Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Life | Wed, May 13 2009, 10:19 AM
They say gold is ruled by the sun – a masculine energy – while silver is controlled by the moon – a feminine energy. But crystal comes under both forces, so works with both energies, which in turns brings balance to our bodies.
You might not buy into those claims – for you crystals might simply be beautiful stones that are easy to fall in love with. But have you ever gazed into a crystal and felt a strange bliss flowing through your body? Did you suddenly feel its soothing and calming effects within your inner self?
Well, if you have, then it means that the crystal attracted you in ways beyond the aesthetic – it has magnetized you spiritually or metaphysically. And this is what lies behind the popularity of crystal therapy.
An aspect of holistic healing, crystal therapy has at its center the use of various kinds of crystal or gemstone to facilitate healing of both emotional and physical disturbances.
Ancient history has documented widespread use of various kinds of crystals in healing tradition. Jade, for example, is a green-colored stone that is believed to be able to attract love and protect us from misfortune. Or the purple amethyst, which was used by the legendary Cleopatra during her bathing ritual to maintain her beauty. Various ethnic groups have been also known to use malachite as a cure against kidney stones and hematite for aching bones and sore backs.
In brief, crystals have been used across centuries and civilizations for both internal and external purposes. From broken hearts to low self-esteem, migraines to sore throats, muscular pain to cancer, any ailment can benefit from the healing power of crystal. You might wonder: How could that be possible?
First, it should be understood that the tradition of holistic healing believes that all living things, including humans, are surrounded by an electromagnetic field, simply known as an aura or natural energy. According to Ayurvedic therapist Maya Safira Muchtar, this electromagnetic field attracts other energies – both negative and positive – from its environment.
Crystal, on the other hand, she says, has the ability to gather, focus and amplify these energies. It also resonates with the energies in such a way that they can stimulate our aura, which in turn brings harmony to the body.
“Crystal consists of certain elements like minerals, iron and more, which are composed in a way that can influence our body’s electromagnetic field,” says Maya, who is the director of L’Ayurveda holistic center in Jakarta.
“Crystal has the ability to synchronize our body’s energy with its surroundings, thus it can energize and protect our body and mind.”
This actually can be explained from the crystal’s structures. Scientists have found that elements in crystal such as silicon and oxygen molecules are arranged with geometric precision and in a rigid formation, meaning it can generate great force. Scientist Marcel Vogel, for example, who spent years researching crystals, shaped a quartz crystal into a double terminator, which he found resonates at the same frequency as water, the main ingredient of the human body.
And Vogel’s research isn’t alone. Maya reveals that several studies on the use of crystal on plants or electronic devices have proved that the healing power of crystal really exists.
In the case of a dying plant, for example, “it grows back after a crystal is buried underneath it,” she says.
Or what about quartz watches? According to Maya, they are so called simply because they use crystal quartz. And guess what? “Crystal quartz is used because it can prolong the battery’s power and helps the clock’s hands move accordingly.”
Even television, Maya reveals further, benefits from crystal.
“There are these small crystals attached in the diodes used in television,” she says. “These crystals work to create a clearer and brighter view of television.”
So thanks to these scientific advances, more and more people are interested in crystal therapy today. They incorporate this therapy by simply carrying or wearing crystal, or placing a crystal in a location where they can feel its healing vibrations. People also come to crystal therapists to enhance the healing progress.
“Some people come to my place just to deal with self-esteem problems,” Maya says, adding, ”while others come to battle stress and even to treat cancer.”
According to Maya, crystal therapists first diagnose the patient’s problems to find out the right type of crystal for him or her. This is because each type of crystal has its own unique ability because of the different proportion of elements that form it.
“The colors, shapes and textures of crystals have special meanings that can focus on particular forms of healing energy, which is used to overcome specific complaints,” she says.
A crystal therapy session with Maya usually takes 45 minutes and costs Rp 175,000, and the total number of sessions required depends on the individual situation.
“In the case of cancer patients, for example, they have to have one session every day. But other disturbances could need once a week or so,” she explains. Generally speaking, Maya adds, patients usually have a total of seven sessions, although that depends on the illness.
“And after completing [the required number of sessions], it’s also important to maintain progress,” she adds. “That’s because our body’s energy is actually like a battery. It needs to be recharged at least twice a month.”
Maya says further that because crystal therapy is part of holistic healing, practitioners like her often combine it with other healing procedures such as reiki, breathing techniques and color therapy.
“Using reiki, for example, the therapist will transfer his or her positive energy to the patient,” she says. “And in this case, the crystal acts as a medium to increase the therapist’s energy which is channeled to the patient.”
Color therapy, on the other hand, has to do with treating specific problems associated with the seven energy points (or chakra).
“Our body has seven chakras, each of which deals with specific problems and has a different color to the others,” Maya says. “Crystals are sometimes placed on the chakras that correspond to the colors of the crystals. This is to cleanse and energize the chakras and thereby bring greater health and sense of well-being.”
The first or base chakra, for example, which comes under the color red, corresponds with tiger’s eye and black obsidian. The fourth chakra, also known as heart chakra, is green and suits rose quartz. The violet-colored seventh chakra, or the crown chakra, will find good vibrations with the amethyst.
The use of color therapy to complement crystal therapy is later combined with certain breathing techniques that work as a kind of catharsis to purge emotional tension. This is because, Maya says, our physical aspect isn’t the only thing that needs to be healed.
“We also have to manage our emotional and psychological [aspects] in order to be balanced,” she says. “And purging our emotional tensions can really influence our body’s electromagnetic field, which later can bring this balance.”
L’Ayurveda
Kompleks Ruko Golden Fatmawati
Blok J No. 35, South Jakarta 12421
021-75915813
