Visual Journaling With Crystal Grids

Originally published on YOGANONYMOUS — January 14, 2016 

This piece is part of a month-long Wanderlust and YOGANONYMOUS series about the power of journaling.

A tried and true journal-er, I've been writing down all of my hopes, dreams, and absurd revelations since 1996 (and I say absurd, because just imagine the thoughts popping out of my head at 7 years old).

I'm very much a visual person, so my journals were full of words that took form in many shapes—a heart for a lovesick poem, triangles, spirals, and stickers strewn across the page, endless doodles. I liked the organized chaos of it all. I felt it mirrored the sort of chaos of thoughts in my head.

Coming away from writing, my journals took on new forms, from scrapbooks as a way to hold onto photographs and mementos, to a tumblr account that never really quite took off, to dream boards where I'd hope to manifest the body of Alessandra Ambrosio and a mansion worthy of Architectural Digest. I've since gotten in touch with reality (for the most part), and embraced the notion that no one will look like Alessandra Ambrosia aside from Alessandra Ambrosio herself.

Over the past few years I've gotten very in touch with my spiritual side, something I'd been longing to do but had never actually accomplished. Finally I was taking the time to learn about chakras, healing crystals, and new ways to connect with myself on a higher level.

My love for healing crystals was reaffirmed when suddenly, after 23 years of traveling, I developed a fear of flying. I didn't want to turn to medication to calm me down, so I looked to crystals. I invested in a malachite palm stone and mala beads and once onboard the plane, I found that counting the beads and turning the stone over in my palm again and again proved to be tranquil, absolving my anxiety of flying and redirecting my energy and thoughts elsewhere. 

Soon after I began sprinkling the house with crystals, putting them in the sunlight of our rooms to charge and emit their positive, healing, powerful energy.

Now, I've turned to crystals as a new visual, hands-on form of journaling. Crystal grids, I've found, are the perfect way to set intentions (especially with a new year starting!) and manifest my dreams and goals. Underneath the center crystal of my grid I always place my intentions. I write them down on a piece of paper, fold it beneath the crystal, and begin to choose the stones that I love, and stones that will support my intention to build around it.

My favorite part of making a crystal grid is that each one is so unique, no two I create ever look the same. Depending on my mood, the room I'm in, and the intention or goal I'm setting all affect the end result. According to EnergyMuse, one of my favorite sources for crystals, “there are no right and wrong stones to use; choose the ones that YOU are most attracted to. Trust your intuition.”

While I like to keep my personal intentions confidential—or what 7-year-old me would have labeled “FMEO” (that's "for my eyes only," for those of you who aren't hip with kids' keep-out lingo)—I will share the stones that I used to create it.

Blue Apatite: For motivation, baby! I am a strong, powerful, independent woman. YAAASSS! Also, self acceptance, confidence, and (girl) power.

Amethyst: It's all about positive energy into 2016. Looking to lower stress and work against negative energy.

Rose Quartz: Love, love, love. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Love for friends, family, and even people no longer in my life. I don't want to put any energy to people who bring me negativity, but blasting love beams at them can't hurt. Rose quartz for self-love and compassion, too.

Clear Quartz: Clarity. Focus. An awesome stone to use in a grid, as it's said to activate and enhance the effect of the stones around it (I used a clear quartz points in the center of my grid).

Red Jasper: To calm nerves of wondering what on earth the future holds, to keep me grounded, and to be less judgmental of myself and others. Also, at 26, I am still afraid of the dark, and red jasper is said to help protect from “fears in the night,” so I hope it helps that, too.

Green Opal: Vitality. Like hitting re-boot, this is an energizer and resets and revitalizes the mind. I love opals, and green is my favorite color, so using this stone was a no-brainer.

Yellow Jasper: Good vibes only. Alleviate anxiety. This stone promotes feel good energy, and happiness. According to Energy Muse, “a yellow jasper stone carries the energy of the sun,” and who wouldn't want a piece of that?

Photo via iStock