Healing crystals

Growing up in a crunchy granola, hippie household, I have had my fair share of run-ins with many a healing crystal.

Within the last few years, I have begun to see the growing trendiness and appreciation of a mediation practice that is so close to my heart.

My love for healing crystals, that once branded me as the “weird rock girl” in middle school, has transformed me today into a sort of trendy, all-knowing speaker of the crystal to many of my friends.

What many people do not realize is that anyone and everyone can use and understand healing crystals. It seems odd to some to use something as simple as a rock to meditate through, but all it takes is a little bit of faith to reap the rewards.

Many of the mainstream meditation practices today tend to intimidate people. Take Bikram yoga for example, which requires you sweat to death in a room full of strangers, or Aerial yoga, which requires you hang from the ceiling in contorted, not-so-flattering poses.

It’s easy to be intimidated by the meditation world, but the good thing about rocks is that they don’t judge.

You can meditate from the comfort of your own, cozy home, without the nerve-racking experience of not knowing the right mantra to chant, or feeling insecure about your lack of trendy yoga clothes.

According to Judy Hall, the author of “The Crystal Bible,” “Crystals have been used for millennia to heal and bring balance.” Healing crystals have been used for hundreds of thousands of years to heal not only the physical, but the mental and emotional as well.

There are thousands of crystals out there, all with their own unique properties. There truly is something for everyone; the unique and great thing about crystal healing is you can pick and choose what works for you.

Crystal meditation has been getting more and more coverage in the media today with the use of Etsy shops making jewelry out of them or soaps embedded with healing crystals to wash your body and soul at the same time.

No matter where you look, you can find a crystal. Even in our own borough of West Chester, right next to Fenn’s Coffee, you can find The Prana House, one of my go-to locations for all my various crystal and apothecary needs.

In addition, crystals can also be used in a multitude of ways. One of the most typical is simply holding the crystal of your choice in your hand while meditating and allowing its energy to flow through you.

If you’re not into that, you can make a crystal grid where you line up the stones in a specific placement or geometric pattern for the purpose of directing energy toward a certain goal.

If you want to go the simpler route, or are dipping your toes in the world of crystal meditation, you can wear a crystal as jewelry, or even just carry one around in your pocket.

Each of these practices will produce the same effect and benefit. I get a lot of believers and a lot of skeptics, but at the end of the day, we are all dealing with stuff in this crazy whirlwind of life, so if a pretty rock has the possibility of helping in any way, why not give it a try?

Who knows, maybe you will surprise yourself.

Madi Ogborn is a student at West Chester University. ✉ MO883968@wcupa.edu.