CRYSTAL PROGRAMMING FAQ'S

1. What kind of crystal should I use?

Any crystal can be programmed. Quartz crystal is a very flexible stone

that can be used for programming any intention. I've listed a few of the
most common specific programs and stones targeted for them below.
If your intention is to program a stone for love, consider using a rose
quartz, carnelian, garnet or ruby. To program a stone for prosperity
and money, consider using jade or garnet. To program a stone for
protection, consider jet or onyx. To program a stone for health,
consider malachite or bloodstone. To program a stone for serenity and
peace of mind consider amazonite, amethyst, or angel stone. To
program a stone for increased personal power, consider yellow calcite,
amber, or tigers eye.

2. Should I ask the stone before I program it?

We believe it is always a good idea to ask a crystal before using it for any purpose.
This can be a very simple process. Sit quietly with the stone in your hands and ask if
the stone would like to be used in such a way. Then close your eyes and pay
attention to any images, thoughts, or feelings that come to you. Your intuition will tell
you the answer. If you are unsure about your intuitive abilities, consider using a
pendulum to ask the question, or find a pendulum practitioner to ask for you. Often
times, the answer will be clear simply by a feeling that it is the right thing to do. If
you feel any resistance within you, choose a different stone. That is your intuition
speaking, saying that the stone would prefer not to be used in such a way.

3. How long will the programming be effective?

The programming will last indefinitely, but you may choose to reset the intention on
occasion. This can be accomplished by following the steps outlined below in the
crystal programming tutorial. Once every six months or year should be fine, although
many times once the programming is set, it will stay active until you cancel it.

4. What will happen if I do it wrong?

There is no wrong way to program a crystal or even to work with crystals. The only
time something is wrong is if the user tries to harness the crystal energy to force an
outcome, such as is often done in black magic or darker practices. As long as you
keep your spirit light, you will do fine. The only thing that can happen is the crystal
programming isn t especially effective. This can happen if you do the programming
while in a scattered or chaotic state of mind, or if you don t check with the crystal
first that it wants to be used in such a way.

5. Should I program all of my crystals?

This is a personal choice for you to make. We have many crystals that we have never
programmed. We allow them to do their work unfettered by our preconceived notions
of what they should be doing. We do have crystals on the other hand, that are
programmed. A common one for us is programming stones for healing that are used
in our energy healing practice. The programming makes them much more focused
and able to help heal those that come to us for healing. Do what feels right for you.
Program a crystal if you will be working with it extensively, or if you will be using it
for one purpose only.

Below is a step by step tutorial on how to program a crystal. Remember, none of this
is set in stone. We offer a guideline for those new to energy healing, crystals and
programming crystals. If you prefer to change a few things or a lot of things, feel
free. Your intuition will tell you the best way for you to access the energies of your
stones.

HOW TO PROGRAM CRYSTALS

1. First, clear your intentions and energies. This can be accomplished in whichever
suits you best. Common methods are to light incense, put on sacred music, burn
candles, take a bath, or clear your sacred space. It is always best to come from a
place of peace and serenity when programming a crystal. The effect will be much
stronger.

2. Clear the crystal of previous programming or old energies. This can be done by
cleansing the crystal thoroughly. If you are short on time, and the crystal has been
cleansed recently, simply hold it under running water for a few minutes and ask your
higher spirit and angel guides to clear the old programming out of the stone.

3. Once you and your chosen stone are in a calm, peaceful state, hold the crystal in
your hands and gaze in it. Center yourself and clear your mind , be relaxed.

4. As you gaze at your stone, visualize images of your wish. Envision what you want
to bring about happening inside of the stone. You can imagine a movie screen inside
the crystal where your intention is already here. An example if you are programming
a jade stone for prosperity, envision yourself driving the car you ve always wanted,
and taking your dream vacation, and sharing your wealth with your favorite charities.
Take time with this step. It is important to visualize the reality of your intention
clearly.

5. Continue the process until you are satisfied that you have filled the crystal with
your intentioned program.

6. The new vibrations are now stored in the crystal. The program will stay until you
clear the crystal again.

7. Seal the intention into your crystal by envisioning a white light surrounding the
stone, and emanating from within it.

