Can one meditate using online pictures/videos of crystals?

IMO. The practice would be self induced. Not reliant on the actual crystal. Focus, and self discipline should bring about whatever desired effects that could be obtained from the same exercise with the crystals….

Meditation is enormously helpful for me. I highly recommend it. If you use online sources to help you meditate, that’s good. Use any source available. The crystals are an aid. They are not the main ingredient of the experience.

The main part is your sitting and breathing and relaxing allowing your mind to just do whatever it’s going to do.

I use guided visualization a lot, because it helps my racing brain to focus. I will PM an idea about guided visualization to you.

“Can one meditate”?

Well, of course. One can also meditate in practically any way/situation that isn’t too distracting.

Save money compared to what? Is there some form of meditation you use that involves crystals and costs money to do?

The types of meditation I’ve encountered haven’t been about crystals or objects except oneself, possibly facilitated by the environment or props. Some people find crystals useful/nice for meditation or other purposes but getting a nice chunk of quartz or selenite or salt chunk or whatever tends to be cheap and one-time. If you get a lot out of meditating in the presence of a valuable crystal, and you think a video might do, I’d hop on YouTube and try it for yourself, as it’s free to try and could be interesting. Certainly recordings of nice soundscapes can be nice – I like oceans, rivers and rain, myself, though for me the real things are better than recordings.

Meditation is a fine thing that helps a lot of people, as @Hawaii_Jake clearly states.

Crystals do not have mystical or magical properties that make your meditation more valuable, more effective or otherwise different than any meditative state that you can achieve on your own.

Otherwise, we’re talking about some form of fetishism, which is not meditation.

I’ve never used crystals to meditate. You don’t ‘need’ them.

As above.

All you need for meditating is a silent place where you can close your eyes and focus on your breathing, which is quite cheap.

There are many ways to meditate and different types of meditation. Whatever works for you is the best kind.

@all Just looking for a yes or no answer from someone who believes in and works with crystals. Asked in General.

Yes, you can use online images of crystals in your meditation.

@Hawaii_Jake Thanks.

Sorry. I guess I just should have said yes…

You don’t need crystals to meditate. If anything, to me, it seems like a distraction.

You seem to think that there is something mystical about the crystals. You can believe that if you want, but that is not the general belief with regards to meditation. The key to meditation is to narrow your attention. If crystals work for you, that is fine. You can also try a candle flame. For the majority of us meditaters, focusing on one’s breath is sufficient. I highly recommend it.

The simple answer is:

Yes!

As others have said above (and elsewhere) the crystals are mainly a way to focus, as are some other things, such as music, light, comfortable clothing, etc. The ambience, IMHO is the most important factor when meditating.