Fire, Air, Water, Earth are the archetypal building blocks of life as we know it. These four elements are a structural thread relating to spiritual, physical or psychological health throughout many ancient cultures and traditions, such as Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, India and China. These elements are what give all living things their unique qualities, impulses and nature.

From a psychological perspective, the element of Fire brings about the quality of action, transformation, passion, power and direction of will. Air is the intellect, the realm of ideas, the non-material spiritual plain of thoughts, reasoning and consciousness. Water is the sensuality of life; the watery quality of boundlessness which grants us relatedness through the feelings, intuition and emotions. And Earth is matter, or Mother Earth herself, bringing us the physical experience of life; our connection with our bodies, and a sense of grounded-ness, safety and nourishment.

We haven't completely lost our intrinsic ability to describe the world through an elemental or archetypal lens. The way we use metaphors are often gateways into a lost understanding of the metaphysical nature of reality. For example, we can all relate to a sense of someone who is described as too ‘fiery’, or someone who is described as too ‘airy fairy’ — not grounded by earth. In my work, I ask, what element do you relate to as most dominant in your inner being and outer being? Describing ourselves and others in these realms can help us to reclaim deeper dimensions of who we are.

Elementally, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. I, for example, am very watery. The boundlessness of my watery nature certainly serves me well as a therapist — empathetic and intuitively understanding of others. But if expressed in an unskilled way, I can find myself lost in other people’s feelings, not able to discern what’s mine and what’s another person’s. I can lack the earth that establishes boundaries of self. There is a long history of sacred doctors, witches, shamans or medicine women who would consult with the archetypal realms to understand the nature of their patient's imbalance and prescribe or administer elemental medicine to aid their deficiencies or excesses.

Crystals and gemstones are these ancient medicines. Crystals are formed across epochs of time. A dance of the elements plays out deep within the crevices and craters of the earth’s layers as gas, pressure, heat and moisture collide to form these highly ordered structures of vibrant colour and beauty. Through this formation process, crystals develop a harmonic synthesis of all the elements — so they are holistic, but each crystal family has a predominant element that gives it its unique property or quality. This primary quality is energetically imparted from the stone, which is why crystals have been attributed to certain powers.

Crystals are conductors of energy. They can have a correcting effect on our energy fields, amplifying or clearing frequencies to release blockages and bring harmony, according to our needs. Our culture is loud, so we may have lost our sensitivity to the energetic fabrics of the universe. This doesn’t mean we have not lost our receptivity to its powers. Crystals and gemstones grant us an invitation to connect with different parts of ourselves, enabling us to channel what we need.

Carolina’s FORTE Beads collection encompasses a rich array of precious gemstone beads. Whilst Carolina’s intention for designing the range remains wholly aesthetic, as a shamanic practitioner, I can see another layer of meaning applicable to the selection of certain beads.

Below is my take on the energetic qualities of each of the gemstones in the FORTE Beads collection, with little mantras for each element and stone to help readers connect with the given quality. My hope is that, at the very least, you can have fun adorning yourself with a deep intentionality and commitment to being your truest self. We can decorate ourselves in crystals to channel our strengths and support our weaknesses, just as our ancestors did. Not in a quest toward perfection, simply a quest towards wholeness, self-discovery and best expressing who we are. And it doesn’t hurt to look pretty while doing so.