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Protective crystals

1/31/2018

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Amethyst crystalAmethyst Crystal
​There is a lot of misunderstanding over the idea of crystals and their protective qualities in books and articles online.   If a crystal is described as 'protective' what does this actually mean? Protective from what?   A bullying boss?  Electromagnetic radiation from your mobile phone?   Someone attacking you psychically?  

The word 'protection' obviously encompasses a wide variety of meanings, which is possibly why many articles and books get mixed up over this and use it to mean one kind of protection whereas actually it means another. 

A classic example of this is Black Tourmaline ('Schorl'),   I have covered this in a separate blog piece, but in summary Tourmaline does not protect the human energy field.  On the contrary, it attracts negativity to itself, so if you wear it you are also attracting negativity (arguments, bad feelings etc.) to yourself.   It is a very dense crystal, as is clear by its colour (a very dense black) and how opaque it is (no light can travel through it).   Like all black crystals, and like the colour black itself it therefore absorbs all the wavelengths of light.  In the same way it can absorb/protect you from the unpleasant energies of your mobile phone and home wireless.   Just place a small piece with either and kindly ask it if it will take in the negative electromagnetic smog so you don't have to.   In this sense, yes it is protective! 

Another black crystal that is also mistakenly called protective is Obsidian.  Again, the properties of this crystal are misunderstood.   This crystal is deeply powerful and if working with it, it can show us our fears, and our own 'shadow'.   It will not protect us by blocking out negativity.  Instead, it will throw our own fears and issues at us, so that we can work through them and clear them.   It can bring deep hidden issues to the light.   If we have totally worked on ourselves and have no more fears or 'shadow' left, then yes, it is deeply protective, similar to being a 'black belt' in karate, we are then master over ourselves, and nothing can then touch us.  However, for the rest of us mortals, who are still working on issues, it's a crystal to be treated with great respect!

So which crystals are 'protective'?  

Amethyst is highly protective, because of its violet colour, which vibrates the fastest of the visible colour spectrum.   It is a deeply spiritual stone.   To me, its like having Angels nearby looking over you.    As well as being protective it can also clear the energy field of negativity ('the violet flame').   It is also an excellent stone to have under your pillow to give you a peaceful sleep, and can help with nightmares.

Turquoise and Copper crystalsTurquoise and Copper crystals
Turquoise is another deeply spiritual and protective crystal and is of course ancient.   To me it is profound and can help someone see the 'bigger picture'.   It also links to communication and speaking our truth.  I feel it is so protective because if there was anything 'negative' around it wouldn't want to come near this energy because it would have to 'face itself', which could be very painful, and of course that would mean being back on the path of light!  It is strengthening and can link to ancestral energies. 

Tigers Eye CrystalTigers Eye crystals
Tigers Eye, which is a member of the quartz family, is another crystal often said to be protective.  It has a beautiful reflective golden sheen, and it is this quality which helps it protect and strengthen the energy field.  However, it is protective in a mundane or 'every day' way.   It warms and helps bring out confidence in the wearer, so it helps to protect from other overbearing and bullying humans, whether its your boss at work, or other kids at school.   This is why its a great crystal to give children (it was the first crystal I was given as a child).

Hawks Eye (also called Blue Tigers Eye), also quartz, is a very close relation to Tigers Eye, and can sometimes be found together in the same stone.   This crystal, rather than a golden sheen has a deep blue sheen.   It is purported traditionally to be of help in easing aches and tensions, and rather than the mundane, it is protective on the subtle levels, from the things we can't see.   For this reason it is a good stone to have to protect oneself psychically if we feel 'too open' or under attack on the subtle levels.

Lapis Lazuli crystalsLapis Lazuli crystals
Lapis Lazuli is another ancient, and deeply protective stone due to its royal deep blue/indigo colour.   Again, its protective because of the very high vibration of this colour.   It can also help us to access inner wisdom and ancient knowledge, and because of its internal crystalline structure, which is cubic, it can also help us to ground it in this reality and actually do something with this wisdom!   It is also a good stone to use for meditation and is deeply profound.  A few years ago I went to a dinner party under duress, as I was worried I would having nothing in common with those at the dinner, and that I would have to make polite chit-chat.   However, much to my surprise everyone at the dinner soon began opening up and talking about much deeper things than the usual humdrum conversations, until it ended up with a big discussion about past lives.  I remember feeling a little shocked at just how open everyone was compared to normal.  Of course, on arriving home later that evening, I suddenly discovered I had a chunk of Lapis in my jacket pocket, which I'd completely forgotten about!

Sometimes Lapis may be too much for someone, as it is so profound, but there is another stone (which is part of the constituent mineral make up of Lapis), which can also be used on its own, and this is Sodalite.   Sodalite, is not such an intense deep blue as Lapis, nor does it have the gold flecks of Iron Pyrite that Lapis contains.  However, because of its deep blue colour it is still protective, and because of its cubic structure, it is an excellent stone for grounding the mind, helping someone to manifest their thoughts in a practical way.   Its a good stone to work with if you find it difficult to focus or are a bit of a dreamer.  It is fantastic for mental stress, and after holding it for a while it often feels like someone has given me a head massage!   One day, I had it in my pocket and forgot about it whilst I was teaching a class.   I became much more articulate and clearer at getting the teachings across, and the students seemed to able to grasp what I was saying.   At the end of the day I rediscovered that little Sodalite in my pocket and then I knew why.

