You already know our appearance and grooming impacts others perception of our Leadership and Executive Presence qualities.

But sometimes, being well-groomed isn’t enough to exude confidence. Especially when you are feeling diffident inside or you’re going through a patch of low self-esteem.

The right crystal or gemstone can support you at work to demonstrate that you have the goods and are worthy of being considered for a Leadership role.

I’ve touched upon many crystals for different purposes in my post Tap into the Magic of Crystals and even suggested a gem bath in my post on wearing jewellery while bathing.

In this post, I’m focusing on 5 crystals & gemstones that enhance our inner qualities and support us when we need them most.

They will help you at work but first, let me put in a few caveats here.

Firstly, you do need to possess the qualities that demonstrate Executive Presence and Leadership potential.

If you aren’t sure if you have what it takes, please work through Karmic Ally Coaching’s Executive Presence Checklist.

It isn’t uncommon for me to suggest a particular gem or crystal during a coaching call. Either to support them for a difficult meeting or to supplement a chakra exercise .

Sometimes I recommend crystals along with other techniques to boost their confidence and manage stress over the coaching call.

That’s how Wise Guides support their Heroine or Hero during their journey to success with special magic.

Secondly, when we talk about using stones to boost our confidence and demonstrate presence, we aren’t by any stretch of imagination recommending that you wear every ring, earring, bracelet or necklace to work.

Remember how Melanie Griffith was perceived in Working Girl when she wore the wrong attire and was a walking bling horse?

What happened when she got her hair styled, changed her wardrobe and started using fashionable understated jewellery?

It’s always good to have 1 statement jewellery piece.

For example, a strand of pearls that gets you noticed but not enough to distract people from what you are trying to say.

Thirdly, in order to get the most out of this tool, you need to have 3 elements in place.

Need – There’s a difference between a need and a want. The latter is something nice to have while to have a need is a burning desire to have the outcome.

Emotion – You must feel the need intensely to activate your ability to receive the power of the crystal or gemstone.

Think of the times when you’ve gone on a diet and actually lost weight. What was going on in your mind – the need to lose weight & the emotions involved. Wasn’t your success linked to these 2 elements?

Knowledge – knowing which crystal is important to help you achieve your goal is as important as understanding the qualities of the crystal and how to use it.

With my caveats out of the way, here are my 5 favourite confidence building crystals that work like a dream.

To get the most out of them, they need to either touching your skin or have a hole in the mount to enable light to pass through so your body can absorb the energy of the crystal.

If wearing a piece of jewelry is not possible for you at work, then keep the stone in your pocket and touch it from time to time.

Hessonite Garnet to stay grounded

The Hessonite Garnet is historically important in India because of its place in Vedic Astrological tradition. It is one of the 9 planetary gemstones along with ruby, diamond, pearl, red coral, blue sapphire, cat’s eye, yellow sapphire and emerald.

Hessonite is associated with the planet Rahu. This important planet that has the capability of affecting and making an impact on the life of an individual.

In truth, Rahu is not a planet but the north node of the moon. But because of its ability to impact human life, it is accorded the status of a planet in Vedic Astrology.

The scriptures recommend Hessonite Garnet or Gomedh as it is called in Sanskrit as this planet’s stone.

Wearing this stone helps protect the person from the malefic influences of Rahu and also help them tap into the beneficial powers of this planet.

Wearing this gemstone can bring success, longevity, good health (especially for cataracts) wealth, prosperity and recognition to the wearer.

For a professional who wants to show up as confident exuding executive presence, Hessonite is a good ally.

It protects the mind from fear and negativity while providing clarity of vision and effective articulate communication.

These are qualities of a professional with Executive Presence and a good leader!

If self-confidence is a problem for you, then in addition to studying my course Self-Confidence in Eight Steps, wearing a Hessonite Garnet on your person is a good supplement.

The Hessonite is also a Root Chakra stone and helps the user to formulate goals and strategies to achieve success in one’s job or business.

Citrine for luck and wealth

Citrine is one of my favorite crystals when it comes to wealth and good luck. A Solar Plexus Crystal, it is also called a Wisdom Stone and helps give the wearer confidence during meetings and interviews.

Other benefits of Citrine include aiding the circulatory system, cleaning the blood and protecting the body from urinary, kidney and digestive diseases. These ailments are often found in stressed out professionals or those of us who are sensitive to our environment.

It helps professionals with low self-esteem accept constructive criticism and how to act on it.

