I loved this book so much I went and bought a copy of it for my witchcraft shelf. It has helped me in my daily practice and has been something I reference when I may have a question about crystals. I'm glad I was approved for this so I could find it to add to my collection.

How to Use a Crystal by Richard Webster

312 Pages
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd.
Release Date: November 8, 2018

Nonfiction (Adult), Religions & Spirituality, Crystals, Magic

The book is broken down into two parts with the following chapters.

Part 1: Some Crystal Basics
Chapter 1: Crystals and Gemstones
Chapter 2: Choosing Your Crystal
Chapter 3: Looking After Your Crystal
Chapter 4: Your Subtle Energies

Part 2: 50 Ways to Use a Crystal

The author provides historical information along with modern uses of crystals. He gives suggestions on how to select a crystal and take care of it. Mr. Webster advises that you should take your energies into consideration before working with a specific crystal since they all have different purposes. He goes into detail of the body’s chakra system and energy fields.

In part 2, he covers in detail fifty different ways to use crystals. Meditating and grounding are the two most common uses. He also provides rituals for many entries. If you are looking for a book on the basics of crystals, this would be the one for you. It is an excellent book for beginners.

A useful "what to do" with crystals guide for the beginner. At times I found the infomation a bit internet borrowed and not all the how to's will suit all crystals. That said this would be a good companion along with a quality indentification and metaphysical crystal guide for someone new to crystals.

This is a great book to acquaint yourself with the use of your crystals and or to start a regular crystal practice. I enjoyed the author's sections on : meditations and exercises to bring you closer to the life you want with your crystal and how to use relaxation techniques. The sections on finding the right crystal and the all important guidance and protection . This author includes healing, using harmonizing water and how to do a crystal séance. The book is easy to read and very interesting. After reading this I definitely will be utilizing the techniques in my crystal practice.
Thank you for the ARC that does not influence my personal opinion.

A good overall guide to using crystals. It goes over many different basics, like how to choose a crystal, how to cleanse and charge it, etc. There are lots of ways to use crystals listed- chakra work, various rituals and meditations, and I liked that none of it was specific to a certain crystal; you can use whatever you feel comfortable with. The instruction for meditations and relaxation techniques do get pretty repetitive- perhaps some basic techniques could have been outlined, then referred back to and added to as needed. While there is information on different types of crystals and gemstones in the back, this is not meant to be that type of book, so don't expect to find a lot of information on what crystal has what properties. Bits of the book can feel overly "new age-y," but it is a good, easy to use guide for people interested in trying out crystal work.

"A World of Possibilities with Just One Stone". How To Use A Crystal is a good Crystals 101 book by Richard Webster. It is an accessible and easy to understand guide of with rituals and activities that can be performed with a single stone. Webster tells the reader how to choose, cleanse, and charge your crystal then gives us fifty ways your crystal can be used in your life and home. How to Use a Crystal is the ideal guide for someone who is new to Crystal magic as it doesn't go on and on about hundreds of stones. It simply helps you choose one to start with and then goes from there.
#netgalley "howtouseacrystal

My Review: I have been working with crystals for ages and I have to say that this is one of the best books that I have read about them. This gives you a great overall and complete book on the subject of crystals. If you are looking for a book to get you into crystals then this is the one you want! It walks you through all the beginning things you need to know then gets more in-depth with chakras, healings, cleansings, and more! The only thing that would make this better would be to have a journal with it.

Webster offers a useful guide to working with crystals that will be especially helpful to those who are new to working with crystals. Nicely laid out table of contents. Lots of common-sense advice.

There are many ways to cleanse crystals which is much appreciated, like "breath" and "visualization"; as well as come easy, overnight ways to cleanse that doesn't waste water like putting your crystals in brown rice or salt. There's also a lesser-known way to cleanse a crystal: to freeze it for three to four hours. 

I'll be trying the latter first because that's easier to do in bulk. Energize by putting in the sun is the only option given to energize your crystal. However, there are some crystals that I know of that fade in the sunlight, like Rose Quartz so I prefer to energize them, or charge them, under moonlight.

Chakras are addressed

How to Use a Crystal goes over all the main Chakras and the colors, elements, desires and crystals that match up with your over or under active Chakra. That is the extent of the section of Chakras, however. While I expected more, this was just enough. At the very least I now know what kind of crystals to wear around my neck when necessary.

Ways to Use a Crystal

Meditation and written meditation script to follow are provided in this book. Centering and balancing yourself is something I do for air travel and the meditations include ways for me to do this. Additionally, and I was very excited about this, there's a walking meditation to try. Rituals with colored candles and rope and a ritual to release regret.

Crystal healing 

Using crystals to infuse water to make an elixir and crystal massages are easy and fun ways to incorporate crystals into your mental and physical health.

You also learn how to Harmonize water. I was excited to find three different ways to use crystals to manage migraines. At the time of writing this, I haven't been able to use those methods, but I will eventually try them all to minimize the amount of medications I have to take.

Harmonizing your water can allow more mindful drinking; something I've only ever thought can happen with food.

Plant health with crystals is also addressed. I've been putting crystals in a dish of salt on the soil of my plants to cleanse the crystal, not realizing that this is also a way to maintain plant health.

I'm also reading a book on animal healing healing that goes more in-depth when it comes to working with your pets but this book nevertheless has a short section on it, with ways to get the crystals to your animals. For example, I worry about putting a crystal on my dogs collar but I'm fine putting one in the lining of her bed.

Finally, a seance. A freakin' seance. That's something I've never considered until now and it can be done with just one person, according to this book. I've always imagined seance's as ways to contact the dead but from what I understand in this book, it's akin to a more complicated prayer ritual.

All-in-all

I loved this book because it opened up so many more possible ways to both use my crystals and expand both my psychic abilities (which are poor) and regulate my mind and body.

Crystals have been what I consider a hobby of mine for the past few years. I love learning what I can about them wherever I can find the information. I found this book very helpful in explaining ways you can use a crystal for healing. I find that that is where I enjoy learning more on the whole “practice “ of crystals.

How to use a crystal walks you through the basics of using a crystal. It’s informative if you’re completely new to crystal healing, a great beginner book! It’s full of meditations and exercises to bring you closer to the life you want with your crystals. However, I found that it was extremely repetitive, as most of the meditations consisted of the a lot of the same relaxation techniques. I found myself skimming through a lot of this book because of that. Even so, t was insightful and packed with ideas to get you started using crystals, so for that I gave it 4 stars.

This was a decent book, one mainly intended for beginners.

I have been studying crystals for a couple of decades now, so a lot of what's between the covers was old hat to me, but that's not what brought the rating down from five stars. There were times I found myself literally rolling my eyes at sections of the book, they just seemed so outlandish to me, and I believe in the power of crystals. There were parts that smacked of being nothing more than woo-woo, which was unfortunate.

So if you can take it with a few grains of salt, you'll like it fine.

I did enjoy this book, it reminded of the video Sami Valens put out about 50 ways to use a crystal. But this is just another persons point of view on it. I do like that the ways are not crystal specific.

Great book about crystals and how to use one, starting with how to pick your crystal or stone. There are many ways to make them work for you. Finding the right crystal will work for you with guidance and protection . This book touches on healing, using harmonizing water and how to do a crystal séance. There are so many ways that I never knew about. The book is easy to read and very interesting. I received this book from Net Galley and Llewellyn Publishing for an honest review and no other compensation.