We use crystals and stones a lot in magick and spellwork and many of us place certain pieces on our altars to draw in and direct specific kinds of energy for either a specific type of working or as part of our overall altar protection.  I have two large crystal points which sit in the center at the top of my altar, one point inward to draw energy in and the other pointing outward to direct energy worked with on the altar into the circle to create an energy circuit from the altar.  I have found through working with them that they have been a great help at moving energy around and when I don’t have them I feel the energy weigh a little heavier and need more direction.  This is one way that we can work with crystals in ritual besides using them as past of a specific spell or magickal procedure. Another way that we can draw on the energy and power of various crystals and stones is by using them to cast our circle, what I often refer to as a crystal circle.  This is a circle cast using certain stones at the quarters in conjunction with the calling of the elemental energies and using quartz points to connect them together.  Think of it as a giant crystal grid that you physically stand in and do your rituals within.

Picking Your Stones
Certain crystals or stones have a strong connection to certain elements.  Here is a list of some for each of the four elements and directions.  Pick ones that resonate with you that you feel would work well in your circle.

North: Moss Agate, Emerald, Jet, Black Tourmaline, Bloodstone
East: Topaz, Citrine, Mica, Yellow Fluorite, Stones with rainbows in them
South: Amber, Rhodochrosite, Ruby, Garnet, Opal, Volcanic Rock
West: Amethyst, Aquamarine, Chalcedony, Jade, Lapis Lazuli, Moonstone, Sugilite, Pearl

When you’re trying to decide on which stones to use, pick a few different ones and spend time tuning into each one and meditating on them.  This will help you find the stones that really resonate with you and the elemental energies that you work with.  For example, take a few pieces of jet and a few pieces of moss agate for earth and place them on your altar.  Get yourself into a quiet, meditative state in whatever method you choose.  Pick up the jet pieces and hold them in your hands and tune into their energy.  How do they feel to you?  What images or vibrations do you pick up with them in your hands?  How does your body react to them?  And, most importantly, when you hold them and you focus on the idea of the earth element do they feel comfortable in your hands or do they feel like they don’t “belong” in your hands as you call on this energy?  Do the same with the moss agate stones and then compare your experiences.  Does one feel more “earthy” to you than the other?  Do neither feel right?  Do they both feel right?  If they both fee right to you then pick the one that you personally feel more drawn to or that you just prefer.  If they both feel off in this setting pick some other earth stones and try this exercise again until you find the right stones for you.

Preparing your Stones for Use
The process for preparing your stones here is the same as any other time that you’re going to take some stones and use them for a specific purpose or intent.  Take your time to cleanse and charge them with the intention that they help to draw in the energy of the specific element.  Use whatever methods you’d like for this but remember to take into consideration both the stone you’re using and the element you’re attuning it to.  I like to use the actual element I’m tuning the stones into as part of the process.  I’ll take my earth stone and place it on or in some dirt while charging it; I’ll hold my air stone in incense smoke or put my water stone in some water.  When I charge my fire stone I’ll live it in direct, hot sunlight for a few hours.  This way the stone is soaking in some of the elemental energy directly from the actual element.  For more information on charging and cleansing stones see this previous post from a previous Crystal Wednesday.

Laying Out the Stones
For your circle itself, I recommend using quartz crystals with a single point.  Place them around the edge of your circle leaving a space where the quarters are.  You don’t need a great number of them, only a few will do; I recommend 2 or 3 between each quarter all around your circle.  The diagram below shows how these should be placed.  You want to lay them out on the ground so that they are going in a clockwise direction (naturally if you’re working with a counterclockwise circle you’d have them going in that direction). You want to have the crystals working in the direction that you’re working in since they are there to create a circuit of energy for you.

Once you have done this you’ll want to place 3, 6, or 9 of a chosen stone at each of the quarters.

When placing these stones in your circle you want to place them actually on the circle in line with your quartz stones.  In other words, you want them to be part of the circuit that you’re creating, not separate or removed from it.  So, looking at the diagram above, where you see the S marking the southern quarter, you would place your south stones right between the two quartz points that come before and after the southern point of the circle.

My personal choices for stones for the quarters are bloodstone for the North, citrine for the East, garnet for the South, and aquamarine for the West.

When you’re calling on your element you can pick up the stones and hold them, you can lift them aloft to the elemental energies to call them, or you can direct the elemental energy you’re calling down into the stones as its entry point on the circle and then direct it to join the circuit with the quartz stones.  I do this by using my wand, which has a crystal point on the tip, and doing a full walk of the circle tracing the circle with my wand starting at the quarter stones I have just called and going one full turn around the circle.  So when I call in Earth, after calling the element and directing it to the stones, I point my wand down to the pile of bloodstones I use and then trace the circle clockwise from the North point all the way around the circle and end in the North again.  I do this for all the elements after calling them in and then, once they are all called, I walk the circle one more time like this starting in the North, or in whichever direction I called first, and walk the circle once clockwise to connect everything.

Taking down the Crystal Circle
When I’m done and the time has come to take the circle down, I basically do all of this in reverse.  I go to the West, as this is usually the last quarter called in, pick up the stones, dismiss the energy and water element, place the stones back in the box I keep them in which is at my altar, and then trace the circle once counterclockwise with my wand to break up the connection to the water element.  I do this by visualizing the water energy in the circuit being pulled up through my wand, into my arm, down my body, and finally being grounded into the earth.  I do this for all four quarters and then do one final counterclockwise walk at the end.  I do the rest of my usual uncasting procedures as normal and when I’m all done and the circle is open I pick up the quartz and place them in the box as well.

I recommend trying this and seeing if you feel a difference in how the elements make themselves known in your circle.  You may find that elements that you may have had a hard time calling or connecting to in the past feel stronger or more present now.  You may also find that the feeling of connection between all the elements and their cohesiveness in your circle is more complete with the circuit created with the quartz crystals along the circle.  It’s a great and simple way to make crystals and stones a more active part of your circles and ritual work without making your work specifically about using a certain piece.