One way to benefit from the healing energy of crystals is to make gem elixirs or gemstone waters. This is done by charging pure water with the energy of the crystal or stone of choice.

Water has the ability to hold energy patterns intact for long periods of time. Imprinting the subtle healing energies of crystals onto water needs no special equipment just focused attention, intention and sunlight. (See Water Crystal Healing by Masaru Emoto)

Most often Gem elixirs are made by placing the cleared stone or stones chosen in a clear glass or crystal container with pure water and placing this in sunlight for several hours.

Two to four hours is common, though on a very bright sunny day at noon full charging can occur in as little as half an hour and on overcast or cloudy days it can take much longer.

Some people keep the gemstones in the water for a minimum of 24 hours and some people take seven or 14 days to make an elixir spending some time each day to mentally reinforce the intention.

Conventionally made elixirs are made outside on bright sunny days. Very cloudy days are not suitable for making most gem elixirs. However some essences made on overcast or foggy days instead of being less powerful than those made in full sun they bring in some different qualities that also have value and can be wonderful and have a soft and gentle quality. Time of day does not seem to be a critical factor in gem essences and they are often made in the morning or at noon.

It is important to minimize direct physical contact with the stones and water in order to keep the crystal energy from absorbing your own energy and affecting the elixir so you may wish to place and remove your stones with a spoon. You should have a calm and focused emotional state while making elixirs because strong emotions can affect the elixir.

Some people feel strongly that the container should be an undecorated clear glass bowl others prefer cut glass or Waterford type crystal feeling that the prismatic effects from the light on the cut work enhance the energy of the resulting elixir. After the water has been charged by the gemstone it is filtered and usually preserved with alcohol or vinegar.

To preserve an elixir fill a container halfway with your essence and fill the rest of the bottle with brandy, vodka or with vinegar. You can also use half vinegar or alcohol and pure water. The alcohol is used to inhibit bacterial growth and may also help to " fix" the vibration.

If you intend to expand your elixir as is done with flower essences this would be your 'mother' essence and you would make stock bottles by placing from three to twenty drops of 'mother' essence in an ounce of distilled, spring or other pure water and an ounce of brandy or vodka or vinegar.

This stock essence is then used to make a dosage bottle by again adding ten to twenty drops of the stock essence to two ounces of the water and brandy mixture. This would then be the elixir or essence, which you would use for treatment.

The amount of water and the proportion of alcohol used as a preservative do vary somewhat among different recipes. Dark glass bottles are preferred for storing elixirs. Label your elixirs with the gem or gems used, the date made and whether it is a mother, stock or dosage bottle.

Gem elixirs are often used undiluted rather than being expanded either by drinking glasses of the charged water or used by placing two to five drops of the elixir in a glass of water or under the tongue two to four times a day. They can also be used topically on the skin or put in bath water. You can add them to sprays that you use for room or aura clearing.

Some stones should not be used to make conventional gem elixirs. Do not make a conventional elixir from any stone containing known toxins. These include but are not limited to Copper, which would include Azurite and Malachite, Orpiment is arsenic and Cinnabar contains Mercury. Proceed with extreme caution. "Love is in the Earth" by Melody does have some mention of whether or not a stone can be used to make conventional elixirs. It might be possible to do some real damage with elixirs made in the conventional way from some types of stones. Soaking the stones in water can cause the leaching of toxic components into the water. The amount of real danger there would be would depend on quite a few factors like specific stone, dose, amount of leaching of toxins etc.

Alternate methods used to make elixirs that are unsafe or fragile or water soluble or otherwise unsuitable to be immersed in water include placing the stone in a smaller container which is placed in the larger container of water, and placing stones around the container being charged. These are often used in combination. Some sources recommend that you have at least six stones of the same type to place around the container, Others use quartz points to amplify and direct the energy of the stone you are making an elixir with into the water.

