I had already examined various herbs for a centering effect, and now I started to wonder if I could find a particular kind of stone or crystal which might also induce a kind of centering.  After all, crystals and stones contain some of the most potent energies we can find.  We need to remember that all objects in the physical universe, including crystals and stones, are not pieces of solid matter but energy fields--just like the human body.  The energies of stones and crystals happen to be very real and can be felt by anyone with enough sensitivity.  They can help us in innumerable ways if we learn how to use them correctly. 

I am not as knowledgeable about crystals and stones as I am about herbs, but there is plenty of information around these days about their energies.  After much experimentation, I finally decided that there are two stones which do seem to contain the right kind of energies to help you center:  smoky quartz and obsidian. Most crystal pundits agree that both these stones have grounding or centering qualities.  Smoky quartz has long been recognized for its abilities to draw in your scattered energies, as well a bring a sense of calmness and balance into your life.  Obsidian, including the very common snowflake obsidian, is not a stone but a type of volcanic glass, but it is also known to be both grounding and balancing.

Once I concluded that these stones were what I needed, I made myself two bracelets:  one of snowflake obsidian beads and another of smoky quartz.  I make sure to wear one or the other every day.  Am I more centered because of them?  Well, I can't prove that I am, but the stones feel good, they are pretty to look at, and I don't have quite so many kill thoughts these days.  So maybe something about them is working.

But of course stones are also not enough, any more than tea is.  If you want to center yourself, you also need to focus on your inner energies as much as what might affect you physically.  So the next thing to look at... next

Centering   •   M.C. Richards   •   Tea   •   Stones   •   Exercises   •   Meditations   •   Breath   •   Chakras  •  
Four Elements  •   Daoist Scriptures   •   Cult of Tranquility   •   Etc.