Crystal of the Month

Citrine

Citrine is a yellow quartz stone that’s been around for thousands of years. It’s part of the quartz family that includes crystals like clear quartz, rose quartz and smoky quartz.

Once favoured amongst classic Hollywood stars like Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford, citrine has long been a popular choice, and it’s still sought after to this day.

The citrine stone is the pale yellow to reddish-orange member of the crystalline quartz family. Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral made up of oxygen and silicon atoms. These atoms are all linked together by a very specific pattern.

After feldspar, quartz is the second most abundant mineral that exists in the earth’s continental crust. It manifests in a number of different colour spectrums, but the ones coloured like citrus fruits are the ones that fall into the ‘citrine’ category.

Natural citrine stones can be quite hard to find. They are very rare but form in the same way that quartz stones are, given that they’re a member of the quartz family. Quartz crystals harden when silicon and oxygen atoms link together.

Most natural citrine is light yellow in colour, but with a relatively low temperature change, treated stones can yield golden yellows. However, most citrine found on the gemstone market is produced by treating stones like amethyst and smoky quartz with heat. Thus, be careful of the citrine you find in the market, they may actually be other quartz like smoky quartz.

The higher the temperatures, the more intense the colour of the citrine will be, with some turning into darker yellows with brownish-red hues.

Naturally formed citrine has previously been found all over the world, although it’s quite rare in this day and age. Citrine has been discovered in destinations such as the Ural Mountains of Russia, Kazakhstan and Madagascar, to name a few.

While most of the commercial citrine that we see today is a result of lab treated quartz and amethyst, these stones are mined in Brazil and Uruguay. The geodes discovered there allow for large pieces of crystal to be extracted, which results in a more significant yield of lab-treated citrine for manufacturing.

In recent years, as earth tones have become more popular in fashion, so has citrine. The word ‘citrine’ means ‘lemon’ in several different languages, and it perfectly suits this citrus-coloured gem. More recently, and perhaps in large part because of the origins of its name, the citrus-coloured gemstone has become a symbol of vitality, freshness, new beginnings, mental clarity and emotional well-being.

Due to their warm colours, citrine evokes images of warmth, sun and illumination. As a result, the stones have been symbols of romance, positivity and happiness for hundreds of years.

Citrine crystal (AKA “Golden Amethyst”) is a powerful tool for building confidence, overcoming challenges and building mental toughness. It’s also commonly used for manifestation making it a stone which quite literally makes your dreams come true. Make no mistake, the gemstone amplifies intentions, so you’ll need to incorporate rituals, meditations, grids or other practices to harness the gemstone’s properties. In business, citrine is often gifted to business partners, employers and colleagues earning the crystal the unofficial title of” The Merchant’s Stone”. Its stimulating energy helps jolt the body, mind and spirit into a more vitalized state.

One of citrine’s most prized properties is its ability to build or often simply bring forth confidence. Through meditation, rituals and clear intentions citrine is able to manifest powerful positive energy within us, often lying dormant waiting for us to tap into it. For these qualities, citrine is an excellent tool for self care and growth. Citrine stone has been used for overcoming insecurities while putting perceived shortcomings into perspective. It’s natural light and abundant energy lifts the spirits in ways few other crystals can.

While the eb and flow of our emotions is a natural aspect of our lives, sometimes we can become stuck in a place where we feel lost, tired and without a sense of direction. By using citrine to channel our chaotic energy into a more constructive form, we can lift the haze that holds us down like sunshine beaming onto fog. Citrine provides clarity and purpose and can thrust us from lethargic and lazy routine into much healthier habits and states of mind. While the stone’s energising energy is potent, it needs to be channelled through intention. The practices discussed below provided several concrete ways to do this. 

Whether it be a new business, a budding family or exciting home project, we can sometimes become paralyzed when faced with large and novel challenges. An overload of pressure and uncertainty can become too heavy a weight to manage all at once. As a result, we shrink and can avoid tackling the situation with full force and with our chins up as we should. Citrine crystal can give that extra boost of optimism and a kick in the butt that gets the wheels moving. As no doubt we’ve all experienced, the first steps of the journey are often the hardest. Meditating with citrine will help with this step and ensure you keep your eyes on the prize.

Practical Tips on How to Use Your Citrine Crystal 

Choose a piece of citrine crystal you’d like to use  and cleanse it. This will be important as you’ll be setting a concrete intention.  

Take a piece of paper and write down three things that you’ve done in the past which have made you proud. Then write down three things in which you feel  you’ve let yourself or someone else down. For a few moments, reflect on the way remembering these points make you feel. Let all emotions including the good, bad and ugly pass through. 

Place it in the palm of your hands. Citrine is a transformative crystal, so you’ll be using it to both amplify your positive self thoughts and transform your negative emotions. Starting with the critical, reflect on those moments. What happened? What did you learn? What will you commit to doing differently in the future? Stay in this space, and then let it go. It’s past. Onwards and upwards. Do this for as many of the three points as you like.  

 For the enlightenment stage, think of the changes you’ve committed yourself to previously. Imagine yourself becoming that person. Now, recall your successes. How did you overcome the challenges? Who did you make proud? How did you improve your or someone close’s life? Channel these thoughts into the citrine stone and it will amplify them. Set these emotions and experiences as your intention for the stone and it will only become more powerful over time as you program it. This can be done as often as you feel the need for it. It can be done in a relatively short amount of time so it’s a fantastic pick me up when we’re feeling down.

Meditation for Energy

In a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed place a citrine stone in front of you or hold it in your hands. You can also lay  it on your solar plexus while you’re laying down. Take several deep breaths, close your eyes, and visualise the light and energy emanating from the stone. Its energy is abundant and in many cases, fierce. Picture it slowly moving from your hands, to your arms and then to your shoulders. Once it reaches your torso, it floods through your chest, unblocking your solar plexus chakra. This will bring a sense of vitality and warmth which sinks deep into your body. Let it envelop your entire being. Take several deep breaths while paying attention to the brightness that the citrine crystal has brought. Open your eyes.

A Placement for Prosperity

A common placement for citrine is near the entryway of a place of business or work. A raw form of the stone would work best as it’s the most potent and far reaching. This way the radiating energy can find its way to everyone in that environment. After all, growing a business or completing significant projects are rarely a solitary ordeal. Another straightforward and popular placement is on your desk. As it’s helpful to handle the stone from time to time, we’d recommend either a palmstone or obelisk.

How to care for your citrine stone

Charging your citrine can be as simple as placing it on a selenite charging plate or leaving it out in the moonlight for several hours. You can also charge the stone by burying it for 24 hours. Make sure to use a cloth bag or other natural covering to ensure dirt does not get into the cracks and crevices of the crystal. 

 As citrine is primarily used for drawing out negative energy and alleviating a chaotic headspace, the stone benefits from cleansing more than most other gems.

Citrine crystal is one of the most popular healing stones for a reason. Its potent energy and vitalizing properties are priceless and potentially life changing. While it may take some practice to tame the stone’s energy, it will quickly become a staple of your crystal collection. Use citrine’s light to help you bring in abundant energy, self confidence and a prosperous life.