Essential Beginner Crystals: A Gentle Guide to Getting Started

You don’t need every crystal—just the ones that support where you are right now.

Essential Beginner Crystals:

A Gentle Guide to Getting Started

By Alicia Anspaugh

One of the most common questions I get in the shop is:

“Which crystal do you recommend that I start with?”

My answer is almost always the same:

Whichever ones you feel called to in this moment.

Crystals are companions on your life journey. You won’t need all of them all of the time. I tend to think of them through a reason, a season, or a lifetime lens.

Some crystals walk with you briefly.

Some you return to again and again. And a few become lifelong anchors.

A Personal Example: Following the Pull

When I was little, I absolutely loved rose quartz. I couldn’t get enough of it. I was always drawn to it.

(Clear quartz, on the other hand, is a forever crystal for me. I’ve always loved it and always will—period, end of story.)

As I reached around 12 or 15, rose quartz no longer held the same pull. It just didn’t sparkle for me the way it once had.

Looking back, it makes more sense.

When we’re young, most of us need a lot of emotional healing and baggage release. Life is chaotic, and being an “apprentice human” comes with plenty of misunderstandings and tender moments.

Rose quartz is a stone I often recommend for children for exactly that reason.

In my early teens and beyond, I started gravitating toward stones like:

• Iolite

• Blue kyanite

• Pietersite

• Blue tiger’s eye

These are often considered pathfinding stones, and at that stage of life, I was figuring out who I was and where I was going.

From around 15 through my late 20s, I leaned heavily toward light blue stones associated with communication and the throat chakra—like larimar and celestite.

I had a lot to say & alot in my mind. I was learning how to express it all, how to communicate clearly, and how to be heard.

Those stones supported exactly what I needed at the time.

After many difficult life experiences, I still love the light blues and the pathfinding stones—but I’ve found myself drawn back to rose quartz once again.

And it sparkles for me now.

That’s the point: crystals often meet us where we are

How I Think About Crystals

Over time, most people notice patterns:

• Anchor crystals you always return to (clear quartz is mine)

• Seasonal crystals that support specific life phases

• Situational crystals for stress, change, or healing

• And some that are simply beautiful and bring joy

  
  

There’s no wrong reason to love a stone.

A Basic List of Beginner Crystals

If you’d like a simple, practical starting point, here’s a list I often recommend for beginners:

Core Beginner Crystals

• Clear Quartz – Amplifies other crystals and can be programmed as a talisman

• Rose Quartz – Emotional healing, self-love, and releasing emotional baggage

• Aventurine – Abundance and opportunity

• Citrine – Boosts self-esteem, quiets an overactive inner critic, and supports prosperity

• Amethyst – Intuition, spiritual connection, and dream recall (a classic for a reason)

• Tiger’s Eye – Grounding, protective, relieves worry; a very traditional stone

• Black Obsidian – Strong protection; discourages negative or intrusive energies & entities

• Black Tourmaline – An empathic shield that keeps outside emotions from sticking to you

• White Selenite – Energetic cleanser and charger for you and your crystals

  
  

(I often recommend pairing black tourmaline with selenite(a separate piece from your main Selenite, as tourmaline benefits from frequent cleansing.)

Additional Support Stones

• Blue Calcite – Supports true communication: speaking honestly and listening openly

• Green Calcite – Encourages Trust, harmony, heart-centered communication and openness in the home

• Garnet – Courage and strength during stressful times

• Hematite – Grounding and stress relief; a wonderful stone to keep for emergencies.

A Few Important Notes

Everyone’s experience with crystals will be a little different.

Metaphysical properties are subjective and influenced by your openness, sensitivity, and personal journey.

These observations come from my own experiences and those of my clients.

Crystals don’t require your belief to work.They believe in you.

That said, low maintenance does not mean no maintenance.

Crystals need to be kept clean, cleansed, and charged to do their job properly—much like people.

If you’re not fed, hydrated, and rested, you’re probably not going to function at your best either.

Take care of your crystal friends, and they’ll take care of you in return.

*I do have an article on crystal care somewhere that I need to track down again—I’ll be sure to share it once I find it. 😄

Every answer begins with a question

Alicia Anspaugh

#crystals #beginnercrystals #essentials #desmoinesnewageshop