| Crystal Healing
Crystals have been used for centuries both as decorations and as symbols of power. And in ancient cultures, their healing properties were as important as their beauty. Today, many people still believe that crystals have the power to heal. Here, in this extract from Judy Hall's The Crystal Bible, we explore the healing power of crystals Crystals have been used for millennia to heal and bring balance. They work through resonance and vibration. To gain maximum benefit from crystal healing, you need to be properly trained or to be treated by someone who is well qualified and experienced. But you can find benefit in crystals for common ailments and they are effective first-aid rememdies, especially when made into gem essences. Some crystals contain minerals that are known for their therapeutic properties. Copper, for instance, reduces swelling and inflammation. Malachite has a high concentration of copper, which aids aching joints and muscles. Wearing a Malachite bracelet allows the body to absorb minute amounts of copper in exactly the same was as a copper bracelet does. In ancient Egypt, Malachite was powdered and applied to wounds to prevent infection. Today it is a powerful detoxifier but, as it is toxic, it should only be applied externally. This property of toxic crystals to detoxify is rather like the homeopathic principle of 'like cures like.' Crystals safely deliver infinitesimal vibrational doses of something that, taken in large quantities, would be poisonous. Crystals are used in modern medical practices. They are piezoelectric, which means that electricity, and sometimes light, is produced by compression. This property is harnessed in ultrasound machines, which use a piezoelectric crystal to produce a sound wave. Sound is now being applied at the leading edge of surgery. A tightly focussed beam of ultrasound can cauterise wounds deep within the body and blast tumours apart without the need for invasive procedures. Shamans and crystal healters of old were familiar with this ability of crystals to focus sound and light vibrations into a concentrated ray, which is then applied for healing. Rotating a crystal wand on the skin causes compression, which releases a focussed beam to the organ beneath. Ancient healers also knew that, whereas some crystals are either energising or calming, there are crystals that will both sedate an overactive organ and stimulate a sluggish one. Magnetite, with its positive and negative charge, does exactly this. It sedates an overactive organ and stimulates an underactive one. There are crystals that will heal quickly, but may provoke a healing challenge, while others work much more slowly. If you want to deal with pain - a signal that something is wrong in your body - you can do this with crystals. Pain could result from a excess of energy, a blockage, or a debility. A cool and calming crystal such as Lapis Lazuli or Rose Quartz will sedate energy, whereas Carnelian will stimulate it, and Cathedral Quartz is excellent for pain relief no matter what the cause Crystals are excellent for dealing with headaches. Lapis Lazuli will quickly draw off a migraine headache. But you need to know from where the headache stems. If it is caused by stress, Amethyst, Amber, or Turquoise placed on the brow will relieve it. If it is food-related, however, a stone that calms the stomach, such as Moonstone or Citrine, will be appropriate. Crystals heal holistically. That is to say, they work on the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels of being. They realign subtle energies and dissolve dis-ease (the state that results from physical imbalances, blocked feelings, suppressed emotions, and negative thinking), getting to the root cause. Crystals work through vibration, rebalancing the biomagnetic sheath (the energy field that surrounds all living things) that surrounds and interpenetrates the physical body and activating linkage points to the chakras that regulate the body's vibrational stasis. By bringing the chakras back into balance, many states of physical and psychological dis-ease can be ameliorated. Most illnesses result from a combination of factors. There will be dis-ease at subtle levels. This dis-ease may be emotional or mental, or a sign of spiritual unease or disconnection. There may be misaligned connections between the physical body and the biomagnetic sheath. Other energetic disturbances may be caused by environmental factors such as electromagnetic smog (a subtle, but detectable electromagnetic field that can have an adverse effect on sensitive people. The smog is given off by electrical power lines and items such as computers, mobile phones and televisions), or geopathic stress (stress that is created by subtle emanations and energy disturbances from underground water, power lines and negative earth energy lines). Simply placing a Black Tourmaline or Smoky Quartz crystal between you and the source of geopathic or electromagnetic stress can magically transform your life. But you may need to go deeper into the cause of dis-ease. Crystals gently deal with the cause rather than merely ameliorating the symptoms You can lay crystals on or around your body for 10 to 30 minutes, or use them like a reflexology tool to stimulate points on your feet - Larimar is particularly useful for this as it locates the source of dis-ease. Crystal eggs can also be used on the feet. Crystal wands are helfpul if you need to stimulate a point on the body. Rotated gently, they lift pain and dis-ease. Crystals have been connected with particlar parts of the body and its organs for thousands of years. Many of the connections come from traditional astrology, both Western and Eastern. Traditional Chinese Medicine and Indian Ayurveda, both over 5,000 years old,still use in modern medical prescriptions crystals that appear in formulas in ancient texts. Hematite, for instance, is said to calm the spirit and so combats insomnia. But it is also used for blood disorders as it is believed to cool the blood, arresting bleeding. Hematite is used by modern crystal healers to relieve those same conditions. To choose a crystal or crystals for healing, you can work from symptoms to deeper cause (preferably with advice from a qualified crystal healer). Each entry in the Crystal Directory (in The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall) lists the conditions it heals at the physical, emotional and spiritual level. The Index has a comprehensive cross-reference to help you link symptoms with relevant crystals. So, for instance, if your symptom is a digestive problem, you could choose a Citrine point to aid healing. Laying it on your abdomen, or wearing it on your little finger, which connects to the small intestine meridian (in Chinese Medicine, a subtle energy channel that runs close to the surface of the skin and contains the acupressure points), could calm your digestion. The crystal works directly on the physical body. However, at a deeper level, digestive problems could well relate to a lack of abundance. Money worries often translate themselves into dis-ease. Citrine is the stone of prosperity. It attracts wealth and abundance into your life (especially when placed in the left corner of your home that is farthest from the front door). Wearing a Citrine reenergises you and stimulates motivation and creativity - which brings abundance. At a deeper level still, fears around money often stem from a feeling of being unsupported by the universe. This fear is not merely emotional dis-ease, it is spiritual disconnection. Citrine's ability to activate the crown chakra, which is where the spiritual connection is made, could enable you to strengthen your trust in the universe. Having identified spiritual disconnection as a probable root cause of your dis-ease, you might want to look to other crystals that will support that level of your being. Stones such as Petalite and Phenacite link you to a spiritual reality with a very high vibration. Phenacite aids in grounding the spiritual into everyday life but, if this is your first experience of working with crystals to stimulate spiritual contact, it may be too powerful for you. A better choice might be Angelite or Celestite, which gently attune you to the celestial realm. Angelic presences induces a powerful sense of being supported by the universe. As some crystals support each other and others cancel each other out, care should be taken when using crystals for healing. If in doubt, consult a qualified crystal healer. Sourcing your crystal The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall is published by Godsfield Press Ltd and costs £12.99 |