8. Give thanks for all that has been brought to you, as though it were already here.
Repeat the thank you three times. This can be simple or elaborate as you choose. A
simple version would be "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you". Another simple version,
if it were a prosperity program would be, "Thank you for the prosperity that fills my
life." More elaborate would be, "Thank you, Great Spirit, Mother Earth (fill in your
chosen higher power here) for the prosperity that fills my life. Thank you for the
abundance of love, and family, and friends, and wealth. Thank you for the food in my
cupboard and the soft bed to sleep on. Thank you for the overflowing balance in my
bank account."

9. When you have finished with the process clear yourself and the environment. This
can be accomplished by burning a bit of sage, or lighting incense, or even as simple
as opening the windows to let fresh air in.

10. The crystal will work with you, even when you are not focusing on the concept,
and make your intention become reality.

WORKING WITH YOUR PROGRAMMED CRYSTALS

Now that your stone is programmed, there are simple ways to work with the intention
in your stone that will help the manifestation come more rapidly.

1. Consider placing the stone on an altar or sacred space within your home. This will
keep your intention strong, and your focus on the stone because your eye will catch
it often.

2. Consider honoring it with gifts. These gifts can be simple or elaborate as you
choose. If your intention was for increased serenity in yourself and your home,
consider honoring your stone with a gift from nature, something that makes you feel
serene, like a leaf or small ceramic bowl with water in it. If your intention was to
manifest love, place a beautiful necklace or a single rose near your stone. If your
intention was to manifest prosperity, place your crystal on a dollar bill, or a pile of
change.

3. Work with your stone every week. Take it down from it's sacred spot and hold it in
your hands, sharing healing energy, and re-envisioning the programming within it. If
it is small, consider taking it with you as you go about your day. Simply slip it in your
pocket or purse, so that it's energies will stay near you.

CRYSTALS FOR LUCID DREAMING AND DREAM RECALL

Crystals for Lucid Dreaming and Dream Recall: The crystal healing dreams section
covers how to use crystals and energy healing techniques for increasing dream recall
and accessing your dreams for intuitions from spirit and angel guides. When you're
done here, visit the rest of the crystal healing section for more crystal healing articles
and crystal healing resources.

Dreams offer humans a strong connection to our spirit guides, higher purpose, and
intuition on paths to follow in our waking life. They can take us on a journey to the
next step in our spiritual development. This section is all about how to use crystals to
increase dream recall and how to use crystals to delve deeper into the dream world
and lucid dreaming. It is also about using crystals to help interpret the lessons from
your dreams and translate them into beneficial lessons for your waking life.

I'm going to start off with a personal story. Several years ago I had a dream about
being in a park surrounded by friends. It was a beautiful sunny day and I was
enjoying the kinship of seeing old friends that I hadn't visited with in years. They
 were friends from Arkansas, where I had lived for several years before moving to
Florida to care for an ailing family member. In the park there was an old wooden
tower. I became intrigued by the tower and walked up to the weathered front door,
leaving the park and old friends behind. Opening the door, I saw a spiral staircase
leading upwards. I followed the staircase higher and higher.

Finally, after climbing many flights I approached a landing on the uppermost floor.
There was nothing on the landing except for one magnificent door. Vivid glowing
green crystals were set into the door in a beautiful, intricate pattern. The door felt
ancient and powerful. The crystals hummed with energy and light emanated from
them in an enchanting glow. I stepped towards the door, turned the door knob and
opened it. On the other side of the door was white light so bright it can only be
described as blinding, although it wasn't painful. It was just b-r-i-g-h-t.

The white light instantly filled me with a strong feeling of serenity and peace, as
though everything were exactly as it should be, and I was doing exactly what I should
be, which was nothing but standing in the glow of the light. It was one of those
moments when I felt completely, totally, utterly at peace. I woke feeling as though I
had been traveling to another plane of existence, and the feeling of peace was strong
within me.

Now what did this dream mean to me? Perhaps something completely different than
it would mean to you if it were your dream. That's the beauty of dream
interpretation. It is personal to you and your set of life experiences. For me, the
dream meant that I was reaching a new stage of consciousness, and that working
with translucent green crystals would help me achieve the next step on the journey
of my life. You can bet that the first thing I did was started working intensely with two
green crystals that had been added to our collection recently.

It just so happened that several months before the dream my partner and I splurged
and purchased three rare stones for the cost of $190. It's an uncommon day when we
let ourselves spend that much on crystals (although it's happened before), but we
were extremely drawn to three pieces we found at a large gem and mineral show in
Florida. We'd been working with those three stones intensively for several months
before I had that dream.

