Glossary.
A growing reference of terms that turn up in crystal, chakra, and ritual writing. Plain definitions, no jargon for its own sake.
Chakras
- Ajna
The sixth chakra, located between the brows and associated with intuition, perception, and inner sight.
- Anahata
The fourth chakra in the seven-chakra system, located at the centre of the chest and associated with love, compassion, and emotional balance.
- Chakra System
The traditional seven-chakra map drawn from tantric and yogic sources, used as a framework for body, mind, and energy work.
- Manipura
The third chakra, located at the solar plexus and associated with personal power, confidence, and will.
- Muladhara
The first chakra, located at the base of the spine and associated with grounding, safety, and physical stability.
- Sahasrara
The seventh chakra, located at the crown of the head and associated with awareness, connection, and spiritual perspective.
- Svadhisthana
The second chakra, located in the lower abdomen and associated with creativity, emotion, sensuality, and flow.
- Vishuddha
The fifth chakra, located at the throat and associated with voice, expression, and honest speech.
Mineralogy
- Cleavage
The tendency of a mineral to break along smooth, flat planes determined by its internal atomic structure.
- Crystal Habit
The characteristic shape a mineral takes when it grows freely, such as prismatic, tabular, cubic, or massive.
- Feldspar
A major group of rock-forming silicate minerals that includes moonstone, labradorite, sunstone, and amazonite.
- Inclusion
Material trapped inside a crystal as it formed, such as another mineral, a gas bubble, or a pocket of liquid.
- Mineraloid
A naturally occurring solid that lacks the ordered crystalline structure of a true mineral; opal, amber, and obsidian are examples.
- Mohs Scale
A 1 to 10 scale of mineral hardness based on which materials can scratch which, used to compare and identify gemstones.
- Quartz
A silicate mineral (silicon dioxide) and the family that includes amethyst, citrine, smoky quartz, rose quartz, and clear quartz.
- Silicate
The largest class of minerals, built around silicon-oxygen units; includes quartz, feldspars, micas, and most of the earth's crust.
Practice
- Crystal Cleansing
The practice of clearing a stone of accumulated energy or imprint before use, by smoke, water, sound, moonlight, or earth.
- Crystal Grid
An arrangement of stones laid out in a geometric pattern, usually with an intention, often around a central focus stone.
- Intention Setting
The practice of naming a clear purpose at the start of a ritual, meditation, or working with a stone.
- Meditation
The practice of stilling the mind through focused attention, often paired with a stone held in the hand or placed nearby.
- Scrying
A divinatory practice of gazing into a reflective or translucent surface to receive impressions, images, or insight.
- Smoke Cleansing
The practice of using burning herbs or resins, such as sage, palo santo, or sandalwood, to clear a space, object, or person.
Tradition
- Amulet
A small object, often worn, carried, or hung in a doorway, kept for its protective influence against harm or misfortune.
- Lapidary
A treatise on the meanings and properties of stones; also the medieval tradition of such books, and (separately) the craft of cutting gems.
- Metaphysical
An umbrella term for the modern crystal-meaning tradition and related practices; not a scientific description.
- Talisman
An object carried or kept for its supposed protective, attracting, or empowering influence, often charged with intention or ritual.
Astrology
- Mercury Retrograde
The roughly three-week periods, three or four times a year, when Mercury appears to move backwards from earth, traditionally a time for review.
- Ruling Planet
The planet traditionally assigned to govern a zodiac sign, lending its qualities to the sign and to the stones associated with it.
- Zodiac
The twelve-sign celestial wheel used in Western astrology to map the sun's apparent path through the year.