Another way to make an elixir is to hold a charged stone against the side of a glass of water and intend the crystal charge the water with its energy. This is most effective if you are skilled at focusing your intention. But is not usually as long lasting as using a conventional method and may be more suitable for making a single glass of charged water to be used within a short time.

Many people just like to keep a quartz or amethyst crystal in the water they drink or water plants with even without further charging this seems to improve the taste and energy of the water.

When making gem elixirs most people select the stone or stones that are used for the issue they want to work on but it is advisable to meditate first to receive guidance and permission from the stone spirit as to the uses of a particular elixir or for guidance. These may not always be limited to those uses found in lists of crystal properties.

Most people use gem elixirs undiluted or unexpanded, though flower essences are virtually always expanded. The dosage used is usually ten drops twice a day for a month. If need be repeat the dosage more frequently, for example, five drops four times a day.

The term Gem Elixir does not just apply to semi-precious or precious gemstones. It also includes materials such as seashells, amber or petrified wood, which could be classified as being of organic origin. Gem elixirs can be used undiluted or diluted. The term Diluting may be somewhat confusing because it is generally held that adding water to the mother or stock does not diminish the quality or effectiveness of the elixir.

Whether the elixirs are used diluted or undiluted depends upon the individual. Some people feel that a person benefits best from the undiluted elixir for the first month and later on they can be diluted. However, this can be decided for each individual.

The length of a treatment can be several months. You may want to change the elixirs monthly. The person taking them usually makes quite considerable progress in a month. Gem elixirs can be used in conjunction with other forms of treatment without interfering with that treatment. Homeopathy practitioners find gem elixirs work well together and complement one another. You can use muscle testing or a pendulum to help with evaluating the potential usefulness of gem elixirs. As well as meditation and intuition.

Flower essences are made basically the same way.

One carries the water into the garden to the flower if possible. Meditate before or while selecting the flower intuitively snipping it/ them quickly and putting it into the water, it does not matter if the flower is upright or floats or not. Flower essences are ideally made in the morning around 8:45 standard time when the dew is still fresh on them and the flowers release a peak flow of energy for 20 to thirty minutes. You may include a clear quartz crystal in the water for any flower essence to enhance its energy.

Some people do make gem/flower essences by combining the gems and flowers together at the same time but probably more people prefer to make each essence separately and combine them later.

The descriptions of the uses for several gem elixirs are included below. These are gathered from several sources and should only be used as a partial guide for the use of gem elixirs. Consult gem properties lists and especially your intuition for other uses. Please note that different sources of information often vary greatly as to the qualities and purpose of the gemstones and elixirs.

The guide below should be used with caution and verified through other sources when making your own gem elixirs.

Abalone shell: treats excessive anxiety and fear for others. Also helps psychic connection with water element

Amazonite: treats feelings of social inadequacy.

Amber: for despair

Amethyst: for those who strongly resist any interference with freedom to make own decisions and plans. Raises vibration to more spiritual level.

Aquamarine: over enthusiasm, tenseness, stress and strain. Brings a calm, quiet clarity to an over active mental body; increases one's ability to achieve a neutral, serene state of mind

Aragonite: overcoming a feeling of helplessness.

Aventurine: mental rigidity, high mindedness, pride and aloofness. Strengthens and stabilizes us during growth experiences; helps us move into and through new experiences with grace, stamina and perseverance good for spiritual trailblazers and pioneers.

Azurite: grounding communication; opens and strengthens the connection between the feminine earth forces helps us communicate with authenticity, gentleness and For those unable to control their own reality.

Beryl: low self-esteem

Black Tourmaline: helps us exchange old unwanted energies for fresh, clean, neutral energy a precision tool for the release of toxic energy from the mind, emotions, and especially the physical body. Protection and grounding and for restlessness.

Bloodstone: strengthens our connection to the earth; brings a stronger flow of earth energies stability after trauma or emotional upset. For those who demand unquestioning affection.