One was a translucent green Moldavite, a powerful stone of transformation, a meteor

in fact, so it's origins are not of this world, but of the world around us, in space. The
other purchase was for two very rare pieces of Poland Zincite, also a stone of
transformation. One a translucent red, the other a translucent green. For me, the
dream signified that my work with the Moldavite and green Zincite were taking me
on the right path in my journey through life, and that through continued energy
healing working with them, I would achieve a greater connection with the higher
powers of divinity.

This is exactly what happened. These two strong transformation stones rapidly
changed our lives. We had been living in Florida for several years, but yearned to
move back to our five acres of land in Arkansas. It didn t seem possible at the time as
we were both set strongly with work and family in the Florida area. But the universe,
and the stones proceeded to make it happen.

Within in a span of two weeks two events happened. My partner was involved in a car
accident where another car hit his, and totaled it, and I was laid off from the job that I
loved. Looking within, and working with the Moldavite and Zincite energies, we
realized that what looked on the surface like two unrelated tragedies, were actually
guiding nudges from our spirit guides that the time for us to move back to Arkansas
was here.

Over the span of a few months Patrick, my partner, closed his energy healing
practice, and we packed up the dog and cat and came back to our simple cabin in the
woods. Since then, we have never doubted that this is the right place for us to be,
because of the serenity and peace found on our land, and the strong spiritual
community in Northwest Arkansas. By listening to the message in my dream, and the
signs from our spirit guides, spirit nudged us back into alignment with our higher
purpose.

Working with your crystals and your dreams will help you listen to the messages from
spirit too. Below are some steps you can take to furthering your connection with
Divine Spirit through your dreams and stones. I've started with a quick list of stones
useful for aiding dream recall, astral travel, lucid dreaming and a basic, quick and
easy technique first, for those of you who don t want to spend a lot of time on this.
I've found the crystal under your pillow technique to be extremely effective.
Sometimes basic and simple can be very powerful.

Do whichever technique you feel most drawn to, or try them all out over time. Also,
as always, none of these techniques are set in stone. Feel free to use your intuitive
urges to change them around, and make them feel comfortable for you. These are
simply techniques that have worked for us and others.

DREAM STONES

Amethyst for Dream Recall: A crown chakra crystal (7th chakra) that brings a
connection to higher divinity. This stone is useful for dream recall. It will also promote
peaceful sleep and serenity. It deepens meditations and will aid in deepening dreams
as well. It will aid in insomnia.

Ametrine for Dream Wisdom: A crown chakra crystal (7th Chakra). Ametrine is a
natural blend of Amethyst and Citrine inclusions. Ametrine will aid you in accessing
your higher wisdom in the dream realms.

Azurite for Accessing Intuition through Dreams: A third eye chakra crystal (6th
Chakra).Azurite heightens psychic awareness and intuition. It will aid you in opening
up to the intuitive potentials of your dreams. This is an excellent stone for use with
dream work, and is recommended as one of the top stones to choose if you don't
already have one picked out.

Clear Quartz for Amplifying Dreams: All seven chakras. Clear quartz is an amplifier. It
is especially beneficial for use in dream work to amplify the vividity of your dreams
and the recollection of your dreams upon awakening. Clear quartz is easily
programmed for any purpose, and can be programmed to work as a dream stone.

Lepidolite for Nightmares and Insomnia: Crown Chakra (7th Chakra). Lepidolite is a
calming crystal. It contains the natural substance lithium which has been used by
modern science to calm agitated individuals. You can access the calming effects of
lithium without resorting to prescription drugs simply by keeping lepidolite in your
home or on your body. Lepidolite is useful for people with bad dreams, interrupted
sleep patterns,anxiety or insomnia. Often times these three factors will keep a person
 from having good dream recall. If you frequently experience any of these three
factors, consider Lepidolite for your dreamwork.

Moldavite for Transformative Dream Work: All seven chakras. Moldavite is a powerful
stone of transformation. If you are wanting to do some serious dreamwork, use
moldavite in conjunction with any of the stones listed above. Moldavite can change
your life, by working with it in your dreamwork, it will help you to facilitate faster
growth in any area you are focused on, whether dream recall, lucid dreaming, or
astral travel.

