The Complete Crystal Guidebook Blog

The Complete Crystal Guidebook Bloghttp://thecompletecrystalguidebook.comQuick BlogA New Spirituality for a New Erahttp://thecompletecrystalguidebook.com/2007/12/06/a-new-spirituality-for-a-new-era.aspx     At the end of every year the Pope writes a many-paged document for his to Christian followers providing guidance for the year ahead and for years to come. This year, I was struck by the universality of what he was saying, and how applicable his message was to anyone's spiritual path, not just Christians.
    Pope Benedict's main point is that the new christianity, or charismatic, born again movement is missing the boat by focusing so narrowly on one's own, personal salvation. I was struck by his insight as he continued by reminding people that basically we are all connected with each other and with the environment, that we don't stand alone. He urged Christians to realize, then, that since we don't stand alone, our spirituality must be centered beyond ourselves. It must include all people, not just ourselves.
    I think that this applies to all religions. It is time for us all to realize our interdependency, and then to do what we can for each other. Not only with our religion, but in every part of our life. As the Pope reminded us, early Christianity was communal. People shared what they had. So, too, must we begin to experience the world as a large community. As spiritual people, we must help to ensure that everyone is fed, clothed and housed, not just ourselves. Like the early Christians, we should all share our resources, whatever they are, with each other equally, so that we all can live with less fear and tribulation. Perhaps in this new year, it's time to realize that our own salvation or enlightenment isn't something to be attained while ignoring the world, but instead is to be realized through our enlightened activity in the world.
    As the Dalai Lama suggests when saying that his religion is kindness, perhaps, if nothing else, we can begin by being kind to each other. Perhaps we can begin to realize that we are all just as important as each other, that no one is entitled to more than another, and we can begin to treat everyone with respect as an equal member of the world community.
    If we had any doubt of the truth of the Pope's words, we have only to look to current environmental studies to graphically realize our interconnectedness with life. Our way of living seems to have drastically affected all aspects of the planet...the other living beings, the oceans, the air and the water. It is only if we begin to think in terms of a planetary community that we can begin to reverse these negative impacts.
     Not only do environmental studies illustrate our interconnectedness, but also chemistry and physics. We are so interconnected that we share the same chemistry...the same elements...not only with other life forms, but with the very earth upon which we walk, the soil, leaves, stones, the air, the water, the gases. We are all a mixture of space and form. On this level, too, we are all connected.
    A Peruvian Shaman with whom I once studied, used to remind us that we are all actually "star children", that our Earth is a star just as those we see in the sky. Not only do we live on a star, but since the earth is of the same elements as the other stars, and we are of the same elements as the earth, then we are of the same elements as the stars. We are not only "earth dwellers", but also "star dwellers".
    So for this new year, let's forge a new path. Like the early Christians, let's share what we have and consciously turn our backs on the narrow notion of personal enlightenment or salvation. Let's open up our hearts, widen our horizons and seek the salvation of the world community in any way that we can. ]]>On The Crystal PathUma2007-12-06T17:33:06ZUSING CRYSTALS & STONES TO CALM ANXIETYhttp://thecompletecrystalguidebook.com/2007/09/06/using-crystals--stones-to-calm-anxiety.aspxOn The Crystal PathUma2007-09-06T11:49:41ZQUIETING ANXIETY AND ACCESSING THE CLEAR MINDhttp://thecompletecrystalguidebook.com/2007/09/06/quieting-anxiety-and-accessing-the-clear-mind.aspxOn The Crystal PathUma2007-09-06T11:50:44ZHURRICANE ANXIETYhttp://thecompletecrystalguidebook.com/2007/08/14/hurricane-anxiety.aspxI’m sitting here in Maui waiting for the edge of Hurricane Flossie to possibly travel over us. As I watch the sky outside my window I see nothing but greyness. Though gusts of occasionally howling wind sweep through the treetops and a steady rain pours down, the land feels somewhat heavy and still. I notice that so, too, do I. It’s as if both the land and its inhabitants are holding a collective breath, watching and waiting for the storm to come. We, too, feel the still, heaviness inside of us and feel uneasy. Many of us also feel anxious as we wait for news of the big island.

Just as we are affected by changes in the tides and the planets, we are affected by the weather. It’s not unusual to feel “out of sorts”, grumpy, gloomy or irritable when the skys are grey. If the sky feels leaden and the ground soggy, so too can we feel heavy and unenergetic. Now, this isn’t a new thought. It’s both a reminder to remember how deeply we’re affected by the weather and a prelude to the suggestion that we can change the way we’re affected.

Once we realize how deeply we’re being affected, we can concentrate on our body, our thoughts and emotions to transform the effects. For example, if I want to feel more energetic and less grumpy, or want to feel less anxious, there are some simple “energy medicine” practices that can be done.

The first is to become aware of each effect, one at a time and then ask how you would like to feel instead. What would it take to calm anxiety or lift your spirits, for example? What would it take to feel less anxious? As you imagine this, take several long, deep breaths, preferably through your nose. As you let your breath out, let go of any tension in your body. Relax your jaw, your shoulders, your stomach and the small of your back. Feel the earth beneath your feet. Imagine earthen colored light flowing like roots deep into the earth. Relax your hands and arms as you do this.    Breathe deeply and easily through your nose. If you find your mind wandering, bring it back to the present. Soon, you’ll start feeling relaxed and centered, more and more so as you continue. The more centered in the present moment like this, anxiety will flee because in order to exist it must feed upon imaginings of the future. Then, practically speaking, when you’re not feeling anxious it’s easier to think clearly and act more skillfully, which is helpful if a hurricane is coming your way. Once you’re centered this way, it’s also easier to focus your mind to change the way you’re feeling. If you’re feeling grumpy, for example, you have only to focus on your heart, perhaps sending out love, to have the grumpiness transform. If gloomy skies are making you feel depressed, try wearing yellow or violet or have it around you. What colors you have around you can affect you, your thoughts or feelings, as much as the weather. Change your mind to change your feelings. Slow your breathing to calm your mind. Stop imagining the future to transform anxiety.