Carnelian crystalsCarnelian crystals
Carnelian is a crystal that traditionally is supposed to have protective qualities.   To me, this is a little misunderstood.  I feel it has protective qualities because it helps to ground and therefore strengthen the energy field as well as having a warming and stimulating energy that helps one with creativity.   However, it is not a higher vibration stone and so will not protect in the same way as, for example, Amethyst.   

As always, with all the crystals mentioned, please don't take my word for it, but find your own truth.   See how you feel when you carry round a certain protective crystal, and whether you feel stronger energetically by having it with you.  You could try a few and see which one you prefer.   Our energy field also changes all the time, so you may find you are attracted to work with different protective crystals at different times. ​

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A seasonal thought and wish...

12/25/2017

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Where I am right now, the winter solstice and Yule have just passed, and the Christmas tradition is being celebrated.   This led me to think; something I have never grasped is how incredibly complicated all the different doctrines of religions and belief systems of the world are. Because surely, at essence it's so elementary that a child would understand it:

Just try each day to be as loving and respectful to everyone and everything, whether human, animal, plant or mineral, as you can be; to treat everyone and everything as if they were yourself or someone you dearly loved.   If you make a decision or take an action where that is not at the heart of what you do, then there is something not right.

I'm sure this was the message of all the enlightened beings who came down and seeded the great religions and belief systems of the world.   But that something then got lost in the translation.

So, as a wish on this day that is celebrated right now where I am; to all beings everywhere, I wish you light on your journey back to the source and may all find peace within.

Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.

                                                                                                                                                 Photo by kind permission of Milan Lysak

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Crystals: why a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing

5/18/2017

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Stand at fair giving info on crystal healing and Diploma Course in Surrey
Long ago I realised that whenever I do a talk or presentation on how to work with the mineral kingdom, it's vital to also have crystals available to look at, sense, or purchase.   My job is then made so much easier!   I may do the human 'talking', but its the energy of the crystals which speaks for itself during the presentation without my having to do anything at all.   The crystals want to be seen, to be admired, sensed, and to be worked with.   Indeed, a certain piece may have already set its sights on a specific member of the audience whom the crystal is well aware is going to take it home as they both have a job to do together.  

However, I don't display all crystals at a talk or fairs.   Certain crystals can be very potent and 'serious' so I keep these for training purposes only; for those who are on a conscious path of development and can handle the energy.

I recently ran a retreat at a spiritual centre at which I also gave a talk to the wider community. During the talk I had a table of crystals for attendees to look at, sense, and buy from, should they wish. Normally the table is right by me, so I have some awareness of what's happening energetically, in case something feels too much for someone.   Because of the layout of this room though, the table was on the far wall.   I felt this community were more spiritually and energetically aware so I thought at the time this was okay. 

Before the talk began a crowd eagerly gathered round the table of crystals, and again, once the talk was over, a big crowd surged around the table.   They clearly loved their crystals, which was wonderful to see. 

Crystals set out at holistic fair in Surrey
However, later on, I was approached by a couple of individuals saying they did not feel 'quite right' who had been at the talk.   I asked what they meant, and then checked if they had been picking up many crystals.   Each person had picked up quite a few it turned out.   I quickly sensed what was wrong.  They had been working with too many different energies, one after the other, and because they were naturally much more sensitive, this had affected their energy fields, and brought stuff 'up'.   It was the equivalent of going on a bit of an energetic Roller Coaster, tuning in to all the different crystals.   I cleared and grounded both of their energy fields.   Afterwards they both felt and looked much better and their energy fields were now flowing again.   This experience has made me seriously considering putting up a 'Warning!' sign at talks and fairs about handling too many crystals one after the other, and especially about placing them on the chakras without knowing what you are doing!

Turquoise crystals
To someone who does not understand how the mineral kingdom works, or believes that all crystals are just 'good' to have with us this may come as a surprise.   Crystals are not good, nor are they bad, they just 'are'.  They are neutral.   Each crystal carries a vibration or an energy that is unique to it.   It just does what it does.   There is no point complaining that ever since you brought a certain crystal into your home, that your life has been turned upside down, that you have endless arguments, or that you aren't sleeping.  It's not the fault of the crystal, it's usually just because there is a lack of awareness of the vibration it carries.   For example, clear quartz is an energiser, so in the bedroom or by the bed, it will very likely disturb your sleep.  Black Tourmaline ('Schorl') if worn on the person (which I don't ever recommend), will attract negativity to us, to us anything that we have not yet resolved within ourselves, in the form of negativity, such as bad feelings and arguments (unless we are 'squeaky clean' most of us still get annoyed by something, even if its just someone jumping the queue in a traffic jam!).   Other very profound crystals can work from a 'soul' level and instigate great change in our lives, as the crystal seeks to put us closer to who we really are.   This may seem wonderful from a 'higher self' perspective, but 'down here' from a human perspective, this can be a nightmare, with constant change occurring at a rapid pace without any opportunity to integrate any of it.   The best way to discover if a crystal is responsible for how you are feeling, or for things happening in your life, is simply to take the crystal out of the equation for a while.   Pack it away in a box, put it in the cupboard or the shed outside, and then wait a few weeks and compare how your life is then.   If you find your life becomes calmer, you feel more centred, or are sleeping much better then you have your probable cause!   Please, if you decide you no longer want the crystal, always pass it on to a good home.   You could put a thought out for the right person to arrive to take the crystal from you who is able to work with it and they will surely come into your life (you could ask the crystal to help attract them).   Alternatively it could just be that you're using the crystal in the wrong way.   Schorl worn on the person may attract negativity to you, and have a negative impact upon your relationships and life in general, but, if told what to do, and placed by your wireless, or on your laptop/mobile phone it will do a great job in absorbing any of the electromagnetic rubbish so you don't have to! There can also be instances that crystals may cause disturbances for other reasons.  Often they just need cleansing energetically, or have had previous owners who have put their 'programming' into the crystals and this needs to be erased.

