This week we're going to talk about Soul Mate or Twin Soul crystals. Let me start with the caveat that just as there are differing opinions on the description of a human soul mate/twin soul, there is also a lot of controversy about what constitutes a Soul Mate or Twin Soul crystal. These twinned crystals are sometimes also referred to as Tantric Twins or Twin Flames. My tendency is to keep naming as uncomplicated as possible, so I choose not to use the names Tantric Twin or Twin Flame and simplify it to just "Twin Soul" or even just "Twin".

As usual, what I am presenting here is my take on the subject of twinned crystals, you may have learned differently, or the people or books from which you learned may have assigned subtle differences and complex rules to the names, or you  simply may have a different opinion on the matter entirely for other reasons, and that is perfectly okay! What is important is the energy which these twinned crystals present and your personal relationship to the type of crystal named as such. Again, it is my desire to make learning about the Crystal People as uncomplicated as possible to make this sometimes convoluted topic less burdensome and more accessible to everyone. Back to topic, then!

Welcome back to our discussion of the different quartz crystal configurations. This week I was planning to just talk about Sheet crystals, but I have decided to add in two other types of flat crystals as well. So we're going to talk about Sheet, Tabby (or Tabular) and Shard quartz crystals. They are all thin, flat crystals, but they each have a little bit different characteristic which separates them. We'll start with Tabby or Tabular crystals because they are the most uniform and also the thickest of the three.

TABBY or TABULAR QUARTZ CRYSTALS

Tabby or Tabular crystals are just as the name implies. They are thin and flat like a tablet. To "qualify" as a textbook 'perfect' Tabby, the thickness must be no more than half the width. So if a crystal is 1 inch wide, it can only be 1/2 inch thick (or less) to qualify as a Tabby. Five inches wide can only be two and a half inches thick or less. The "or less" is important, because they don't have to be exactly a 2 to 1 ratio, they just have to be at least 2 to 1 (twice as wide as it is thick). They can always be thinner than that.

Record Keepers (also called Recorders) are special surface features found on some crystals. They aren't super rare but they aren't common, either. I remember when I first started learning about crystals and sorting them for the website, the crystals I had found nearly ALL had Record Keepers on them. Dozens and Dozens. I thought, man, Record Keepers must be a very common thing! So if a crystal had Record Keepers and also any other configuration such as Barnacles or Rainbows (fairly common), I would sort it in the Barnacle or Rainbow box. I soon discovered that Record Keepers AREN'T that common and I had been gifted a very rare gift, indeed, to have found so many crystals covered in Record Keepers!!

First we'll start with what Record Keepers are. They are triangular shaped features found on the faces of some crystals. Because they are surface features, you have to know how to see them. I have covered this before, but I will repeat it here. To view the surface (to keep from looking inside of the crystal), you hold your crystal with the face you are looking at parallel to a light source so that you can use the glare that the light creates in order to see what is on the surface. Here's a picture of a couple of crystals with and without glare (there aren't Record Keepers on these faces):

This week (and next week) we're going to be talking about crystals with Phantoms. Phantoms are mineral inclusions formed evenly throughout a crystal. They are formed when the crystal is growing, still in solution, and a different mineral (or even a more gas-filled layer of milky quartz) gets introduced. The forming crystal point is then surrounded by this now mineral-filled (or different consistency quartz) solution. Settling of the mineral causes the solution to return to clear. Sometimes Phantoms will even have layers of Barnacles on them, inside the crystal, like the one below:

Manifestation crystals fall into the category of crystals within crystals. Unlike a Bridge or Inner Child, a Manifestation point doesn't protrude from the main crystal, it is completely enclosed within it. Descriptively they are small points that have formed within a larger point and they are quite rare. 

Manifestation points are sometimes difficult to determine from a photograph. When you have the crystal in hand, you can see that there is a point within the point, but you also must not be able to feel any of that point on the outside of the crystal. If you do, it is an Inner Child, not a Manifestation. I have encountered some websites using the terms "Manifestation points" and "Inner Child points" interchangeably. However, in my understanding, the difference is that the energy of an Inner Child point is similar to a Bridge (bridging or connecting one thing to another). If the Inner Child were completely enclosed, how would one have the feeling of reaching or bridging to the Inner Child? But again, I reiterate that the names are very often used slightly differently, and neither is right, neither is wrong, just pointing out that you may see this sometimes.

This week we're going to discuss Laser Wand crystals. They fall into the category of "Overall Shape" with Elestials, Curved and Empathic crystals.

This week we're going to talk about Isis Face crystals. An Isis Face is a symmetrical 5-sided face. They are not always the largest face on the termination, but oftentimes are. Isis face crystals have a distinct look and are easy to spot, but as a reminder, to determine if you have a 5-sided face, you count the edges of the face. Below is a picture from a previous blog post of the parts of a crystal. 

Although they are named "Isis" Face, this isn't to mean they are connecting (only) with the Goddess Isis (although you could), but rather Goddess energy in all its forms. Isis Face crystals have a distinctly feminine energy, regal and majestic. Isis face crystals tend to have this feminine energy even in crystals which present as masculine by definition (clear).