Designer and researcher, Jillian Kasimow has always had a love for crystals. Her very first was given to her by her sister. It was a source of comfort as she set off on her journey to university.

Now, Jillian is the founder of Crystal Voyager - a creative platform that shares how crystals can be used for energetic expansion and self-exploration.

Here, Jillian talks to us about her personal path to energetic healing and what advice she gives to anyone wanting to bring the power of crystals into their life.

What’s the first thing we should know about you?

Hi. I am Jillian Kasimow. After years of being an independent visual designer and researcher, I started my own creative platform (shop, studio, and educational resource) called ​Crystal Voyager​, based in Los Angeles. Crystal voyager “focuses on the power of the visual experience and how it can be used to stimulate energetic expansion and self-exploration.” I started CV so I could share my own philosophy and approach to energy healing, which utilises meditation and visualisation in conjunction with crystals, spatial energetics, and aesthetics.

I am interested in how our physical environments and the possessions we surround ourselves with optimise and reinforce our holistic sense of well-being. I create visual materials that accompany these offerings, with the end goal being an experience that inspires one to see and feel the universe differently.

Tell us about your relationship with crystals … How did it begin and what is it now?

My sister gave me my first crystal, a piece of celestite, when I went to college in 2007. I understood it was supposedly good for certain things but I honestly didn’t know what to do with it. Regardless I found it comforting so that crystal came with me to my freshman dorm room and to every place I moved after, from LA to SF to NYC. I acquired a few more stones over the years but my relationship with crystals didn’t really become serious until 2016. I was drawn to them because of how they inspired me visually. I was dazzled by the idea that the Earth could make such impeccable pieces of naturally occurring art in so many various shapes and colors. In the beginning I had just a couple of stones, but before I knew it, I had a full fledged obsession with a collection to match. It is easy in hindsight to see that they came into my life because I desperately needed them as both tools and for support as I dealt with massive change individually and as a part of the collective whole.

I wanted to learn more about the metaphysical benefits of using crystals so I started taking classes and reading lots of books. My formal education with crystal healing began with placing stone layouts directly on the body. From this I came to fully understand the nuances of their varying energies and the range of effects that they could have on one’s personal well-being. Wanting to find other ways of utilising stones, I became interested in how they could be integrated in physical settings to adjust the energy of an environment. After studying Feng Shui, I was taught how to clear space of toxicity in its multifarious permutations.

To assist with this, I started making layouts on surfaces, such as floors and furniture. These canvases replaced the body, initiating healing through indirect contact, but through the same conscious interaction with one’s energetic field. This is how I developed my signature Crystallation™, which is a selection of crystals, minerals, and stones that have been specifically chosen and arranged to assist with energetic growth and well-being. Offered as either targeted formulas (like the Foundation Kit) for universal ailments or as a custom creation for an individual, every Crystallation™ is made with the guidance of ​Source​. I connect with and channel this infinite wisdom so that each one is calibrated with a unique energetic vibration to support the intention I set forward.

My education made it “crystal” clear that working with stones is not a prescriptive process; it is an adaptable and improvised one led by intuition. The only thing that matters is purity of intention and the removal of ego, both of which are achieved by connecting with a higher Source​ beforehand. Then it is just about surrendering, listening, and most importantly trusting. Crystal Voyager is the result of continuous education, experimentation, and implementation.

Please tell us about your journey to energy healing …

I have always been a very sensitive person. I pick up and react to subtle stimuli that aren't always evident to other people. As a child I didn’t know how to cope with this information that I was receiving. I came to believe that I was somehow damaged because no one around me seemed to be affected by their daily existence to the debilitating degree I was.

From a pretty early age I began experimenting with different alternative modalities in an attempt to “cure” myself, such as acupuncture, kundalini yoga, reiki, hypnosis. I was particularly lured to alternative therapies and thought systems described as mystical because in my mind that meant they would miraculously transform my reality without any action needed on my part. I didn’t trust myself or my intuition so I just ignored it, instead relying on healers to tell me the answers because I assumed they knew better. Most of what I tried had no impact or left me feeling worse than I initially had. It took a long time to realise that merely going through the motions of change was not enough if I didn’t actually do anything to change myself. I had to take responsibility for my part of the equation.

I didn’t seek out energy work the same way I had everything else I tried. I had done reiki but I didn’t have any underlying understanding of energetics. When a psychic referred me to an energy coach I was skeptical. However she gifted me the first session so I figured it couldn’t hurt. This changed everything.

Virginia explained to me the concept of subtle energy and how the whole world is affected by it. A lot of things started making sense. I knew I was very sensitive to external stimuli, but Virginia helped me to see that I was deeply empathic and unknowingly had been taking on the energy of others my whole life. Now I know why growing up had been so challenging… why I was troubled by things others were not to a paralysing degree, why I found myself more exhausted than other people my age, and why I didn’t crave the same socialisation and entertainment. This new knowledge freed me from the idea that I was damaged or broken. I was different, but not in the bad way I had thought.

