Pain Relief Prisms

 When you feel pain somewhere in your body, it is a small voice that needs to be listened to. It could be old energy that needs to be released or a blockage or imbalance. I was in a hit-and-run auto accident where I was hit by a drunk driver who plowed through a red light and totaled my car, and very nearly me. As I hit the brake, my foot and ankle were shattered, rather like a porcelain teacup thrown with great force. The doctors wanted to amputate my leg, but I managed to talk them out of it. I had to learn to walk again, but I can walk and even dance and run again after lots of physical therapy and healing. But nowadays whenever I hit the brake too hard, I feel pain because my body remembers. The tissue and bones old the memory imprint of that awful day and the terrible trauma.

Crystals have very mild and serene ways of tranquilizing negative energy and releasing the pain. In my case, I ever so gently rub the crystal across my ankle. (Carnelian works well because it is said to be good for healing bones, but quartz can also serve the purpose.) The stone feels cool and calming as the pain dissipates. I can also visualize the pain going into the crystal, and the crystal forming a prism that contains the pain. At first, this was very frightening for me, but I found that rose quartz helped me deal with my fear. I placed the rose quartz over the heart area, the solar plexus, and as the crystal touched upon the heart chakra, I felt the fear dissolving while the pain gradually lessened. Turquoise and carnelian are also good for this.

I once had a copper bracelet set with onyx, coral, and turquoise from a Cherokee reservation that was so effective at treating wrist pain that it finally disintegrated from overuse. Copper is unmatched for dealing with edema, the swelling and inflammation that can be caused by arthritis, repetitive stress injuries, sports-related soreness, and many other issues.

Malachite has a lot of the mineral copper in it, so a pendant, ring, or bracelet with malachite can be a great agent for pain reduction. Iron-rich magnetite is another pain absorber. 

Cranium-Calming Crystals

Lapis Lazuli has been used to treat headaches for millennia. My dear friend Abby suffers from migraines and cluster headaches. I gave Abby some earrings with lovely blue lapis settings to help her with this chronic condition, and she has reported great success. These headaches can have many causes and triggers; my beloved amber essence oil was one until we figured that out! The main causes are stress, anxiety, and various food triggers. Oddly enough, amber in crystal form alleviated Abby’s heinous headaches, seemingly absorbing the negative energy. Amethyst and turquoise are also good for this. Several stones are good for stomach illness; citrine and moonstone create calm, in this case, that stops the stomach unrest from signaling the brain to have a headache.

Darning Your Aura

We have all encountered psychic vampires, whether we know it or not. The problem is, your aura will know it because psychic vampires tear away little pieces of your chi, or life force, leaving holes in your aura. You can identify the places that need patching because they will become noticeably cold as you pass a crystal over them. Pick your favorite stone from amethyst, citrine, or any quartz and run it all around you at a distance of about 3 inches. Make note of the cold spots and lay the crystal on those places for about five minutes, until the spot feels warmer. You will have repaired the holes in your etheric body and should being to feel a pleasant sense of renewed wholeness once again.

Here’s another technique: crystal combing. It sounds odd, but you will become an aficionado immediately after you have felt the wonderfully soothing results. The beautiful pink kunzite is amazing as a mental management crystal. Take the crystal and brush it in gentle, slow, downward strokes from the top of your head, the crown chakra, to the bottom of your feet. The next time you feel overwhelmed by anxiety, try this and you will feel more relaxed and in control afterward.

Crystals have very mild and serene ways of tranquilizing negative energy and releasing the pain. In my case, I ever so gently rub the crystal across my ankle. (Carnelian works well because it is said to be good for healing bones, but quartz can also serve the purpose.) The stone feels cool and calming as the pain dissipates. I can also visualize the pain going into the crystal, and the crystal forming a prism that contains the pain. At first, this was very frightening for Kunzite is also a heart mender, touching upon the heart chakra to bring inner peace, clear away old romantic wounds, and get rid of emotional baggage. You can place a chunk of kunzite upon your chest, meditate with it, and feel the healing energy flow in.

