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"It is love alone that gives worth to all things." - St. Teresa of Avila
Disclaimer: There is a branch of Christian theology concerned with proving Christian doctrines and it’s called apologetics. Roman Catholic apologetics is far beyond my little pea brain talents and there’s no apologetics here. Sorcery as discussed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) paragraphs 2116 and 2117 isn’t germane to this series of articles. I speak for myself as a Christian mystic and former Secular Carmelite. Ok, I’m good.
I feel like a walking pharmacy. I’m tired of feeling like a walking pharmacy. I take three prescription migraine preventatives and one prescription Meniere’s treatment med every day. I take a number that I won’t reveal for the migraine and Meniere’s attacks that occur but it’s far more than four. I’m going to do something about feeling like a walking pharmacy, if anything can be done. I’ve got my migraine specialist’s approval for this series of experiments, so I’m good again.
Recently, I reread a neat passage about crystals and migraine in the only book I recommend for migraine. Teri Robert, the nation’s #1 Migraine Disease Patient Advocate, wrote Living Well With Migraine Disease and Headaches: What Your Doctor Doesn’t Tell You–that You Need to Know © 2005 HarperCollins. It is part of my migraine education recommendations. I’ve read a library of books on migraine in my 42 years of dealing with it. This is the only book I recommend. I’ve given it away for free. I recommend it to you.
Teri has a chapter about complementary therapies. I’m a firm believer in complementary therapies. To me, they’re completing therapies because used correctly, they complete the work of the Western physician. How lovely it will be when the Western Physician will do his or her thing along side the holistic practitioner whose work will round out the patient’s belief system and the patient will get well and get on with living!
Here is what Teri wrote on pages 156 and 157 of her book:
One of the basic principles behind crystal therapy lies in the theory that different crystals or stones have different vibrations. An interaction between the vibration of the crystal and vibration of the person triggers healing responses. Some people believe crystals were created by God and can have healing properties just as herbs and minerals do. They reason that if we grind up minerals and ingest them, why not use whole stones and crystals for healing effects?...When I was introduced to these theories I figured, “Why not?”
Why not me either? I thought. So, I messaged someone who knows about crystal healing. After taking his advice, I realized there was an entire world that I had not explored, a whole world of healing out there, a beautiful world of healing with crystals.
Am I saying I had never heard of crystal healing? Of course I have. I know this man is a crystal healer. I know all the myths of crystal balls, magic wands, stories of middle- and far-Eastern rulers who used various crystals and things like ground pearls in elixirs and medicines, food and drink and enhancements for all sorts of purposes. After all, I write historical fiction and I’m in the middle of writing a novel about an ancestor of mine whose father and husband both were poisoned–that’s history. In my novel she will have the gift of stopping blood–that’s fiction. She and her sister-in-law use crystals and gemstones superstitiously and so will another character who is a distiller of essences. I’ve done historical reading about how crystals were used during the Renaissance. Queen “Bloody” Mary was said to have a toadstone that she was never without, that she used for “treating” her wine to supposedly render it free from poisons.
So why now after reading Teri’s comments in her book did I decide to research my belief system for guidance and then find out for myself if the superstitions were bogus, placebo, or real? What made me think I’d have success with crystals for migraine? Teri Robert has had some success with amethyst. Migraine is a full-body, genetic disease with no known cure. We can work to prevent them, and treat the attacks when they come, but that’s the best we can do right now. I am retired on disability from both Meniere’s Disease and migraine disease. I’ve tried other completing therapies and whilst I’ve had success for other situations, nothing has ever touched migraine. Was it a fantasy dream to think anything would help migraine in me besides a drugstore of medicine?
Crystal healers are not plain old people. Just have to come right out and say it. They have gifts that science will explain one of these days once quantum theories are thoroughly understood. Right now, there is no way to adequately discuss how crystal healers do their thing. There is so much involved in crystal healing, so much intuition, and that cannot be taught.
I feel like it’s part of the Providence of God, the manner in which God ‘provides’ for us, that this crystal healer agreed to help me. He did it for free. His time is limited.
I made good use of his advice. And became enchanted not with amethyst, which Teri mentions in her book that she uses for migraine and the crystal healer knows of too, but–clear quartz crystal which is what the crystal healer recommended that I start with. Why did he recommend that I start with clear quartz crystal? Part of the intuition of the crystal healer.
I’ve left out part of the sequence of events. Before I ever placed the first clear quartz crystal point on my head to see if it would make my head stop hurting, I had to come to terms with some serious spiritual issues. I wanted to know much more about how rocks and crystals are made and mined and what they do by themselves when they’re just sitting around, much more about how the human body works as we know it, whether crystal healing was something my belief system would even allow me to study much less utilize. I wanted to know if they worked too. Long-time readers, y’all know I’m a firm believe in What Works. Placebo, repeatable results, doesn’t matter to me. If it works, it’s legal, and it’s ok with my belief system, I’m there. But I had to start with my belief system because it is the first layer in the filter.
As we live every day, every minute, every piece of sensory input that comes into our brains is sifted through the sieve of our own belief systems. We all do that. If we’re not taught to do that then we learn to do that on our own. We learn to be true to ourselves, whoever ourselves happen to be. We learn so, so much about morals, social conventions, and how to live rightly from those who rear us. We form our own belief systems based on what we’re taught or what is revealed to us, then filter everything we see, hear, read, or think through those belief systems. I am a Christian Roman Catholic (CRC) Carmelite mystic, so every thought, word, and sound goes through the CRC mystic filter before I accept it. All of us do the same. Some of us are more Democrat than Pagan, Republican than Atheist, more closely attuned to our IRA balances than anything else or sure that our beliefs are to hold no beliefs at all. I had to filter the concept of crystals for healing through my CRC mystic beliefs before I ever sent that first message to the crystal healer. You can’t imagine the spiritual gymnastics I’ve done since then.
