The ancient teachings of yoga say that all matter in the universe arises from a fundamental substrate called Prakriti. From this etheric Prakriti, three primary gunas (qualities of energy) arise, creating the main aspects of all nature – energy, matter, and consciousness. Conscious control of the three gunas is a powerful way to reduce stress, open up your inner potential, and gain enlightenment.

In this article, I will share with you what gunas are, what energies and qualities they represent, and how to balance the three gunas for living in harmony.

What Is Guna?

The word guna literally means “strand” or “fiber” and implies that. Like strands of a rope, the three gunas are woven together to form the objective universe.

In yoga and Ayurveda, guna is an element of reality that can affect the psychological, emotional, and energetic state of a person.

Nowadays, gunas are a key concept in most schools of Hindu philosophy. There are three gunas that have always been and continue to be present in all things and beings in the world. These three gunas are called tamas (darkness and chaos), rajas (activity and passion), and sattva (essence and harmony). According to the Hindu worldview, all of these three gunas are present in everyone and everything, it is the proportion that is different. The interplay of the three gunas defines the character and determines the progress in life.

Awareness of gunas and understanding their nature and qualities tells us whether we are genuinely moving forward in life (sattva), running in place (rajas), or losing our way (tamas).

The development of the ability to identify and understand the nature of the gunas brings us closer to an understanding of the universal truth of unity.

Three Gunas: Tamas, Rajas, Sattva

All three gunas are always present in the beings and objects around us, but they differ in their proportion. People have a unique ability to consciously change the levels of gunas in the body and mind. However, we have to remember that the gunas cannot be divided or destroyed, but they can be only consciously influenced. Gunas can be reduced or increased due to the interaction and influence of external objects, spiritual practices, and thought processes.

Now, let’s take a closer look at each of the three gunas.

Tamas Guna

Tamas conceals the presence of consciousness. It causes dullness and ignorance through its power to obscure. Its nature is heavy and dense.

Tamas guna represents a state of darkness, inertia, inactivity, and materiality. It manifests itself in the form of ignorance. Other tamasic qualities are:

• imbalance;
• disorder;
• chaos;
• impurity;
• delusion;
• destruction;
• negativity;
• inactivity;
• viciousness;
• ignorance;
• laziness;
• disgust;
• attachment;
• depression;
• helplessness;
• doubt;
• guilt;
• shame;
• boredom;
• dependency;
• pain;
• sadness;
• apathy;
• confusion;
• grief;
• dependence;
• violence;
• illusions;
• mental abnormalities;
• deceitfulness;
• addiction to various perversions;
• degradation.

Tamas corresponds to midnight, destructive speech and sound, dirt, darkness, stench, stale food, alcohol, drugs. It leads a person to demoralization, obesity or exhaustion, memory lapses or complete amnesia, lack of interest in life, prolonged depression, suicidal thoughts, and aggression.

In its more balanced form, tamas can supply a steadying influence in life. For instance, bed rest can lead to healing. However, tamas’ nature is primarily immobilizing: tamasic foods are considered lifeless, stale, or impure; tamasic entertainment is considered mindless and intoxicating. Tamas leads to inaction when action is required. Each of us has experienced the binding power of tamas – the appeal of lethargy, procrastination, and sleep.

Rajas Guna

Rajas are the energy of change. It is distinguished by passion, desire, effort, and pain. The nature of rajas is characterized by a sense of attachment, a desire to satisfy desires. Other rajasic qualities are:

• activity;
• neither good or bad and sometimes either;
• self-centeredness;
• egoism;
• individualization;
• drivenness;
• movement;
• dynamism;
• anger;
• euphoria;
• anxiety;
• fear;
• irritation;
• stress;
• courage;
• reflection;
• determination;
• mood swings;
• competition;
• struggle;
• disputes;
• selfishness;
• intemperance;
• haste;
• overexertion;
• aggression;
• excitement;
• greed;
• jealousy;
• thirst for pleasure;
• pride;
• arrogance;
• hypocrisy.