So if you are going in for a meeting with the boss, especially an annual appraisal, this stone will help you take in information, analyse situations and then work in the right direction.

Working towards a deadline or facing a difficult situation? Keep a citrine in your pocket. Hold it until you feel poised and back in control.

Tigers Eye for calm and protection

I’ll be honest – I love Tigers Eye, a protective stone. It helps to keep us calm, balancing and clearing emotions so we can maintain a peaceful disposition.

It also promotes wealth and money.

Did you know Roman Soldiers used to wear Tiger’s Stone engraved with symbols for protection during battle.

The Tigers Eye can help us at work by

• Focusing our mind
• Bringing insights into complex situations
• Ground and centre our energy and
• Protect us from negative energies

Pearl for luck and money

Pearls are associated with the Moon and are considered to have the powers of love, money, luck and protection.

I find pearls to be good for showing elegance at work provided it is a set of earrings or a strand of pearls.

Technically speaking, a pearl is neither a crystal nor a gemstone since it isn’t a mineral but an organic matter.

Yet they are considered for metaphysical purposes because they help attune the wearer to the cycles that life takes by calming and centering them.

They are invaluable for those of us who hate Mondays and the perfect jewelry to tap into the power of the Moon on its day.

Pearls help us to enhance our qualities of truth, integrity and loyalty.

Because of its feminine energy, it’s more common for women to wear pearls. In Vedic Astrology, men too wear a pearl ring on their right hand pinkie.

Clear Quartz the Master Healer

I’ve saved the best for last – the all-rounder crystal Clear Quartz.

A revered stone in metaphysical work, clear quartz is also known as the ‘Master Healer’ crystal. It is used to help clear blockages, stimulate the immune system, aid concentration and enhance memory.

It deepens the meditative state and helps balance the body and in particular the Third Eye, Crown and Soul Star Chakras.

Use it in the form of tumbled stones in your pocket or as a pendant in its long natural pointed form, you will definitely see the benefits.

I remember a former colleague of mine who brought in a major franchising company in the healthcare sector keeping fist size pointed clear quartz in each of his pockets.

He claimed it helped him to articulate better at meetings and remember everything he had to say to recruit franchisees.

Considering how successful he was in his project, I will not doubt his claims.

There’s evidence of using clear quartz crystal stones for programming. They are used in everyday gadgets such as computers, radios and cell phones because they are able to store and retrieve information!

I prefer having this crystal near me at all times for its ability to protect the aura from energy vampires, general negativity in the environment and electromagnetic frequencies from equipment that we use for work.

Final words on crystals and gems for Executive Presence

Tapping into the power of a crystal or gem for support when we are lacking in confidence works. You need to have faith in the ability of this tool to give you the booster that you need.

It is not a panacea for not showing up in your best form or doing the work.

The mind and body work together. The best gift you can give yourself is to practice balancing both with chakra exercises so you present yourself as a Leader who can be relied upon.

Learning to listen to your intuition will direct you to choose the right tool for the right situation.

Which gemstone or crystal do you use when you need to show up with confidence?

PS. These gemstones and crystals will supplement your efforts to build up your self-confidence to exude Executive Presence.

Do you have the 15 habits that characterize Executive Presence? Get my checklist and find out!

Download Karmic Ally Coaching’s Executive Presence Checklist and mini-course here.

If your hand went up, then please share your Secret Sauce with me!

I still remember that day in March 2014 when I had an epic Blah Day – the seeds of which had been sown a week before. If you are a long time reader of my blog or know me in person, then you know that I’m usually on top of my game armed with my daily ritual which includes Chakra balancing, meditation and walking Coco. But guess what? Blah days happen to everyone, and I’m no exception.

On the Friday preceding Blah Day, I got pushed very badly by a fellow resident while out walking Coco. In my attempt to protect Coco, I took the fall that set off spasms of pain in my lower back. Things got bad enough to rush to the Emergency OPD by Sunday morning.

I was still alright, I guess but my tolerance levels were slipping thanks to the painkillers. I systematically did all the Maintenance Tasks that I could do and selected the Productive Tasks based on immediate priority for the periods when I could sit up.

Then the Blah Day happened

My mobile service provider had outsourced a new verification drive to a Third Party that was supposed to collect some documents. They did not keep their appointments. I called the service provider and they told me that there was no drive and I should not hand over my documents to anyone.

The next morning, I got a text message to immediately deliver the documents for verification with the ultimatum that non-compliance meant discontinuing my service. This was just as I was preparing to go to the hospital for a check-up.

