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As the new year inches closer and closer, you may be in the process of deciding how next year will be different from this one. Maybe that means letting go of some of the emotional baggage of 2017, and hopefully it means working towards manifesting more positive experiences in 2018. In either case, Heather Askinosie, the co-author of Crystal Muse: Everyday Rituals To Run In to the Real You and co-founder of Energy Muse, believes that crystals can assist in your new year's goal, but she cautions against believing that they can "magically transform your life."
"Working with crystals is like any new diet or fitness regime: you have to put in the work," she tells Bustle. "Like any new program, it takes time and consistency to get results. The magic is not the crystal; it’s you. It’s not doing the work, you’re doing the work. It’s an ally on your journey. A tool to help you get where you want to go."
Askinosie says that everyone should choose one crystal to work with throughout the year. "Keeping it really, really simple allows you to stick with that one core theme throughout the whole year," she says. "This isn't to say that you can't work with other crystals, or set multiple intentions, but this one crystal ally will remain by your side the entire year to constantly bring you back to your one focused intention or resolution."
Crystal Muse by Heather Askinosie and Timmi Jandro, $19, Amazon
Of course, before you can begin to work with the crystal, you have to choose it first. Crystal Muse, the book Askinosie wrote with her Energy Muse co-founder Timmi Jandro, offers practical help for choosing and using crystals to their maximize advantage in your life. Askinosie recommends getting out of your head and trusting yourself to make the right decision about what you need. Go online and take Energy Muse's crystal test or head to a store and allow yourself to choose a crystal based on your intuition.
"You’ll know which crystal is right for you, because you know yourself better than anyone else," Askinosie says. "Some will feel light, some will feel heavy. Some will draw you in, and others you will pass by. It’s your intuition’s way of talking to you."
Askinosie also recommended a few crystals for Bustle readers, based on some common New Year's Resolutions. Take a look below:
To Find Career Fulfillment: Pyrite
"I love working with this stone because it looks like gold," Askinosie says. "When you look at it, it seems to say, you know what? I could have abundance in my life. I am worthy of it. What do I need to shift within myself to help me breakthrough any limitations I put on myself. Once again, having a central theme and using the year as a platform to work through grow and evolve is a very empowering way to go into a new year."
To Find New Love: Rose Quartz
"If you’re looking to find new love, Rose Quartz is your crystal ally," she says. "Connect with it to really use the energy of love not only to love yourself, but how you show up to the word of love, love of a friendship, love of being kind to a stranger, or a blossoming new relationship. There's a lot of girth-iness with the energy of love, and you can use Rose Quartz to deepen all aspects of your love life."
To Move Forward From Emotional Trauma: Black Tourmaline
"For moving forward from emotional trauma, look to Black Tourmaline," she says. "I'm still holding on to situations from my childhood or relationships that hurt me, and what happens is, is that when we don't forgive and we get into this energy field of anger and fear and worry the person that it actually hurts is our self. It stores all of this stagnant energy in our body, so the fastest way to become free, the fastest way to change your life is to forgive. I'm not saying that that's easy and it will likely be more than a year long journey."
To Be Healthy & Well: Amazonite
"For health and wellness, I like Amazonite. Amazonite allows for the truth to come forth, encouraging you to take a deeper look at what you need to do to better yourself on your health and wellness journey," she says.
Crystal Muse by Heather Askinosie and Timmi Jandro, $19, Amazon
