I was surprised to realize I hadn’t been asked that question in a long time. Out of curiosity, I searched on the Internet, using the keywords, “crystals good luck,” and I found a number of sites that claimed to sell good luck crystals. Because of the prevalence of these sites, I’ve decided it might be a good idea to explain why I don’t sell crystals for good luck.

The short answer is that, while I believe that holding, meditating with, and keeping crystals near you can have a variety of positive effects, BUT, I don’t believe in good (or bad) luck. The long answer follows.

Luck and the Law of Attraction

When we believe in luck, we believe that the distribution of life’s gifts, whether material or spiritual, is based on chance, an accidental and arbitrary unfolding of events in which some people come up with winning numbers, while the rest lose. When life looks this way, elements such as free will, choice, determination, and focus have neither point nor purpose. What will be will be, regardless of our best efforts to transform our world and ourselves. All we can do is hope for the best and be prepared for the worst.

I hold a different viewpoint: that what happens to us is determined by the thoughts and emotions we most consistently think and feel. If we think about good health and believe we can or do have it, we will. If we want good health but think of many reasons why we won’t have it, it’s likely that we won’t. This principle is now commonly known as the Law of Attraction.

Though it’s based on thoughts and emotions, the moving energy is that of vibrations. Every thought and emotion has a vibration that attracts like vibrations. The more intensely we generate these vibrations, the more we draw that kind of energy to us.

This belief has the potential to empower us and put us in charge of our lives. It is, however, opposed to the belief in the randomness of events. This can create problems.

In no way do I like all the things I’ve created in my life. When I’ve been careless in my reactions and when I’ve allowed habitual patterns of thought and emotion to take command, I’ve attracted circumstances and events that no self-respecting human being would wish to be accused of creating. At such moments, it’s far more comforting to imagine that somewhere a wheel of fortune slowly turns, rarely, if ever, stopping at my number.

Lady Luck

Envisioning this wheel of fortune, I realized that luck and fortune have historically been given female characteristics. The medieval philosopher railing against the heartlessness of Dame Fortune and the gambler singing, “Luck, be a lady tonight” agree that life seems fickle, changeable, inconsistent, and indifferent to the plans of the orderly mind or the well-organized life. These prejudices have also traditionally been held about women.

When positively viewed, this quality of bypassing the rules and regulations of logic and reason is called intuition, the knowing of things without conscious reasoning. Intuition is powerful because it’s connected to our deepest sense of knowing, to the eternal part of ourselves that doesn’t sense the limitations we’ve told ourselves we have. It doesn’t hear the habitual voices that tell us why we can’t. Intuition tells us why and how we can.

When we follow our intuition, our confidence generates positive energy that attracts our dreams to us. Intuition generates the kind of decision-making that can’t be explained in retrospect, and people who consistently follow their intuition often seem lucky.

They’re not, though; they’re just in their right minds (or brains).

Intuitive Crystals

With that in mind, I recommend some crystals that, while not necessarily lucky, help to develop balance between both sides of the brain, so that intuition has a chance to come out and play.

Sodalite

Right-left brain imbalances get aggravated when mental and emotional confusion short-circuit the natural connections between the two brains. This is where sodalite becomes helpful.

This stone is especially valuable for those who find themselves in states of mental confusion, especially when these states are intensified by emotional turmoil. Very often, when our emotions are whirling about in our heads we are tempted to seize at any decision which seems to promise that it will reduce our distress. Sodalite helps us to resist such temptation.

Tabular and Double-terminated Crystals

A tabular crystal is flat in appearance, with two opposing sides being much wider than the other four. (They are sometimes also double terminated). Their ability is that of connection and balance.

In a crystal layout they can be used to blend energies between two chakras. For example, if you feel something deeply but can’t seem to express it you might place a tabular crystal between the heart and throat chakras.

When you are leaving one stage of your life and apprehensive about taking the steps that will lead you to a new phase tabular crystals can act as bridges. Keep one with you, meditate with it, and program it for a smooth transition.

A double-terminated crystal has a point at each end. They can be used as tools for balancing energy in the way that tabulars are, and they have some additional meanings and functions. Their points are generally believed to symbolize the balance of spirit and matter, to teach us that we can be balanced in our expression of both qualities, and that all opposites or seeming conflicts can meet in the center.

Postscript: You might still want to know what the lucky crystal is. According to many sources, it’s aventurine, whose name comes from the Italian a ventura, meaning “by chance.”

Does it work? One of my employees bought an aventurine at my store and programmed it for winning an apartment a radio show was giving away. She meditated every night with the stone. She worked on visualizing the apartment as hers until she could do so without any interference from limiting beliefs. She carried the crystal with her every day.

She won. Was it because she had the stone or because of the focused thought and emotion she brought to her project?

You decide.

At the core of the system is a set of 96 simple and fun symbols, each describing a facet of the self. In addition, the system’s Circle Pattern diagram shows how symbols are organized and connected, including twelve prime archetypal qualities and seven levels of living.

Star Journey is a powerful tool for self-growth. It creates a profound personal mirror along with a guided process of interpretation to reach resolve. The system demonstrates that the answers to life’s questions are found within.

