There are many ways to use crystals with Reiki. It has already been mentioned that many people use them in distant healing. What has not been mentioned are the benefits of doing so.
CRYSTAL BASICS AND CLEANSING
First, the basics of crystal use. Crystals can be temperamental stones, so be certain to use your intuition carefully when selecting crystals to use with Reiki. Many people use a pendulum when making their selections. It is a good idea to cleanse any crystal before using it for Reiki or any other purpose. The most common ways to do this are by placing them in a copper pyramid for one week, or in sea salt saturated water for 48 hours.
Run each crystal under cold water for several minutes both before and after the cleaning to further purify them. As you do so, visualize the water as being pure white light energy cleansing every part of the stone.
When you are finished, dry it off with a clean natural fiber cloth. Also, always be certain to shake them off. This is done by firmly grasping the crystal in one of your hands and proceeding to shake it, in much the same manner that you would use if it were wet and you were shaking water off of it.
BASIC REIKI CRYSTAL CHARGING
One of the benefits of first degree Reiki is that it gives you the ability to charge crystals which you can then set out in your home, give to others, or carry with you. In each case, the crystal will project a constant field of Reiki energy for about 24 hours. To charge a crystal, simply hold it between your cupped hands for ten minutes or more.
USING CRYSTALS FOR REIKI DISTANT HEALING
For those with second and third degree, the options broaden considerably. The reason so many people choose to use crystals when sending energy is that even after you remove your hands, they will continue to send Reiki energy for another 48 hours if the person that charged the stone was a second or third degree practitioner. To use this method, simply place the crystal over either a recent picture of the person to be healed, or their name written on a piece of paper. Many people also use a personal object which belongs to the person and is attuned to their vibration. Some people even prefer to use one of the person's hairs. If you use a picture or piece of paper with their name written on it, write out, either on the front or the back, each symbol and its name. Also, write out an affirmation or two such as "you are perfectly protected and healed on every level of your being now by divine love and light". You may also empower a goal with this method by writing it out in the same way that you would a person's name, and including some appropriate affirmations. Be certain to always follow the same guidelines as when making a subconscious affirmation. Always be positive and try to avoid using negative words of any kind.
Now, with the picture, piece of paper, or object located under the crystal, proceed to trace out the symbols over them (above the stone) in the same order you would normally use to send energy at a distance. When you are finished, place your hands over them and send energy for at least fifteen minutes. Do this in a place where the crystal and object will not be disturbed. After you have removed your hands and left the space, it is a good idea to check on them periodically to make sure they haven't been moved or altered.
HOW TO SET UP AND USE A REIKI CRYSTAL HEALING GRID
Crystal grids are another excellent tool to use. I strongly suggest that you research further into this topic if you are intending to use this method. Crystal Connection and Windows of Light, by Randal Baer are excellent for further research. There are two crystal grid structures that I have found that work excellent with Reiki: The Star of David, and Double Star of David. Both are used in the same way.
The first is a layout of six perimeter crystals, the second has twelve. I typically use single terminated clear quartz for the perimeter stones. Both layouts also have a crystal, or a series of crystals located, in the middle of the layout. The terminated ends from the perimeter crystals are pointed in towards the center stone. Crystal spheres work the best in the center of the grid, though I have also used a double terminated or quartz cluster for the center crystal. These are very tricky however, and I would not recommend using them unless you work with someone who can see their energy and set it up for you. A charging crystal is also used, though I have found that when I am away for extended periods, I can use the distant healing technique to charge and empower the whole grid.
Inside the grid, your goals or pictures (with affirmations) are placed. I keep a picture of myself, with several affirmations on the back, under the center crystal and place the others around it, within the field that is produced by the perimeter stones. Before you lay out your grid, cleanse each stone as mentioned above. Then, if you have second degree, trace out each symbol over the crystals one by one, just as you would if you were about to work on someone. If you are a third degree master, you can also do an attunement on each stone. This is a very powerful way to adapt the crystal to use with Reiki energy.
When you have finished tracing the symbols, hold each crystal in your hands for at least twenty minutes. When all the stones have been charged, follow the same procedure with each picture and goal. Then, begin to lay the stones out. Don't be afraid to adjust them when you are first laying them out. Continue to shift them around until you feel that they are in their most powerful configuration, but be careful to precisely calculate the angles required. Much of the power of this grid is derived from precise sacred geometric measurements. Now, place the pictures and goals within the circle of stones.
Next, pick up your master crystal and charge it for a minimum ten additional minutes. This is something that you will do every day or two. I find that my grid is most effective if charged once per day. I also trace out the symbols over my master charging crystal each day before I charge it. As always, experiment and find out what works best for you.