It's really important to stress that the energy of crystals is 'real' and just because we may not 'see' with our eyes how they are affecting us (instead we may feel it, or just 'know'), does not mean that they are not having a huge impact.   This is why a serious professional long-term training with crystals (of a minimum of two years) is so important before working with them on others.  To place a crystal within the energy field of another human being carries an enormous responsibility.   A proper training helps to ensure that you will be coming from at the very least, a place of least harm when you do this, and you never know, you could potentially even truly help that person proceed on their life path!

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Trees, the healng effect of nature, and crystals

3/8/2017

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Nature is the greatest healer.   To be in the mountains, the forests, or by the sea, whether an individual is aware of energy or not, we reap enormous benefit spending time outside within an unspoilt natural environment.   To walk in the woods, to spend time quietly in a meadow of flowers, to climb to a breathtaking view, or even just to do some gardening, is incredibly healing, grounding and replenishing.   It can be easy to forget that we are not actually physical beings at all, but that we are made of energy, and all that we interact with also has its own energy, which then influences our own energy field (or aura) for good or ill.   Many of us may not see it but we most certainly can feel it!   Being in nature has a profound impact upon our energy field for the better.    It is no coincidence that all of nature is green.  Green is a colour of growth, healing, nurturance and balance.   Whether someone is stressed, hyperactive, sad, angry, lonely, or just needing a breathing space, to be in nature can be the most simple yet effective healing tonic.   Away from the busy city streets our energy field is able to expand and interact with the natural world, with the trees, plants and earth beneath our feet.   And nature is actually aware of us, just as we are of it.   

In 'The Celestine Prophecy', by James Redfield, the main protagonist is sensitive to energy, and becomes aware that everything we are exposed to changes our vibration.    A higher vibration allows us to think more clearly, feel happy, and be more connected to 'the source of all'.   A lower vibration means that we feel denser, can't think clearly, and are cut off from higher awareness or understanding.    Lower vibrations literally turn people into zombies, pliable and never feeling truly 'awake in life'.   Places of lower vibration feel 'dead', 'empty', 'soulless' whereas higher vibrations make us feel alive and vital and can have a 'magical' quality to them.  In the Celestine Prophecy the protagonist realises that in ancient and older forests, those barely touched by man, the energy and vibration is very high, and very healing for all those who go there, making them feeling uplifted and energised.   However, once these forests are destroyed the energy plummets and all feels desolate.   

Many people laugh at those who 'hug trees' yet if they could see energetically what was happening within the energy field whilst this was occurring they would become silent and rush to the first oak or beech that they could find.   I believe the proof is in the doing, so if you have never done it before then I suggest you spend a good ten to fifteen minutes with your arms around a tree, or just sitting quietly with your back rested against the trunk, and notice how you feel before and afterwards.   On an energetic level, the negative stuff that is 'bad' for us, the tree will absorb and is actually good for the tree - and vice versa, what the tree gives off energetically is actually good for us.   I know how calming, balancing, and healing sitting with, or hugging a tree makes me feel.

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I once felt a strong connection with a tree in a busy part of London near where I used to live before moving to the country.   It was in a tiny 'park', and had such presence that I would feel an overwhelming desire to hug it, but only when no one was around and even then only quickly.   One day I'd had enough, decided I didn't care who saw me and so just hugged this amazing tree openly and felt so much better afterwards.   On looking around I saw an ordinarily dressed 'city' man walking past, and he stopped and turned to me for a moment.   I was sure he was going to laugh at me but he said 'it is a very special tree isn't it...I've seen many people talk to it and hug it, and children are always playing happily within its branches.'  I was so shocked I couldn't speak and just nodded back. 

Not long before I left London I remember one day standing beneath the same tree, staring into its beautiful branches and thinking there was no way I would know if the tree was ever aware of me.   As I thought this a breeze came out of nowhere and the branches of the tree began to move around me.   I remember being a bit stunned, as  I watched some branches high above me moving down nearer to my face, the leaves rustling in the breeze.   I remember thinking surely not, a branch is going to touch my face, and was 'rooted' to the spot in disbelief.  The next moment a small leafy branch indeed moved down carefully and ever so gently brushed across the side of my cheek as if it was a hand stroking me so tenderly.   The branch then returned back to where it was, the breeze disappeared and I was left standing speechless and in gratitude.   After that I would never again doubt the trees were as aware of me as I was of them.

One word of caution is a tale that happened to a colleague of mine.   She removed a tree from the bottom of her garden which was next to a fence that was a public walk way.   A few days later some burglars jumped over the fence into the space where the tree had been and broke into her house.   Reflecting on this later she realised the tree may have been protecting her home, and by chopping it down she had left an empty energetic space where it had once stood, leaving room for something not so affable to then come in.

Within crystal healing we use several crystals that once were literally made of trees.   Petrified (also called Fossilised) Wood, is wood which has been turned to quartz over millions of years due to a process called permineralisation.   All the organic material has been replaced by quartz; minerals over vast epochs of time carried by water have deposited themselves within the pores of the organic tissue creating perfect three-dimensional representations of the original tree. This whole process occurs underground, after the wood has become buried and preserved. Energetically petrified wood, not surprisingly, has a grounding energy, but it does this in a gentle and 'kind' way. It is a supportive energy, and strengthening as well as linking to a long ago time.

