Crystals: How to Use Crystals and Their Energy to Enhance Your Life (Hay House Basics) - Judy Hall 2015

Introduction: Crystal power

People say that stones do not speak, they do not feel. What an error!

ALPHONSE DE CHATEAUBRIANT, LA RÉPONSE DU SEIGNEUR

Think of crystals… What comes to mind? The universally accepted definition of a crystal is ’a solid body with a geometrically regular shape’. It includes not only sparkling gemstones but also semi-precious stones and even rocks. The crystals we are meeting in this book are, for the most part, the crystalline form of minerals. They include precious and semi-precious stones and also some rocks. These gifts from the Earth offer healing, wisdom and so much more.

Crystals have been used for an extremely long time. It might surprise you to know that they were universally regarded as sacred in the ancient world and were an integral part of religious, medicinal, protective and divinatory practices. In India, Shiva Lingams, stone representations of the god Shiva, are worshipped to this day, while according to researcher Robert Temple, ’The ancient Greek Pythagoreans of the fifth century BCE believed that the sun was a gigantic crystal ball larger than the Earth, which gathered the ambient light of the surrounding cosmos and refracted it to Earth, acting as a giant lens.’ Other early civilizations believed that the cosmos was a series of nested crystal spheres.

Crystals do underpin our planet. They are the Earth’s bones and its fundamental geometry. They carry the planet’s subtle energy in much the same way that nerves and blood vessels carry electrochemical messages around the physical body. But they also power our world. Found in the latest technology and medical equipment, and even the paint on our walls, they are an indispensable part of modern life. If you wear jewellery or a watch, you are already bathed in crystal-generated energy. Computers would not function were it not for the piezoelectric properties of Quartz. The crystals themselves form their own crystalline internet. The push to find new mineral riches has always been behind the exploration of the terrestrial world, and now it fuels the flight to the stars. But the use of crystals is as old as humanity itself.

Sensual magic

Crystals are a sensual and intuitive experience rather than an intellectual pursuit. They have a unique ability to absorb and transmute negativity into beneficence — and to interact with us energetically. Their ability to harness the power of our mind is truly incredible — they amp up the energy, boosting whatever we do. And it’s through handling them that we really connect to their magic.

If you’ve never worked with crystals before, you’re in for a treat. These scrumptious beings pack a potent punch and you’ll be amazed at the ways in which they enhance your life. Not merely decorative, they are protective and life-affirming too. They can increase your energy, enhance your wellbeing, help you to keep calm in a crisis, change the way you think, ensure your space is safe, offer you guidance and much else besides.

To begin with, just pick up a Quartz crystal. Hold it lightly in your hand for a minute or two. Do you feel a tingling vibration or a pulsing in your hand? If so, you’re experiencing the energy of the crystal. (If you feel nothing, try changing hands.)

Using this book

This book has been carefully structured to take you through working with crystals a step at a time. Practical exercises and case histories are included to expand your sensitivity to crystal energy and its potential, and portraits of individual crystals are given to introduce you to the crystals used in the exercises. There’s also a glossary at the end to explain any terms you haven’t come across before and a resource directory to guide you to further exploration. All you need is an open mind and the willingness to experiment.

Please don’t skip the preparatory chapters. A little time spent in Part I will repay you with the most potent crystal energies. The essential foundation, it introduces the information you need to use your crystals to best effect. There are important stages to go through before you can fully appreciate crystal power. You need to open your palm chakras so that you feel crystal energy, for instance, and to attune to your crystals before using them so that you sense their energy.

When you move on to Part II, the practical applications, you can fruitfully spend several days on each exercise, trying out various crystals. Or you can simply skim through to find what interests you or is of particular relevance to you at that moment. But again, this section is structured to help you make the most of your experience. Your personal energies need to be high and your space clear and safe before you expand your awareness, for example. Also in Part II, you’ll meet the mysterious crystal skulls and the crystal mentors who can offer guidance on your path through life.

Skill-building

You’ll find plenty here to excite you. By exploring different applications of crystal power, you’ll also form your crystal knowledge into a useful toolkit and build skills that can be applied in a variety of situations. By the time you’ve finished, you’ll have tasted a wide spectrum of crystal possibilities and be aware of how to find more in-depth information and explore further.

Take your time

It’s exciting to find a new crystal or a fresh skill and you may want to rush ahead. But practice really does make perfect. The more you practise an exercise, the more it becomes part of your skill set and the more your crystals communicate with you. So, as you go through this book, write down your response to a crystal or an exercise, then repeat it and compare your results. Note how your ability to sense energy expands each time you interact with your crystals.

Crystal encapsulation

As well as including old favourites, this book introduces some of the newer and rarer crystals, which can be expensive. If you don’t have access to these crystals, you can use my Crystal Wisdom Oracle cards instead, as the photographs beautifully encapsulate the energy of the crystals. This is an excellent way to try a crystal before you buy it — and you can use the cards as a guide through life.

The way forward

There is no one right way to work with crystals, only the way that is right for you. Just as a crystal has its own unique vibration, each person has their own unique energetic frequency, which will respond more strongly to some crystals than others. And everyone attunes to crystals in their own way. By the time you’ve worked through this book, you’ll have discovered that for yourself. Be flexible and you’ll soon find the way forward.