Metaphysical healing, a belief that eliminating negative energy helps strengthen mental health, can come in many forms. Some common practices for achieving this spiritual healing include meditation, following astrology and collecting crystals.

In 2018, Pew Research Center found that 42% of adults in the U.S. believe spiritual energy can be found in physical objects, such as crystals and gems. The belief in astrology for U.S. adults is at 29%.

Alison Knight, chiropractor massage therapist, owns Transform Chiropractic Center for Healing Arts, located on Main Street. The wellness center, providing yoga, massages and chiropractic services, has resided on the upstairs floor since 2014. In 2018, the crystal shop opened on the main level.

“What works for someone really depends on the person and what they’re wanting and how they interact with the stone,” Knight said. “For me, I really like apostolate and I really like copper.”

Apostolate is used for spiritual teaching, and copper strengthens the connection between the physical and spiritual realm, according to Tiny Rituals.

Newcomers to crystal collecting often come into her store, and she recommends walking around and finding which crystals work for them.

“Most of the time someone comes in and they say, ‘I’ve never messed with crystals, do you have something for anxiety or something to get over a breakup,’ or something like that,” Knight said. “If they have a specific issue, I’ll usually throw out a couple of stones that I know are good for those and invite them to pick them up and interact with them.”

In order to enhance the effectiveness of these crystals, Knight recommends users hold them while meditating. Holding these while practicing mindfulness, the state of being aware of consciousness in the moment, has the same effect.

“Clear quartz is a good one to have in your arsenal because when you use it with any other stone it amplifies it, so it increases the properties of any other stone you use,” Knight said. “Selenite is a good one that’s just real cleansing and clearing.”

With this belief, each sign has a crystal birthstone following the zodiac calendar that is based on birthdays. These are meant to best benefit those who fall into that category.

Morgan Vos, a senior studying biology, has been collecting crystals for the past year but is unsure about their effectiveness.

“I mostly like them for how they look,” Vos said. “I have a lot of rose quartz because I like the way it looks and it’s supposed to bring love, and I’m a sucker for love.”

Vos gets most of her crystals from online shops, mostly from Kaytlyne’s Crystals, based in New York, or The Crystal Guy, based in Australia.