Jet technically is not a crystal, as it has no internal structure, but it is used by crystal healers.   It is composed of ancient compressed tree matter.  Whitby Jet was made famous in Victorian times by Queen Victoria, who wore it as mourning jewellery for Prince Albert, but the Romans were also mining it long before then.  Whitby Jet is over 180 million years old.   Jet, like all other black crystals, and like the colour black itself, is an absorbing stone and also grounding.   However, unlike the other black crystals, it has a much lighter energy, and is gentle and perfect for those who are more fragile.

Amber healing stonesAmber
Amber is the fossilised tree resin of ancient submerged coniferous trees.  It is also very very old, with the oldest recorded piece being 320 million years old.   Amber, whilst also technically not a crystal, is however invaluable in any crystal healing set.   It has a wonderful soothing gentle energy that can be of enormous help when normal crystals would be too much for an individual.   As with everything else from trees, it is also gentle grounding. 

The Findhorn Foundation, in Scotland, has long had a very strong connection with the natural world and the Devic kingdoms, which are the elemental energies behind nature, and has consciously sought to co-create with this Kingdom.   Indeed, Dorothy Maclean, who was one of the three original founders, spent a great deal of time communicating with the Devic world in order to learn how best to plant their gardens and grow their vegetables as the soil was so poor. As a result they ended up growing legendary forty-pound cabbages.   I will be running a workshop week in Findhorn this April, during which we will be spending time attuning to the Devic kingdoms, to the plants and trees in that part of the world, and asking how best we can work with this realm.   To help us with this we will be using such crystals such as Petrified Wood and also Peridot, a beautiful deep olive and lighter green crystal, which can link us to the energies of nature and the Devic kingdom.   if you would like to come along please get in touch!   A link to the page is here.

​Top photo by kind permission of Milan Lysak

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The healing power of Findhorn

2/17/2017

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The Findhorn Foundation, situated in north-east Scotland, started over fifty years ago when the three founders, sharing a spiritual ethos, established a small community at a caravan park, based on deep inner listening, co-creating with nature and being of service to God.   The garden they planted, with guidance from the intelligences of nature, flourished spectacularly, and began attracting individuals from all over the world who wished to become part of their community. Today Findhorn attracts guests from forty different countries participating in almost two-hundred week long workshops a year.   The Foundation is also a large living community with a focus on putting spiritual guidance and values to practical purpose.  

I first discovered Findhorn fifteen years ago.   I'd been performing music for a play touring in the Highlands of Scotland and had a few spare hours so pulled out a map looking for somewhere to visit locally.   As I scanned it I noticed a place called 'Findhorn' across the bay.   I had a sudden rush of memories as a child of a strange magical place that grew giant vegetables.   I yearned to investigate but didn’t have enough time.   However, on returning to London I went on the internet and discovered not only did it exist but it ran courses all year round.

In September of that year I flew up to attend 'Experience Week', the Findhorn Foundation's most popular programme, which serves as many peoples ‘front door’ to the community.   Doing 'Experience week' was like being hit sideways by an enormous spiritual sledgehammer, and I was never the same again.   Without Findhorn I doubt very much I would have been interested in becoming a counsellor or have been ready to train in subtle energy work with the mineral kingdom.

My first week there felt like a lifetime that I didn’t want to end.    I was in a small group, and we had sessions of sharing, game playing, talks from people in the community, being of service in work departments, excursions to nature where the elementals were more tangible, and we formed very deep bonds with each other.   A fellow traveller told me how he’d heard that coming to Findhorn was consciously speeding up your evolution, and you could work through a lifetime of issues in a week.   Now I think I understand what he meant.   People experience deep and honest sharing with each other there to a level that many people may not even do in a whole lifetime in the 'outside world'.   Wounds can heal as individuals come from a much more authentic place.   To me, the Foundation exists at a different energetic 'frequency' to other locations.   This stirs everyone up who is called to visit there, bringing up the shadows that need to be processed in a very immediate way in order to integrate more light.   I remember returning to London after a later visit and it felt vibrationally like I was leaving a high mountain or plateau and descending into the underworld.

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Interestingly some of the Foundation is literally ‘built on sand’.   It has been said that, because of this, with sand always shifting, that equally people will always be shifting and moving too and perpetually ‘in process’ there.   Community members have told me that it can be an exhausting place to live because of this.   However it is also a place where miracles can occur.   Towards the end of my week I received a dramatic telephone call from a very close friend.   There had suddenly been an enormous positive change in a very close family relationship, which, prior to that point, would have been inconceivable.   

Some courses at Findhorn involve choosing a work department in which to do a number of shifts during your stay.   During my first week I worked in the kitchens.   This can seem strange, to pay to work, but the point is partly to show how it is possible to channel spiritual practice into daily life. Work departments are held completely differently to the way jobs are usually managed.   People share how they feel and what sort of mood they are in at the beginning of the shift and people tune into where they feel drawn to work. Amazingly everything gets done in an atmosphere of honesty and joy.   It also allows people to express when they are angry, or feeling insular, and their requests for space or silence are honoured.  Being in a work department also means that you get a ‘real’ experience of being part of the community from the inside out, as you are working alongside community members.   There is a feeling of being able to contribute something tangibly and serve a greater whole.   It also helps keep everyone grounded in such a magical environment! 

