To use crystals in protection simply keep them around what you wish protected. If it is for you then carry the crystal in a pocket or purse, wear it as a pendant, put it in a bag around your neck. Your skin does not need to be touching the crystal, it just needs to be near you. You can put crystals around your house, over the door frame, on the window sills, on the mantles, etc. Any place that you wish to protect you can place a crystal near it. You can keep a crystal in the car with you for protection. Get the idea?

Listed below are three of my favorite crystals to work with. One of them most everyone will guess: quartz. The second is Citrine. The third is tiger eye. (No, not a real eye of a tiger, it is a crystal, goldish brown in color, very beautiful.)

1) Quartz - this is a general workhouse crystal. It will absorb and transmute negativity but will need to be cleansed occasionally. Quartz comes in many different colors but for protection I prefer to use clear.

2) Citrine - This is one of the few crystals which never need cleansing. Citrine does not absorb negative energy and it dispels negative energy around it. Needless to say, it is perfect for protection work.

3) Tiger Eye - this brownish golden crystal is excellent for protection. Colorwise, it combines the light of the sun with the solid foundation of the Earth and home.

B5. Herbs

Many different herbs can be used for protection. In fact, just about every herb is used for protection of one form or another. Herbs can be scattered over an area, put in a pouch, burned on a coal, distilled, etc. Below are listed a few of the different herbs and their uses.

Salt - In every tradition, salt is a great bane against evil forces, evil can not stand the touch of salt. Salt is really sodium chloride and has a crystalline nature. Because of its electrical properties and crystalline structure, salt will destablize negative forces, dispel them. A pinch of salt, a small pile, a circle or used in holy water are but a few of the way to use salt for protection.

Slippery Elm - Stops gossip

Pepper - Pepper is a strong ward against evil, the stronger the pepper the greater the effect. Chili peppers, red peppers, etc are often placed in windows and doors for protection.

Garlic - Held for ages that evil can not abide the smell of garlic it is often used to protect against negative forces. In the old country, it was not uncommon to find strands of garlic hung about the windows and doors (not only is a strand of garlic a good method of storage it keeps away evil).

Patchuli - extremely potent

Mustard seed - protects against evil, keeps you safe from implants.

Other protective herbs include: Mugwort, Galangel, Dragon's Blood, Hemlock, Mandrake, and many others. A detailed list can be found in "Wylundt's Book of Incense" by Steven R. Smith. (This book is available through The Mystic Gryphon and other sources.)