Basic microwave properties of magnetic photonic (MPC) and degenerate band edge (DBE) crystals are investigated mathematically and experimentally. Two dimensional and three dimensional models are considered demonstrating the very high sensitivity and field growth associated with these crystals. A major part of the paper deals with the development of realistic anisotropic periodic structures using a combination of layers constructed from thin film frequency selective surfaces, alumina, titanate and calcium vanadium garnet (CVG) materials. Measurements for antenna applications demonstrate and validate the theoretical performance of the MPC and DBE crystals. The latter part of the paper will present an exciting and promising development relating to microwave circuit applications. Specifically, a novel dual-line printed circuit is presented to emulate propagation in anisotropic media. As such, the MPC and DBE phenomena can be realized using very simple printed circuits (coupled lines). Lastly, physically small printed antennas and arrays based on the coupled transmission lines are presented.