Crystals to warm you up and turn inwards

Snowflake obsidian is a form of obsidian which looks like it has little “snowflakes” in it. These are formed by bits of the mineral cristobalite. Unsurprisingly, it’s a favourite stone for winter. 

Although we’re most familiar with the black form of obsidian, there are actually a number of different colours of obsidian available. Energetically, they all share the main qualities of obsidian – for a refresher on what those are, see here: https://www.amethystyogaandhealing.com.au/amethyst-crystal-library-obdisidan

I find snowflake obsidian a great stone for concentration and focus, as well as meditation. I’ve been known to give it to students to help them with their studies! 

Like pure snow, it’s a stone which encourages us to release the mental impurities of unhelpful thinking and attachments. It can help us to feel more calm and in particular to cool anger and resentment.  

It’s also known as a stone which can help with loneliness – helping us move from loneliness and isolation to solitude and surrender. 

Like regular obsidian, the way that it might help you to release that unhelpful stuff is by bringing it up to the surface to be released – so that’s something to be ready for. Also like regular obsidian, it is a stone of grounding and protection, absorbing negativity. This means it’s important to cleanse and charge it regularly if you’re using it! 

Amethyst

Is there any time of year when amethyst isn't awesome?  There is not. It's a particularly good stone for intuition and insight, so ideal for winter.

Since all the way back to ancient Greece (in fact, the name itself comes from the Greek, essentially meaning “not intoxicated”. The ancient Greeks believed that it protected the user from drunkenness. I don’t recommend trying that), amethyst has been used as a stone of protection and healing at all levels – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

It is a member of the quartz family, related to clear quartz and citrine – in fact, much of the citrine that is commercially available is actually the more common amethyst that has been heat-treated (it’s molecularly the same stuff as the natural citrine, and many crystal healers will happily use it in place of the real stuff, which is much more expensive and rare). 

It can help us to feel a sense of calm in times of stress and help us connect to our inner resources. With its calming and soothing qualities, many of us place it under our pillow to help have a calm sleep and pleasant dreams. Banded amethyst, chevron amethyst or Thunder Bay amethyst in Canada also include white quartz – so this form of amethyst can be even more grounding, and is great for placing under your pillow too (I’ve given banded amethyst hearts to a few clients and friends for just this purpose). 

It is a fantastic stone for meditation, intuition, and connecting to higher intention and spirit. If you use it this way, I suggest that you cleanse and charge it often so it’s at its best.

Green Calcite 

I think the main connection with green calcite for winter is that someone once thought it reminded them of a yule log.  But it's a great stone at any time.

All the calcites can be thought of as accelerators - speeding up what you're supporting with them. 

So in the case of green calcite, it supports the heart chakra; manifestation; trust and moving through times of change with peace and equanimity. 

It helps us to maintain a sense of peace and calm while moving out of our comfort zone.  This makes it a great stone for working with when your insight is telling you to move in a certain direction, but you're a bit nervous about taking that first step.  Green calcite might be a useful support for moving into those new possibilities. 

Snow Quartz

Is it just me, or does it look like you could ski on this stuff?

You can see why it's called snow quartz!  And unsurprisingly, it's a particularly lovely stone for winter. 

It has a lot of the qualities of clear quartz, but with a somewhat gentler, softer, more feminine energy. 

It's also a stone that can help us to look at the world with a sense of innocence and child-like wonder - like walking outside in the morning when the first snow has fallen and everything seems pure, clean, fresh and like anything is possible.

Its gentle energy helps us to stay calm even during life's blizzards.

Bloodstone

People are often surprised to learn that bloodstone is in fact primarily green, usually with some red flecks in it.  It's a great stone for winter because it is fortifying, purifying and detoxifying - helping to keep us going even when things are tough. 

It is great for grounding negative energy around the body and transmuting it.  It is also known for removing energetic blockages and supporting us to feel greater clarity even in times of confusion. 

Optical Calcite (also known as Iceland Spar)

This stuff looks like ice, but is definitely more interesting.  It's a great stone for winter when we may be drawn to turning inwards, and perhaps looking at things a little differently. 

It’s also known as Iceland Spar, which is a very cool name and sounds like it belongs on a Viking ship.  

Optical calcite is known for helping us see more clearly and perceive the deeper hidden meanings around you. 

You may also like to use it to clear away the negative and amplify the positive, to amplify your intentions and clear away energy blockages. When used with other stones, it is said to double their healing impact.

