Wellness and New-Age healing has caught the media by storm in recent years. 

Even more recently, people are turning to crystals to help lower stress levels, promote self-love, and even focus better. 

“In the beginning of quarantine, I became more into crystals because I had more time to focus on myself,” sophomore Grace Gulcher said. 

One thing every beginner should know about crystals is that they need to be cleansed and charged prior to using them. 

A few methods of cleansing are using incense or anything else that produces smoke, water (some crystals will be damaged in water, be sure to check beforehand if a crystal is water-safe), or even using sound. 

Charging a crystal can be done by putting it under moonlight or sunlight (some crystals may fade in sunlight), making a crystal grid and more. 

As time goes on and someone gets more interested in crystals, they might find that one in particular stands out to them.

“I really like aventurine. It’s a form of quartz that is supposed to benefit the nervous system. It promotes healing of the physical body,” Gulcher said. 

There are so many unique crystals and it may be difficult to know where to start. 

A few beginner-friendly crystals are amethyst, clear quartz, tiger’s eye, rose quartz, and satin spar. 

Amethyst is said to balance emotions and calm mood swings. Therefore, this crystal may help promote tranquility. It also represents wisdom, especially spiritual wisdom. 

In ancient Rome, wealthy people often had their chalices adorned with amethyst because they believed it prevented drunkenness.

Clear quartz is called “the Master Healer.” Since it is a clear crystal many people claim it amplifies your intention and energy, especially when manifesting something into your life.

Tiger’s eye is another great crystal for beginners. Like amethyst, tiger’s eye may also protect from external stress. By doing so, it also helps with concentrating. 

Tiger’s eye is a protective stone, meaning that it repels negativity. Tiger’s eye is also said to promote self-confidence.

Rose quartz is known as the stone of unconditional love. 

Whether you are trying to attract romantic, platonic or self love, rose quartz is the crystal for you. Rose quartz has a very gentle energy and helps heal emotions and promotes harmony. 

Satin spar and selenite are also very useful crystals. They are both gypsums and have the same metaphysical properties Satin spar and selenite are said to cleanse and charge other crystals. 

They can also be used to cleanse a space, person, or object of negative or unwanted energy.