Rajas guna corresponds to noon, heavy physical exertion, emotional excitement, spicy and hot food, loud music, a vivid demonstration of material wealth and position, constant involvement in the turbulent flow of social life.

This guna gives rise to such interests as:

• a preference for material values over spiritual ones;
• superficiality;
• acquisitiveness;
• careerism;
• licentiousness;
• gluttony;
• overwork;
• emotional burnout;
• injuries and various diseases;
• the use of alcohol and narcotic drugs in order to achieve relaxation and peace or vice versa to spur yourself to action.

But nevertheless, without a certain passion, the world would not have known amazing works of art, masterpieces of world architecture, breakthroughs in science, and the development of progress in all spheres of life.

Rajas bring happiness by prompting the coupling of the senses with their objects. Thus rajas also bind us to attachment, to the fruits of action, and sensory pleasures of every kind.

Sattva Guna

The essence of sattva is to act as a transparent pane of glass, allowing the light of conscious awareness to reveal itself in the operations of the mind and in nature. Sattva is not enlightenment itself but it unveils what is true and real.

Sattva is the energy of balance and harmony. It promotes life, energy, health, and contentment.

Sattva is the quality of purity in everything. There are very few people who live completely sattvically, mostly yogis and saints. Nevertheless, this guna has many manifestations in ordinary life.

These are the main manifestations of sattva:

• goodness;
• universalism;
• holism;
• creativity;
• construction;
• positivity;
• peacefulness;
• virtue;
• wisdom;
• knowledge;
• calmness;
• peace;
• awareness;
• cleanliness;
• cheerfulness;
• enthusiasm;
• responsibility;
• compassion;
• spiritual growth;
• a sense of inner freedom and happiness.

This guna corresponds to an early rise with the dawn, neatness in relation to one’s appearance and one’s living space, vegetarian food, love of nature, interest in knowledge, spiritual practice, melodious beautiful music, mantras, and prayers.

Sattva leads a person to manifest such qualities as kindness, insight, clarity of thinking, optimism, a high degree of concentration and analysis, a tendency to positive judgments.

Imbalance in Sattva guna may lead to pride, an arrogant attitude towards those who know less, and the condemnation of those who lead a less righteous lifestyle.

The three gunas are constantly interacting with one another. But while the gunas themselves are permanent in essence, their interactions are transitory and afford only a false impression of permanence.

Balancing the Three Gunas

In our minds, thoughts change one after another. Because of this impermanence of thought patterns, there is a fluctuation between the three gunas. If today you have a predominant raja guna, then your surrounding world will be filled with stress or irritation. The next day, on the contrary, you can feel happiness and well-being – it means that sattva guna has become predominant.

To move along the path of spiritual development, we should learn how to consciously observe our thoughts and to be able to recognize the gunas. In addition, it is essential to have inner strength and strong will to consciously switch thoughts and actions from tamas and rajas to sattvic balance and well-being.

Balancing Tamas Guna

To reduce the effect of tamas guna, avoid tamasic food, excessive sleep, overeating, inactivity, and passivity. Tamasic foods include meat and foods that have been chemically processed or refined, as well as alcohol.

Balancing Rajas Guna

To reduce the effect of rajas guna, avoid rajasic food, excessive physical activity, overwork, loud music, excessive thinking, and striving for material benefits. Rajasic food includes fried and spicy foods, as well as stimulants (for example, caffeine).

Balancing Sattva Guna

To increase sattva guna, eat sattvic food, spend more time close to nature, breathe fresh air, do things that bring you joy and positive thoughts. Sattvic food is fresh and clean, grows above the ground, and receives positive energy from sunlight. It includes whole grains and legumes, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, all yogic practices have been developed to increase sattva at the level of mind and body. Therefore, when you practice yoga, perform pranayamas, chant mantras, or meditate, you naturally increase sattva guna.

The Bottom Line

In order to reach enlightenment, we need to increase sattva and decrease rajas and tamas. Then we have to learn how to become unattached from the three gunas and see the reality beyond Maya. When we transcend the three gunas we become indifferent to the duality of life like pain and pleasure. We are undisturbed by the gunas and know that the gunas are part of Maya, and not of the universe’s sole reality.