If you’re having trouble seeing things clearly, optical calcite might be the stone for you.

And it also has this cool property of double refraction – so if you try to read something through it, you’ll see double!

Moonstone

Moonstones are a go to stone for crystal lovers wanting to connect to their insight, intuition and connect with the Divine Feminine.  They're a great stone for wintry nights in meditation or ritual.

As you can see from the image, moonstone is one of those crystals that is actually a bunch of different stones – well, different in appearance, anyway. They can have wildly different appearances – rainbow moonstone, peach moonstone, black moonstone, regular moonstone and others. What makes them all “moonstones” is that they are geologically what is known as orthoclase feldspars. They are quite common and can be found in the US, Canada, Switzerland, Norway – but they are most commonly found in Madagascar. Moonstones – especially the ones with a blue sheen – are also known as “adularia”. This is because they have been commonly found on Mount Adular, in Switzerland. This is also the source for the name of the sparkly sheen that you see, especially on blue or clear moonstones – it is known as “adularescence”, which is a truly fabulous word.

As the name suggests, these stones are associated with romance, intuition, divine feminine, empathy and dreaming. Moonstones are also known as a stone that can help you dream new dreams and bring new beginnings into your life. 

Moonstone has been used to help develop clairvoyance (or clair-anything, really) and psychic abilities. It can help to balance masculine and feminine energies, but to ensure that the divine feminine is not neglected or forgotten. 

It can help to calm emotional instability and to stabilise emotions when they are out of whack. It can help us to remember empathy and to look at things from the perspective of emotional intelligence, rather than purely from reason. 

Most stones like a bit of a charge under the full moon, but moonstones in particularly really benefit from it. I feel like they get “tired” as the lunar cycle wanes, so they may need to be charged with reiki or white light at these times (or given a rest!). 

Although I have a goofy habit of wearing moonstones around the full moon, some women may find that their energy is “too much” at this time – if you find yourself getting over emotional, or feeling the emotions of others, it might be time to swap out your moonstones for something more grounding. 

Selenite

Again, there is never a bad time for selenite and you can never have too much of the stuff, in my humble opinion.  Energetically, it keeps the wolves from the door on cold and dark nights.

It is pretty unique among crystals in that not only do you never need to cleanse or charge it, it can be used to cleanse and charge other crystals. I like to have a few selenite trinket bowls and plates to cleanse and charge stones overnight that I have used through the day.

Some people like to put their selenite out under the full moon for a bit of an extra charge – but I have heard others who have had it literally crack with all that energy! 

It is a great stone to keep near your front door or on windowsills to keep out negativity and to act as a bit of a sentinel for protection. 

It’s also a great stone for meditation, insight, peace, connecting with source and our purest and highest intentions.

Two cautions though – in the more raw forms it can be really splintery – so take care with it and probably keep it away from children (polished selenite is fine).  I've heard that you shouldn't put it under water because it will dissolve, but these days people are starting to say that's nonsense.  Am I taking the risk?  No, I am not! I met a guy at a crystal fair once who had a theory that the reason no-one can find Atlantis is because when it sunk it was completely made of selenite, so it all dissolved … I’m not sure whether or not he was joking, but it’s a theory!

Garnet 

Ah, here come the big guns.

Garnet is a fantastic stone for winter – well, all year round, actually!

Throughout history, gorgeous garnet has been used as a protective talisman for warriors; a stone of enlightenment for spiritual seekers; and as an ornament for those drawn to its warmth and beauty.

There are OODLES of different varieties of the stuff, but most of us will be familiar with the most common, translucent, red variety.

It is said to inspire love and devotion and also to bring balance to passion. 

In winter, its brightness and spark can bring some light to dark places within and without. 

It is a stone of willpower, courage and adaptation to change.

I like to think of it as a stone that doesn’t just help me tolerate change – but eat it for breakfast!!

And my FAVOURITE stone for winter, and the Solstice in particular is .... CITRINE 

To me, citrine is such a wonderful stone for winter, and particularly for the Winter Solstice, when we have the darkest night, but the light is returning.

Citrine is a stone of sunshine. 

It’s a great stone to have around in uncertain times when you feel like you need a bit more light.

You might be drawn to citrine when things are feeling a bit dark, or when you need some more courage. 

In crystal healing it’s seen a stone that never needs cleansing or loses its charge – so for me, citrine is a light that never goes out.

I hope you find this little collection of crystals for winter useful - if you've got others you're drawn to at this time of year, I'd love to hear about it!