I already knew that certain other parts of crystal work were a duplicate effort from a Christian perspective. Using crystals in meditation is an example. In the Judeo/Christian belief system, we pray. We meditate on sacred writings and Scripture, and we can meditate when we pray. In Christianity, meditating on sacred writings is called lectio divina.
Akashic Records wouldn’t be part of Judeo/Christian sacred writings unless one believes them to be the Book of Life as Edgar Cayce, a devout Christian and considered by many to be the Father of the New Age movement, did. There are crystals said to ‘download’ information from the Akashic Records when used in meditation. Never been to the Akashic Records myself so I can’t give a report on what’s there. We would meditate on a crystal if it were part of giving thanks for God’s amazing creation but other than that, the concept of meditating on crystals is superfluous in Christianity by and of itself.
Using crystals to access other metaphysical realms is another area of duplicate effort. I wish I had done that series of articles I had planned on Carmelite spirituality so I could refer to them now!
The Judeo/Christian belief system is balanced by its mystics. The Carmelite Order, of which I was one until I voluntarily withdrew when my formation director and friend died of cancer a few years ago, is a mystical order. My particular side, the Discalced Carmelites, were reformed by St. Teresa of Avila who levitated and performed miracles that have yet to be explained. The Wiki article is quite accurate and well written. Scroll down to the Mysticism section for a good overview of her mystical phenomena. She had visions of heaven that defied her ability to describe because she didn’t know words that would match what she saw. Some of her visions seem to closely match near-death experiences and the trances of Edgar Cayce, for anyone interested. She encountered Hell too, and saw her little cell in Hell waiting for her if she chose not to repent of her sins, and Hell was populated. Honestly, I’d rather not encounter beings like some of the ones I’ve met before. I’ve seen heaven too and wonderful, marvelous beings. Many Judeo/Christian mystics have perhaps not such dramatic stories to tell as St. Teresa of Avila’s, but suffice it to say that using crystals to access other realms is duplicate effort.
My sole interest is in whether there were prohibitions against laying rocks from the earth on a human body to alleviate pain and promote health. I’m certainly no Biblical scholar, but I went to Sunday School every week. I can usually find what I’m looking for. I got started.
I searched the Bible. I searched the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I prayed, and prayed, and talked it over with family and friends. Between myself and my daughters, we’re blessed to have friends right now of nearly every religion except Satanism and I did know someone who was a Satanist priest, but I’ve kinda lost touch with him. Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, I’m working my way through all of these religions to see what I can learn.
During my prayer time alone, the Holy Spirit impressed on my soul the guidance I asked for. I won’t post all that here but if anyone is interested, comment on this column and ask and I’ll gladly share. The more people who examine this, the better we’ll all understand it and hopefully, get it right. The comments for my blog are moderated which means that what you comment comes as an email to me first. They will not automatically appear here on this page. If you don’t want your comments listed after I’ve read them, just tell me.
Neither in the Bible nor the Catechism can I find a single prohibition against using a rock from the earth on the outside of a body for health any more than I can find prohibitions or guidance against using one on the inside of a body for health either (and I’m thinking of mineral supplements now). Using crystals for meditative and/or mystic purposes is superfluous in the Christian belief system. Sorcery as defined and discussed in paragraphs 2116 and 2117 of the CCC isn’t germane to this article. So I’m on to the science of how crystals could possibly do what they most apparently do, and do well.
What I plan is four columns including this one. The next article will cover a few of the rocks and crystals I’ve experimented with and will include some of the information from the crystal healer. Regardless of belief system, there are ways to get the best relief from crystals. Silicone Valley has learned how to deal with crystals too as they’ve built computers. No need to reinvent the wheel.
Right now, I envision that the third article will cover more of the science of crystal usage today. They’re everywhere and I had no idea until I began my work on this series. Rest assured, science has no interest in any religious aspect of crystals and they get spectacular results from their fiber lasers and diamond dome music speakers. Yep, crystals are utilized for their oscillations as well as for their hardness and durability.
I plan the fourth article to cover my personal experiences with crystals so far, maybe give a couple of gem elixir recipes that might be useful to migraineurs. I might put a couple of photos of my own crystals and ones I’ve dug–I’ve been a rock hound since I visited the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington when I was 12 years old and saw the incredible rocks and minerals on display. Once you see a rock fluoresce under UV light, you’ll never be the same. When I saw the diamonds and gemstones fluoresce, I wondered if heaven could be more enchanting.
Crystals: A new world for me, a new way to relieve pain and support health that’s reusable and doesn’t require that I put anything into my mouth. A new way to utilize the fruits of the Earth, this beautiful world that I love so much. Perhaps a way to bridge some of the gap between traditional crystal work consumers and their Christian brethren, if they’ll have us, common ground one might say.
Healing: A solid bridge in this beautiful world, glowing with minerals and sparkling with crystals.
Fossil in shale from my backyard, with watchcat
Fossil in chert, again from my backyard
Thanks to Teri Robert, author of, Living Well With Migraine Disease and Headaches, for reprint permission.
Notice of copyright: © The Carmelite’s Habit 2008. No portion of this may be reproduced. If I hear of anyone or any website taking any of this, I’ll pray for you. And maybe take legal action. Trust me, prayer is more effective.
Copyright 2008-2009 Parin Stormlaughter, Sparkling With Crystals, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. I do not grant reprint permission under any circumstances. Contact me to request permission to link. And remember that if my work gets published anywhere else, I'll pray for you. And perhaps take legal action. Rest assured, prayer is far more powerful.
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