Welcome to “Healing From Within” I am your host Sheryl Glick author of
The Living Spirit a story of spiritual awakening spiritual communication
healing energies and ways to know your intuitive soul guidance system.
Sheryl is delighted to welcome Sue Lilly author of The Practical Guide
to Crystal Healing co-authored with her husband Simon to discuss the
story of crystal throughout the centuries loved by many for their beauty
and healing balancing renewing energies for living with greater harmony
and well being.
In today’s episode of Healing from Within Sue Lilly will share her
expertise about crystals and the way they have been admired used and
understood almost from the beginning of time. Sue and her husband Simon
have been involved in many aspects of healing for over thirty years.
They have both studied crystal healing, color healing flower essences
and kinesiology. Sue also practices soul and medical astrology.
Sue first encountered crystals being used by her yoga teacher and goes
on to tell us her studies lead her to know that Crystal healing works
through the interaction of the stones and your body’s natural subtle
energies. Unlike modern medical treatments, these techniques have no
obvious scientific rationale or data. For some, this lack of logic and
clear cause and effect can be disorienting, particularly when, as in
this volume, many of the healing processes do not even involve direct
physical contact between human and crystal. Sue and Simon ask you, the
reader of The Practical Guide to Crystal Healing to be an explorer, to
take the same stance that we encourage in every one of our new students
on crystal healing courses: be alert, be skeptical, but be open to new
experiences.
Mankind’s use of crystals and gemstones has always straddled the gulf
that appears to exist between science and magic, practical rationality
and poetic imagination. Thousands of years ago crystals were used in
magic and ritual as well as for practical purposes such as metal-making
and creating pigments. Similarly, in the modern world, the parallel uses
of stones for spiritual healing and as popular “good-luck” charms
contrast with the vital role they play in our advanced technology.
Nothing has changed over the millennia in that regard, except for the
emergence of different world views and belief systems. One great
difference from the past is in the accessibility of many more gems and
minerals. Crystal collecting was once the quirky hobby of a few
gentleman scientists who sourced curiosities from commercial miners. Now
it is a huge industry that caters to a fascinated general public.
Sue first used crystals as a way for healing certain physical symptoms
and saw some amazing results. Crystals offer a way to help specific
illnesses or situations from insomnia to migraines, depression to the
upheaval of moving from a house and also help with spiritual development
along with visualizations and meditation.
Holistic healing addresses the underlying weaknesses that have allowed
physical symptoms to arise. To treat the same set of symptoms, one
person may require balance at a physical level, while another might find
it more effective to work on emotional stress. For true healing of a
condition to take place, stress will probably need to be released from
several different areas of your being over time. Like unknotting a big
ball of string, or opening a combination lock, for healing to be
permanent and effective it must be carried out in the order appropriate
to each individual. Sometimes small steps are needed before big issues
can be addressed; sometimes work in an apparently unconnected area of
the self unexpectedly releases a great tangle of stress. Regular crystal
healing ensures that as much stress as possible is lifted from our
energy systems, and prevents it from reaccumulating. If we can stop new
stresses from settling into our bodies, that helps to focus our
self-healing processes on more fundamental, long-term imbalances. The
techniques chosen for this book are sometimes directed at specific
complaints but are also suitable for everyone because they reduce the
overall loading of stress, helping to improve our general wellbeing.
Sue describes her area of expertise after suggesting that there are many
ways to work with crystals, and trained crystal therapists can choose
from many different approaches to correct an individual’s pattern of
imbalance. For this book we have drawn on the most appropriate
techniques from our long experience in crystal healing and we have
selected from those that can be carried out without previous specialized
training. Sue likes to work with crystal layouts. The majority of
patterns she shows are crystal layouts, where specific stones are placed
on and around the body. Certain layouts harness the healing properties
of color, and for these exercises it is helpful to use cloths of various
colors. Alternatively you can visualize breathing air of the relevant
color for a few moments prior to the exercise. Specialized layouts
called “crystal nets”, which catch specific types of healing energies
and concentrate them around the person being healed, also appear. These
nets are unique to our crystal healing method, and their names often
refer to the aspects of reality they were designed to explore, which we
can only briefly explain in these pages.
Sheryl say that Sue has suggested that, “If we can put aside the
rational, scientific viewpoint that we have come to equate with
intelligence and “common sense”, and look at the world in a more
immediate and sense-oriented way, we can perhaps get an idea of how our
ancestors perceived crystals. From this more poetic and magical
perspective, when something reminds us of another object we “see” a
link, a resonance, a connection between those things. Therefore a
crystal sparkling in the darkness has a resonance with the stars in the
night sky a red stone has within it the heat of embers and the energy of
blood. The connection is immediate and obvious to the senses. Whereas
today we consider such links to be coincidental, in the past they had a
valuable significance. This understanding of resonance, the symbolic and
associative linking of disparate things by similarities of form or
quality, is the very basis of all magical and ritual operations, and is
at the heart of our relationship with stone. At deep levels of the mind
this way of connecting experiences is natural and immediate. It goes way
beyond known facts and, without needing to deny the rational, appeals to
our need to see patterns and meaning in the world around us. It mirrors
the way the unconscious mind seems to operate – for it is the
unconscious mind that runs the body and drives the emotions: the deep
mind is the driver, while conscious awareness is at best a back-seat
commentator on the view.”