Crystal Clarity

 Crystal healing requires consciousness on the part of the end user. So, you must be aware of the potential of a given stone and wear it mindfully. Following is a veritable encyclopedia of crystals and the special qualities that they avail to anyone with crystal consciousness. I have also noticed in myself and in fellow gem fans that certain affinities between people and crystals will make themselves known and should be paid attention to. If you are attracted to a certain stone, by all means, investigate. Learn what that that gem or crystal is about and examine your present state to see if you are in need of its particular properties. I went through a two-year period of being very attracted to quartz striated with little streaks of gold. Gold can very much intensify the healing power of quartz, cleansing the aura and awakening all the chakras. I found out later that I had cancer, which, thankfully, is in the past—recent past, but nevertheless, my doctors tell me I am “clean.” Unbeknownst to me, I was gravitating toward a stone that offered me just that—cleansing.

My friend Nancy and I love to shop together. On the weekends we browse through bookshops, take in a movie and lunch, and then go to our favorite little shop, Planet Weavers, a sort of metaphysical five-and-dime. I noticed there was a time when Nancy kept buying citrine, a fine yellow or gold form of quartz. Nancy is much less New Age than I; her feet are firmly planted on the ground. But I was aware that she was going through a really hard time at work with a very critical supervisor. She always seemed to be getting into trouble and never saw that she might have been at fault in some way. After she wore her favorite citrine-chip necklace, her path at work got smoother, and she and her boss started getting along. Citrine can aid in being able to receive and hear criticism gainfully. It certainly worked for her. So, please do listen to sudden stone attractions. Your body or subconscious may be sending you a very important message!

Crystal Healing and Crystal Consciousness

It is becoming widely known that crystals can be curative for the emotional body, the spiritual body, and the physical body. And, we have learned that crystals can interact electromagnetically with people. The prehistoric medicine man and shamans knew instinctively how to harness this stone power and use it to enhance or stimulate energy; they never doubted the power of the unseen. Modern shamans talk about the body in a different way; they are in tune with and are working with the etheric body, the subtle life force that sustains the physical body and serves as the matrix for the metabolic functions. They work with the system of chakras (points of energy in the astral body that are associated with various parts of the physical body) and endeavor to make sure everything is in proper alignment. Illness beginning with misalignment of either the etheric body or physical body can result in a domino effect of maladies. Imbalance in the etheric body can cause low energy; depression; stress-related diseases such as shingles, ulcers, and migraines; and any number of other serious physical issues.

It is important to recognize that crystals work in a subtle manner and are useful for dealing with causes. Crystal medicine isn’t going to cure ulcers or migraines, but it can get at the root of the problems and is marvelous when used in connection with Western medicine. I am thrilled that my hospital here in the San Francisco Bay Area—California Pacific Medical Center, on Webster Street in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights—has an Institute for Health & Healing. This integrative medicine center has a Healing Store that sells crystals, healing stones and herbs, finger labyrinths, and aromatherapy and meditation aids and offers classes in Easter approaches to healing, such as yoga and tai chi. We are living in wonderful times when you see medical doctors also practicing alternative and integrative healing methodologies.

Experimenting on Your Own

There are so many kinds of rituals, from everyday actions to special incantations for high holy days such as Beltane (May Day) and Samhain (All Hallows Eve). You have sampled just a few spells and rituals here and have learned how you can wield gem magic in your life. After you have been practicing these crystal conjurations for a while, you can experiment with new variations, and they will most likely come naturally to you. Try the stones you are attracted to for your altar, and if you feel an affinity for a certain crystal, explore it in the resource section of this book and then discover for yourself how you can use that stone to suit your needs. Just think about the positive change you want in your life and create your personal spell book.

Inviting and Welcoming Benevolent Spirits

 By now, you should have gathered up a collection of crystals that includes small rocks. Make a wind chime with them to use when you want to gather up the good energy of those unseen who can help protect you and drive away the not so helpful energy.

Take a stick (a small piece of sea-smoothed driftwood is perfect); tie string around chunks of any or all of these crystals that help you make contact with your guardian angels—celestite, aquamarine, muscovite, morganite, and selenite; and tie each string to the wood. Hang it in your home or wherever you want to make contact with the spirit world.

Welcome the spirits by blessing the new chime by smudging it with sage smoke. Jingle the chimes energetically while you speak this spell:

“I call upon my angels to guide joy to my door
Such gladness as I receive, so I shall give
By the moon and the stars
I call upon my guardians
To show me the best way to live.
For this, I am grateful. Blessed be.”