I called, I emailed and suddenly it appeared that I had to submit the documents. No explanation of having told me earlier that I did not have to. Fortunately, the franchisee of the service provider in my locality with whom I’ve been doing business for more than a decade  reassured me that if I got the documents delivered in the afternoon, he would do the needful.

Then we got to the hospital and when I came out to drive home, someone without a car plate had blocked my car! It took us 45 minutes to locate the owner who did not bother to apologize.

I got home; started receiving calls from the service provider who had not read my complaint letter properly and packed them off to read it. Just as I thought I needed to lie down, my customer service officer at my primary bank called.

It was not to inquire about my health but to tell me that he wanted to teach a customer how to use online banking for placing fixed deposits and could I go online and place a deposit for testing?

He persisted with his request and I finally growled a firm no and shot him an email telling him that this was a breach of client relationship. I got an immediate apology and good wishes for a speedy recovery.

I concluded that the world had gone crazy and I was transforming into the Red Queen ready to shout “Off with His Head”.

It was time to take a breather and work out what was happening.

These things happen and given a back problem, I knew my resilience was low.

I realized that the area of injury corresponded to my 2 lower Chakras – the Root (which was caused by my health concerns and pain) and Sacral (caused by the heavy painkillers) Chakras. With these 2 Chakras out of balance, my energy was blocked and to compensate, my Manipura or Solar Plexus Chakra was going into overdrive and manifesting as anger, helplessness and irritation. I was out of balance, even if temporarily.

It was time to put the Karmic Ally Coaching 4 Step Action Plan to work

Within 30 minutes, I was back to normal. Here’s my 4 Step Action Plan that got me back in balance. You can use it too even if you don’t have a back problem.

Step 1 – Contemplate 

Make an honest evaluation of the situation and note how you are feeling and if you are feeling any kind of heaviness in the body. This will give you an indication of which Chakra’s energy may be blocked or out of balance.

Step 2 – Prepare to heal thyself 

Still your mind with breathing and grounding exercises. My post titled Breathe and meditate to manage stress shows you how to do it.

Step 3 – Action 

Now you are in a place to take course corrective action.

Awareness – Identify the specific feelings that you are experiencing and

Acceptance – However painful, accept yourself and your feelings. You are human and you have permission to feel. You also have permission to be kind to yourself.

Chakra Exercises – Meditate on each Chakra where you have identified the sense of blockage. For this, with eyes closed, visualize a white ball of light descending from your crown or top of the head and flowing down your spinal cord to the location of the concerned Chakra. See it turn into the color of the Chakra and visualize the Chakra rotating at the right speed.

Alternatively, visualize the light descending to that Chakra as you inhale and releasing any negative energy on exhalation. Do this for a couple of minutes.

You can enhance your actions by keeping a crystal related to the Chakra in your palms while you meditate or a Clear Crystal Quartz – the all-rounder crystal. Affirmations that resonate with you and lighting incense also help with the breathing. Learn more about using crystals in my post The Magic of Crystals -especially for the Solar Plexus Chakra.

If you want a complete set of Chakra Balancing Exercises that are good for overall balancing, my ebook Stress Management with Chakra Balancing Exercises is a good resource.

Step 4 – Check 

Having done step 3, assess how you are feeling and if the sense of heaviness has gone. The final part is to forgive the person or situation that brought on the imbalance and show gratitude for all that you have.

That’s what I did too. I was grateful for the franchisee who got things sorted out and for the faith that my customer service officer had in me that I would help. I forgave the document collector who was only doing his job as well as the banker because he later realized that he couldn’t force a customer to place a fixed deposit to teach another customer.

I was grateful for the emergency help I got at the Hospital OPD that kept me going until my personal Orthopaedic Surgeon was back in town from his lecture tour in the USA and could help me with my new back problem.

I often find that even if the actions have not been done correctly, the simple acts of gratitude and forgiveness help to release these temporary energy blockages and prevent long-term illnesses.

I haven’t experienced such a nightmarish day since or felt like the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland (or even the Grumpy Kitty) but I know better and take five if my health is not up to par and my resilience is at a low. That’s a better way to manage life.

Have you ever had my kind of blah day or any kind of blah day that was nightmarish? How did you cope with it? I’d love to read your personal coping tips!

PS. This post originally appeared way back in 2014 in my original blog Vatsala’s Tips for a Stress Free Life and the links for the 3 Chakra’s discussed are to posts at that blog.