CHARGING THE REIKI CRYSTAL HEALING GRID
1. After charging the master crystal, I hold it in my dominant hand directly above the center crystal of the grid. From this point forward, I visualize a ray of energy shooting like a laser from the tip of the crystal into the grid, in this case the center stone. I also use an affirmation while charging the grid. At this point, I say it three times (aloud or silently) while charging the center crystal with it. The affirmation I typically use is along the lines of: "I charge this crystal energy grid with divine love and light to heal, protect, and manifest." I place very special emphasis on each of the words and try to tune into the true vibration of the energy they represent as I say them.
2. When I have made the affirmation three times at the center crystal, I begin to charge the grid in earnest. To do this, there are two methods that can be used. Some prefer to take the master charging crystal and begin to make a circle by tracing with it over the outer perimeter stones, typically moving in a clockwise manner. This direction charges the gird by strongly focusing the energy inward toward both the center stone and all the goals contained within the grid. The clairvoyants that the Institute worked with saw the energy of the grid grow much stronger when the tracing was done in a clockwise direction, and considerably weaker if it was done in a counterclockwise one. As the circle is traced over the perimeter stones with the master charging crystal, the affirmation is continually used.
The second method I spoke of is the one that I choose to use. When you have made the three affirmations over the center stone, you then move out to one of the perimeter stones (visualizing a traced line of energy connecting them as you do so), then over to the next stone in the perimeter (moving in a clockwise direction) and then back into the center stone. Now, trace from the center stone, back to the perimeter stone that you just came from, over to the next one, and back into the center. Continue on in this pattern until you feel that the grid is charged sufficiently, and then stop.
In doing so, you create a star pattern with all of the outer stones connected to both each other and the center crystal. This is a very powerful template. As with the previous method, I continue to use the affirmation throughout the process. Sometimes, I use combinations of the two methods. For example, when I'm finished charging my grid with the star method, I'll continue to trace just a circle over the perimeter stones. Intuitively, I feel that the links to the center crystal are firmly in place and that the increased activity around the perimeter creates an even more powerful vortex of energy flowing in through it to charge the grid. As with everything, do what feels right for you.
3. When you are finished charging your grid, say a silent thanks to all beings of love and light who assisted you in charging it, and ask them to keep it continually empowered with energy. Then, set your master charging crystal in a special place nearby. I have a special pedestal for it right next to my grid.
After a couple of weeks of regular charging with your master charging crystal, the lines connecting the stones will be very solid. If you choose, at this point, you may begin to change the way in which you charge your grid. The two methods I use most often are projecting and distance charging. Each should still be done daily for best results.
When I am at home, I often charge my crystal grid by placing my hands over the top of it (about 6-12 inches from the layout) with my palms facing down into the grid. I then project energy to the entire grid and empower it with energy. I also often use the master charging crystal as a radionic link to the grid. I carry it while on the road, and will take it out each evening and charge it with energy, intending that it charge my crystal grid. It has a very strong connection to the grid, and it is not necessary to trace out the symbols for sending energy at a distance when using it to charge the grid, though I often do. The grid can also be charged by use of the distant healing technique. A separate distant healing can be used, or it can be added as a layer in a stack of items and people you are sending energy to.
OTHER USES FOR CRYSTALS IN REIKI HEALING
Crystals are wonderful tools. I urge you to extensively experiment with them in your healing practice. Many healers, including myself, choose to have the client hold a large rose quartz in their left hand, and a large clear quartz in their right. I trace the symbols out over these crystals and charge them before giving them to the client.
The rose quartz is akin to the energy of the heart chakra, and love. The left hand is typically the hand that draws energy into the body. Thus by using that stone in this position, they are drawing a very beneficial energy into their body during the session. We typically project energy from the right hand. Thus, a clear quartz crystal is placed there to collect vibrations which are being cleaned out of the body during the healing. The client is actually charging the crystal with those vibrations. The crystal is, in effect, acting like a vibrational sponge. I find that this provides a great deal of help in keeping only positive vibrations in the healing space. When the healing is over, I wash both crystals under cold water for several minutes, and then do the same with my hands. This cleanses us both. It can also be beneficial to place clear quartz crystals down by the soles of the feet to collect the energetic vibrations which are expelled by the chakras there during the healing session.
As a final note, charged crystals can also be placed over various areas of the person's body to continually send energy there during the session. This is especially handy when you are working on someone who is having an emotional release, and your intuition tells you to move your hands to another position. By placing charged quartz crystals in the location that produced the release, you are in effect adding another practitioner to the healing. This allows you to move on to the new position while still making sure that the former position is supported energetically.
Some healers use crystal strands which are interconnected by wire, chain, or leather to spiral above their client during a session. This can create a very effective cleansing vortex which sucks away negative energy in a powerful fashion. Additional information on using quartz crystals with Reiki can be found in The Complete Guide To Reiki, Volume II. It contains a large amount of the information from the Institute's former class on crystal grids.