Black Onyx: for those unable to confront their emotions. For frustration with the slow development of events.

Blue Lace Agate: for hatred of others and suspicion.

Calcite: for feelings of emotional confinement. For the fear that there is no point in formulating fresh goals.

Carnelian: increases the etheric body's ability to access spiritual energy; energizes and clears the energetic interface between the etheric body and the meridians allowing a greater flow of energy to the meridians.

Chrysocolla: opens, softens, and expands the inner dimensions of the heart chakra; helps us release tension and armoring around giving and receiving love; increases flexibility in the mind and body to allow the vibration of love to flow. For those stuck in an over organized life routine.

Chrysoprase: brings the heart chakra into harmonious union with the green energy frequency of the planet; synchronizes the subtle bodies with the heart energy of the earth; helps us accept the earth as our home treats arrogance and egotism.

Citrine: harmonizes the mental body with higher spiritual laws; increases access to divine truth and intelligence; amplifies qualities of concentration, centering, and rational mind.

Diamond: harmonizes divine and personal will; helps us activate personal will in its highest form; strengthens our ability to act in alignment with divine purpose.

Dioptase: for those who deny themselves emotionally.

Dolomite: for lack of resourcefulness. For fear of failure.

Emerald: a universal heart cleanser and balance; energies of the Divine Mother and the Divine Feminine gently coaxes the heart to open to allow a greater experience of love in the physical body.

Fluorite: works to bring increased energies into the physical body by breaking up blockages in the etheric body.

Gold: enables us to access and bring forth into physical reality the highest aspects of our personal identity; helps us tap into our inner truth, joy, and wisdom as a source of creative power.

Green Jasper: reconnects body rhythms with earthly rhythms when there has been a disruption to the natural flow; helps us connect to the wild feminine; restores earthly sensuality and healthy sexuality.

Green Tourmaline: for those who set themselves idealistic but illusory goals with resulting disappointment.

Hematite: for feelings of defenselessness. Strengthens energetic boundaries in the emotional body; promotes emotional independence rather than codependency; helps us maintain a state of compassionate detachment while witnessing an intense emotional experience in another, and contain our own emotional experiences in a responsible way.

Herkimer Diamond: a highly developed transmitter of white light; promotes clarity of vision; stimulates healing at all levels; facilitates clarity during the dream state. For inability to achieve goals. A receiver of conditional love.

Jade: for those who require help in being realistic about their ideals. For becoming the practical mystic a vibration of peace, balance, and timeless simplicity helps us stay centered in the moment with an awareness and acceptance of our true essence.

Kunzite: opens the heart to an awareness of our own angelic presence; helps us experience the spiritual love of the angelic kingdom and integrate it into the physical body.

Labradorite: for tension arising from frustration. For those whose relationships rarely meet expectations bathes and nourishes the entire energy system with full spectrum light; renews and refreshes our perspective; helps us again see the magnificent in the mundane, and the divine in the ordinary.

Lapis Lazuli: amplifies the ability to hear information from physical and nonphysical sources; clears confusion between hearing and knowing.

Magnetite: for emotional insecurity. For disappointment at the non-fulfillment of hopes.

Mahogany Obsidian: for those seeking an unrealistic perfection in their sex life.

Malachite: for those striving too hard to control their reality. Grounding; helps align and harmonize the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels of being; supports the unity of one's being in all circumstances.

Moldavite: connectedness; an energetic window into universal perspective helps us stay present in the moment while accessing what we need to express our earthly potential.

Moonstone: cleanses and circulates energy in the emotional body; increases feminine energy and intuition in women and men For those who feel threatened by their environment. For the reckless spending of money.

Moss Agate: for repressed sexual feelings.

Nephrite: for those overwhelmed by many details and pulled in many directions at once.

Opal: feeds the etheric and subtle bodies with a full spectrum of luminous colors; rejuvenates spent emotional and mental forces and counteracts the depletion of color frequencies in the aura replenishes our creative energies. For suppressed agitation from attempting to resist and form of stimulation.

