Male and Female crystals

What the what?

Quartz Crystals can have a gender designation?

Indeed they can.

Firstly, let’s discuss how energy travels within a quartz crystal. It’s spiral directional energy that is quite obvious when we look at how a quartz crystal actually grows; its silicon-dioxide molecules arrange themselves in a screw-thread pattern. In other words, they spiral end to end up what we call the C-axis (as seen below).

The direction of that screw thread pattern and then the point, tip, or apex of the crystal directs the energy.  So, the energy of that crystal very easily flows in the direction of that spiral.

Oftentimes people will ask me, is it okay to use a quartz crystal point that’s cut and polished? Yeah, it’s okay. Totally okay. But if you want to get a bigger bang for your buck, you want to work with a natural point because a natural point will easily tell you where it’s directing its energy like a laser pointer; right out that natural apex.

Now the direction that the spiral flowed is also the direction that the molecules grew; to the left or to the right. And THAT is the direction that which the energy naturally wants to flow. Put a pin in that and we’ll get back to it in a second.

What About Cut and Polished Crystals?

When a crystal is cut and polished into a point, we have no way of knowing which direction the molecules were growing in because we can’t see them with the naked eye. We don’t know. We have no visual indication. (although you may be able to sense that energy).

When you have a natural point, you have a very clear indication of the energetic direction. I can tell you the crystals were growing in this direction spiraling this way, so the energy was flowing up towards the point and it exits the crystal most strongly at the apex.

A natural point is showing you with a very clear “arrow” pointing to which way the energy is flowing. That’s why I like untouched natural points best.

Handedness

This has to do with the male or female energy of the crystal as well as the crystallography. In the study of crystals, this is also called “handedness”.

For crystals other than quartz, it’s not so easy to look at them and know which way their molecules have arranged themselves. But quartz is easy if you can see its faces. There’s sometimes, an obvious indicator with quartz if they’ve grown into a point; not so easy with a mass. You do need an apex with faces to determine the handedness and therefore, the gender with the naked eye.

Left-handed crystals = Female

Right-handed crystals = Male

Here we’re reminded of the Hermetic Principle of Polarity: everything has an opposite. 

Some can FEEL the energy of a crystal’s gender. But for those that cannot, the handedness of a crystal (only quartz crystals) can be visible on crystals that have specific crystal faces.

Now, the spiral may grow to the left-handed direction (counter-clockwise up the c-axis), or the spiral may grow in the right-handed direction (clockwise up the c-axis), depending on if the crystal is male or female. This is geology that we’re talking about here, not metaphysical stuff, even though it sounds very metaphysical. But oftentimes in these things, I find metaphysical and “hardcore science” are one and the same. 😉

All quartz crystals are left or right-handed… or both (we’ll get to that in a bit).

You can tell whether a crystal is right or left-handed by looking at the direction of their “S” and “X” faces, if they have them. The facets of a crystal are the flat faces that make up the point of a crystal. Some quartz crystals — but not all — have extra little facets on the side next to the main facet that makes the point (or apex). If you have a little face touching the facet, that is called the “S” face. There’s no rhyme or reason for calling is “s” that I was ever taught, it just is as far as I know. And if you have another little face attached to the “S” face below it, touching the “S” face, it’s called an “X” face. It’s these two faces that determine the handedness of the crystal.

Once you’ve got your eye on the “S” and the “X” faces, you need to determine whether they’re leaning to the left or the right.

Female

If you have an “S” face and it’s leaning to the left, on the left side of the facet, then it’s a female crystal. The left side is very commonly associated with the female in metaphysics.

So, in the science of crystallography, when you have an “S” face leaning to the left, it’s considered a female crystal.

 

As you can see, in order to determine the handedness or male/female identity of your crystal with the naked eye, you must have the “S” and “X” faces present. It can be determined without them on a microscopic level, but not just by looking at it in your hand. Keep in mind though, that most crystals don’t show s- and x-faces. Usually, you’ll see one or two of them, but rarely both.

Click here to see a great video graphic that clearly represents a Female (or left-handed) Double-Terminated Quartz Crystal

Left-handed/Female Crystal Energy

• Most receptive to receiving energy
• Magneto/Yin
• Feminine
• Calming

Male

Not to cut this section short, but males would just be the mirror image or opposite of what I just described.

If you have your “S” face leaning to the right on the right side, then you have a right-handed crystal. And in energy work, metaphysical work, and crystallography and geology, when you have an “S” face leaning to the right, it’s a right-handed or male crystal.

Basically what we’re saying here is:

• If an x- or s-face is present on the left side (leaning to the left), the crystal is left-handed (or female).

• If an x- or s-face is present on the right side (leaning to the right), the crystal is called right-handed (or male).

Right-handed/Male Crystal Energy

• Most receptive to transmitting energy
• Electro/Yang
• Masculine
• Stimulating

What if it’s Both?

OK, so when I learned this about crystals it was called “hermaphrodite” crystals because they possess both genders. I looked high and low to find out if this is still correct terminology so I’m not offending anyone but could not find anything. If you know that this term is no longer correct, please let me know with love and kindness in the comments below. And thank you.

So we discussed how to figure out if it’s male and how to find out if it’s female.

What if faces lean in both directions?

This can happen just as inter-gender happens or merged twinning happens more than you probably realize in all living beings. Yes, I do consider crystals to be living beings. 

So let’s say you have an S going this way and an S going this way. Uh-oh, what now? They’re at the same height. You’ve got one on each side.

That means it has actually two energetic spirals moving in opposite directions inside. We have two energetic torsion fields growing in this crystal. It’s considered a hermaphrodite crystal. It can happen in any kind of being, as well as a crystal.

And here we’re reminded of the Hermetic Principle of Generation: Everything is inherently masculine and feminine… and sometimes both are expressed physically.

Crystal Gender: male, female or both

• Hermetic Principle of Generation: “Gender Is In Everything, Everything Has Its Masculine And Feminine Principles, Gender Manifests On All Planes”​
• Everything is inherently energetically masculine AND feminine, sometimes both expressed physically

By the way, if you’re liking this sort of thing you might be really interested in my Crystal Formations Class Elective.

Please comment below if this was clear as a bell to you or if it was confusing.

Thanks and Crystal Blessings!