There are lots of articles in media about using stones and crystals for healing. Did you know gemstones, both precious and semi-precious can also be used in crystal healing?

Here is a way to combine some of the views of Indian Vedic gemology with crystals -even while bathing.

Instead of carrying the crystal or stone in your pocket, you can wear it as jewelry. This makes it easier, attractive and more importantly convenient to get the full benefit of the crystal. This jewelry can take the form of rings, pendants, bracelets, rings and earrings.

One can use faceted gemstone jewelry too, especially if it is set in gold, silver or copper as these metals are good conductors of energy.

Indian Vedic Astrology- a different perspective

Indian Vedic Astrology takes a slightly different view of gemology. There are rules based on the astrological sign, the cleansing ritual, date and time of initial adornment.

It is strict about the combination of gems that can be used. For example, one cannot wear Emeralds and Yellow Sapphire at the same time.

This is because jewelry pieces containing multiple kinds of stones generally do not work for healing. Their different energies usually cancel each other out. So, most jewelry suitable for healing contains only one kind of stone.

Jewelry pieces with multiple stones can be used for healing as long as the stones are all the same kind, for example: a pendant with several red garnets or a bracelet of amber.

At the same time there are combinations that can work as they harmonize with each other.

For example, if you are wearing a Yellow Sapphire, you can wear Pearl or Orange Coral on your person.

There are rules about the setting of the gems and which metal is to be used and the minimum carat gem required to achieve the desired results or healing.

The gem is required to touch the body. The base of the jewelry should be hollow to enable the light to permeate the qualities of the gem to your body and enter your aura.

If you are going to use gemstones for healing, then it makes sense to research it well before application but there is 1 application that works well both with crystals and gems.

The only precaution is to check if water can be used to cleanse the crystal. Otherwise, the technique that I am going to share will ruin your crystal or gem.

I’ve covered the topic of crystals and gemstones under Vedic gemology in my post The Magic of Crystals

How to take a gemstone bath with the right gem

Indian Vedic gemology talks about taking a gemstone bath which means wearing the crystal or gem while bathing. This allows its benefits to permeate through your body and aura.

There is no great ritual to be performed, just an ordinary bath or shower!

This technique can be applied for all gems and crystals that are not water soluble. For example, if you are wearing coral, then better not to use this technique as the shine of the coral will be affected.

If you are not keen to wear your diamond or emerald necklace in the bath, here are some suggestions that work well. The important part is to have that crystal or gem on your person.

Since water is good for balancing the Sacral Chakra, you can use the following crystals during your water meditation described in my guide on Stress Management with Chakra Balancing Exercises .

Alleviate stress, worry, and anxiety by wearing aventurine, black tourmaline, black onyx, lapis, sodalite, chrysocolla, rose quartz, citrine, or snowflake obsidian. These gemstones also help boost your self-confidence.

If you need to balance your emotions, wear Moonstone, chrysocolla, aventurine, rose quartz, and blue lace agate.

Wear aquamarine, aventurine, moonstone or rose quartz for calming your nerves.

I personally love the snowflake obsidian and wear it on my person in the form of a bracelet whenever I have a deadline project. This ensures I stay stress free and take it with me for a shower too.

Does it work? It does for me. A big part of the working is having faith that the gentle crystal or gemstone will support you if you ask it to with respect.

Do you practice gemology or use crystals for booster support? Ever tried using it for a crystal/gemstone bath? Do share your experiences in the comments box below. I’d love to read about it.

PS. The gemstones that I mentioned in this post also work for stress management and chakra balancing.  I invite you to check another resource that my Stress Management clients have found useful as part of their coaching.

The guide and bonuses including complimentary Gemstones and Crystals for Meditation, Chakra Chart and using your fingers for stress management are available for $27.

Read more here or click the buy button below.

Crystals can also be used for Manifestation of our desires and as a supportive tool while using the Law of Attraction to bring about changes in our lives. 

My personal favourite is the multipurpose Amethyst. Quite often people whom I meet and establish an immediate rapport with are also intuitively drawn to the Amethyst. Interesting, isn’t it?

Such is the power of this beautiful crystal, which works on more than one Chakra. An intuition enhancing stone, meditating with the Amethyst helps to balance both the Third Eye Chakra as well as the Crown Chakra.

The Amethyst’s vibration helps to calm emotions and is a favoured crystal for aura protection as well as for developing psychic powers.