We all have divine masculine and divine feminine archetypal energies. The divine masculine is direct and represents the giving nature. In contrast, the divine feminine is cyclical, expressing a receiving nature. When working together, these two energies dance to form a spiral similar to yin and yang or SO and CHA. Indeed, the dualistic nature of the universe exists because of these two opposite energies. Think of day and night, hot and cold, light and dark, yin and yang, and so on.

Anyone seeking spiritual maturity must nurture, honor, and balance the masculine and feminine energies. When these energies come into harmony and balance with one another, they begin to express divine qualities. Though they exist in everyone, women awaken their divine feminine nature more often, and men are encouraged to activate their divine masculine energies. Here, the individual proactively embraces a healthy way of expressing the side they wish to cultivate. For example, a man can seek to learn all of life’s lessons about masculinity.

So, this guide will focus on divine masculine energy. More so, we will define it, identify signs of its awakening, and share tips on how to awaken the divine masculine energy within you.

What is ‘Divine Masculine’?

The divine masculine is an energy of expansion. It refers to focused strength and action in a manner that is in harmony with beauty and wholeness. This energy is not gender-sensitive, hence, manifests in both men and women. It is believed that the divine masculine energy is connected to the left side of the brain.

What are the Signs of Divine Masculine Awakening?

When you awaken your divine masculine, the following things happen: –

#1: You Develop Great Confidence

Divine masculine awakening provokes healthy confidence and belief in your actions, not to be mistaken for arrogance. It stems from having that diving masculine energy within, giving the person confidence to face any task because they know they are guided by spirit. You no longer see hurdles as stumbling blocks but as stepping stones to success.

#2: You Become Loyal and Trustworthy

When your divine masculine awakens, it brings out commitment, understanding, and faithfulness in you. It places value on the bond you share with your partner. Since it believes in the revered union of love and the boundaries necessary for the relationship to flourish, your loyalty and self-control come naturally.

Faithfulness becomes your way of living rather than an imposed behavior. Hence, when a man who labels himself as a womanizer starts to show loyalty and trust toward their long-time partner, it is a clear sign of the divine masculine awakening in them.

#3: You Become Protective

While masculine energy drives us to protect what we like, divine masculine energy drives us to protect the innocent and righteous path of life. Hence, you feel drawn to show unconditional love towards everything and everyone in your care. That way, your spouse, child, sibling, parent, friend, or colleague feels safe and protected when close to you. And, the energy will attract more people to you, for they feel safe with you.

#4: You Practice Self Care

Anyone undergoing a diving masculine awakening owns their actions. This energy helps you identify your needs. In turn, you get proactive with self-care routines as you work towards your happiness. Likewise, you are in control of your actions. Hence, you know when to exert your divine masculine power to help others.

#5: Show Responsibility

The divine masculine energy makes you responsible enough not to be a victim of those that need rescuing. More so, when you make a mistake, this energy gives you the courage to reflect and acknowledge your wrongdoing. Anyone whose divine masculine is awake sees the blame game as a waste of energy.

#6: You Are More Active

Does your comfort zone seem not comforting anymore? If you are the kind of person who felt content and seemed to settle in their career, relationships, or studies, a divine masculine awakening will push you from a passive to an active lifestyle.

Now, you find it automatic to take the initiative to go out and pursue new and higher goals. And when you rest, it is only to review and strategize your next course of action. The healthy confidence you have assures you that you can reach your goals as long as you never give up on them.

5 Ways to Awaken Your Divine

Are you seeking to awaken the divine masculine within you? Here are 5 ways to do so: –

#1: Heal Your Father

Do you have any grudge or unresolved issues with your father, grandfather, or any other father figure? It could be anger or hatred you have for the trauma, abuse, or neglect you went through as a child. Or, it could be a sense of betrayal when your father figure gave you up for adoption. Whatever the source, strive to let go and make peace, even if this father figure is no longer alive.

