A simple Guide to how crystals can help change your life
Crystals and stones have long been thought by many, to help boost overall wellness and health. But do they really work?
Regardless of whether or not you believe crystals offer healing powers, crystals are all the rage right now.
Many advocates of crystals believe they provide varying therapeutic virtues and proudly carry around an assortment of stones and crystals throughout the day, to help protect them from bad energy, and to improve their spiritual, mental and physical wellbeing.
Others fancy them as whimsical home décor pieces, admiring them on a sunny day, as certain crystals capture the sun’S rays through the window, as the crystals cast a rainbow of colours on the wall.
But what you may not know, is when you choose crystals to place around your house environment, and have no idea what they do, you may be creating a nice little safe haven for yourself, without even realising it.
For instance, turquoise, Lithium Quartz, and Tiger’s Eye have all been associated with promoting improved emotional balance, while Pink Opal, Aquamarine, and Celestine are thought to have stress-reducing properties.
We chat to founder of Melbourne-based Stoned Crystals, Ashley Bellino, on the wellbeing benefits of using crystals and the success behind her crystal shop.
Utilising Instagram’s Live Video Broadcast, Stoned Crystals was able to produce over $780K worth of revenue for the shop in 2019 and was expertly refined during the COVID lockdown period to create a unique online shopping experience for customers, as if they were shopping in store.
Conducted triweekly, each live event (still going today) is structured by category and incorporates a unique selling mechanic which fosters human interaction and real-time dialogue in a fully immersive and mobile environment.
Incorporating a number of experimental marketing tactics, Stone Crystal’s Live Sales has become a resource for crystal related news, lifestyle tips and styling tutorials to their 79K followers.
“Whilst it has been an adjustment to temporarily close the doors to our physical store in Melbourne, we are extremely grateful and lucky that we already had our live sale technique and platform to fall back on, meaning overall our sales have not been too drastically affected. Stoned Crystals hold live sales online via Instagram around 3-5 times every week and have been doing so since 2017 when I first began running the live sales all on my own.
This model has worked fantastically through the pandemic and upon closing our store in March we focused more heavily on our strength in live selling. We created a Campaign called ‘Crystals from your Couch’, increased the number of shows we held, we tested our new Live Sales App ‘Shōjō’ with really positive results and we set some very strong rules in place for the operation of our business under a ‘Protection Promise’ which built a great level of trust with our customers.
We also collaborated with local businesses to create ‘Keep Calm in Quarantine’ Packs. We love supporting local businesses and the packs were wonderful options to offer during a pandemic that were really tailored to the current needs of self-care in the home and also a great option for people during stressful times when making purchases decisions was hard”, Ashley says.
As a child, Ashley absolutely loved anything that sparkled. Her parent of Italian background has a Sicilian slang term for the things she loved: Nicha-Nachitti. Visiting fairy shops throughout her childhood and obsessing over shiny crystals and rocks, it wasn’t until her mid-twenties, when Ashley began a spiritual journey through yoga and meditation, did she start to appreciate and understand the meaning of crystals.
“I re-discovered this magic again as a young adult, as a way to reconnect with my inner child. I found myself feeling most present when I used Crystals as tools during my Yoga and meditation practice. Crystals absolutely captured my full attention and imagination and I found myself gravitating towards them as a natural progression in my life.
Raised in the inner-city suburbs of Melbourne and coming from a modern family and home I had never been exposed to crystal energy or healing. After living abroad for two years I spent a lot of time living close to one of China’s ‘Gem Cities’.
Under the direction of somewhat of a spiritual mentor to me, I visited the crystal city for an old jewellery label I had started. I learnt to feel crystal energy for the first time. I found that there were very few websites clearly explaining what crystals are, how they work and how we can incorporate them into the modern-day lifestyle. It was here that my obsession and experimentation with crystals began.” Ashley tells us.
So how and when is the right time to start using crystals, and what are the benefits of using crystals in everyday life?
Ashley says it’s about finding the right mindset. Creating a positive mindset and outlook can return positive life experiences. Crystals works the same way. They help you set positive intentions to manifest the things you want in life. With certain crystals providing a certain set of qualities and properties to help with certain things.
“At Stoned Crystals, we look to Crystals as a physical symbol or reminder of the type of person you strive to be or the things you wish to manifest in your life. However, if you find yourself not energetically or spiritually subscribing to the power of crystals, they can still offer benefits in other ways.
For example, rolling these shapes around in your hands or gazing deep into a crystal can provide a momentary distraction from the stresses of life, and what we would call a ‘mindful moment’, encouraging you to pause, focus and take a few breaths.
The same way you would put plants in and around your home and can clearly see the connection and energy they omit; crystals also connect us to the natural elements of Mother Earth.
They truly are Mother Earth’s natural sculptures. By using crystals as an aid during Yoga, meditation and through mindfulness practices, we are able to still the chatter of the mind and help to eliminate negative thought patterns”, Ashley describes.
For a newbie it can be rather overwhelming to know how to start your journey with so many sparkling crystals shining up at you. Ashley helps guide us on how to start.
“When I first started Stoned Crystals, one of the main objectives was to bring crystals to the mainstream and make it easier to understand them and to choose your very first crystal. Each crystal has different properties and energies associated with it.
Some are used to promote a sense of calm, while others are used for protection and grounding. As crystals emit vibrational frequencies, we encourage customers to feel this connection and choose a crystal that resonates with them on a mental, emotional or spiritual level.
This is often what people mean when they say that ‘The crystal chooses you’. Perhaps something about the colour of the stone appeals to you, the shape or formation or often it is the imperfections that most catch our eye. Rainbows for example, are often seen within a stone. When you see that rainbow, a little wave of joy is always the response!
After selecting your first few crystals based upon their appearance, you may then choose to read about the properties of those crystals to further understand why you may have been attracted to them on an energetic level.
This is why we at Stoned Crystals provide a detailed ‘Property Card’ with every crystal purchased, so that the information is easily accessible, and you can begin to learn about each stone’s metaphysical properties and energetic qualities. If the message resonates with you and your journey, then that’s the stone for you.”
