There is an ancient saying that can help explain the impact that physical energies can have on our subtle energies: As above, so below, and as within, so without. The origins of this concept have been credited to multiple sources, including the Emerald Tablets associated with Egyptian and Greek mythology. Mystery surrounds these alchemical messages inscribed on green stones, but the earliest known reference to these arcane texts occurred around the eighth century; interest in them was later reinvigorated by medieval alchemists4 and then again by the unique blend of transcendent psychology uncovered by Carl Jung. References to the concept expressed by “As above, so below” occur in many religious writings, including the Christian Bible, the Tao Te Ching, the Vedas, and many other sacred texts throughout history.
This ancient saying expresses the concept of correspondence between the inner and outer worlds of being. This idea is reflected (or perhaps refracted) by the crystal. The outside of a crystal is beautifully structured, and the inside of a crystal is a perfect geometric pattern. Everything without and within (above and below) is in alignment. Energy is similarly experienced: When you are feeling disconnected from your experience of the divine, your outer energy in your physical body is low, and you may present to others with a duller tone or less of that twinkling inner fire that burns within you. You may become sick or exhausted as your inner world is reflected through your body to the outside world. The same is true in reverse: when you are sick or agitated physically, you may experience emotional symptoms that may present a withdrawn or disorganized appearance to others, as though your Self is disconnected.
This sacred unison of Self is reflected by crystals, which come from the ground and thus are excellent tools for grounding. They were once thought to be ice, expressing the universal connection between earth and water energies. The word itself, “crystal,” comes from the Greek word for frozen water. Your body is a physical expression of your energetic body, just as crystals are a physical expression of the organizational energy of the universe. When you are stressed and your layers of existence are out of alignment, you look to attune your outside with your inside to realign; “As above, so below.” Crystals can be particularly useful to this because their internal structure is geometric perfection.
Crystals are actually defined by their internal structure, or the organization of their atoms and molecules. While it is true that crystals can be manufactured or mimicked by commercial factories, we encourage you to work with true, raw crystals which are ethically harvested from the Earth in sustainable ways so that you can tap the energy of their geometric perfection. True crystals contain within them perfectly symmetrical, geometric, interlacing rows of atoms. It is this internal organization that allows crystals to be such collectors of energy to power lasers and solar panel cells.5 That same principle of inner organization and outer beauty can also be harnessed for attunement and alignment when you are experiencing burnout or just need the opportunity to relax. Inner order makes for outer order.
It is possible to achieve energetic balance when both sides of the burnout teeter-totter are level. In your optimal state, time seems to fall away, and you achieve what psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi refers to as flow. Creativity represents the force of love in the universe. According to Dr. Csikszentmihalyi, flow occurs when there is order in consciousness and that order breeds creative and loving energy. Its opposite state, entropy, occurs when we are in a state of disorder. Flow occurs when your entire consciousness is focused on achieving your inner goals. Flow exists when you battle “against the entropy that brings disorder to consciousness. It is really a battle for the self; it is a struggle for establishing control over attention” (Csikszentmihalyi 41).6 Like the hermetic teachers before him, Csikszentmihalyi identifies the goal of self to be a state of organized alignment between body and energy. Perhaps Csikszentmihalyi, whose own brother achieved flow while studying crystals,7 might honor crystals for their optimal flow of organized energy within and beauty without.
Like flow, mindfulness is the awareness of that state of creative focus. People in a state of flow are so focused on the task of creation that they forget all about the world around them—in some cases, they even forget about their own bodies as attention to pain or hunger slip away. The flowing person transcends the needs of the body, but there is a problem with being in a state of flow for too long. Pain and hunger exist to keep the physical body operating. For flow to be optimal, it must be both hyperfocused on creation (the fight for self) and mindful of it. But how do you do that? How do maintain an awareness of body, mind, and energy while allowing yourself to engage fully with your state of flow?
Mindfulness is one of the tools we use to weave the fabric of our many selves together into one. While it is a marvel that creative energy can allow your awareness of your body to fall away while you flow with creative energy, returning to your physical body after spending so much time in your energetic body may be a bumpy reentry. Being mindful refers to an intention to be aware of what’s happening both within and without. Truly gifted mindfulness practitioners do not judge what that awareness highlights; that is, they attune to what they think or feel in a given moment, but they don’t necessarily attach to those thoughts or feelings. Judgment actually takes you out of the moment and causes an interruption to the direction of your energy. The key is to honor and not deny the experiences you have—warts and all.
If you are to manifest your greatest good, you can’t be in denial. Denial sends energy to the very thing you are choosing to deny, because denial is an action. If you are actively trying to reject something—perhaps because you don’t like how it feels—then you are aware of that rejection and your thoughts and reality will be out of alignment. An example of this we see often is the client who says she wishes to attract something into her life—we’ll say more joy and happiness—but continues to engage in the activities that cause her to feel unhappy. She knows she wants more happiness and works with her crystal healer to manifest it, but, subconsciously, she denies the need to make changes in herself to be aware of that happiness. Manifesting wellness takes intention and a willingness to change.
Grounding with a crystal connects you to the present. It might literally mean connecting with the ground beneath you, which is always supporting you by holding you up, feeding your body, and quenching your thirst. Most gemstones and minerals are sourced from the ground; even organics like Pearls, Jet, and Amber are connected to Earth in some capacity. In fact, 12 percent of the Earth’s crust is made up of silicon dioxide or Quartz Crystal, making it the most plentiful gemstone on the market8. Perhaps this is why grounding with a crystal in each hand as you stand with your feet connected to the Earth amplifies your energetic connection, as though the crystals you hold are charged and generating a connection to the crystals beneath our feet in the ground below.
Ground and Center
If you are able to stand, consider grounding on your feet so that you can cycle the energy of the Earth up through your spine and back down again into the ground as if you are pushing your feet down like tree roots into soil. If you are unable to stand, you can accomplish a similar grounding experience by lying flat on your back and noticing where your body makes contact with the ground beneath you. If you have access to nature, it is best to do this directly on the unpaved, unaltered ground in its natural state so you can connect closely with the energy of the planet. You can also achieve that connection while on a floor or a bed with a little extra work by consciously remembering that the Earth is below you.
The imagination is a powerful grounding tool. Try this visualization to emotionally cleanse yourself. Imagine that you are standing under a glittery, rushing waterfall. The water pours over an outcropping of rocks into a clear, blue pool warmed by the sunlight. The spray of the waterfall creates a mist dappled with rainbows everywhere you look. Imagine yourself standing beneath this flow of crystal-clear water as it washes away your stress and frustrations. Feel your feet sink slightly into the water of the pool as your toes flex to grip the stony earth beneath them.
The key to grounding is to pause and pay attention to where you are connected to the ground. Choose two or more crystals and place one in each of your hands. If you are flat on your back, you might also place a crystal on your Third Eye between your eyebrows, over your heart, and near your pelvis to cycle energy along your chakras as well. Some people