CRYSTAL UNDER PILLOW: BASIC DREAM TECHNIQUE

This is for all of you who want the quick and easy answer of how to aid
dream recall, depth of dreams, and lucid dreaming. Take a stone you
are drawn to and ask it to aid your visions and recall. Place the stone
under your pillow and see what happens!

Every night before you go to bed, hold the stone in your left hand and
ask it to bring you dreams that will help you discover your higher path
in life or that clarify whatever issue is most at hand in your life. For
example, if you are confused about a work situation, ask the stone and
your spirit guides to bring you a dream that will clarify the path of highest good. If
you are worried about disagreements with a loved one, ask the stone and your spirit
guides to bring you a dream that will clarify the best direction to take for harmony
with your loved one.

These are just examples, focus on the most pressing issue in your life that you want
guidance on. Simply ask for clarity from your spirit guides, angel guides, animal
totems, Jesus, Buddha, whomever it is that you personally choose to work with. The
stone will act as a conduit to bring their higher wisdoms to you. You can use any
stone for this exercise. Several good ones are clear quartz, amethyst, azurite,
sodalite, moldavite, and zincite.

PROGRAM A CRYSTAL FOR DREAM INTUITIONS

If you feel like it, program the stone to your specific request before using it. Visit the
programming your crystal page for a detailed how-to list on programming a stone. A
condensed version focused on programming a stone for dream recall, astral travel,
and lucid dreaming is here. Clear the crystal of previous programming or old
energies. This can be done by cleansing the crystal thoroughly. If you are short on
time, and the crystal has been cleansed recently, simply hold it under running water
for a few minutes and ask your higher spirit and angel guides to clear the old
programming out of the stone.

First, cleanse your crystal. This can be accomplished by holding it under running
water for a few moments as a quick and easy method, or for a more intensive
cleansing leave it outside in a bowl of water overnight. Once your chosen dream
 crystal has been cleansed, meditate with the stone in your hands. It is beneficial to
create a calm, serene environment while you are doing this. Some ideas are burning
candles or incense, playing a cd of new age music, and smudging your home with
sage. Whatever you find peaceful, just make sure you are in a calm, focused state
before beginning the programming process. Hold the crystal in your hands and gaze
upon it.

As you gaze at the stone, visualize yourself sleeping comfortably in your bed.
Envision a soothing blue light encircling you and your entire bed. The blue light is a
portal to the dream world. Envision your stone tucked under your pillow or mattress,
or sitting on top of your nightstand. The stone is circled in the blue light also. The
blue light dream portal is now open to you. With the assistance of your stone, you
can travel through the dream portal to the dream world. You can easily pass back
and forth, remembering details of this plane and the dream plane.

Now ask your stone to aid you in your dreaming. Ask for increased dream recall, lucid
dreaming, astral travel, and guidance in your dreams. Thank your stone for
undertaking the task of dream guardian for you. The stone will keep you safe in the
dream realms, moving towards your highest purpose, and the knowledge that your
higher self wants to share with you.

Seal the intention into your crystal by envisioning a white light surrounding the stone,
and emanating from within it. The new vibrations are now stored in the crystal. The
dream program will stay until you clear the crystal again.

Every night before you fall asleep, hold the dream stone in your left hand (the left
hand is for receiving energies, the right hand is for sending energies) and thank it for
aiding you. Say, "Thank you for helping me to remember my dreams tonight. Thank
you for helping me receive guidance from my spirit guides in my dreams tonight.
Thank you for helping me receive guidance regarding (insert any special issue you
are trying to resolve) in my dreams tonight." Hold the dream stone to your third eye
for a minute and concentrate your energies on the third eye. Meditate on the
energies of your stone. Then place your dream stone near your bed. Common places
are under your pillow, under your mattress, under your bed, or on your night stand.

Note: Say the thank you's out loud. There is more power in the human voice than is
currently recognized by modern science. Intoning the words starts a vibration that
penetrates through to the spirit world. Another tip is to always use a positive
affirmation. Instead of saying "Thank you for taking away my bad dreams". "Say
Thank you for bringing me joyful dreams tonight."

MAKE A CRYSTAL DREAM PILLOW

 Supplies:
Pillowcase
six inches square of extra fabric
needle and thread
a small crystal or crystals
your choice of herbs: sage, sweet grass, frankincense, valerian root, kava kava.