I equate the energy of the Findhorn Foundation with deep healing transformation.   Eileen Caddy, one of the three main founders of the community predicted that in the future it would one day become 'a city of light'.  I wait for this day with hope in my heart and can see it already happening.   
On April 22nd this year I will be facilitating a workshop at Findhorn focussing on how to work with crystals and subtle energy for self-healing.    I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to work with the mineral kingdom in such a place and I hope this will create a truly magical experience for all who participate.   If you are interested there is information on the Findhorn workshop week here and a link to the Foundations booking page here.

A different version of this blog post was originally published in the Crystal and Healing Federation Newsletter No.56

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How to choose crystals

1/4/2017

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One of the most frequent things I'm asked at Holistic Fairs is which crystal should someone choose for a particular purpose or issue.   Whilst some enquiries are more straightforward, such as someone wanting a crystal to help absorb electromagnetic waves in their environment (Black Tourmaline) or to help them sleep better (usually Amethyst), most queries are much less precise, such as 'I want a crystal for my friend' or 'I want a crystal to help me with my job'.  In both of these cases, the crystals required would obviously depend on what was happening in the life of their friend (have they just been through a relationship break-up or is it just their birthday?), or with their job (is it to help with stress at work or are they going for a promotion?)

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What I always say in these instances (even if crystals do come to mind as someone talks to me), is that the person themselves should first focus on their intent of what they want the crystal for, and then choose the crystal, rather than me choosing it.   Once chosen, I'm happy then to tell them what the properties of the crystals are that they've picked or suggest another one if it doesn't seem appropriate.   By doing it like this what I usually find is that the person chooses what's really needed, and once I give feedback, this gives them the confidence it's the right crystal.   For example, for work someone may choose Blue Lace Agate.   If I ask them whether their work is stressful (Blue Lace Agate is a key crystal to help with stress) and they reply yes, we know its the right crystal.   If instead they choose Tigers Eye, this could indicate they need some protection at work (are they being bullied?) or they need more confidence.   If they are choosing for a friend and they've picked Fluorite I may check whether their friend is artistic or having trouble expressing their creativity.  If they say yes, again, this confirms it's the appropriate crystal because Fluorite (with its cubic inner structure) can help 'ground' and therefore manifest higher inspiration, as well as being an all round magical crystal in so many other ways too!

When choosing crystals the most important thing is your intent as energy always follows thought.   This means that before you even decide to choose a crystal you already have in mind what it is you want it for.   Then see which crystal or crystals attract your attention.   We are all different, each of us with different dominant senses, and there is no 'correct' way to choose once you have your intent in mind.   Some crystals may instantly just stand out visually to one person, whereas someone else may 'know' without even looking.   For someone else, a crystal gives off a 'tingle' or charge when they wave their hand over it.   Other people may hear the notes of crystals or their senses of smell and taste may come into play. 

Something that can get in the way with choosing crystals is choosing something because you've read it in a book that there is a 'right' crystal for whatever issue.   Unfortunately I've found this can actually get in the way of choosing an appropriate crystal, and can hinder our intuition rather than helping it.  This is because for any issue it always depends on what the original cause is in the first place, rather than the issue itself.   For example, crystals do not work on a like for like basis with physical symptoms because a physical symptom is only an expression of something that is happening energetically at a finer level.   Crystals, which are a form of subtle energy medicine, work on the original energetic cause of something rather than the manifested 'symptom'.

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Another important thing to remember is that choosing a crystal is very much a two-way process. The crystal chooses us as much as we choose the crystal!   A number of times at fairs I've watched this process happen.   A particular crystal on the stall that no one has ever noticed before at previous fairs, suddenly has had three or four people all picking it up commenting on how beautiful or special it is.    A short while later, an individual arrives, sees the crystal, knows it is theirs, buys it and leaves.   To me the crystal has been getting itself ready to be bought, waiting for this 'right' person to arrive, and literally shining more light/energy in readiness, and therefore attracting so much attention!  

Of course there can be many different reasons why we would choose crystals, from the trivial, such as helping us to find a parking space, to the profound, choosing one to help us with our development as human beings or for within a crystal healing session.   When a healer chooses crystals for healing purposes, this is very different, and this takes a period of learning and training, so the healer can choose using a combination of their intuition, experience and knowledge.

May you all choose well and wisely just exactly what you need!

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'Be in the moment and make every moment count'

12/1/2016

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It could be said that the purpose of life is to evolve to a point where we no longer need to be here. That we are on this planet to master our lessons, and these lessons come in the form of experiences and interactions with others and with the environment around us.   Perhaps the ultimate lesson is simply to know that we are light with all of our being and that the greatest power in all of creation is love; If we can truly love ourselves as much as we are loved already by ‘the Divine’ we are no longer bound to the denser planes of planet Earth.  Because then we can only make choices and co-create reality from that place of unconditional love.

This learning may take endless epochs of existence within denser planes in order to truly master. In Buddhism there is the notion of Karma.   Karma is not 'supernatural' or a form of ‘punishment' but merely the most natural law of cause and effect or action and reaction.   Whatever we put out will ultimately come back to us.   It is also a law that puts responsibility on our own shoulders, which is actually empowering.   This means that in every moment we have a choice, and with each choice we can change our whole world, and manifest a much brighter future.

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With every action we set a karmic ball in motion.   We create karma, which can be both good and bad.   With every choice, in every step, in every moment, each single one of us is planting a seed for a future that we will experience at some point.   It is up to us whether we plant seeds of joy, or of pain.   All that we experience in the now is the fruit of the seeds we have sown sometime in our past, either in this life or previous ones.   These fruits may taste bitter or sweet.   

