The crystal is one of the most ancient working tools of the healer, and one of the most misunderstood today. To work seriously with stones is not to collect them but to know them — to sit with one stone long enough that its particular quality becomes recognisable to your own field.
Begin with few. A clear quartz, a smoky quartz, a piece of selenite — three honest companions are worth more than a drawer of unknown specimens. Cleanse them, carry them, and listen. The mineral kingdom keeps its own time, and rewards patience.