Shanna Fanelli is a certified Crystal and Sound Alchemist, Faeriologist, Energy Artist and Reiki I and II practitioner. Deeply in tune with the mysteries of the ancients and a Star-child, her minimalistic lifestyle and sacred reverence for the elementals reflect her beliefs and loving relationship with the Nature. She implements Crystal Energy, Vocal Healing and Earth-essence into her daily practices and energy sessions, focusing on a holistic lifestyle that honors love and light for all life-force. Shanna has over three decades of working with faeires, nature spirits and stars. She has studied under Silkander Scott Von Heldt, Doreen Virtue, Nicole Pigaeult and Antea Rood.
It seems like there’s a lot of seeking going on. Every-other street corner, natural foods store, metaphysical hot-spot and couch cushion is being scoured for the newest token of manifestation and spiritual awakening. It’s beautiful, it’s exciting, and it’s all the rage, which can suddenly manifest itself as soggy granola in life’s cereal bowl of irony. Suddenly the “rage” issues a rage, and it’s no gluten-free-vegan-biodynamic-cupcake of bliss when confronted with the oodles of options spirit weavers, fortune tellers and the latest Instagram account tell us we need in order to be in “our personal power…” We are left with a panic that our dreamcatchers don’t work, our birthdays screwed us for life, and that if we don’t have every precious gemstone there is to mine, we won’t activate our LightBody (you were thinking about all of this stuff to do that, right?).
I can’t tell you the way to enlightenment, but I can tell you that it’s ok to relax. I can’t stretch my body into sacred geometrical shapes and walk on water, but I can tell you that you should really try (and if you do this – please call me!). I can’t tell you all of the downloads and chants that can be integrated to achieve this heightened state of Divine Awareness, but I can tell you about one of the many tools and Master Teachers our amazing planet has provided to enable us to remember who we are – crystals.
I state this as fact, because I believe it to be so and because I’ve been working with the Plant and Crystal Kingdom all of my life. You have too, if you have ever had the sudden urge to climb a tree, sit on a rock, dig your hands through the sand, or just walk barefoot across the grass. Our natural state is to be at ease with the elements, and the Crystal Kingdom presents us with tangible representations of the innate powers we possess. Each stone resonates at a special frequency that touches us, allowing our physical bodies to begin to vibrate at that frequency. The ultimate goal is to embody all of those vibrations and continually resonate at a crystalline current. Our limitless LightBodies are already crystalline, and eagerly awaiting integration into our physical selves. The crystals, nature’s gifts, help us with this sacred union.
I often get asked about how to work with the crystals. I say play with them! The crystals are living objects of outstanding energy – they want you to be open to be able to receive their gifts! Never doubt, feel foolish, or intimidated by the concept of bonding with a crystal. There is no wrong way to play within this world. One of the easiest things to do is to literally go to a location where there are crystals and walk around, opening yourself up to the idea that there is a new friend waiting to find you. It’s delightfully surprising to see what crystals will call out to you at different times in your life. When you find a special stone that “feels good” (really!) hold it in your hand. You can close your eyes if it helps you to concentrate, you can gaze at it in wonder (or confusion), you can sing the theme song from The Legend of Zelda and triumphantly hold it atop your head – whatever feels good. Notice if it heats up or cools down. See if it fits into the grooves of your palm and snuggles into the nooks where the fingers attach to the hand. In a world of overstimulation, the art of just being, just feeling quiet and focusing on a simple act can be one of the best gifts you can give to yourself. This may not happen immediately, and that’s ok. Be gentle with yourself. Expect the best and if nothing happens at first, know that you are destined for something better, something magical! Once you find that perfect piece, you will know.
Continue to carry your crystal with you. Get used to its distinct size, shape and lovely crevices. Feel the lines, points, hollows, dips and mountains upon its surface. Does it bear any physical similarities to you? (You know what they say about humans and their pets, well, if you were a crystal…) Check out the coloring – does it have rainbows? Is it a smooth, unified shade or does it have spots and gradual fading? Is it actually quite hideous to you, but for whatever reason, you just love it? It loves you too.
There is a never-ending plenty when it comes to crystal play. You can make mandalas with them, create special altars of intentions, grid your home, office (I used to keep a grid right on my desk when I worked in the corporate world) and make a special “blend” to keep in the car or on your bike for protection. You can do beautiful dedication ceremonies for yourself, others, or the Earth with crystals. You can take them and plant them back into the Earth with intentions. One of my favorite things to do is to charge a quartz crystal with a specific intention, and then plant it in a spot with an amethyst. To charge a crystal is to cleanse it, and then in whatever way feels best to you, to state your intention for the highest good and the highest frequency (you always want to preface an intent with some sort of prayer that acknowledges the highest of frequencies, as we want to continually raise our vibrations and all that is around us). There is no wrong way to charge a crystal. You can hold it to your third eye, you can place it on your heart chakra, you can give it a good stare or simply fold it between your hands. I like to blow my breath into them before I state an intention, as I feel it imbeds both my life force as well as my spirit.