'To act' also has another meaning, that of taking on a role or pretending to be something we are not.   On planet Earth we are all ‘in character’, we have a ‘personality’ that is not the real 'us'.   Our bodies and egos are like a car our higher self is driving and navigating within this denser realm.   In reality we are ‘spirit’ or ‘light’, and merely using our 'physical vehicle' to learn down here what we already know in theory, just not in practice.   It may not seem too difficult to drive a car if you read a manual about it, but try driving through a busy city on a six-lane motorway at rush hour with other drivers cutting in in front of you, honking their horns.   Similarly, Its easy to know you are 'light' and 'joy' if that is all you are surrounded by.   It's another matter to know you are 'light' and 'joy' if you also have to live in a world where you can experience the opposite; after someone has just fired you from your job, hurled abuse at you, or invaded your country.  

It helps down here to remember we are just in a role, and learning through everything we experience, so that we can take the ups and downs of life with a bit more humour and lightness. It’s also good to know that during rough times, we can also ask for help (which is always there but we have to ask first) and to be shown why something is happening ‘to us’ and how we can heal it.   Many years ago I had a run of bad luck, and it was only when I meditated on it that I realised I had sown the seeds of what I was experiencing through a course of action I had taken in my past.   This really helped me.  Rather than getting angry at who I thought was the cause of my suffering, I was able to take on the responsibility myself, and see that in many ways my 'enemies' were my greatest friends, in allowing me to experience the results of my own karma, and giving me the opportunity to now make a different choice, to create a better future by taking a different avenue to the one I had originally taken.

It could be said that illness is just the physical manifestation of having taken too many different ‘wrong’ (ultimately perhaps there is no wrong or right only learning and experience) choices in the past.  Our physical body becomes out of harmony as a denser manifestation of the lack of harmony at a higher spiritual level.

Life throws at us many 'curve balls'.   We may decide to be ‘in the moment’, to make all our thoughts, words and deeds 'higher' ones and then seconds later our ex rings up asking for their shampoo back, or we just decide to check our Facebook page and before we know it we're lost on a wave of excitement discovering the latest info on a favourite movie star.   We’re back again in a sea of acting and ‘re-acting’, our precious navigational compass thrown overboard by our own hands.   This is what re-action truly means, being lost in the moment so rather than acting for the best we repeat an old pattern of acting, that merely keeps us in a karmic loop.

Yet, If we could make the 'right' choice in every experience we speed up our evolution dramatically.   For this is all life is; a series of choices.  Life is like trying to drive your way back home but in a strange land with no map, and only the vaguest awareness of where you are.   Some roads lead to roundabouts and more choices, some lead to dead-ends, some send you back the way you came, some lead to sheer drops, and some take you into landscapes filled with wonder and beauty and a reassuring feeling you are going in the right direction so you can truly enjoy the journey.

And actually, there is a map for your journey to help you take a few less detours.   This is called your birth chart.   And you can always stop for guidance to ask for the best way to go.   This is accessed via being still, and going within.   There are also tools in the boot to help you hear this inner guidance and make better choices.  These are called crystals, flower remedies, and other subtle energy medicines.   Yet it’s still so difficult and dense down here, and we can easily forget we’re merely driving a physical vehicle in the first place.  To help me remember I’ve pinned some meaningful words and phrases on my office wall where I see them every day; to remind me that in the next hour, minute, or second, I choose my future path.   I hope to be awake enough so that my next choice is a wiser one; to be in the moment and make every moment count.

Photos by kind permission of Milan Lysak
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Crystals and Stress

11/10/2016

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Orange, Red, Honey and Green Calcite Crystals
Long-term stress has been suggested as a causative factor in many health problems, as well as something that can worsen existing ailments.   In my own work as a counsellor I noted many times that it was ‘stress’ that had made a client seek out therapy.   Often a client would have no idea what was happening to them, yet display many classic symptoms of stress.   These could include becoming increasingly agitated, not being able to focus, having difficulty relaxing and sleeping, feeling panicky, grinding teeth or having a fear of losing control, or a need to take control.

Their are many life issues that can create stress.   Having financial worries or concerns about a loved one or a partner.   Being under a lot of pressure at work, or having exams coming up. Bereavement can create a great deal of stress, as can be being made redundant, being ill or injured, getting married or divorcing, having a child, or moving country.  Even having to write an article on stress can be stressful!

Stress can also come from constantly not feeling good enough, feeling overwhelmed or incapable in life in some way.   These feelings may stem from childhood.   They may also stretch back even further, and be a repeating pattern because of something that occurred in other lives too.   Deep-seated fears and phobias that have no explicable cause in this life, can also fall into this category.   Sometimes stress can actually be caused by a need to wake up spiritually.   You may be half-aware there is something ‘down here’ you are supposed to do and need to get on with it!

Depending on what is behind the stress, its always advisable to seek professional help, such as a doctor (especially if you have any physical symptoms) or a counsellor.   It may also be good to seek other help that can work with a vibrational approach, such as a crystal healer, homoeopath or flower remedy therapist.   AstroCrystal Therapy or seeing an Astrologer who looks more deeply at the spiritual aspects of a birthchart may also be of help depending upon the source of the stress.

From an energetic point of view, stress can have a huge impact upon our subtle energy field.   We can become ungrounded, unprotected and out of balance.   Yet there are many crystals that can help with these feelings in a very simple and straightforward way.   Merely by holding or meditating with a specific crystal may help alleviate feelings.  You could also choose to carry the crystal around on your person.

