Have you ever stood at the edge of a pool, torn between listening to your friends shouting for you to jump in, or every goose bump on your body beckoning you to stay out? You’re not alone. The setting may differ, but we’ve all been confronted with the decision to pursue a new opportunity, or stay safe in the reality we already know. While some people are naturally inclined to jump first and worry later, others are more cautious, wanting to dip a toe in first and measure their options.

The positive benefit to having the latter personality type is that your careful calculation often keeps you out of trouble. The downside, however, is that sometimes a little trouble can be a good thing. Taking risks adds experience and excitement to life. It can lead to unexpected rewards, where as holding back only leads to more of the same. Leaps of faith are a rite of passage. They emblazon your soul with passion, awareness, independence and knowledge. If the universe is offering you the gift of opportunity, and your pros-versus-cons list is at a stalemate, go for it! Take your spiritual leap, dive in head first and soak up as much as you can from the adventure. Even if you fail, you’ll learn more than you ever could have by not trying at all.

Crystals for protection help us to recognize the benefits of taking a chance, and ease the fears that arise as we approach the unknown. Through tapping into their energy, we can enhance our prospects with momentum, optimism, insight and clarity. Use these crystals for opportunity to give you the push you need to stop deliberating, and accept the challenge.

Crystals for Optimism and Opportunity

Chrysoprase

Get in touch with your truth, rather than with your fear. Let chrysoprase guide you into an insightful meditation where you can discover the desires that are being suffocated by your doubts. Chrysoprase elevates your optimism by allowing you to forgive any faults of the past, and focus instead on the future. Let it expand your mental capabilities so that you are as skilled as you are confident. Conquer the tendency to overthink, and spring to action with this powerful crystal for seizing the day.

Peach Aventurine

Aventurine is known for being a crystal of luck and abundance, but peach aventurine in particular is ideal for vibrating with the energy of opportunity. This crystal infuses you with the confidence to overcome inner judgement and worry with a yearning to explore, create and grow. Providing extra harmony between mind, body and soul, peach aventurine brings you to the ideal state of mind for opening new doors in your life.

Crystals for Protection and Fear

Obsidian

Being that obsidian is a stone for power, it only makes sense that it’d be energetically powerful. Not only will obsidian enhance your mental fortitude, it’ll strengthen your protection as well. This stone was used by our ancestors to cut objects, and we can similarly use it to slice away at our negativity. Any energy that threatens to throw you off the path that you are on—whether its energy coming from you, or negativity directed at you from someone else—obsidian will absorb it so that you don’t have to. Ground yourself with its stabilizing essence, and stay true to the conviction you leaped with.

Malachite

A stone of wisdom and tough love, malachite will be your best friend as you pursue this new opportunity. Malachite has a pushy energy. If you are inhibiting yourself with self-doubt, fear or pessimism, malachite will slap you out of it and force you to see that the only thing keeping you from what you want is YOU. As a transformational stone, it brings on positive change by helping you to identify negative patterns, and healthier alternatives. The protection it lends will absorb the bad energy around you so that you can better work on optimizing your strengths without being influenced by negativity.

Jasper

If your determination is waining, reignite the fire within you by tapping into jasper. Jasper gives you the energy to keep pushing. Often, it’s just after that moment that we considered quitting, but decided not to, that we have a breakthrough. The universe enjoys testing how much we are truly will to strive to achieve our success. Jasper is the stone to turn to for the energy of perseverance. Protecting you from becoming your own worst enemy, jasper will ease stress, increase courage and support you with raised decision making skills.

How to Use Crystals for Protection and Opportunity

To create the most abundant energy, you’d ideally want to use five crystals for opportunity. In numerology, the number five represents opportunity, chance and taking risks. You can either choose to use all of the same crystal, or select a mix of crystals for protection that you are feeling pulled towards. Where you place them is up to you. Maybe you want to carry these crystals for protection in your purse or pocket, so that you can carry that energy with you as you embark on your new journey, or maybe you’d prefer to use them in a small grid on your altar. Five stones create perfect energy grids, as the five points are seen as representative of the senses. This grid will allow you to awaken your senses to the effort of positive change, and hold the energy of opportunity and protection in your sacred space.