The Healing Power of Crystals and Crystal Bowls
by Marla Carlson

I was recently talking with a friend about crystals and she commented that each crystal she comes across is like discovering a piece of art created by nature. Like each one of us, every crystal has it own personality, its own gifts to offer. There are many books and resources on the internet that provide a wealth of information about crystals. Many people with years of experience working with crystals have written about the healing benefits they offer, but you will discover the true healing power of crystals when you begin to personally connect with them.

Crystals are wonderful tools that can assist you to realize your full potential. They are known to enhance energy work because they can conduct and amplify energy. They also have their own distinct characteristics and properties which contribute to the enhancement of any given healing session. Placing crystals in your home or workplace can bring the characteristics and properties of the crystals to your space.

There are so many kinds of crystals it can seem overwhelming to know which one to choose, which one is right for you. There are many books such as Love is in the Earth, by Melody, and internet resources that detail the properties of crystals and the way in which they can be used to assist the release of “dis-ease” in your body, or to change the energy in a space. For example, an amethyst cluster at your desk or in your therapy room will help transmute negative energy. Amethyst helps you think and act at your highest level and reduces tension headaches. Wear an amethyst pendant continuously for migraine prevention and for alleviating arthritic pain.

In your exploration of complementary therapies you may have come across the idea of working with your chakras to help with personal and spiritual growth. If you are unfamiliar with chakras, Anodea Judith provides a helpful explanation of the benefit of working with them: “The word chakra is Sanskrit for wheel, or disk, and signifies one of seven basic energy centres in the body that corresponds to nerve ganglia branching out from the spinal column, as well as states of consciousness, developmental stages of life, archetypal elements, body functions, colours, sounds, and much, much more. Together they form a profound formula for wholeness and a template for transformation.” Each chakra has a colour associated with it. If you are working with issues relating to a particular chakra you can find a crystal to help you with this work, or being drawn to a particular colour of crystal may help you discover a chakra with which you might want to work. Here is a list of seven chakras to help get you started on this journey:

Root: red – survival – garnet
Sacral: orange – emotions, sexuality – carnelian
Solar Plexus: yellow – personal power, self esteem – yellow calcite
Heart: pink or green – unconditional love – rose quartz
Throat: sky blue – communication – turquoise
Brow, or Third Eye: indigo – intuition, imagination – lapis lazuli
Crown: violet – transcendent consciousness – amethyst

Another powerful way to work with crystals is intuitively, to become your own expert. Every crystal has a story to tell and the ones you have been drawn to will have a something to say that is personal to you. The easiest way to connect with your crystals is to sit with them while you are in a meditative state. You can do this quite easily by finding a quiet place without distraction, closing your eyes, and beginning by breathing deeply (filling your body up on the in-breath and emptying out on the out-breath). Allow yourself to listen with all of your senses. With a bit of practice you will be surprised at the messages you may receive. It is important to learn to trust and accept your inner knowing, to become your own expert, allowing your intuition to guide you to what you need most. In fact, as you begin to work more actively with crystals you may discover that what your rational mind/ego finds distasteful is actually what you need the most. This is just one way that our ego can get in the way of our own healing. However you choose to work with crystals will benefit you, but by using different ways of knowing, stepping outside your comfort zone, you may reap benefits you cannot even begin to imagine.

My own personal journey with crystals led me to the crystal bowls or should I say the crystal bowls found me! We attended the Tuscon Rock and Gem show in February with the intention of sourcing crystals for our crystal shop but when we went into Crystal Tones we were enchanted by the resonance and moved by the incredible energy of the crystal bowls. The Crystal Tone’s Master Alchemists believe that the bowls choose their players. Within the first moments we shared with the bowls they definitely chose us. We were guided to bring back a family of crystal bowls with the intention of sharing their beauty and magic with new and old friends through healing sessions and workshops.

At this point you may be asking yourself what exactly are crystal bowls and what are their healing benefits. Crystal bowls are made from 99.992 percent pure crushed quartz and they produce pure vibrations. While we may consider crystals to be lifeless they are actually made up of the essence of our physical and energetic composition. Our bodies, like crystals, are composed of silicon and water. This helps to explain why when a crystal bowl is played we can feel the vibration of it resonating within us.

Crystal bowls come in many sizes and are attuned to musical notes which correspond to the chakras. When the bowls are played by gently moving a mallet continuously around the outside edge of the bowls, or by tapping them with a mallet, they create enchanting music. They help us heal by entraining the nervous system to vibrate in harmony with the universe. This allows us to move beyond the boundaries of the mind. Their resonance shifts the patterns of thinking we have built up over time and allows us to vibrate in harmony with the universe, beyond anything we could create from our finite self or ego. This unlimited sound vibrates and creates light, creates life. The sound of the crystal bowls becomes the sound of the Universe. Within this sound and resound we relax, stress departs, and healing and rejuvenation occurs, as we journey into the sublime vibratory field of all that is within us, of all that we are, of all that we come from.

I hope this article has provided you with some food for thought for how you might want to engage with the crystal kingdom. Once you start you will discover the journey is very beautiful and rewarding. Crystals are here to help us remember who we truly are—beings of light, beings of unconditional love. My wish for you is that your work with crystals helps you discover your inner truth, your inner beauty, so you can step into infinite potential.

Marla Carlson is President of Care From the Core Regina, Inc., where she also facilitates meditation classes that provide her with a constant source of inspiration and wonder. She and Duane Phillippi have recently opened Crystal Resonance, a crystal shop in Regina, which has allowed them to share their passion for crystals with others and has deepened their connection with the crystal kingdom through the crystal bowls. They are both sharing the magic and beauty of the bowls through healing sessions and workshops. For further information about Crystal Resonance’s offerings phone (306) 535-2710, email: love@crystalresonance.ca, or visit www.crystalresonance.ca. Also see the colour display ad on page 41 (of the 15.3 September/October issue of the WHOLifE Journal) for Care From the Core’s upcoming crystal show.