengthening our independence, being less affected by heavy situations. Our mindset is more positive, and our communication skills developed.
Nephrite
Honesty. The nephrite symbolizes honesty and temperance but also embodies virtue, purity, tranquility, reserve and elegance. Which makes it the perfect stone for increasing one’s level of awareness by bringing tolerance and objectivity to the judgement of others. Native Americans consider it as resonating with the core of self, the soul, spirit and heart. For the Taoists, it represents the tool of immortality and the Yang principle (energy that gives life and represent the masculine side).
Obsidian~ Black
Light . Black obsidian is a really powerful stone you should approach with caution. It helps fighting deep psychological malaise by, sometimes, putting old wounds into light. The awareness it brings is really beneficial, you just need to be prepared. The stone facilitates inner peace, self-awareness and lucid perception of things through introspection and reflection. It links us to Earth through the root chakra she is associated with. Its protective energy transforms into light all negative things and protect from external attacks. The obsidian stone is also associated with the fire of creation, the essence of creative energy and enhances joy and well-being.
Obsidian~ Celestial Eye
Introspection. The celestial eye obsidian helps you know yourself better. It can nurture your clairvoyance and bring the truth to light in order to have a lucid perception of things. It helps develop your sense of compassion and provides you with strength to face the hardships of life. As all obsidians, it also has protective virtues purifying the surroundings by changing all negative things into light. Associated to the creative fire, the celestial eye obsidian dispels fear and emotional blockages, giving you the opportunity to develop new ideas and realize projects in line with your desire. You will feel harmonized with your true self and your dynamism will be restored.
Obsidian~ Snowflake
Comforting. Snowflake obsidian has almost the same properties as the black one but without being as strong, which will bring softness and comfort. It helps freeing you of emotional blockages and deep fears. Its energy facilitates inner peace, self-awareness and lucid perception of things through introspection and reflection. It links us to Earth through the root chakra she is associated with. Its protective energy transforms into light all negative things and protect from external attacks. The obsidian stone is also associated with the fire of creation, the essence of creative energy and enhances joy and well-being.
Onyx
Self-control. Onyx is a ‘yin stone’ with soft and nourishing energy. It brings strength and support in difficult times and so fosters a feeling of peace and security. As most black stones, onyx encourage grounding toward earth and centering inward. It allows to (re)discover our inner resources and take control of our future by bringing back a sense of responsibilities. It will be easier to find alternative solutions during life upheaval. Its purification action on karmic energies makes it useful for processing past lives and allows us to heal old traumas. In some cultures, onyx is considered a powerful protective shield against evil spirits.
Opal~ Andean
Nature. Opal promotes a sense of calm and security, eases stress and depression. Centers the mind. It encourages lightness, spontaneity and dynamic creativity, helps recognize the World’s beauty and life’s miracle. It also protects from absorbing other people’s negative energies.
Quartz~ Rose
Love. Essence of the heart chakra, the rose quartz fills you with self-love. Its smooth energy helps releasing stress, it will bring you love, comfort, compassion, tolerance, acceptance, affection… The rose quartz helps you see thing more clearly without prejudice. Its reassuring and calming energy will help you heal from loss and sleep more peacefully.
Quartz~ Rutile
Opening. The rutile quartz positive vibrations make it a powerful ally for mental and spiritual well-being and promote a better mind opening. This quartz is known for its protective power, such as the evil eye (useful for astral travels in parallel dimensions). Excellent meditation stone, it allows a deeper exploration of the different layers of consciousness. By freeing us of inner oppressions, the rutile quartz helps overcoming shyness, and promote honesty and sincerity, confidence and independence, the feeling of freedom. In case of radical changes in you habits (quitting smoking, losing weight…), this stone will be a strong moral support. It will help you develop new life concept and face future with confidence.
Quartz~ Smoky
Unity. The smoky quartz energy brings us back to our own center, to the earth and concrete things. It helps us calm strong emotions, therefore improving our lucidity and focus, while allowing us to acquire stability, courage and confidence as well as a better capacity to open up. This stone helps us connect more often to our body and listen to the messages it sends us.
Real bridge between material and spiritual worlds, the smoky quartz is a natural link between opposite energies. It develops our capacity to understand oppositions and diversity in order to find harmony and let go, it brings us a deep sense of tolerance. The idea is to not separate things so they can’t be opposites.
Quartz ~White
Clarity. If the clear quartz is a basic in lithotherapy it’s not without a reason. Protective stone, its neutral energy makes it an ally to other stones, which effects it will amplify. But that’s not all…
It can help you find emotional stability and be a precious help for meditation. Often used for manifestation to increase focus and clarity around the projected desire. Clear quartz promotes lucidity and neutrality, therefor clarifying your ideas and bringing more consciousness into everyday actions. It will also help you step back when in doubt, opening your mind to new ideas, and accept other point of view.
