Citrine is a joyful crystal that’s associated with creativity and manifesting. Read on to learn more about this uplifting crystal and its healing properties.
Citrine is a powerful healing crystal that I often use to turn negative energy into positive. It has a sunny nature that resonates with the Solar Plexus and Sacral Chakra, making citrine one of my favourite crystals for positivity, creativity, and abundance.
In this article I’ll discuss citrine’s healing properties and how to care for it. You’ll also learn which Chakras and zodiac signs resonate most strongly with citrine.
Basic Citrine Meaning, History and Formation
Colour | Yellow and Brownish-Orange |
Chakras | Sacral, Solar Plexus |
Origin | Brazil, France, Madagascar, Russia, UK, USA, Namibia |
Zodiac Signs | Leo, Libra, Aries, Scorpio |
Hardness | 7 |
Element | Fire |
Planet | Jupiter |
Rarity | Natural – Rare Heat-Treated – Very Common |
Chemical Formula | SiO2 |
Natural citrine is found in the Ural Mountains of Russia, Brazil, Columbia, and Madagascar. It gets its name from the French word, citron, meaning lemon.
Citrine is a variety of quartz with a hexagonal internal structure. The yellow hue is caused by traces of iron in its composition.
As citrine registers at 7 on the Mohs hardness scale, it’s an easy crystal to cut into most shapes.
Real Citrine vs Fake Citrine
Natural citrine is rare, so why is citrine so readily available?
Most citrine is actually heat-treated amethyst or smoky quartz (sometimes referred to as “fake citrine.”) Amethyst is heated in a kiln to 900 degrees to mimic the earth’s geothermal conditions, which changes the colour to orange-yellow.
You can usually tell the difference between natural and heat-treated citrine by the crystal’s colour. Here’s a quick guide to help:
Natural Citrine | Heat-Treated Amethyst |
Pale yellow | Brighter yellow, golden yellow, or burnt orange |
Uniform colour | Colour is concentrated on the tips with a white base |
Usually clear. The raw points are usually straight sided. | Clear and white inside. The raw points are tooth-like. |
Very rare | Readily available |
Not tumbled | Tumbled or cut into beads |
Expensive | Cheaper |
I work intuitively with colour and prefer the paler, natural version of citrine. It has a higher vibration than heat-treated citrine, which makes it more powerful. Heat-treated citrine is still an effective gemstone, but works on a slightly different energetic frequency.
The Crystal Healing Properties of Citrine
Greater Positivity
All crystals emit a positive energy. But citrine, as a Stone of Positivity, is one of the best crystals for lifting your spirits.
Citrine has a vibrant energy that turns negative thoughts and feelings into positive ones. It also balances the Solar Plexus, which helps to release feelings of self-doubt.
If you need a gemstone to make you feel more positive in any situation, then citrine is one of my top recommendations.
Enhanced Creativity
Citrine opens and activates the Sacral Chakra, which is your centre of creativity. By clearing stagnant energy from this Chakra, citrine helps you to overcome creative blocks and boosts imagination.
Aside from being one of the best crystals for creativity, this stone also improves motivation. By balancing the Solar Plexus, known as your “power house,” it’ll boost your enthusiasm for a creative project.
Increased Happiness
Another effect of activating both the Solar Plexus and Sacral Chakras is that citrine helps you to feel happy.
It has a warm, sunny energy that’s reflected in your aura. This gives you a glowing sense of self-confidence and happiness.
Abundance and Generosity
Citrine is one of my favourite crystals for manifesting financial abundance. Known as The Merchants Stone, it’s a particularly good crystal for starting a new project or business.
Importantly, citrine also encourages generosity. The more you truly give, the more will flow to you.
Which Chakras Are Associated With Citrine?
Solar Plexus
Citrine is a wonderful crystal for opening and balancing the Solar Plexus. It also clears unwanted energy from the Solar Plexus, which is important for keeping this Energy Centre healthy.
As the Solar Plexus Chakra is the centre of personal power, citrine can improve self-esteem, motivation, and decision making.
Sacral Chakra
Citrine activates and cleanses the Sacral Chakra. This is your Centre of Creativity, which is why citrine is such a brilliant stone for creative tasks.
Aside from boosting your creativity, citrine’s sunny resonance helps to remove blockages from the Sacral Chakra. Feelings of fear, anxiety, and other negative emotions become less severe as a result.
Which Zodiac Signs Are Associated With Citrine?
Leo
Citrine is an ascendant crystal for Leo. The crystal’s appearance reflects Leo’s sunny character, bringing out generosity while boosting self-confidence.
As a crystal of abundance, it makes an excellent stone for supporting a Leo’s need to succeed. It also promotes a positive attitude which is essential for achieving success.
Libra
Although I haven’t included citrine in my article about the best healing crystals for Libra, it’s still a useful gemstone for people born under this zodiac sign.
Citrine is a positive stone that balances a Libra’s yin and yang energy. Libras are often eager to please other people, so balancing this energy can help you to make more balanced decisions.
Citrine also promotes confidence, which helps a Libra to be less sensitive to criticism.
Aries
Citrine is a birthstone for the zodiac sign of Aries. As Aries are often motivated and dynamic at work, citrine will drive you towards success.