You can sew a special pillowcase or use one that is ready made. If you choose to sew
one, consider fabrics that are in the blue and purple shades, as those colors most
closely relate with the portal to the dream world. The next step is basically making a
pocket on the pillowcase to hold your dream stone, and any other dream herbs and
sacred objects that you wish to add. Here are the instructions for making the pocket.

Cut the extra fabric. Make it approximately three to five inches across. You can cut it
in a square, circle, or even star shape if you want to get fancy with it. Sew the shape
in the center of your pillowcase, stitching along the outside edges of the cut-out
fabric. Leave an unstitched section at the top roughly two to three inches across. The
opening is there for you to insert and remove your dream crystal.

If you want to get detailed with it, you could sew on a button or a snap at the top
opening. It will help to keep your dream crystal from slipping out of the pocket. You
can also add embroidery touches to the pocket, or sew the edges under to avoid
frayed edges. It all depends on how much time you want to spend on it.

The more time you spend in the creation, the more energy and intention will be
present, but that doesn't mean you need to spend a lot of time on the construction of
your dream pillow. When you are done crafting it, add your dream stone to the
pocket. Other additions you might want to consider are:

-Sage for clearing out bad dreams and negative energy. Especially helpful if you have
nightmares or night terrors.

- Sweetgrass if you are interested in working more closely with your animal totems.
Animal guides speak to us in the dream world also, and sweet grass is a traditional
Native American herb used for inviting animal totems into your life. Sweetgrass and a
quartz crystal in your dream pillow is a very powerful combination for increasing your
interactions with your animal guides.
 -Frankincense is useful if you have insomnia or a generally difficult time getting
restful sleep. The frankincense will bestow peace and serenity to you. Especially good
in conjunction with amethyst or ametrine.

-Valerian Root and Kava Kava are both good for insomnia and restless sleep. Just add
a pinch of either herb to your dream pillow pocket and watch your sleep become
deeper and more productive.

Now that your dream pillow is constructed on your dream crystal and other
metaphysical items have been added to the pocket, you are ready to begin using
your pillow. Simply place the pillow pocket side down onto your bed and sleep with
your head touching the blank side of the pillowcase. You will heighten your dream
recall, lucid dreaming and intensity of your dreams dramatically. If you wish to hold a
sacred ritual to consecrate your new dream pillow you can do that as well.

CRYSTAL GRIDS FOR DREAM RECALL

Crystal grids are often also called crystal layouts and crystal mandalas. They are
three terms that basically mean the same thing. A crystal grid is simply laying out
two or more stones in a pattern that feels intuitively correct for bringing about an
intended result. More can be read about crystal layouts elsewhere on the site, but for
the purpose of this page, we are only going to discuss the basics of crystal grids as
they relate to dreamwork and opening a stronger dream portal.

The most common layout in a room (and a very pleasant, simple one) is four quartz
crystal points, each one set in the four corners of a room. You can do this in your
bedroom to promote restful dreams and protection from darker energies.

Another simple layout is four to five crystals of any type placed underneath the bed
frame. For four crystals, place one at each corner of the bed. For a the five crystal
layout, place one at each corner of the bed and the fifth directly in the center
underneath the bed. The five pattern layout has it's roots in the pentacle, also known
as the five-pointed star, a symbol from ancient times used for protection and as a
way of increasing the power in any ritual work.

A third layout is a full scale crystal mandala. Find a place in your bedroom that won't
be disturbed much. This can be underneath the bed, on a nightstand or dresser, or a
specially set up sacred altar. Take all of the stones that you have that are useful for
dreamwork or that you feel compelled to work with in this fashion, and creating a
mandala pattern out of them. Common concepts are concentric circles of stones, or
radiating patterns of stones, a cross symbol, a five pointed star, a straight ling with a
pointed crystal at the top. Allow yourself to experiment with the placement. We have
found the crystal mandala method to be most effective when we allow our intuition to
kick in and nudge us in the right direction. This is because it gives our spirit guides a
chance to help us along.
 Remember dream work can be enhanced with daily notes in a dream book. Before
you go to sleep at night, envision your blue light dream portal opening up and
surrounding your bed, and say "I will remember my dreams tonight. Thank you for
helping me remember my dreams tonight." When you wake up in the morning, write
in your dream journal. Even if all you have to say is, I have no recall. Write it down. It
will begin the habit and train your subconscious mind to start remembering.

Thank you for reading our section on using crystals in dreamwork. If you have a story
or a technique you'd like to share on the subject, please email us. We would love to
post your stories!