#2: Heal Your Sexuality

If your sexuality revolves around seeking instant gratification or body pleasures, you need to change this perspective. By learning everything about the relationship between sexuality and divine masculinity, you will discover that your sexuality can be a great source of creativity and inspiration. Hence, you can create whatever you want from a powerful perspective. Start by reading more about the sacredness of sex and how you can practice what you learn.

#3: Physical Movement

Divine masculine awakening requires you to be a person on the move. For example, you can take part in martial arts to build your physical and mental power. Or, enroll at the gym. Your divine masculine energy gets outlet through these physical activities.

#4: Care for Others

As mentioned earlier, divine masculine energy has a giving nature. It wants to serve and share with others. Therefore, to awaken it, find a course that is bigger than you. Share your skills with those who need them.

#5: Lead a Purposeful Life

Embark on a soul-seeking journey to figure out your purpose in life. Ask deep soul questions about your existence, where you come from, and why you are here today. By doing so, you learn to live truthfully without fear of taking risks. Hence, your divine masculine energy will follow that direction to fulfill your life purpose.

Conclusion

The divine masculine and divine feminine energies work together in a balanced way to create a powerful dynamic in our lives. However, you must awaken them. We hope this guide helped you understand better what divine masculine energy is and how to awaken it. May it help you attain spiritual maturity and balance in life.

For thousands of years, crystals have been used in spiritual practices, healing sessions, and shamanic rituals. The use of crystals dates all the way back 6,000 years ago to the ancient Sumerians in Mesopotamia. Since then, crystals have been used in different forms, rituals, and practices in countless ancient cultures such as in China, Rome, Greece, Egypt, and South America. In this article, I will share with you 8 must-have crystals for your spiritual work and their transcendental properties.

But first, let’s take a look at the science behind crystals.

The Science Behind Crystals

“Everything is energy and that’s all there is to it. This is not philosophy. This is physics.” ~ Albert Einstein

It has been scientifically proven that matter is 99.999999999999% empty space. And what makes up this empty space is energy. Therefore, it won’t be a mistake to say that energy is everything, and everything is energy. You, everything around you – the furniture, the phone you’re holding, and the crystals are vibrating energy.

Each of us has our own unique vibrational frequency. People with higher vibrations radiate love and kindness, peace and compassion, whereas people with lower vibrations experience more low-vibe emotions like fear, anger, jealousy, or anxiety.

Whatever frequency we are at, as humans, our vibrations are very unstable and can be easily affected by our environment, other people, social media, the news, traffic, the weather, our own memories, etc.

Crystals, on the other hand, have a very stable energy frequency due to the fact that they were made up of a fixed, regularly repeating, perfect geometric pattern of molecules. Therefore, they are able to maintain their perfect stability of the Earth element. This is the opposite quality to our constantly changing, non-stable human nature.

While the healing properties of crystals have not yet been proven, we do know that crystals radiate a unique electrical charge known as piezoelectricity. Piezoelectricity is an electrical charge that is emitted from crystals once they are pressed or cut.

Scientific research has been able to demonstrate that synthetic crystals can actually store data. This could explain why certain crystals have specific qualities.

8 Must-Have Crystals For Your Spiritual Work

Now, let me share with you the 8 must-have crystals that can help you in your spiritual practices and inner work. You can program these crystals with your intentions, meditate with them, use them for opening up vibrational doorways, supporting your spiritual rituals, and strengthening your prayers. If you are not involved in deep spiritual work yet, you can let these crystals serve you as mindfulness totems. Whatever way you choose to use your crystals, they will surely enrich your spiritual journey.

Here is my list of the must-have crystals:

#1: Spirit Quartz

Spirit Quartz is a crystal of harmony and alignment. Its crystals are like high-frequency little beings who attract the spirit realm and put out positive energy into our environment. Its resonance is spiritually uplifting, radiating high-vibrational energy in all directions, and is a perfect ally in aligning the aura, chakras, meridians, and the physical body, as well as carrying the gifts of Spirit out into the world.

