Crystal tips

Among the more unusual forms of therapy now gaining medical acceptance is Crystal Healing, which harnesses the healing powers present in gemstones. Scoffthough you may, there are those who have experienced the benefits at first hand.

Jean Wallace is a Scottish aromatherapist who attended the first Exhibition, where she was given a short session of crystal therapy by practitioner Elaine Ford Flynn. We asked her how she discovered crystals, and her experience of

their healing properties.

‘1 went to a workshop about fifteen months ago on crystal healing. It was quite a strange coincidence really. I had seen a book in a shop and it was the only book that was facing me on the shelf. so it was there waiting for me to pick it up. I flicked through it and thought this is quite interesting‘ and then the next week this workshop was on and I thought ‘more than a coincidence I shall go‘.

‘I had actually been using crystals for some time for meditation, sol personally have an empathy towards crystals, and the energy they can convey to us. There is a power innately within them. and that can be activated by an exchange ofour own energy with their energy.

‘Then last year, I went to the Alternative Medicine Exhibition and saw Elaine at her stand. and I had a healing done on me. I asked her ifshe would do it, and it was a fantastic experience.

‘I didn‘t go with any problems: it was sheer curiosity to be quite honest, to see how she worked (though ofcourse I didn‘t see that, because I had my eyes closed!). However, I came away with such a fantastically light feeling ofbalance balance is the only word I can put to it as though a tremendous weight had been taken off me. I couldn‘t specifically say what that weight was, although I was going through a period of rather difficult decisions. It was a tremendous sense of freedom you can‘t explain it; you‘ve got to go through it yourself.

‘I had intended to stay at the exhibition for the day, but I went

home and went for a walk instead. I had such a tremendous sense of peace and I suppose I didn‘t want all the crowds to spoil it.

‘I’m an aromatherapist. and quite a few of my clients require emotional balancing. I felt that I could go so far myselfwith aromatherapy. but it needed a deeper balance and also a chakra [in Yoga. a centre ofspiritual power in the body] balance, which I didn‘t know much about. I do give crystals to my clients. They choose what colour they want (you usually choose the colour that‘s best for you) and I ask them to go away and sit quietly with them for a few minutes each day. And I do put the names of clients who I think require special concentration under a big quartz that I have. But for actual healing, I ask Elaine to visit.

‘She comes once a month and takes clients who have expressed an interest or a willingness to use crystals to become balanced. When she‘s talked the problem through, she puts the client on the couch with crystals all the way round and she connects them up. She works through intuition with each individual client. The crystals are connected up in a configuration - I think it‘s a double Star of David she uses which means the body is within an energy field. And then she uses different coloured stones to activate chakras which are closed.

‘It can be quite a disturbing experience, because it is opening a lot of blocks. You could cry and get quite upset, but that‘s very good for you, because you‘re breaking all the

HEALTH

~ ~ blocks down. Anyway. the clients who've been have all said that although it may be a disturbing experience. as they go back into the past and deal with something which has been blocking thetn. they do find afterwards that they‘re much calmer and much more at peace with themselves.

‘I would love to practise crystal healing. but I‘m not sure that I‘m spiritually ready. I do think it‘s important to have a very deep spiritual core. I don‘t mean being religious. but there‘s a great power there and it could be used for totally the wrong ends. and that could be very. very dangerous. It‘s an absolutely immense power— I mean we‘re walking on it the whole time.

‘The new physics is starting to prove all the things that the Yogis. Chinese medicine and Egyptian medicine all used intuitively. because they were in tune with the Earth.

‘I do think crystals have enormous healing potential I think that with the present awakening towards natural forces many more people will come to use them. In the last ten years or so there‘s been far more talk about aromatherapy and soon. And people are not scoffing they‘re taking it far more seriously. 'I‘heir minds are opening up to it.‘

Elaine Ford Flynn will tlenumstrate crystal healing at 4pm on Sat / t), as part of the Second Scottish Exhibition of (‘omplementary .lletlit‘ine. Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh. For further details, see ()pen Listings.

THE TRAVERSE

RASSMARKET DINBURGH 31-2262633

RIiS'I‘A U R A .\"I'

% e H ll‘. SHURI; l.l-.lTll lil ltt (»()\V "H, M1 33% "stis‘ti

-' l am is mainly/rt

A‘I(l’1 .86!

3/4 Shore. I.cith. Tel: 031 553 5080

jOlN SPOKES (The Lothian Cycling Campaign) for fun rides and events and help make Edinburgh the cycling city

SAE to l3 Lochrin Place Edinburgh EH3 for our latest leaflet

The List 9 22 March 199085