Old Soul; Self-Healed; Bridge; Record Keeper; Generator; Window; Transmitter; Receiver; Twin; Mother-Child; File; Key … wherever did these crystal points get their names? I believe it to be a matter of interpretation, of what the point may remind us of or look like. Some person somewhere held on to a crystal that had a bunch of small crystals attached to it and thought to him or herself, “This one reminds me of a teacher or an old wise man with all his followers. It must be a wise old soul. That’s it -- I’ll call it an Old Soul!” The Old Soul, therefore, can help us learn knowledge and wisdom from others.

Let’s examine next the Self-Healed crystal. It is said that these crystals, after being broken off the mother rock, continue to grow to become whole again by creating several terminations at their broken end. As they show us in nature and what we perceive from this definition, Self-Healed crystals can help us learn about healing our own bodies.

The Bridge crystal has a smaller crystal protruding from it. Most usually the termination of the smaller crystal is encased in the larger crystal. What comes to mind when you think of a Bridge crystal? Obviously, a bridge is something that joins two things. What could a Bridge crystal be joining? Perhaps it joins the inner and outer worlds, bridging the gap of whom you are inside and who you project to be. It could also bridge the gap between emotional and physical or between other realms. This is where the beauty of programming a crystal with your intention is handy. You can program this crystal to
bridge the gap between any two things you need to better understand.

The Manifestation crystal is a bit harder to find because this crystal has another whole crystal or small cluster completely encased within. The Manifestation crystal is just as it sounds, for it can help with creating what you want and need in your life.

A Record Keeper is something like a scrapbook, holding memories of times gone by. This crystal is bit more common than the Manifestation crystal, but yet still not as common as some of the others. To find a Record Keeper, you need to get light reflecting off the face of the crystal and look for small-elongated triangles. Those triangles are said to be the records of history. The way I prefer to access the records within these crystals is to sleep with one under my pillow. The dreams that follow are usually pretty fantastic. Others have accessed the Records by placing them on their third eye or throat, using them in mediation, or just holding on to them.

Now, the Generator crystal is fairly rare. In the 10 years I have been working with stones, I have only come across a dozen or so. A Generator crystal is one in which all of its faces come together to create a perfect point, and all of the faces are true triangles. A generator is good for charging other crystals. Some people use them in group meditations and for hands-on healing.

I hope you are getting the idea on how to interpret what various crystals are good for and how they might be used. It is just a matter of reading a little more deeply into their names and appearances. From here on, I will give only a brief description of what some other crystals look like. A good exercise would be to list the crystals on a piece of paper and write what you think they may be good for. Find a few stone guidebooks; then, compare their definition with yours and see if you came up with some of the same qualities. One book I suggest is “Crystal Personalities: A Quick Reference to Special Forms of Quartz” by Patricia Troter, Eric Lovstad (Illustrator).

Window: This crystal has a diamond shape at the base and between the two faces. There can be more than one window on a crystal.

Transmitter: This crystal has one large face that is a tall triangle. Its function should be fairly easy to figure out.

Receiver: Receivers have one face with seven edges. This one should also be easy to figure out. The question is: how would you use it?

Trans-Receiver: This crystal has a tall triangle on one side and a seven-sided face on the other.

Twin: As might be expected, this one has two crystals that are attached side by side. One of the crystals may be shorter than the other.

Mother-Child: This formation has one main crystal with one or more smaller crystals at the base.

Elestial: This crystal might best be described as having a surface that resembles alligator skin or a turtle shell. The term “elestial” is taken from the word “celestial” but has also been associated with the word “skeleton.” The only way I can relate the meaning of this crystal is to say, that to us humans an Elestial is very fragmented. In an Elestial crystal there are parts missing; we only see certain parts. One could perhaps relate these unique crystals to a piece of artwork that is done in relief.

File: This crystal has ridges on one or more sides, but not on the face.

Key: This one has an indentation where another crystal was once attached.

I would love to see what definitions you come up with. If you care to share your thoughts or insights, or if you have any questions, please e-mail me at tina@blackelk.alaska.com.

Tina Merrill has been working with stones for ten years. In 1991, she developed the stone area of Black Elk Leather, Beads and Stones.