CHAPTER 1

Crystals 101

There’s no question that crystals are alluring. They catch the eye and draw us in for a closer look. Why, even people who don’t know the true power of crystals are taken in by their pure physical beauty—but as you will soon learn, there is so much more to these sparkling stones than meets the eye! Many of us come to know crystals through the jewelry. Maybe you inherited some rings or pendants or visited a museum where you were mesmerized by the unique beauty of crystals. Now you see crystals as part of the latest health and fashion trends.

Crystals come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors—and as if there weren’t enough variety already, the earth continuously provides new crystals. Gem and mineral shows are likely places to become familiar with new finds, and with a new “crop” constantly growing, we have a lot of material to explore and experiment with. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s take a look at where the word crystal comes from and why there is such an increase of interest in healing and wellness using crystals.

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What’s in a Word?

The word crystal comes from the Greek word krustallos meaning “ice,” no doubt because a clear quartz crystal is similar to an ice cube—it’s colorless, transparent, and feels cold to the touch. Quartz crystal is a solid mineral comprised of one molecule of silicon and two molecules of oxygen. Crystals come in different shapes due to differences in molecular bonding. Crystals also have electrical properties, and some have magnetic properties, or both.

Crystals are some of the most visually inspiring materials on Earth. Think about it. Literature often refers to the understanding of an idea, a voice, or a concept as being “crystal clear.” A lake can be crystal clear, meaning that you can see down to the bottom. A glass of water is also crystal clear, meaning that it’s colorless, you can see through it, and there aren’t nasty little bits floating around in it. How about the lyrics from Stevie Nicks’s soulful song “Crystal”: “Then I knew in the crystalline knowledge of you; Drove me through the mountains; Through the crystal-like and clear water fountain….” Ideas are “crystallized” when thoughts are transformed from uncertainty into clarity.

When we use this phrase, we imagine the twinkle and sparkle of tiny little gemstones, providing a light in the darkness or an entirely new way of seeing things. As you read through this book, you’ll learn that’s really what crystal power is all about!

Healing is a term used to describe a process of change, essentially. When we heal, we’re changing or alleviating a condition. We’re moving from illness to wellness. We’re repairing something that is broken, torn, or not working. Healing can occur at many levels, not just a physical one. When change occurs at more subtle levels, we can call this healing process transformational. We move from what was, to what is. When using crystals for healing, the transformation may be so profound you’re no longer the person that you once were. This transformation illustrates the power of crystals.

As you learn about healing in this book, you’ll also grow personally by exploring crystals for physical healing and moving into spiritual levels that really expand your consciousness. Your healing allies are crystals that will hold you gently through this transformational process.

The Well of Wellness

When thinking of wellness, do you get the feeling that it means everything is good? Is everything under control and running optimally for you? According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there are eight dimensions of wellness. Why not run through its list and find out if your “wellness well” is dry or needs some added attention. Later, you’ll select crystals to help improve these areas:

Are you sleeping well; are you happily engaged in meaningful work; are you feeling healthy; and are you secure financially? Do you have time to enjoy your friends, hobbies, and interests? If not, then what would you need to do to achieve well-being and a balanced life? Start by acknowledging where your life needs some extra “currency.” By currency, I don’t mean money, think of energetic currents. The power of crystals can move you beyond your current place and toward a state of balanced well-being.

Why not add luxury wellness as a symbol of your growing economic and social status to the list? Luxury wellness includes organic foods, health retreats and tourism, and healthy pursuits such as stress- and weight-management programs, yoga and meditation classes, and special health diets. Sometimes these are offered at workplaces through employee-assistance programs that increase well-being, motivation, and happiness.

Don’t forget crystals! The interest in crystals has grown in response to people’s desire to improve themselves at many levels.

Growing Popularity

More specialty stores and mineral galleries are opening all the time. However, it may be easier for you to purchase crystals online; there are even crystal-of-the-month subscriptions. YouTube is a treasure trove of videos by crystal healers. You can learn so much from them! Their outreach invites new customers, but it also provides an easily consumable education that was once the jurisdiction of covens, meditation centers, new-age communities, and secret societies.

The sacred has become part of an urban lifestyle. Executives can now book celebrity crystal purveyors to select crystals for their offices to ensure continued success. Designers incorporate crystals into home and office décor, following principles of Feng Shui and crystal healing energetics. Crystals are classy! Everyone is interested in self-improvement. Even fashionistas have embraced crystal collecting, using jewels both to show off and to talk about their healing energies.