Please remember everything, and that includes you! is merely energy resonating at different frequencies that give the illusion of solidity.   Crystals are a vibrational medicine that do not work directly on the ‘physical’ body but upon our biomagnetic energy field (or aura).   Each crystal has a certain quality (a vibration) which when introduced into the human energy field helps it to remember this vibration and resonate with it once more.   Crystals can be, for example, uplifting, clearing, earthing, focussing, deepening, flowing, soothing etc.

For stress, there are a number of crystals which may help energetically with their calming and soothing vibrations.  Ultimately, whilst you may have an idea what you may need from reading a book or the list below, the best way to choose a crystal, rather than with the rational mind, is ask yourself which crystal would be most appropriate for you, and then see which one stands out to you intuitively.  You might know the name, or see the colour, or just ‘feel’ which one is right.   It's usually the very first thing that comes to you, which we can discount for being too obvious!​

These are just some suggestions of crystals that can potentially help you when you feel unbalanced or stressed.   Don’t take my word for it, but instead work with them yourselves, so you can actually sense the difference in how they make you feel.

Blue Lace Agate crystal

Blue Lace Agate
 has a calming and gentle energy and can feel cooling and relaxing.  It is one of the key stress crystals and is peaceful both to look at, with its sky blue colour and layers of fine wispy ‘clouds’, as well as hold.



Blue Calcite is soothing, cooling and calming and similar to Blue Lace Agate but gentler,  and less potent so wonderful for someone who is more fragile or sensitive.   

Red, Orange and Honey Calcite   These other opaque Calcites are from the same family as the blue, and may also help with stress as they have such a gentle and mildly earthing energy.   They are also stabilising and warming.   

Green calcite is more balancing and cooling (please be aware that the Optical clear calcites have a very different energy that is not calming at all!)

Amber 'crystal'
Amber is technically not a crystal, being the fossilised tree resin of ancient submerged coniferous trees.   It has a very soothing, warming and gentle energy.   It is also excellent for those who are feeling fragile and for those who are frail, or for the very young.  There is a long tradition of giving Amber necklaces to teething babies.

Sodalite   This crystal is deep dark blue in colour, sometimes with streaks of white.   This is an amazing crystal for mental stress and holding it or having it on your person can help calm and still the mind.   We can then be more receptive to our intuition and guidance.   On some occasions when I have sat and meditated with this crystal the feeling after a while was as if someone had been giving me a head massage!  The internal structure of Sodalite is cubic, and it is said that this is partly the reason for its ‘grounding’ effect on the mind.

Moss Agate crystal
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​Moss Agate   This crystal looks as if it has tiny pieces of moss growing inside of it.   It is balancing, gently grounding, and de-stressing and can work well alongside Blue Lace Agate.  It can feel very much as if you are sitting in a glade in nature when meditating with it!
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Yellow Jasper has a calming, soothing and slightly sedating energy.   Its very good if you are feeling fearful about something.   I was once attempting to become aware of its energy whilst holding a large piece though my rational mind kept telling me nothing was happening.   At the same time I was talking to a colleague who said it felt very sedating and calming to her.   It was then i realised I had already tuned into the crystal, as I was now in a very sedated, calmed, and ‘chilled out’ state.

Moonstone, which has a beautiful sheen, is not quartz, but a member of the Feldpsar family.   It has a very flowing energy and can help someone who is quite rigid to be able to flow more with life.   It has a very soft, subtle and quiet energy that can help with emotional stress.

Prehnite crystal

​Prehnite is a lovely light green crystal, sometimes with tiny bits of black in it.   It has a smooth, light and cooling energy and can work very well with more emotionally stressful conditions (especially if paired with Rose Quartz, with which it is complementary).

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Crystals: A language of feelings

9/21/2016

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Like many people, I was brought up to 'live in my head', to cram my head full of 'knowledge' at school and to read lots of books.   I received no training at all in how to become aware of the signals from the world around me and my own inner self.   Today,  life is even more filled with 'head stuff'.   We go from mobile phone to laptop to TV programme all day long, without ever taking the time to be still and to listen within.  For many people 'life' consists of literally living in an exclusive fantasy world inside the high tower of our own head.   Hello! There is a body down here!

When I first began working with crystals many years ago, I only knew how to use my 'head' to try and grasp the mysteries of the mineral kingdom.   To get to know a crystal I would hold it in my hand, and attempt to 'think' my way to its properties, never realising that actually the opposite needed to occur; I needed to be still and quiet my mind and only then could I begin to 'know' it.   Instead I would rely heavily on analysing any thoughts that came to me whilst taking very little notice of the sensations or feelings of my body.  Sometimes, I would look up the 'meaning' of a crystal in a book as a shortcut to understanding what it was about, not knowing that this was unhelpful, and only exacerbating my lack of awareness instead of discovering my own truth.

It was only after I began to train with crystals that I realised I'd missed the point entirely.   It was what I was 'feeling' that was important, not my 'thinking'.   I remember quite early on in my training, after a healing from a colleague, I left to catch the train, and was aware of the most amazing feeling of bliss.   It's very hard to put in to words; like a feeling that there was something so magical and amazing, waiting only just ahead of me to explore.   The feeling only lasted for a short while as another student began to start chatting, and though I wanted to stay in the feeling, I had no choice but to interact with my peer.   After a few moments the feeling left me, but I could remember it.  I then began to realise that I'd been approaching everything the wrong way round and began to focus on what I was feeling rather than thinking when I worked with crystals.