Quartz crystals are the easiest to program with intent, and quite receptive. They work with all chakras. The wee slivers of quartz are just darling to program for use in planting and gridding – they get so excited, you can see them start to sparkle and get rainbows! I always include a small piece of amethyst or kyanite when doing this play, as these two stones vibrate at such a high frequency, they never need to be cleansed. In fact, they are so evolutionarily advanced in spiritual vibrations that they will also cleanse, charge and empower objects and space around them – that’s any stones, jewelry, rooms and you!
This leads me to the concept of cleansing your crystals. Crystals are our master teachers in remembering who we are and connecting ourselves back to our Higher Selves, connecting us back to Source. They assist us in recognizing our power and enable us to travel this earthly plane with a spiritual air. It’s important to respect them and keep them clean and happy – they will do the same for you. One of the most common ways to cleanse a crystal is with sage or palo santo. The Latin for sage is ‘Salvia,’ meaning ‘to heal.’ The name of the plant itself, ‘sage,’ means wise, elite, advanced. The vibrations of the plant embody its name, which is why the ancient Druids held it sacred and would burn it, and the Native Americans.
Palo Santo, (“Holy Wood”) is a magical tree from South America that has healing properties. Its delicious scent raises vibrations, which enables you to form a deeper connection to Source. Though it does not burn as long as sage, it is literally, Divine. Your crystals will sing for you when you bathe them in the smoke of the Palo Santo.
And speaking of baths, there are some crystals that just adore a good soak in some salt water or a running river. If you live near a natural body or spring of water, give those crystals that are ok with getting wet a treat. You can dip them one-by-one, or create a special netted bag and just swish them in. Quartz is fine with water. Selenite is not. You’ll actually get a funny feeling in the pit of your stomach (and that intuition should develop even more as you continue to bond and play with your crystals!) about whether or not a crystal would like to be immersed in the water element. Trust it. One of my choice baths for my crystals is to use a special bowl or dish that I fill with good Himalayan salt and just let those critters soak in it for three days. After their soak, I like to rub them and will put them on a tree root or cover them with some flowers (awesome for rose quartz, kunzite and morganite!).
You can keep a little pot of earth or sand as well to soak your crystals in – the earth element will draw out anything that does not serve your crystal in the highest good and purify it. For protective and super grounding stones, (like Black Tourmaline, Obsidian, Shungite, Onyx and Hematite) it’s best to cleanse regularly, as these particular crystals shield your energy field against psychic attacks and electro magnetic fields (EMF). Think of them like vacuums - you want to keep them empty so that they can continue to cleanse for you. Be careful of putting your crystals in direct sunlight for too long, as the powerful rays will bleach your crystals. This is actually an amazing way to bring back any crystals that have turned cloudy, a result of being ignored or hidden. In this case, a good sun bath is most appreciated. Full moonlight is an incredibly potent time to cleanse crystals. Put them out in a safe spot and let them bask in the silver rays of the moon overnight – they will thank you for this special energy and you, in turn, will resonate with it as well!
Talking to the crystals is a wonderful way to form a connection – they love attention! Rubbing them is not only a beautiful way to bond, but also will encourage growth. Notice how your crystal will sparkle more, create rainbows and even change colors! This is all a reflection of you and your growth. Make sure that you are keeping your crystals on natural surfaces – no plastic! If you’re feeling crafty, perhaps you can construct a special shelf or area for them. I keep a majority of my crystals on my wooden countertop in the kitchen, as this is where I do most of my play. The crystals displayed change as my needs or focus does. Any grid-work that I am doing has its own special place where it will remain undisturbed until the intention has manifested (and this happens rather quickly, as the crystals are quite powerful!).
I have amethyst and selenite in every room, as they continually raise vibrations. I keep a white Himalayan salt lamp the size of a small child in my bedroom. Himalayan salt is one of the most holistic minerals, as it emits negative ions, which counteract the positive ions emitted from electronics and keep a clear space. Keeping the physical space, the environment, as sacred and charged will keep you in the same vibration; you will align to these high frequencies, identify with them, and resonate with them. When we allow ourselves to fall into harmony with these amazing tools of nature, we integrate our spiritual lives into the mundane with grace and ease, and begin to allow others to feel those vibrations.
There are so many wonders and initiations that the Crystal Kingdom has to offer, and it is eager to integrate itself into our lives. That is the beautiful relationship that we have with the nature, to orchestrate these highest of frequencies with us so that our spiritual essence, our LightBodies, can easily integrate into our physical selves. It’s such an exciting gift that is our birthright, to work with these Rock Stars and truly see that heaven is a place on Earth.
Shanna Fanelli is a certified Crystal and Sound Alchemist, Faeriologist, Energy Artist and Reiki I and II practitioner based in Santa Monica. Learn more about Shanna and her services at ShannaFanelli.com.