Today's mineral marketplace offers an array of items to suit every taste, need, and budget. Look at jewelry stores, museum gift shops, craft stores, New Age supply shops, science stores – or the Merchants’ Row at a magical festival. In addition to metaphysical sources, lapidary suppliers and local rockhounds often have things you won't find elsewhere, and they average lower prices. Some of them offer tumbled stones by the pound, plus assorted rough stones and crystals.
When selecting stones, energy usually matters more than appearance. Extend your subtle senses; you may find that certain stones “call” to you, or seem to “glow” in your inner sight. Conversely, some may repel you or give off a zap of unpleasant energy. A good precaution is to hold your hand over a stone before picking it up – you should be able to sense its energy that way. Some Pagans and other rockhounds will cheerfully bury their arm to the shoulder in a barrel of mixed stones, hunting that one in the middle that’s calling their name. I’ve done that. I’ve also gotten nipped more than once by stones that don’t like me. Whether you want to go stone-diving in this fashion is up to you.
You can even collect your own stones at a crystal mine, river, or other location; a favorite activity of magical and mundane rockhounds alike. While it’s okay to keep the occasional nifty pebble you find just lying around, it is best to collect rocks in designated areas – you don’t want to tear up the landscape. Also, this way you know exactly where your stones come from and what environmental energies are associated with them. Some Pagans feel that harsh, large-scale mining techniques ruin the mystical feel of a stone.
If you want to do more than pick up rocks off the ground, you’ll need some special equipment. Take safety goggles and gloves, a set of picks and chisels designed for rockhounds, a mallet or sledge hammer, and an assortment of containers to pack your finds in. Novice rockhounds should always go collecting with an expert at first! A mentor can show you how to use the tools and find the best stones.
New stones need some extra attention, too. Don’t put your stones on wooden, glass, or other delicate surfaces; even polished stones are hard and can scratch. (In fact, one of the “field tests” for quartz is that it can scratch glass.) Wash your stones in a bucket of water; you may add a little salt for purification if you wish. Never wash stones in the sink or bathtub! They can scratch the surface, the dirt might clog your pipes, and small stones could even slip down the drain. Dry the stones and set them in sunlight or moonlight for at least 24 hours to absorb energy. You may then dedicate them in whatever fashion you prefer for your magical tools.
Online and hardcopy catalogs make it possible to buy some exotic stones you may not find any other way. However, buying at a distance is a poor substitute for buying in person or collecting rocks yourself. It’s always better if you can pick out your own stones and handle several choices before making a final selection. Tom Durbin of Wellspring Jewelry says of his teaching experiences, “I always felt it was important to empower people to tune into their own feelings for the stones, how they felt on their bodies, how it might feel to hold the stone, the color of the stone, the vital livingness of the stone within an organ or a particular place on the body.”
Besides the stones themselves, certain other things are useful in practicing stone magic. Always keep a good selection of silk, velvet, cotton, and other pouches available for storing your stones. Small boxes, pillows, and altar cloths also can serve to protect and display stones. Some stones, like crystal balls, require a special stand. Stage magicians use something called a “close-up mat” for card tricks, and this would make a perfect surface for working with magical stones. The slightly fuzzy surface helps keep stones in place, and the spongy texture makes it easy to pick up flat pieces. You can even pick one in your preferred magical color!
For learning the properties of magical stones, there are two excellent decks: the Crystal Ally Cards from Heaven & Earth (illustrated with imaginative artwork) and the Crystal Deva Cards from InnerQuest Publishing (illustrated with photographs). If you want musical accompaniment, the CD Crystals from New World Music provides a sprightly sound. These and similar items are usually available at magical supply shops.