Learning about the mechanics of energy motivated me to do the internal work that was required of me to see tangible change in my life. The only way I could create a new reality was by actively addressing the harmful beliefs I had seared into my brain and that consequently determined the negative quality of energy I was projecting. If I didn’t, I would continue to produce and attract the same energy that held me back.

I started doing what I refer to as “the work”, which included meditating, doing visualisations with energy, journaling, and connecting to ​Source​ so I could resonate with the vibrations of what I wanted to manifest. Stones were instrumental in being my gateway to this work because they helped me understand abstract ideas in ways that my visually inclined self could process. As a result of this work I have been able to fundamentally shift how I approach my existence. I live in alignment with my values and my authentic needs. I have more successful relationships of every kind, and I pursue the things that interest me without guilt.

How did Crystal Voyager come to be?

For a long time I questioned what my purpose was. I knew it was related to art and design because that was what I loved more than anything but I was so unfulfilled being a creative for hire. This is when crystals entered my life and I began really doing deep personal work around my beliefs, patterns, and self-imposed limitations.

I identified what my core values were and used those to define what I needed in my life moving forward. This included aesthetics of course, but I wanted to approach the physical world with my spiritual beliefs taking the lead. I also really wanted to share and connect with other people in a more thoughtful way.

Learning and working with crystals and energy made me inexplicably happy and satisfied me in ways that I never felt before. But I knew I didn’t want to be a healer so I wasn’t sure what to do with all of this knowledge I had acquired through my studies and personal experiences. Slowly (there was no one aha moment I ever had) I began to realise that I didn’t have to compartmentalise or abandon one thing I loved for another; it was actually my calling to use my range of skills to demonstrate that everything I was interested in was all connected and complementary to one another.

I started CV because I saw an opportunity to create something that presented all the things I love...art, design, making things, crystals, self-growth and expansion...as intertwined and related. I am always finding new ways to do this so the best thing about Crystal Voyager is that it is constantly evolving and adaptive.

What would you advise someone who is interested in bringing crystals into their life but doesn’t know where to start?

Crystal Voyager encourages people to really embrace and listen to their intuition. This is something I really struggled to do and so I created the resource and materials I wish had existed when I first started down this path. If you have never worked with stones before I recommend following the outline below for how to pick out a stone.

I developed the Foundation Set specifically for those who are new to stones so I highly suggest starting out with that for a comprehensive introduction. Anytime you purchase crystals or a Crystallation™ from me I include recommended protocol for how to interact with your stones. I am so happy to work with people and help guide them through this process so I encourage people to get in touch with me for more specific recommendations or situations.

Working with stones is like learning how to cook. Each stone has a different “flavour” and learning some basics gives you more confidence to listen to your intuition rather than relying on a book or someone else’s interpretations. I also recommend that people start out with a quartz point since its applications are universal. Quartz is great for practicing clearing, charging, and programming (described below). When you encounter a crystal take a moment to observe how it makes you feel. Collecting this information is essential for understanding energy and how you respond to it.

You’ve spoken about the potential to use the visual experience to stimulate energetic expansion and self-exploration. Tell us more …

There are so many layers to this!

When I first entered into the world of crystals it was such a metaphysically dominant one. It was all about seeing and experiencing things that were not there. I felt very confused because my relationship with stones began as a visual one. Interacting with stones evoked the same sensations of utter awe, inspiration, and soul fullness that overcame me when I encountered a piece of art or design that I loved, many of which I realised mimicked exactly the aesthetic attributes of stones.

What I came to understand was that the ways I relate to something visually are how I relate to subtle energy, my intuitive abilities, and to a higher power. The information I receive through sight is ironically how I am able to connect and process information which I cannot see at all.

As most creatives know, there is an intuitive sense when it comes to making something. When you produce something and it just is right and harmonious, you feel it in a way that is much larger than the senses you use to make your creation. I believe everyone is naturally intuitive and possesses different energetic abilities, we just haven’t always been taught or explained what they feel like.

If we know how to identify our inner sense of knowing through ways that are already familiar, we can apply that same guidance to all areas of our lives. Once I embraced that my visual inclinations were my super power, my higher self was able to successfully communicate with me. One of the most important things to come out of my journey with stones was learning how to vacillate between the physical and spiritual worlds in a way that was suited to my natural abilities. Everything I visually design, make, and ultimately express is intended to help others discover their inner powers by tapping into their most authentic selves.

Crystals are the physical embodiments of energy and the different varieties it comes in. When we look at something with our eyes what information (energy) are we picking up on? What else are we experiencing and what does that say about who we are? If we can use physical objects to read energy, the reverse is equally, if not more important. Before anything becomes material, subtle energy instructs physical matter how to operate. By consciously working with subtle energies via various energy healing modalities, we can reshape our physical realities.

