Clearing the Air with Crystal

Clea= ring the Air with Crystal

In this age of medical sciences, some of us may scoff at the idea, but a growing number of people = see gems and crystals as allies in their healing and personal growth. They use these crystals as stress relievers, meditation aids, healing stones, and al= so to help balance their environment.

THE BIRTH OF MANJUSRI= , the great Bodhisattva symbolizing wisdom (see Understanding Buddhism), was not = a quiet one. Many spectacular signs heralded this event. There was light brighter t= han any of us could imagine; the birth of marvellous creatures such as unicorns, phoenixes and the earth celebrated as seven jewels of gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystals, mother of pearl, red pearls, and carnelian appeared, so s= ay the Buddhist texts. What's more, as a separate auspicious sign the earth op= ened and exposed her crystal treasures beyond the seven jewels. Manjusri had hon= ed the Six Perfections and Ten Thousand Conducts to such a pure degree that precious stones would appear wherever he went.

From ancient times, g= ems and crystal have been symbols of perfection not just in Buddhism but in many religious traditions. For instance, the carnelian, a dark orange stone, is prized by Muslims because the Prophet himself wore it in his ring. Jewish priests also wore precious stones in their breastplates. Even the Bible contains references to the Urimm and Thurim stones, which the high priest u= sed for divination.

Although Medha Tan an= d her husband collected crystals for their beauty more than a decade ago, her fir= st brush with the power of crystals to heal and relieve stresses in her life t= ook place later when she visited the United States. There, someone recommended an amethyst crystal= to her for her headache. This violet stone is known to induce calmness and pea= ce of mind. After holding the amethyst for a while, her pain lessened.

As months went by, &q= uot;I started using it in meditation taking it to bed. Eventually my migraines ju= st started getting less frequent and I didn't need to take Panadol."=

The episode was instr= umental in her belief in the healing power of crystals. She went on to becoming a pioneer crystal healer in Singapore. She now runs crystal healing classes and sells crystals at her centre. Medha also credits crystals for opening her up to h= er intuition, an indispensable skill for her healing and eradicating gastric problems from her husband's and her life permanently.

Today, through our im= proved understanding of quantum physics, the influence of crystals can be more rea= dily explained. Quantum physics shows us that all matter is energy and all living things have an energy field. Often stresses show up in our energy field fir= st. If these stresses are not attended to over the long term they can turn into physical health problems. Any stresses in our life shows up in our energy system as imbalance or disruption.

So here's where the c= rystals come in. "Crystals actually have a balanced energy field from their balanced molecular structure. When this balanced energy field is placed on = or near a less balanced field, like a human's energy field, entrainment happen= s, which means the more balanced field influences and balances the less balanc= ed field. As a result, we get a better sense of well-being, emotionally, menta= lly or on a physical level," explains Agnes Lau.

Agnes is a crystal he= aler and reiki (a form of energy healing) teacher who has studied with the world's foremost crystal healers such as Reza Regis and Katrina Rafaell. If you'd l= ike to verify this phenomenon just try putting two mechanical pendulum clocks swinging in their own in unsynchronized manner together for a few days and = you will find them moving in unison.

Even if you aren't il= l, entrainment with crystals can assist in mental and emotional clearing that could cause stress and block your success

The crystals have a b= alanced energy field from their balanced molecular structure. When this balanced en= ergy field is placed on or near a less balanced field, like a human's energy fie= ld, entrainment happens, which means the more balanced field influences and balances the less balanced field. As a result, we get a better sense of well being, emotionally, mentally or on a physical level..

Relates Agnes: "= One lady I saw was pretty stuck in her career and was fearful to make a move. When s= he came for a crystal healing session, she got certain symbols and messages and within a few weeks she actually went out of Singapore to do a few courses to help with her job.<= /o:p>

She was never able to= step out of Singapore before that because she felt that it was an unn= ecessary expense or she did not deserve the luxury of a holiday. She came back and e= ven proceeded to do more courses

career, getting the n= ecessary qualifications."

In healing sessions s= uch as these, crystal healers like Medha and Agnes would interview clients about t= heir needs and goals for the healing session and individualise arrangements of different crystals over and around the client's body in a crystal layout. O= ften the selection is a combination of knowledge of the crystals - properties combined with very strong doses of intuition. Choosing certain crystals can influence specific energy centres in the body.

And if you have rooms= that you not feel comfortable in, crystals too can help transform their energy, = to bring harmony. Jeeta K'inan, an energy worker who has many CEO clients, is sometimes invited to work with them beyond the human body and in their livi= ng or work spaces.