Spirit Quartz is a stone of non-duality. It perfectly blends and balances the energies of male and female, yin and yang, and enhances all metaphysical abilities.

Here are the properties of Spirit Quartz:

• provides protection from harm while awake and during dreaming and astral projection;
• activates the Crown chakra;
• helps to channel your desires toward higher frequency goals;
• facilitates the transition between different brainwave states, heightening awareness and psychic perception, and encourages insightful dreams;
• helps remove fear;
• assists in ascension process;
• activates the Lightbody;
• provides multi-directional spiritual and cellular healing;
• helps in reframing the past, and to realign the etheric blueprint for the present life.

#2: Aura Quartz

This crystal utilizes the ancient powers of alchemy and synergy. This crystal is an extremely powerful healing and energy amplifier. It absorbs, stores, releases, and regulates the energies of the body. Enhanced by precious metals, Aura Quartz becomes a high-vibrational healing stone. It carries a high level of Life Force, cleansing and enhancing the organs, stimulating the immune and energy systems, and bringing the body into balance.

Aura Quartz is the crystal of spiritual elevation, remarkable for its powers of guidance and expansion of the soul.

Properties of Aqua Quartz include:

• provides serenity and peace during meditation;
• deepens one’s attunement to the Divine and opens gateways to the angelic realm;
• assists in remembering lessons from past incarnations;
• expands the awareness of one’s spiritual purpose for this lifetime;
• protects during spiritual journeying;
• assists in conscious channeling and all types of inter-dimensional communications.

#3: Azurite

This dark-blue stone has been guiding souls to enlightenment since the earliest civilizations began. Its rich vibrancy resonates with the exact frequency of the Third Eye chakra. To the Atlantians and the early Egyptians, Azurite was a most potent psychic stone. It was called the Stone of Heaven by the ancient Chinese who believed it to open celestial gateways. For the Mayans, Azurite inspired the mystical self and facilitated the transfer of wisdom and knowledge via thought.

Azurite is definitely one of the must-have crystals that will assist you on your spiritual journey due to its transcendental properties.

Properties of Azurite:

• clears away tension and confusion and opens the mind to new perspectives;
• stimulates the intellect;
• awakens the development of psychic and intuitive abilities;
• brings inner vision into alignment with spiritual guidance;
• assists in entering a meditative or channeling state;
• enables out-of-body journeys to take place safely;
• assists in exploring past or alternate lives;
• clears the Throat Chakra;
• inspires the search for truth in one’s personal reality by challenging the examination and letting go of old programmed belief systems;
• expands one’s awareness to a deeper understanding of life.

#4: Moqui Marbles (Boji Stones)

Moqui Marbles are also known as “Shaman Stones.” They come in three varieties: male, female, and androgynous. The word “Moqui” comes from the Hopi word that means “dear departed ones.” It is believed that spirits of the dead would play with these “marbles” at night and leave them in the morning to send messages to those that were living.

Properties of Moqui Stones:

• stimulates psychic abilities;
• promotes grounding and centering;
• helps to connect with earth energies;
• clears the energy field;
• balances male and female energies;
• helps to connect with animal spirit guides.

#5: Cacoxenite

Known as the Stone of Ascension, this beautiful stone is believed to raise the spiritual awareness of the human race and to provide a loving and ethereal connection between all of the universe. It encourages a conscious awareness of the significance of random events to guide us on the right path, and in sensing the essence of the Creator in the beauty of nature and the kindness of people. Its vibration assists in surrendering personal will to Divine Will, making it easier to receive the guidance and assistance needed to move forward on one’s spiritual path.

Properties of Cacoxenite:

• initiates a higher level of creativity;
• clears the Third Eye and Crown Chakras of conventional thought and limitations;
• brings new ideas and innovations to humanity;
• enlightens spiritual awareness through meditation and dreamwork;
• relays the message that everyone carries a Divine spark and may connect with the Creator, as well as one’s guides, guardian spirits, and other higher powers, at any time to receive healing and guidance;
• unites collective consciousness in ceremony or ritual gatherings, for world meditations and planetary alignments, and in connecting with the Universal Life Force to draw in energy for Earth’s healing.