Star Journey is now in several formats:

Books and cards, Online symbols, Membership, other tools, and expert Phone Help are all available on the website:

http://www.star-journey.com

Online Symbol Set -  Now you can simply hop online and have access to the Star Journey symbol set, 96 in all. Use them now, or whenever needed, to get valuable insights about personal questions. The symbols are colorful, simple, and full of meaning. Use symbols in the Goal Journey format, to help you see where you are now, what the goal is, and what’s getting in the way. You’ll use both words and images to develop meaning. Complete instructions provided for use and interpretation.

Live Phone Consultations – Talk by phone with a Star Journey expert and be personally guided through the Goal Journey experience. Author Richard Geer and skilled expert Vanessa Taylor (RebelMum Slade) are available to assist with personalized service and consultation. Your satisfaction is guaranteed.

New release: Star Journey for iPhone & iPod Touch – Now Star Journey is portable and can always be at your fingertips. Whether sitting in a cafe or riding a train, you can be solving a problem, making a decision, or jumpstarting ideas about a challenge. Use on the spot for insights about love, work, career, money, health and more. (visit Apple’s App Store)

In addition, visit the beautiful, 3D and interactive version, Star Journey island in Second Life virtual world. Here, enjoy free tours and opportunities to meet the author and his talented in-world team:

Direct link into Second Life:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Star%20Journey/133/124/440/?title=Welcome%20to%20Star%20Journey

SIGNS THAT YOU’VE ENCOUNTERD AN EMOTIONAL VAMPIRE
(from “Emotional Freedom” by Judith Orloff MD)

•    Your eyelids are heavy—you’re ready for a nap
•    Your mood takes a nosedive
•    You want to binge on carbs or comfort foods
•    You feel anxious, depressed, or negative
•    You feel put down, sniped at, or slimed

TYPES OF EMOTIONAL VAMPIRES

Vampire #1: The Narcissist
Their motto is “Me first.” Everything is all about them. They have a grandiose sense of self-importance and entitlement, hog attention, and crave admiration. They’re dangerous because they lack empathy and have a limited capacity for unconditional love. If you don’t do things their way, they become punishing, withholding, or cold.

How to Protect Your Emotions: Keep your expectations realistic. These are emotionally limited people. Try not to fall in love with one or expect them to be selfless or love without strings attached. Never make your self-worth dependent on them or confide your deepest feelings to someone who won’t cherish them. To successfully communicate, the hard truth is that you must show how something will be to their benefit. Though it’s better not to have to contend with this tedious ego stroking, if the relationship is unavoidable use the above strategies to achieved desired results.

Vampire #2: The Victim
These vampires grate on you with their “poor-me’ attitude and are allergic to taking responsibility for their actions. The world is always against them, the reason for their unhappiness. When you offer a solution to their problems they always say, “Yes, but.” You might end up screening your calls or purposely avoid them. As a friend, you may want to help but their tales of woe overwhelm you.

How to Protect Your Emotions: Set kind but firm limits. Listen briefly and tell a friend or relative, “I love you but I can only listen for a few minutes unless you want to discuss solutions. Then I’d be thrilled to brainstorm with you.” With a coworker, listen briefly, sympathize by saying, “I’ll keep good thought for things to work out. Then say, I hope you understand, but I’m on deadline and must go back to work. Then use “this isn’t a good time” body language such as crossing your arms and breaking eye contact to help set these healthy limits.

Vampire #3: The Controller
These people obsessively try to control you and dictate what you’re supposed to be and feel. They have an opinion about everything. They’ll control you by invalidating your emotions if they don’t fit into their rulebook. They often start sentences with “You know what you need?” and then proceed to tell you. You end up feeling dominated, demeaned, or put down.

How to Protect Your Emotions: The secret to success is never try and control a controller. Be healthily assertive, but don’t tell them what to do. You can say, “I value your advice but really need to work through this myself.” Be confident but don’t play the victim or sweat the small stuff. Focus on high priority issues rather than on putting the cap on the toothpaste.

Vampire #4: The Splitter or Borderline Personality
Splitters see things as either good or bad and have love/hate relationships. One minute they idealize you, the next you’re the enemy if you upset them. They have a sixth sense for knowing how to pit people against each another and will retaliate if they feel you have wronged them. They are people who are fundamentally damaged—inwardly they feel as if they don’t exist and become alive when they get angry. They’ll keep you on an emotional rollercoaster and you may walk on eggshells to avoid their anger.

How to Protect Your Emotions: Stay calm. Don’t react when your buttons get pushed. Splitters feed off of anger. They respond best to structure and limit setting. If one goes into a rage, tell the person, “I’m leaving until you get calmer. Then we can talk.” Refuse to take sides when he or she tries to turn you against someone else. With family members, it’s best to show a united front and not let a splitter’s venomous opinions poison your relationships.

Adapted from Dr. Judith Orloff’s new book “Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life” (Harmony Books, 2009)

About Judith Orloff
Judith Orloff MD, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA and intuition expert, is author of the new book Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life (Harmony Books, 2009) Her other bestsellers are Positive Energy, Intuitive Healing, and Second Sight. Dr. Orloff synthesizes the pearls of traditional medicine with cutting edge knowledge of intuition and energy medicine. She passionately believes that the future of medicine involves integrating all this wisdom to achieve emotional freedom and total wellness. www.drjudithorloff.com

FREE MINI VIDEO CLASSES ON YOUTUBE FOR YOU!
Please check out “Dr. Orloff’s Living Room Series” to find out more about the special method Dr. Orloff recommends to remember your dreams and other topics to build the power within. Stop by www.youtube.com/judithorloffmd anytime.