This is where the visualisation and meditation techniques come in. Intention and focus with crystals helps to shift your energetic output and surrounding field. A natural extension of this is to surround yourself with items that help you to establish an environment that sustains these vibrations. It is not about being materialistic; it is about being mindful and intentional about the messages we reinforce through the possessions we choose and interact with.

How can we select the right stones for us?

A stone’s energy is determined by many different factors, including its chemical composition, crystalline structure and shape, color, and geographic origin. I like to think of stones as friends (even people). Each one has its own personality. Some are more calming, others are more stimulating. Some help with purging, while others help with abundance. Some have more overarching abilities while others are very task specific. Certain stones share a universal consensus of what energy they possess, i.e. rose quartz is a stone known for facilitating self-love.

The framework I have created is designed to help you with the process of selection. You can take control and feel better without waiting for an external circumstance to determine your well-being.

1 — ASK: WHAT ENERGY DO I NEED IN THIS MOMENT?
Instead of asking “what can this stone do for me?”, it is much more poignant to use this answer as your guide. You are not focusing on the end result, rather you are focusing on the energy you need to embody to get you to that end result. This means you are actively doing something to shift your energy, not expecting a magic quick fix while being idle. Identifying your energetic needs also puts you much more in touch with yourself and the present moment. If you cannot pinpoint it exactly skip to step 2.

2 — CONNECT TO SOURCE AND ASK TO BE DIRECTED
You can approach this in a way that is most comfortable for you. Express the sentiment: “Lead me to the stones that are in the best interest of my highest good and that possess the energy I am needing to integrate to be in alignment with my highest self.” What you individually require to address the root cause of your distress is not always the obvious answer, and it is never what our ego is expressing. This is why we want Source to take the lead.

3 — DOWNLOAD GUIDANCE & HONOuR YOUR INTUITION
Whether you are trying to find stones via online images or physically interacting with one, be mindful of what you are experiencing. Are you hearing any messages? Are you directly drawn to a stone immediately? Are you having any physical sensations? How are you reacting to the stone? How does it make you feel? Without your ego involved you are not going to pick a stone based on looks alone so don’t be surprised if you find that you are pulled towards a stone that is not the most traditionally beautiful (although all stones are!).

If you feel stuck or you are having a hard time trusting your intuition, don’t worry. Remember what your answer was for the 1st question. Using the guideline below and the energetic descriptions I use for each stone, find the stone that resonates with you. Don’t overthink it. When you ask for higher guidance and follow your authentic inclinations, you will find your stone ally.

Once we have our crystals, what happens next?

The experience is going to be different for everyone and it is affected by how you choose to integrate the stones into your life. The goal of this work is to learn how to listen and trust yourself and that does take practice. So I really encourage everyone to be gentle with themselves and to focus on the process of discovery rather than any specific outcomes. It is very freeing to release yourself from any expectations and to just surrender to whatever is best for your highest self.

Once you select a crystal, you want to make it yours. In order for the crystal to respond to your needs and wishes, it must be attuned to your individual vibrations. First clear the stone of any previous energy, then charge it so that it reaches its maximum energetic potential, finally program it for your specific use.

STEP 1 — CLEAR: REMOVE UNWANTED ENERGY
Holding your stone in your hand, slowly breathe in with the intention of clearing it of any prior energy. When fully inhaled, hold for 1-2 sec., then forcefully exhale in short bursts or pulses. Repeat this for every face/side.

STEP 2 — CHARGE: ACTIVATE FULL POTENTIAL
Draw in your breath with the intention of filling your stone with pure Source energy/love. Exhale, pulsing the breath.

STEP 3 — PROGRAM: COMMUNICATE YOUR SPECIFIC USE
With each inhale visualise your intention, imagining how it feels. With each exhale send your intention into the stone.

How can we best care for our stones? Is there anything one shouldn’t do?

Stones do their most effective work when they are constantly engaged with. Expressing gratitude and love for their assistance keeps them energetically potent. There are a lot of different practices around using the natural elements to clear and charge stones. You can use water to clear stones and sunlight to charge them but you have to make sure to proceed with caution since some stones are too soft for water or will fade if left in the sun for too long. I use the methods described above. There are no wrong ways to work with crystals as long as you approach them from your most authentic self and ignore any inclinations that are obviously produced by the ego.

Which stones do you connect to most?

I use different stones for different purposes and moods but there are certain stones that I feel I need to have with me all the time (I refer to these as your core stones because they energetically resonate with your core values). Emerald and Tourmaline are two of those for me. They keep me feeling physically balanced and emotionally replenished. All the jewellery I wear is gold and includes these stones.