Sheryl tells the story of a Yogi who walked into a showroom she managed
years ago and he handed her two stones a larger black one for her
husband and a small golden one for herself. He told her to keep the
stones near to her. Sue suggests that the stones represent what she
believes them to be and Sheryl who is a solar personality one of
sensitivity and passion like the sun has a protector which the dark
stone like Tourmaline would suggest.
Sue’s first book was Crystal Doorways in 2001. This crystal book focuses
on a very particular system of using crystals and color to bring about
changes in our consciousness and an increasing understanding of the
energy world around us. It offers a clear, immediately understandable
system of energy nets using small, easily obtainable crystals. Each net
is illustrated and described in full, with what stones to use, where to
place them, potential uses and background.
Sue tells us there is no crystal she doesn’t like as all crystals seem
to show us more about the Universe creation and the human and spiritual
forces of our lives so many crystals are enjoyed by crystal healers. We
see the process at work in all the traditional associations of gemstones
with planets, parts of the body, emotions and illness, and this is still
the main way that the qualities of stones are intuited today.
Appearance, color, shape, patterning and occurrence are tangible
characteristics that tell the story of what the stone “means”. To
science this seems nonsense, but that is because science looks at the
world in a completely different way. Just because something is
non-scientific does not make it worthless. Science all too easily
dismisses the emotions, but without emotional involvement in the world
life loses most of its meaning and all of its enjoyment.
Perhaps crystal healing works so well simply because it bypasses the
constraints of common sense and satisfies a more basic need for a
personal and intimate connection and harmony with the world. It seems to
be this connection that we all need in order to maintain our mental
stability and physical wellbeing. Let’s look at the resonance of Quartz.
Although not an effective Way to start fire, quartz pebbles when rubbed
or struck together in darkness will generate a faint burst of light. Our
cave-dwelling ancestors will have known of this phenomenon. Quartz
crystals, and many crystals in general, sparkle with light and color.
Like the stars, they seem to contain light. Stars resemble distant
flickering campfires of the spirits. Spirits gather, as humans do,
around the warmth of fires; and it is natural that they will gather
around the fire of crystals. Stars sparkle in the darkness of the night
sky, crystals in the darkness of the earth. Although our dead are put
into the earth, the ancestor spirits are in the sky with other spirits.
So then, quartz must be a way to link with the spirits of the heavenly
worlds and the ancestors. In many cultures quartz crystals are the
pre-eminent tools for spiritual knowledge, transformation and healing.
they are often thought of as fragments of heaven.
This healing pattern shown in the book is one of the original layouts
from the early days of modern crystal therapy. Sometimes called the
“Star of David”, it is basically a six-pointed star comprising two
intersecting equilateral triangles. In classical and medieval magic and
alchemy these triangles symbolized the union of the four elements, fire,
earth, air and water, which were conceived as combinations of earthly
and heavenly qualities. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the hexagon,
made by linking all six points of the star, represents the cross-section
of a quartz crystal. It is also found within other natural structures,
including corals, bone cells, bee hives, carbon atoms, and so on.
When the points of your crystals (terminations) are directed away from
the body, this pattern will release imbalances and clear tension. The
points are then turned toward the body to re-energize and restore
equilibrium
Most types of crystals used in healing and industry are formed when
gases and liquid solutions surge upwards through volcanoes, rock
fissures and fractures in the Earth’s crust. At different depths,
temperatures and pressures change, allowing many varied crystals to form
according to the optimal conditions they require. The harder crystals
such as ruby, emerald, topaz and quartz form quite deep in the earth.
Softer crystals such as fluorite, pyrites and azurite form at lower
temperatures and pressures. The growth of a crystal lattice will be
affected by its environment. Even though the lattice structure is
regular and the relationship of angles and faces remains constant, more
atoms tend to accumulate on one side of the flow than the other, so that
perfectly symmetrical crystals are rare. Often different types of
minerals will crystallize at the same time, sometimes even
inter-growing. It is not known precisely how long crystals take to form
in the Earth’s crust. However, the process requires very specific
conditions that cannot remain the same for long, and so it is likely
that crystals form quickly, within small windows of opportunity.
Sheryl selected Tourmaline which is found in every color to give some
characteristics of and to show how it can be used effectively for
healing. “The black variety is sometimes called “schorl”. When black
tourmaline is translucent, it may have a brown or dark green tint. It
deflects many types of harmful energy, and can be worn on the body or
placed in a space for protection. This crystal works with your core
structure, easing muscles and aligning the skeleton. It can also help to
align a person or space with the energy of the planet. Black tourmaline
has a stabilizing effect on the physical, mental and spiritual levels of
being. It is an excellent grounding stone, helping to anchor the
physical and subtle bodies into the planet.