#6: Nuummite

Did you know that Nuummite is one of the oldest stones on our planet? Mined only in Greenland, this powerful stone was formed from a volcanic eruption around 3.8 billion years ago! This is a rare and sought-after stone as it is very limited in quantity. Many esoteric collectors see Nuummite as a highly valuable stone.

Nuummite is often called the “Sorcerer’s Stone” or “Magician’s Stone”. It’s very powerful and one of the must-have crystals for many esotericists and spiritual seekers.

Properties of Nuummite:

• strengthens one’s energy field;
• enhances personal power;
• aids shamanic journeying and soul retrieval;
• helps to access unconscious layers of the mind;
• promotes spiritual grounding.

#7: Moldavite

This is one of the most powerful stones you will ever touch! Moldavite carries an intense frequency, a fusion of earthly and extraterrestrial energies. Holding this stone for the first time often produces a sensation of heat, felt first in the hand, then progressively throughout the body. In some cases, the Anahata chakra is activated, experienced as a pounding pulse, followed by sweating or flushing of the face, and an emotional release that may range from laughter to tears.

This mysterious green stone is star-born, formed from nature’s violent meteoric impact with Mother Earth. It was formed around 15 million years ago when a meteorite entered our universe and crashed near a Czechoslovakian river. Etched by force and flame as it fell from the heavens Moldavite returned to the earth’s surface transformed, a glass of amazing delicacy and grace ready to serve humankind. It is believed that Moldavite was sent to Earth for spiritual awakening, transformation, and spiritual evolution.

Properties of Moldavite:

• facilitates a strong, clear, and direct connection between one’s consciousness and the Universal Source;
• activates and strengthens Anahata chakra (Heart center);
• helps to connect with Ascended Masters and cosmic messengers;
• increases occurrences of synchronicity;
• draws into the Earth plane those thought patterns and light vibrations that are most beneficial for ascension and illumination;
• promotes rapid inner transformation;
• creates an energy of spiritual protection;
• raises one’s vibrations;
• grounds Light for the healing of the Earth;
• provides an understanding of the essential unity of all life and our responsibility to see our planet as a whole being in need of love and compassion;
• connects one to higher consciousness.

#8: Lemurian Quartz

Lemurian Quartz is one of the must-have crystals to assist your spiritual development. Lemurian crystals originated much earlier than the existence of the Lemurian civilization, although it left its light prints on them. These crystals grew in conditions when the bowels of the Earth were still clean – when there was no oil and poisonous ores inside them. These crystals served as repositories of Memory. People could fill these crystals with the memories of the most beautiful events, just as we fill albums with photographs. It was believed that there was a seed of the Creator in each of these crystals.

Some people believe that these crystals can sing because music lives in their Chiaroscuro. Many people who have psychic abilities claim that when working with these crystals, they can hear a wonderful baritone, performing an Aria, which later gives way to the magical music of distant stars and planets.

Properties of Lemurian Quartz:

• promotes lucid dreaming;
• aids spiritual awakening;
• helps to develop telepathic abilities;
• amplifies prayers, wishes, and intentions;
• helps to access higher states of consciousness;
• promotes energy healing;
• connects one to hidden knowledge within oneself;
• promotes past lives regression;
• removes energetic blockages from all chakras;
• awakens one’s connection to wholeness;
• helps to astral project easily and safely;
• connects with the Higher Self, the angelic spheres, and spiritual guides;
• restores the integrity of the aura;
• helps to heal past traumas;
• aids inner child healing.

The Bottom Line

There are many beautiful and powerful crystals and stones that you can use for your spiritual work. These eight are the must-have crystals that I believe can help to take one’s personal spiritual evolution to the next level. Use these stones for your spiritual practices, meditations, rituals, or as amulets that you wear. Don’t forget to regularly cleanse and charge your crystals to keep their energy strong.