Crystal Healing and the Root Chakra
There are seven chakra points on the body where the energy flows and intersects, bringing peace, harmony, and balance to our lives. Yet, like everything else chakras tend to become blocked over time, and we can feel the physical effect of this blockage within our bodies. Removing these blockages is simple and may require some practice, but in the long run it’s worth it. While crystals are a popular method of clearings, this article includes items you may wish to use along with crystals. All work well together and will enhance your connection to this energy point.
You cannot balance the other chakras without first tending to the root chakra.
What the Root Chakra Does
The root or base chakra keeps us grounded and is our connection point to the earth. When this chakra is balanced, we are confident, trusting, and independent. We learn to grow in all aspects of our lives ‒ spiritually, physically, and mentally. When it is blocked, we become anxious and stressed and can lose interest in our most basic of needs.
Crystals Are Connected to the Chakras
Many crystals emanate vibrations that parallel the chakras, and each chakra has a corresponding crystal companion. While all work to balance them out, I have found some crystals work better than others. I suggest you work with a few to see which one is a good fit for you. The root chakra has two color associations, so stones of both colors will do, but not all stones of these particular colors are adequate, or may be more suited for something else. There is also the price. Some crystals are rare to come by and expensive. I suggest doing some research to make sure the stone you use – or wish to use – is both accommodating in price and healing. It doesn’t have to be expensive to help.
Crystals for the Root Chakra
The colors associated with the root chakra are red and black ‒ fire and earth elements. Some, like hematite and onyx, have more than one use. Most black or brown stones have an affinity with the earth and are already widely used as grounding stones. For added measure, you can wear a clear quartz stone to amplify the vibration.
Black/Brown Crystals
- Hematite
- Obsidian
- Onyx
- Tiger’s Eye
- Black Tourmaline
Red crystals
- Red Jasper
- Red Calcite
- Bloodstone
- Garnet
Note – garnet comes in green as well. If you wish to use a garnet, make sure it is the proper stone.
Meditating with Crystal Energy
After purchasing and cleansing your desired crystal (crystal cleansing is very important), lay on your stomach. Pick a place to lay where you will be comfortable and there are no worries about someone disturbing you. Place the stone on your tailbone, making sure it won’t fall off. Alternately, if you can’t lie on your stomach it’s fine to lay on your back. You can either hold the stone in your hand near the chakra point, or place it on your body so that it won’t fall off. If sitting, hold the crystal in your cupped palm near your root chakra as you meditate. Take some deep breaths. Feel the vibration of the stone.
Play meditative music designed to stimulate the root chakra. I feel strongly that sound waves increase the vibration of the crystal. There are many wonderful videos on Gaiam TV about sound waves, such as Cymatics: Bringing Matter to Life with Sound and Fractal Meditation, and [Astral Traveler](/video/astral-traveler}. Like crystals, you need to choose a video that works for you.
The root chakra is connected to the sense of smell. Burning incense or essential oils is a great way to enhance your balancing and cleansing. I burn patchouli and use it solely for this purpose. Other scents you can use are nutmeg, cedar, ginger, vetiver, myrrh, and cinnamon; or, try a combination of your choice or another associated with the root chakra.
Eating root chakra foods and exercise are good tools as well. Go for a walk or sit cross-legged on the ground. If you practice yoga, you can incorporate standing forward bend into your routine.
About the Author
Chakras: What They Don't Tell You at Yoga Class
Six blind men lived in a village. One day a villager said, “Wow, there’s an elephant here today!” The blind men had never experienced “elephant.” After conferring, they decided to go touch the elephant and find out what the excitement was about. They gathered around the beast and each took hold of a different part.
The blind man holding the elephant’s leg said, “Hey, this elephant is like a pillar.”
Another, holding the tail, said, “No no! It’s like a rope.”
The third, touching the elephant’s trunk, said, “You’re both wrong — the elephant is like a thick tree branch.”
Another, holding the elephant’s ear, said, “It’s like a big banana leaf.”
“No. It’s like a huge wall,” said the blind man touching the elephant’s side. At this point one can only wonder at the patience of this elephant.
The sixth blind man said, “You’re all wrong. An elephant is like a solid pipe.” He was touching the elephant’s tusk, perhaps just prior to the elephant using it to toss the him over its shoulder.
Aside from the ensuing arguments about who was “right,” each blind man was correct in his perception — there was truth in each experience. In the Jain tradition, it is said the truth can be stated in seven versions or points of view, and the lesson is to be tolerant of the experiences and perceptions of others.
Thus it is with chakras. We’re like blind men with an elephant — each with our own view of the chakra system based on experience, exposure, what we’ve seen, read, heard, or been told — but ironically, it is the cherished belief in our “rightness” (about virtually anything) that ultimately blocks the development and unfolding of the subtle body’s energy centers. Defending any position can launch us into a state of emotional reactivity — the kryptonite of spiritual evolution.
“In different traditions, one can find wheels, flowers, angels, animals, animal parts, geometric shapes, children, the seven dwarves, deities, buddhas, yantras, or mandalas. But in fact, across the board, believing in any judgements which give rise to emotional reactivity is the one sure way to ‘block’ the performance of a chakra,” said Lar C. Short, author of The Way of Radiance and co-author of The Body of Light. By referring to the “performance” of a chakra, Short distinguishes these centers as activities (verbs) rather than things (nouns).
So gentle seeker, or finder as the case may be, suspend disbelief for this exploration of the paradoxical human chakra energetic system.