"If someone asks= me to clear a space, usually things are either jumping around or they're breaking= or something just doesn't feel right in the room."

Her most recent proje= ct involved "a study which held some very old energy in the window area. = It did not belong to the family who lived now.

"This old energy affected concentration and niggly things were going wrong with the equipmen= t. The family didn't feel like being in that room for very long. And when the children were in that room, they would tend to be in conflict. But mostly t= here was this feeling of oppression and lethargy."

After placing a fount= ain near the window and creating a crystal mandala (or layout), the heaviness left t= he room after the third day. And all the (negative) feelings disappeared and n= ow the room is inviting," Jeeta recounts.

"It was importan= t to do this shift because of both the adults in the family. One was setting up a n= ew company and wanted to build her company from that study. The other was also starting new company, not his own, and about have a career change so he nee= ded to be able to sit in that room and create space for opportunities to come a= nd both were frustrated because they could not move forward. After the three d= ays they were able to forge ahead," she adds.

Even though crystals = are becoming more acknowledged as healers and space clearers, Eric Tan, a cryst= al collector for more than a decade believes that there are more to crystals t= han those purposes mentioned above. It is about creating a relationship with ea= ch individual crystal in your life.

"There are a lar= ge number of people who will say this crystal has got healing energy, that cry= stal will bring you wealth. Before you realize it, you have pigeon-holed crystal= s in specific areas rather than experiencing what the crystal is," he expla= ins.

Each crystal has its = own beauty, its own special marks and shape and are as individual as any human = even though a few may share certain characteristics as a race.=

"I've got a lot = of friends. The crystals are my friends," Agnes explains beamingly, smili= ng as brightly as the crystals she is surrounded with in her healing room. Lis= ten and perhaps these treasures from the earth will reveal their secrets to you just as they yielded their perfection to Manjusri so many aeons ago.

M= aking friends with Crystals

Many crystal enthusia= sts become hooked because they are first enthralled by their beauty, so the fir= st step to friendship is to just pick something you feel attracted to. Chances= are that it will be the crystal that is right for you. Then you can find out ab= out their properties by reading up on them.

You might be surprise= d by what your choice reveals about you and the stresses you are facing. You mig= ht doubt yourself at first but your subconscious mind can and does speak to yo= u in this way.

B= ecoming sensitive to crystal energy

According to Medha, o= ne of the best ways to become more sensitive to a crystal is to gradually train y= our hands to feel its energy. All you need is a single-pointed quartz crystal. These often just cost a few dollars. Then hold the crystal in one hand and point the sharp, terminated end of the crystal towards the open palm of your other hand. Draw circles with your quartz slowly, at about an inch away. You might feel something immediately. If you don't, just play with this often, whenever you are free and soon you'll get a sensation of the crystal energy= .

As you become more ex= perienced with crystals, your sensitivity to them will increase. Some have developed their senses to such a high degree that they can sense the effect of each different crystal on specific parts of the body and the type of effect, whe= ther it is to uplift, to energise, to sedate, to dispel negativity and so on.

C= leaning your crystals

Most crystals can be = cleansed in running water or in sunlight with some exceptions. For example, the colo= ur of your amethyst can fade in the sun, so check with a crystal shop when in doubt.

E= nergising crystals

= Crystals can go flat like a battery when overused. Peopl= e who are familiar with crystals can tell you that some of them work so hard that they become low in energy or even break. For example, someone Agnes knew pu= t a crystal in his father's hand when he was hospitalised with stroke. The fath= er had lost mobility of his hand. After a few days, the crystal broke but his father's hand recovered some movement.

Most crystals can be energised with sunlight, the energy of the full moon or buried in the earth= for a few days. Just remember to mark the spot and make sure your dog does not = dig it up before you do!

S= ome common crystals

Amethyst

Promotes calmness and spirituality and meditation

Quartz<= /span>

Improves mental clari= ty and is a good all-purpose stone

Rose Quartz

Enhances love and relationships through softening the heart

Black Tourmaline

Dispels negativity, r= emoves pain

C= rystal Energy Drink

A simple way to energ= ise yourself daily is with a drink crystal water.

For this you'll need:= a glass jug; a large piece of crystal or a few small ones (quartz, rose quartz and amethysts are good choices); some water and a cover and cling film

Method

1. Clean and energise= your crystal

2. Put it in your jug= and fill it with water.

3. Cover and put the = jug in a sunny place. sun helps the crystal energy infuse in water. Drinking this at night might over-energise you and you may have trouble sleeping.=

The=

CAUTION= : It is wise to check if some crystal essences a= re good for drinking. Some crystals are poisonous when soaked. Check with an expert before you make an essence other than those suggested above.