Attendance at gem and mineral shows has swelled. Google noted a 40 percent increase in searches for crystals over the past few years. Crystals are on-trend for home décor with aromatherapy misters, gem-infused water bottles, and gem swizzle sticks that make wine taste better. The Lululemon Lab has a crystal guru who holds crystal classes. Crystals have even been placed underneath the floors in office buildings to balance the electronics and magnetic polarities.

Crystals provide such a wonderful attunement. Why not feel their gentle energy? At a time when there seems to be so much rage and quarrelling over trivial things, can we simply lighten up? Aren’t we all looking for peace? However, where do you start to look for it?

First, you must become aware of what needs to change. Can crystals really help here? Yes, they can. Many crystals help clear the mind of unwanted thoughts. Sometimes, it seems there isn’t enough room in our brains to handle everything. It’s time for a clear out. Chapter 16 provides direction on how to set up a crystals grid that can help settle your mind and emotions and keep them from straying. It’s time to focus on your goals and to engage the support of crystals on your path to wellness.

New Crystals for a New Generation

Once available only to rock hounds, crystals have made their way into jewelry pieces, medical and scientific instruments, and even pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Every generation seems to have new crystals that are mined and brought to the surface to enjoy. Over the past few years, the increased demand for colored gemstones has been outpacing the demand for diamonds. This has led to the discovery of new sources of crystals.

The U.S. Gold Rush helped open up much of the West Coast in the nineteenth century. In the 1970s, a new find of jade in British Columbia, Canada, was the first of its kind outside of China. Other new sources of crystals have been discovered in mineral-rich Morocco such as amethyst. The mine-to-market company Geostone introduced their new found Moroccan amethyst on Jewelry TV. They use special gem cutting to produce a gemstone beauty with showy red flashes from red hematite inclusions. There are also very recent and exciting emerald and sapphire finds in Ethiopia. New Czech locations were discovered for moldavite—a green glassy meteorite crystal. While some gemstone mines have been closed due to being overworked, such as those for opals or tourmalines, new mines are opening up. See Chapter 4 for more thoughts on these new crystals.

You may find some crystals which have been available on the market for some time have been renamed. It’s easier to remember the names of crystals when they’re given nonscientific names. You can find a list of new crystals on Judy Hall’s website (see Appendix B). One such crystal is called Rooster Tail quartz, and it provides energy rebalancing. This crystal would be great to use in a layout for rebalancing your chakra energies during a crystal healing session.

How do we know about the healing properties of new crystals? Generally speaking, people who are good at channeling the healing aspects of a crystal can more or less agree on its healing properties. For instance, I was given a new white quartz crystal discovered by a dealer, David Kobliha, and as soon as I held it in my hand, the words temple quartz came clearly into my mind. The energy packed into this crystal was immense. Unknown to me at the time, this crystal had already been given to an internationally well-known channeler who’d named this new quartz the Stone of Sanctuary. Both of us intuitively sensed that this new crystal provided a sense of calmness, protection, spirituality, and connection with the divine. Perhaps this crystal was revealing its nature to us. To me, it was the reassuring energy of a sacred temple. To the channeler, it was a sanctuary.

You can do this, too, with some attunement to a crystal. At the end of each chapter, you will find “Carved in Stone,” a section that contains a short message about a crystal I’ve mentioned in the book. Furthermore, in Chapter 18 I provide some tips for you on channeling crystals, including crystal skulls.

These new crystals are like getting a new smartphone with lots of new features to explore. You’ll definitely enjoy the experience of exploring and working with numerous crystals.

Spiritually Speaking

Crystalline energy is being understood in new ways and under a new mindset of spiritualized science. When crystals are used in healing, is it science or spirituality or both? There’s a fine line between what we know as healing through medicine and science and what we term spiritual healing.

Now more than ever, we need the power of crystals to help us move past the boundaries and limitations of day-to-day living. As more and more people learn about and become involved with crystals, especially through science and technology, more interest is generated in these gemstones. The idea of wellness is flourishing, and holistic health fields have blossomed.

Healing practices and meditation are becoming more widely supported and accepted by the Western medical community. Crystals can aid these processes, so there’s a real connection between accepted scientific research and the more metaphysical aspects of healing. I’m looking forward to seeing where science and medicine take crystal power! Stay tuned to Part 3 to learn about the many different aspects of crystals and crystal-energy healing. I’ll delve deeper into the science of crystals in Chapter 2.

CARVED IN STONE

Diamond: I provide an abundance of light. I am an integrator of mind, body, and spirit, strengthening the subtle energy network in and around your body. I connect you to who you really are.