I discovered there were certain crystals that for me had an easier 'feeling' to spot.   One of these was Rose Quartz.   I would quieten my mind, hold it, and become aware of a wonderful feeling of of unconditional love and nurturance and of my heart opening.   For me, this was its 'signature'.   Another crystal with a strong 'signature' was Amethyst.  With this crystal I sensed a purity and stillness in the air, a great feeling of 'sacredness'.   I was being lifted to a higher vibration where I felt I could also also access higher guidance.   If having trouble sensing a new crystal I would use Rose Quartz or Amethyst as a starting point; a way in.  Once I felt the signature of one of these, I would pick up the new crystal instead, and the feeling would shift and I would get an 'a-ha' moment as I discovered the new crystal's signature.   Some crystals have a more subtle signature than those of the quartz family, and it can be easier to miss their vibration.

Shifting from merely thinking about crystals in my head to feeling them was like bursting from an old black and white movie into 'virtual reality'.   They became very real to me and I now knew why crystals were such powerful tools for healing; they helped the body to remember an energetic 'feeling'.   For example, if someone is depressed, this can weaken their immune system.  They may even then develop physical symptoms because of this.  In a crystal healing we would never focus on these 'physical symptoms' but instead tune into their energy field to find out what is going on and may find it feels 'depleted' or 'flat'.   The person would most likely need an uplifting feeling/vibration and, if appropriate we may use Citrine within a healing technique.   Citrine has a signature that is joyful, warming and energising.   Their body would then remember this vibration and this could help them become happier and more optimistic in life.   This could in turn benefit their immune system which could help ease any physical symptoms.   Please note, a seriously trained crystal healer would never focus on any physical symptoms, but only on what is happening within a client's energy field.   By doing this, we deal with what is behind why a physical symptom had to manifest in the first place.

Once we step down from the remote tower of our heads and discover the real world is one of energy and feelings the implications are vast for our greatest health and happiness.   It could be said the only thing we should ever rely on in our lives are our feelings.   What we see and what we hear can fool us.  But if we have a feeling we should trust it as it can save us from taking some wrong turnings in life and also help guide us down the right path. 

Luckily, we have crystals to help us heal and reconnect with higher vibrations to keep us on the right path; an artists palette of all the different feelings with which to heal the soul.   Which one do you need today?


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Black Tourmaline (Schorl) - protective or not?

9/14/2016

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Black Tourmaline (Schorl) crystals
One of the most common queries that comes up when AIR has a stand at holistic fairs is regarding Schorl, also known as Black Tourmaline (many people when they say 'Tourmaline' are referring to this crystal, but actually the Tourmaline family is huge, with crystals of every colour, such as Rubelite (pink Tourmaline) and Indicolite (blue Tourmaline).   

Often someone will pick a piece up of this beautiful but heavy looking black crystal to buy, at which point I always check with them what it is for.   Most times the answer is that it is for 'protection'.   When I ask why do they think this, it is usually because they have read about it in a book.

This is a misconception.   Schorl has a very dense, heavy and grounding energy.   Like most black crystals it can absorb 'negative' and static energies.   This 'protection' it gives however, is from such things as mobile phones, Wi-Fi, computers and geopathic stress, with which it deals very happily.   If placed near to these with the intent to minimise their emanations, then it will absorb their 'negativity', thus 'protecting' us from them.   If someone actually wears or carries around Schorl,  rather than protecting their energy field, as it is absorbent, it could instead draw negativity in.

Because it is such a dense and intense energy, it is only used within healing as a very heavy duty grounder, placed beneath the feet of someone who can take its energy (and this is rare).   For the majority of people the energy is too potent, and they would be better served by a different, and less intense earthing crystal.

I had a good lesson in just how potent Schorl is whilst teaching a class about its properties a number of years ago.   I had placed a large amount of Schorl in the centre of the room so that we could sense its energies collectively.   As I began to teach about the crystal I found my mind kept going blank, I couldn't seem to access my own 'higher' knowledge, and I was even having trouble putting my sentences together in a coherent fashion.  It took me a few minutes to realise that of course, I had put too much Schorl down in the room.   Students remarked it was as if the class was now being conducted from several feet within the earth.  It was certainly one way to illustrate its energies!

The crystals which do actually protect and strengthen the energy field are all those with a higher vibration, such as Amethyst, Turquoise, and Lapis Lazuli, which are also therefore safe to use over the whole energy field and chakras.   Schorl, in contrast has a very low vibration and is much too dense to place either around the energy field or upon the chakras (with the possible exception of briefly being linked up to the base chakra).   If you think of it in terms of the vibrations of colour (the colour of a crystal is part of the reason why it has certain energetic properties, though there are other reasons) it makes sense.   The colours violet and purple, deep royal blue and turquoise all vibrate at a fast frequency. Black however vibrates at a very low frequency and what is perceived by the eye as a black object is actually black because it is absorbing all light.   Negativity around us also vibrates at lower vibrations, whereas it cannot exist at higher frequencies. However, do please bear in mind that if we have a lesson to learn about something in life, then what we perceive as 'negativity' could still get through, as it is important in some way for our growth.

What I would suggest is, rather than take my word for it, is, if you are already used to wearing or using Schorl about you to protect you then do an experiment. First, just be aware of how you feel and act when you are wearing it, then for three or four days take it off and instead carry some Amethyst or a piece of Turquoise or Lapis with you, with the intent that this protects your energy field.   Then afterwards compare your experience of how 'protected' you felt carrying each crystal.   I would be very surprised if you did not notice a difference in your moods and general outlook going from using black Tourmaline to one of these other crystals!

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