Smoky quartz another popular crystal is found in mountainous or volcanic
regions. The color, which can vary from a very pale, transparent grey to
a solid, opaque black, is thought to have been caused by low levels of
natural radiation. Smoky quartz is linked to the root chakra and has an
energizing effect on the physical body while being quietly grounding.
This crystal slows down the thought processes, creating tranquility of
mind and reducing the impact of disturbances from the outside world,
making it a valuable meditation aid. It can also help to expand the
subtle senses and makes an excellent support for divination or
channeling
Sue writes that, “The use of crystals in mechanical and electronic
technology has long been familiar – for example, to amplify light in
lasers, and as conductors in crystal radios. The common assumption that
crystals function in a similar way when used as healing tools is rather
naïve, and not based on any correlating evidence. However, the human
system is certainly a conductive electrical entity. Our cells
communicate with one another electro-chemically, but also through tiny
bursts of light (bioluminescence). Increasingly sophisticated scientific
measuring devices are making it clear that our bodies are sensitive to
minute fluctuations of any electric field. It is still within the bounds
of possibility that, in the healing process, crystals and humans
interact as two dynamic equilibriums, exchanging energy information and
feedback loops.”
An understanding of our metaphysical energies is expressed In the Hindu
philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism, the descent into manifestation is
visualized as energy emerging from a single point. This occurs through
the process of becoming increasingly conscious and aware. Finally, near
the very end, the awareness of individuality causes the manifestation of
the senses and ultimately the five elements: ether, air, fire, water and
earth. Our physical bodies, therefore, are only a small part of what we
really are, even though we are unable to investigate the finer layers of
ourselves with our ordinary levels of awareness . Crystal therapy in
alignment with other healing modalities provides a holistic way to treat
and heal and also to prevent many conditions which often affect our body
and mind creating sub-optimal levels of health and well being.
Sue’s successful tips for healing using crystal include.
It is possible to be seated for crystal healing, but it is easier lying
down. A yoga mat or blanket on the floor is ideal.
Wear loose clothing, and remove all bulky and metal items: phones,
spectacles, watches and particularly jewelry (which can affect balance
procedures). Make sure you will not be disturbed. Have some surgical
tape to hand, just in case you need it to keep your crystals in place
for an exercise.
Take plenty of time to relax after a session – as a general rule, wait
double the session time before you resume normal activity, as this gives
plenty of time for your system to adjust to its new balance. Drink a
little cold water.
Short, regular sessions (5–10 minutes, once or twice a week) are much
more valuable for releasing stress and maintaining healthy balance than
occasional long sessions.
Remember that every session is a unique event. Do not expect any
particular experience or effect. Unusual sensations and imagery can
occur as a result of stress release and readjustment of subtle energy.
But a quiet, unremarkable session does not signify that “nothing has
happened”. It is the end result that matters, not your experiences
during the session.
Sue’s Guide to Crystal Healing is a book of beauty and wisdom searching
into the workings of the soul, mind, and body and using beautifully
clear pictures and descriptions of crystals and techniques enable
readers to know so much about ourselves and how crystals tap into the
healing energies of our life force and planet. www.suelilly.com
In summarizing today’s episode of “Healing From Within” Sue and I have
discussed the practical ways to understand and use crystals for typical
aches and pains often relating to bones and muscles and conditions such
as headaches and she has suggested ways to improve circulation digestion
energizing the brain and nervous system, maintaining hormonal levels,
enhancing immunity and wellbeing. We have also discussed how to feed the
spirit shifting from one state to a more prosperous state of being by
removing negative patterns and using meditation with crystals to become
aware of spiritual realms and past lives. All energy modalities and
tools for healing explore the realm of physical and metaphysical life
and it is in knowing both that success health and prosperity are
encouraged and enjoyed.
Sue wrote, “Holistic healing addresses the underlying weaknesses that
have allowed physical symptoms to arise. To treat the same set of
symptoms, one person may require balance at a physical level, while
another might find it more effective to work on emotional stress. For
true healing of a condition to take place, stress will probably need to
be released from several different areas of your being over time. Moving
forward in life requires a harmonious equilibrium between letting go of
the old and welcoming the new, discarding the familiar and accepting the
unknown and untried. Human beings seem predisposed to appreciate
constancy and certainty, and to reject uncertainty and upheaval, even
though the nature of existence is constant change. Moving forward often
requires us to remodel our self-image to some extent, and thus many
spiritual disciplines aim to break down the self created boundaries that
tie us to limited views of who we are, encouraging us to redefine our
existence in a more integrated way. The techniques set out here help us
to address the characteristics we tend to cling on to – both positive
and negative – that may be preventing us from breaking behavior
patterns, or recovering from illness or addiction.
Sue and I would have you know that the balance between mind body and
spirit and the world we live in is a complicated process of renewal
acceptance and finding ways to reconnect to all aspects of our energetic
and physical aspects. Begin to find the tools and skills, crystals and
energies that can heal and improve your view of the Grand Scheme of Life
and add immeasurably to finding greater balance harmony happiness and
peace.
Today’s Guest