Red Garnet
Strength and courage. The red garnet completes us. By sharing its strength with us, it brings us joy, passion, energy, drive, courage and confidence. It allows us to overcome fear (survival instinct) and lack of self-respect, to assert ourselves. Which contributes to a clear vision to determine our goals and realize our projects. We associate it with willpower and success. Its red color reflects its quality as a passion stone which energy can help the flame to come back in a couple while intensifying sexual energy and reducing inhibition.
Careful though, its strong energy might not be appropriated to people with angry or impulsive moods as it will increase them.
!!! Wearing a red garnet close to heart is NOT recommended to people with weakness there as it might provoke palpitations (prefer lower body, pockets pr bracelets) !!!
Rhodochrosite
Positive attitude. Stone of love and compassion, of link. Rhodochrosite appease suffering and deep wounds of the heart by bringing them to the surface to treat them gently. True southing balm for loneliness, this stone increases desire to connect with other to prevent from shutting in. Its action on the heart chakra regulates emotions and feelings and on the solar plexus chakra it fights stress and develop self-confidence. Rhodochrosite allows a good renewal of energies and helps developing a positive attitude.
Rhodonite
Healing. Rhodonite is a great ally for times of changes, it helps face them (and other life hazards) with serenity. It strengthens our courage and endurance during challenging times, while stimulating learning and calming stress.
Linked to the heart’s energy, the rhodonite fosters loving connections and brings tenderness and softness. It appeases potential jealousy from the other and is ideal to diffuse positive energies in couples, encourage finding love or strengthen the link between soulmates. It also helps overcoming emotional trauma and being forgiving, freeing us of past resentment and anger, those we internalized after heartbreaks, bullying or provocations.
Seraphinite
Light. The high vibration of the seraphinite stone promotes compassion and opening of the chakras, especially the heart’s one, that way allowing the consciousness to awaken in any form of meditation. Able to pick up really high energetic waves, it helps feel filled with light and love, allowing you to develop compassion, tenderness and unconditional love. It’s a stone with the power of appeasing the heart while in grief and helping to overcome pain. Also a strong ally in conflict resolution and reconciliation, it promotes constructive behavior.
Shungite
Shield. The main property of shungite (the one which it became famous for the past few years) is to protect us from harmful electromagnetic waves surrounding us. It acts as a protective shield absorbing radiation from wifi, 3-4-5G, phones, computers, and other devices in our environment. But it’s not only protecting us it would also help strengthen our system and allow a better flow of vital energy. It’s a stone of connection to life.
The silver shungite is a universal energy’s stone that strengthen where our weaknesses are and heal them. It spreads the light in us, our chakra’s one and our spirit’s one. It wraps our ideas in a layer of light.
Sodalite
Consciousness. The sodalite helps to lighten the thoughts, to organize their logic. It enhances concentration and meditation while helping to master emotions and sooth excessive sensitivity. It creates a harmony in the search for ideal and truth, therefore helping to improve self-awareness. If it brings back humility it would, in opposition when needed, help relieve the feeling of inferiority. Its energy also contributes to reinforce trust in ones believes and develop solidarity and altruism.
Staurolite
Staurolite is a protective stone that helps with grounding and deepening your link with Earth. It is said to be a lucky charm.
Tiger eye
Protection. Protects form negative energies. Brings self-respect, energy and luck. Helps developing intuition and clarity of the mind as well as balancing energies. May be used to attract and keep prosperity.
Tourmaline~ Black
Protection. Black tourmaline creates a strong protective field to block negative energies both spiritual and physical (reduces electromagnetic field effects). Increases vitality, emotional stability and concentration. Helps keeping a positive mind and reconnect to Earth, grounding through the roots.
Tourmaline~ Cat’s eye
Slow down. We find the same grounding and protective properties common to all tourmaline. The cat’s eye (tourmaline-) helps focus on the positive by letting go of negative elements of our life. It brings emotional stability, confidence and lucidity by clearing fears, obsessions and neurosis and freeing us of self-doubt. It’s perfect to chase away negativity and increase our discernment capacities thanks to a quality it perfectly embodies: slowing down.
Turquoise
Destiny. Turquoise tunes the physical being with the spiritual one. It helps you understand yourself better, therefore have better control over your thoughts and action so they would influence your reality. Honored by the Native Americans as a sacred stone, the turquoise converts negative vibes in positive energy. It gives you self-confidence in oral communication and also helps writing. Turquoise stone bring back joy and strength to accomplish hard things.
P.S: This guide (in constant evolution) is not the most complete there is but it give you an basic idea of the crystals virtues. If you want more information, I let you look arounf the internet and into books…
With Love and Light