Those of us who practice the Law of Attraction know that a raised vibration level helps with the manifestation process.

Thinking positive thoughts, repeating positive affirmations and gratitude support our intense desire and conceptualization.

Using crystals supports us by lending us their vibrations and strengthening our auric fields. You may wish to program your crystal to be used during meditation to manifest your desire. Or you may simply choose to carry it on your person in the form of jewelry or in your pocket. I find that works too.

The wonderful Rose Quartz, which I consider to be the Happiness Stone, has the ability to not only restore your positive vibrations, but also to enhance your emotional well-being.

This crystal, with its ability to resonate positive feelings and love is also used for balancing the Heart Chakra and healing. Keep the Rose Quartz within your aura as long as possible and observe the difference that it makes. A simple tumble stone will do the trick if you are not keen on jewelry. 

The Solar Plexus Chakra is the main chakra for Manifestation. The crystals associated with it not only help to balance this energy centre but also help with manifesting our desires. They assist in bringing about major changes in our life since the chakra is related to the Will. A great crystal for this is the Golden Yellow Imperial Topaz. 

Other manifestation crystals include Amber Gemstones, Peridot Gemstones, Zircon Crystals and Tiger’s Eye.

Need to improve your communication skills? Use the Throat Chakra crystals, for example, the Blue Topaz, Lapis Lazuli, Aquamarine or Blue Tourmaline.

 Crystals to strengthen your psychic development

In Psychic Powers a Fringe Benefit of Meditation, I recommended the Purple Amethyst Crystal to enhance your meditation experience and enhancing psychic powers. We are all intuitive. Each one of us has latent gifts which can come to the fore through meditation & intuition development.  

Different crystals will stimulate the development of these specific gifts and there are quite a range of psychic crystals you might choose to use. 

The choice of crystals depends to a large degree on exactly which gifts you wish to develop.

Any of these crystals will benefit you as these are the locations from where many gifts or psychic abilities originate.

Throat Chakra – Aquamarine, Topaz, Lapis Lazuli, Turquoise.

Third Eye Chakra – Amethyst, Lapis Lazuli, Quartz, Star Sapphire.

Crown Chakra – Amethyst, Diamond, Clear Quartz, Amber.

These Chakra crystals also aid you to increase your vibration. 

Do you believe in the magic of crystals? Any favorite crystals?

Do share your stories with us!

Written By: Vatsala Shukla

Years ago, I worked for a boss who was convinced I was psychic. A complete political animal, he was getting ready to promote one of his protégé’s by giving him credit for my work.

It started with an innocent enough instruction that I needed to document my knowledge and create pro-forma financial statements based on my specialization.

Considering we had a technical team and a global resource base, I found it strange. I asked him if he was planning to replace me.

Stunned silence and lots of denials followed. 6 months later, I resigned to pursue greener and more inviting pastures. While he was signing off on my paperwork, the soon to be ex-boss asked me how I had known.

Was I psychic?

I smiled and told him that was a secret.

In fact, it was my intuition developed through a regular practice of meditation and the application of emotional intelligence to the situation which I talk about at length in my post about the role of intuition in strengthening Emotional Intelligence.

Here’s another simpler example.

Remember when you were a child and would come upset from school and your Mom or Dad immediately knew something was wrong. They would manage to get the truth out of you.

Didn’t you think they were psychic? I did!

Are you psychic or possess highly powerful intuition?

Believe it or not, but we are all intuitive, some of us more than others. This comparative divide can be reduced by practicing the art of meditation which heightens the dormant extra sensory perception or ESP.

A person may possess all of these latent gifts or just the one which the vehicle by which our intuition communicates with us. When one starts to work on one’s spiritual development, these gifts start to come to the fore.

The best way to develop intuition and open up channels for communication with the sub-conscious mind is through daily meditation.

The activity of meditation or chakra balancing even if for 5 minutes a day also helps reduce stress.  Even if you are not looking to develop your psychic gifts.

The fringe benefit of meditation is you start noticing things that you did not earlier (like I did with my ex-boss). You’ll find coincidences taking place more frequently than before.

You might meet people whom you have not met for a long time but were thinking of them shortly afterwards. How about thinking about finding a taxi at night and having one arrive where you are standing. The list goes on!

Intuitive ESP assists in getting direction from one’s God-Mind.

Regular practice of meditation improves intuitive ESP. Once it becomes a second nature, you can rely upon it when meeting new people, tuning into other people or seeking self-direction.