It’s also a great stone for teaching an Aries to accept constructive criticism.
Scorpio
As a traditional birthstone for Scorpio, citrine is one of the best stones for this star sign.
Citrine will support a Scorpio’s natural fiery passion. It also encourages self-care, which is useful for Scorpios who are prone to people-please.
How to Care for a Citrine Stone
Citrine is a hard mineral, so it’s fairly resistant to scratching. It still needs to be treated with care though, so wrap it in a soft cloth whenever you’re storing or carrying the crystal.
When cleaning citrine, avoid acidic or alkaline substances. You also shouldn’t use salt, as this could damage the crystals surface.
Here are some other tips for caring for citrine:
- Use an air duster or soft cloth to remove dust without scratching the surface.
- If you need to remove fingerprints or dirt, citrine can be washed with warm soapy water (never use a steam cleaner.)
- You can use a soft toothbrush to clean inside crevices.
- If you have citrine in jewellery, take it off before swimming as the chlorine can affect the shine.
Additionally, you shouldn’t expose citrine to extreme heat or direct sunlight. This stone loves a sun bath, but will fade if left in direct sunlight for a long time.
Tip: Citrine’s hardness means it’ll scratch minerals that are softer than itself. Keep this in mind when deciding which crystals to store it with.
Is Citrine Water Safe?
Yes, citrine can go in water. It scores 7 on the Mohs hardness scale which gives a good indication that it’s water tolerant.
I don’t advise putting citrine in water for a long period though, particularly if it has salt in. This may take the shine off the surface of the crystal.
How to Cleanse Citrine
Citrine doesn’t hold negative energy, so it’s considered one of the few crystals that doesn’t need cleansing. But I still like to cleanse my stones when my intuition guides me, or when it’s been used to release heavy energy.
These are my favourite ways to cleanse citrine:
- Running Water – Running water is an excellent way to cleanse citrine. I love to do this in a natural environment like a stream or spring. But if you can’t cleanse this way, tap water is also effective.
- Sound – This method uses sound vibrations to shake off negative energy at a molecular level. You can do this through chanting, crystal singing bowls, drums, or tuning forks.
- Selenite – A popular method for cleansing citrine is with selenite. Selenite carries an angelic resonance that both cleanses and charges citrine. My favourite method is using a selenite slab, because it ensures good contact with the stone. My article, how to cleanse crystals using selenite, will give you more information.
Tips for Using Citrine
Citrine has a positive energetic influence that can boost creativity, joy, and abundance.
Here are a few ways that I like to use citrine:
- To attract wealth and abundance, place a citrine crystal in your purse or wallet.
- Hold citrine while using positive affirmations, as the crystal will make them more effective.
- As citrine is a positive stone that helps promote creativity, place a piece in your work environment to energise it.
- Citrine is associated with both the Sacral Chakra and Solar Plexus. So, place a piece of citrine on each Energy Centre during meditation to realign them both.
- If you want to attract wealth, place citrine in your home’s wealth corner. To find your wealth corner, walk in through the front door and look for the left-hand corner of your home.
- Wear citrine in jewellery to maintain a positive outlook throughout the day.
- Yoga is a powerful practice for awakening your Solar Plexus. Asanas such as the sun salutation, warrior pose, and boat pose connect with the fiery energy of the sun. You can increase this effect by placing citrine at the top of the mat.
Can Citrine Be Used With Other Crystals?
Crystals each have their own unique strengths. If you combine stones with similar properties, mineral groups, energies, or elements you can amplify an effect.
As citrine is a member of the quartz family, it works well with all the quartz varieties. But here are a couple of other combinations that I like to use:
- Carnelian – Citrine and carnelian both resonate with the Sacral Chakra, which is your centre for creativity. Together they can boost creativity, self-expression, and enthusiasm for a project.
- Emerald – This is a powerful combination for manifesting romance. Emerald heals the Heart Chakra and brings balance to relationships, while citrine promotes friendship. Together they’ll give you the confidence and magnetism to attract romance.
Note: Want to know more about combining more than one healing crystal? Click here for my article about using multiple crystals together.
Lemon Quartz vs Citrine
Lemon quartz is closely related to citrine, as both come from the quartz family. While they can sometimes be difficult to tell apart, these crystals have a slightly different tone and saturation.
Citrine has the yellow-orange tones, while lemon quartz has more of a fresh yellow to green-yellow look.
Which Angels Are Associated With Citrine?
You can invoke Angels when working with the healing energy of citrine. Some examples of Angels I associate with citrine include:
- Archangel Gabriel – This archangel is known as the Messenger of God. He resonates with citrine and brings a sense of peace. I invoke Gabriel for manifesting creativity, happiness, and abundance.
- Archangel Verchiel – This is the angel ruler of Leo. He resonates with citrine, which is the ascendant stone of this zodiac sign. I invoke this angel when I need more courage or leadership skills.
Summary
Citrine is a sunny and highly energetic crystal. It’s associated with the Solar Plexus and Sacral Chakras, which means it can raise self-confidence and boost motivation. Citrine is also linked to creativity and abundance.
Do you have any questions about citrine’s healing properties or how to use this crystal? Please let me know in the comments section.