Orange Calcite: amplifies the body's ability to assimilate light at the cellular level; uplifting, energizing and warming; dispels darkness and grief.

Pearl: promotes the release of layers of irritation in the mental and emotional bodies that are seen in the physical body as hardness and inflexibility; helps one turn antagonism for oneself or one's illness into awareness and acceptance For emotional excitement associated with fear.

Pink Tourmaline: for lack of creativity through a repressed personality.

Peridot: the stone of new beginnings; stabilizes the subtle bodies during the incubation period of new ideas and creative projects; helps us initiate new cycles of learning and experience.

Pyrite: helps one build an energetic foundation in life based on one's highest personal truth; strengthens one's sense of self, especially with regard to group dynamics and peer pressure; helps one solidify and honor one's values.

Quartz: for protection against adverse environmental influences.

Rose Quartz: for lack of self-discipline. Fear of responsibility. Love and inner peace opens, softens and soothes the heart; helps one connect to and nurture the inner child; harmonizes the heart forces so one is able to maintain intimacy with oneself and others.

Rutilated Quartz: for those who overemphasize sensuous luxury. Promotes precision alignment with higher sources of energy and inspiration helps us physically anchor the ability to access, synthesize, and communicate information from other dimensions.

Smoky Quartz: for fear of emotional interaction with others. Grounding and calming; Synchronizes body energy with earth energy; regulates and stabilizes the detoxification of unwanted energies from the physical, emotional, and mental bodies.

Rhodocrosite: for exhaustion arising from frustration. Increases energy, balance, and stability in the heart chakra and in the physical body; brings a balance of nurturing earth energy to the heart chakra after an experience of healing and transformation.

Rhodolite Garnet: increases our ability to inhabit the physical body; helps us reconnect energetically with parts of the body that have been injured or traumatized; rebuilds the web of etheric energy in areas disrupted by surgery.

Rhodonite: for physical exhaustion. For fear of criticism.

Ruby: supports the ability to ground spiritual energy into the physical body; works with the lower chakras to awaken higher impersonal love.

Sapphire: devotion to divine purpose; helps synchronize our energy system with our higher purpose; intensifies the qualities of loyalty and responsibility to our true work on the planet.

Star Sapphire: promotes trust in the universe; helps us focus our awareness on what is necessary for the soul's progression in life; supports the formation of energetic connections that support the realization of our life goals.

Sugilite: brings depth and a physical richness to our spiritual lives; helps us physically manifest a warmer, more feminine quality of spirituality; promotes an easy acceptance of rather than a hard striving for the spiritual realm.

Selenite: for guilt and inability to relinquish the past. For those who are over imaginative and given to fantasy.

Sodalite: for overcoming a desire for inappropriate action. For rage and a need for negative attention.

Tigers Eye: for those who are afraid of success. Self-empowerment; strengthens the energetic boundary between our true natures and our emotional experiences; helps us maintain a strong sense of self-identity when dealing with powerful emotions such as anger, fear, and jealousy.

Topaz: clears energy blockages in the solar plexus; helps us tap into appropriate sources of universal energy; strengthens the ability to act decisively from a clear sense of personal identity. For those avoiding making a decision which would commit one to a course of action. For loss of willpower through lack of ability to make decision.

Turquoise: attunes the energy field to the ancient wisdom and sacredness inherent in all of life; cleanses and deepens our connection to the Soul of the earth; helps us live a life of simplicity. For anxiety aggravated by darkness. For those who are seeking a way out of a problem but feel that there is no solution.

Watermelon Tourmaline: for a tendency to believe something is already real which is still only an idea. Balances the universal polarities of yin and yang; helps us establish equality between the magnetic and dynamic (giving and receiving) qualities of love; brings the green, physical, earth frequency into harmony with the pink, spiritual, angelic frequency of love.