Recently I had the chance to sit down with Kimberly Barrett, Crystal Therapy practitioner. Kimberly is also a long-time Master Instructor of IET, Magnified Healing, Shambhala and Karuna Reiki and she teaches Earth Healing as well as Crystal Therapies, and more! Kimberly is currently writing a children’s book entitled The Secret Lives of Crystals, teaching children from 4 to 8 about crystals through the use of engaging rhyme. Visit her website http://crystalawakenings.weebly.com/ for more information. You can also find Kimberly on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KimberlyBarrett.earthsinger

I had the pleasure of attending Kimberly’s Crystals 101 class where I learned a great deal about connecting with crystals and the many ways we can ask for and receive help from crystals. With her wealth of crystal knowledge and her deep love of the subject, Kimberly was an obvious choice for an interview about crystals. I wanted to get some basic ideas about interacting with various stones as well as get her take on my particular use of crystals in The Gatekeepers of Em’pyrean series and book one, The Portal’s Choice.

Thank you, Kimberly, for welcoming me into your amazing space and agreeing to answer some questions about crystals. Let’s get started!

Q.    Tell us a bit about crystals.

A.  Crystals are a tangible way for each of us to work with and aid our personal growth and help us along our spiritual path. If you connect consciously with a crystal, the stone can work more deeply with you, in partnership. Crystals can provide protection, good luck, and increase happiness. They can be touched, held, worked with and the more you work with crystals the more you can hear the stones, sense their power, and understand the way they work in your life.

Q.  I know that each crystal has its own vibrational energy. Explain a bit about how you sense crystals and the energy in each stone.

A. Each crystal has a unique energy. Kimberly senses crystals and feels something different from each stone. Additionally, each stone is connected to one of the elements; earth, air, water, fire, or ether. She explains a bit about some of the crystals used in The Portal’s Choice and how they might impact someone in contact with them.

Tourmaline is the gatekeeping crystal for Noreis Alexandre, Tallis Challinor’s uncle. Tourmaline is connected to the element of water. Holding a tourmaline, Kimberly senses the ocean, as if she is holding the ocean. Tourmalines are calming and cooling and promote emotional release.

Carnelian, Citrine and Coral are red or golden stones and are connected to the element of fire. They promote a more awake or enlivened feeling and feelings of vitality and passion. The red carved stone in the center of the ring that Tallis finds in an old dresser in her basement is a coral. Later in the book we discover why the stone evokes such fiery passion in the people who come into contact with it.

Rose Quartz is another stone associated with the element of water. It is connected to the heart and to love of self, of others and of the divine.

Smoky Quartz and Obsidian are earth stones and as such are very grounding and protective. They help the one who connects with them to be firmly rooted in their physical body and secure in their space. Smoky quartz becomes important at the end of The Portal’s Choice.

Moldavite, Clear Quartz, Danburite, and Andaras are stones associated with the element of ether. These are the high vibrational stones that really propel us on our Spiritual Journey.

Q.    How do you work with crystals?

A.  Kimberly uses crystals in a variety of ways. She creates crystal grids in a space to bring calm or peace or to clear the energy in the space. Grids can also be used for healing people or the world. Another way that Kimberly has started using crystals is in creating crystal elixirs; each elixir is created for a specific purpose, for example to promote grounding, focus and moving forward in life.

Q.  How can an individual know if a crystal is attuned to, or right for, him or her?

A.  Kimberly uses a variety of methods to choose her crystals. She recommends that each individual ask the crystal they’ve chosen if that crystal is right for them. If the crystal is attuned and happy to be with that person, the individual will feel a tingling or warmth in their hand. Some might also see a word, like ‘yes’ in answer to the question or have a vision of using the stone. Another method Kimberly uses to test the compatibility of a crystal with an individual is the forward/backward test. If the person holds the crystal to their heart and asks if it is right for them and they feel a sense of falling forward, the crystal is meant to be with that person. If the person falls or sways backwards, the crystal isn’t meant for him or her.

Q.  In The Portal’s Choice, I use crystals as keys to open and close portals between the human and spirit worlds. Recently I have found information about crystals indicating that they have been used for a long time as keys to portals. Can you tell us anything more about this?

A.  Yes. Portals are openings into another plane of existence or another vibrational dimension. There are portals all around the world and crystals have been used for millennia to open and close these gateways.  Humans are also portals into other dimensions and lifetimes. In Kimberly’s work she uses the portals within and all around us the help souls move forward on their spiritual path.

Q.  In The Portal’s Choice each gatekeeper receives a stone based upon his or her needs. The correct stone for an individual gatekeeper appears when the person is ready to assume gatekeeping duties. Does this premise make sense to you as a person who works so closely with crystals?

A.     Absolutely.

Q.  Is there a best way to care for crystals?

A.  The best way to care for crystals is to keep them clean, charged, and stored safely. Sometimes crystals will be active and you will use them for clarity, healing or other purposes. Other times your crystals will rest in a special place, maybe a bag or special drawer. Be sure to interact with the crystals periodically – use them for that is their purpose.

Check out my Pinterest Gatekeeper Crystals Board at: http://pinterest.com/kdpryorbooks/gatekeeper-crystals/

There are some beautiful crystals pinned there and more to come soon.