That said, as a subtle energy healer, as the hurricane approaches I’m going to surround myself with amethyst crystals, visualize positive outcomes and use my breathing to relax.

]]>On The Crystal PathUma2007-08-14T18:31:47ZBRINGING IN THE LIGHThttp://thecompletecrystalguidebook.com/2007/08/10/bringing-in-the-light.aspx Hi everyone! I'm back after traveling to Colorado to spend some camping and retreat time in the mountains. It was really nice sitting on the riverbanks, all alone surrounded by immense mountains, blue skies, flowers and meadows. It helps to take a "time out" from everyday life.

The part of "everyday life" that I'm talking about is about attempting to live with balance and harmony in what seems to be a world gone mad! I live about 5000 miles away from the nearest land mass on a rock in the middle of the ocean...(well, OK, it's not exactly a rock...but it is a very small island!) Even though I'm so far away from the mainland (U.S.), I still am not only very aware of the immense pain and suffering that people all over the globe are going through, but I still feel it in my body. It seems as if the forces of evil and mayhem are very much alive on the planet now.

Of course, this has been foretold for centuries in many if not most of the ancient cultures in the world. During this time it was foretold that the polarity of the dark and light would become very stark, but that this polarity was needed so that the planet would "pop" through into a new age...an age of light and harmony. (Remember "The Age of Aquarius" and the Harmonic Convergence?) It seems as if you need the darkness in order to have the light. I have only to think of those times in my life when I needed a "crisis" or for life to become intolerable in order to make the changes necessary for me to eventually life more harmoniously. Same thing with our planet.

For me, and I'm sure for most of you, it's overwhelming when you contemplate the enormity of the imbalance here on our planet. What can I, as an ordinary person, possibly do that would make even a small dent of a difference?

Sitting there next to the streams in Colorado, the answer came to me again as it has before. What is most important is to channel in the light and then to anchor it within the bowels of the planet. Mother Nature and all her creatures need nourishment, and this is the best way that we can help. We can do that individually or collectively, actively visualizing the light from our Creator or from the heavens entering into us, moving down through our body's, out through the bottom of our spines and feet to travel deeply into the earth.

It's easy to underestimate how powerful this can be....but it's not...especially if we all do this.

]]>On The Crystal PathUma2007-08-10T04:54:00ZBARRY BONDS AND GUIDED IMAGERYhttp://thecompletecrystalguidebook.com/2007/08/08/barry-bonds-and-guided-imagery.aspx
    After reading in today's paper about Barry Bond's home run, I was reminded of a time long ago when he spoke with the San Franciso Bay area Little League players. This day was a special one at the Giant's field because it was a day when any Little Leager could come to the practice before the game and see the players up close. I was sitting in the stands among a rather small crowd of kids and their parents right down near home base, especially excited because Barry Bonds was going to come out to the bleachers and talk with the kids.

    I was thinking what a nice things this was for Barry to do when he suddenly appeared in front of us to do a little talk and then answer questions the kids had. One thing that he said at that time has always stuck in my memory. When asked by a little boy what was the most important thing that helped him hit all his home runs, he thought awhile and then answered this way:

   He said that there were two things that he considered most important to his success as a hitter. The first is when he was a little boy and his parent (father I think) used to through him pitches with balls that had one of three numbers on it...either a one, two or a three. He was only supposed to hit one of those numbers. That, more than anything else helped him focus on the ball. The second thing he said was most important to his hitting ability was that he spent time every day just closing his eyes and visualizing himself as hitting the ball. He would see in his mind's eye or imagine seeing the ball coming his way, then his bat hitting the ball. He would imagine it in as much detail as he could. So, visualization helped him train as much as actual practice did.

   I was thrilled that he was able to talk about the power of visualization, imagination or positive thought. I also thought about the parallels between that and crystal/stone working. Just as in baseball, the strength and clarity of our focused thought is vitally important to our work. Actually, it's important in everyday life too. Where we put our focus and how we think about it surely helps form our experience.

]]>On The Crystal PathUma2007-08-08T15:25:03ZInternational New Age Trade Showhttp://thecompletecrystalguidebook.com/2007/06/19/international-new-age-trade-show.aspx

Well, I'm off to Colorado for the International New Age Trade Show. If you're in Colorado, the show is in the merchandise mart from June 23 to the 25th. It's a wholesale show, so you'll need a resale number to get in. I'll be in the booth with custom jewelry as well as the regular jewelry line, books and music. I'll also be doing a presentation Saturday. As usual, I'll be answering questions and offering to do some energy balancing so people can have a "crystal experience". It's always a lot of work doing these shows, but lots of fun as I meet old and new friends.

Then, I'm off to bring myself and my crystals camping in the Rockies for a nice "recharging" retreat! This should be a great place to charge up some of my stones and do some healing rituals. So, if anyone wants to be included in my healing prayers and ceremony, just let me know in this blog and I'll find out.

Hope everyone's feeling happy and very blessed in a way that is most meaningful to you!

Aloha...

]]>Uma2007-06-19T16:26:00ZMOTHERINGhttp://thecompletecrystalguidebook.com/2007/06/06/mothering.aspx
It’s rather “common knowledge” within the psychology world that if a person hasn’t had mothering while growing up, that feeling of being unconditionally accepted, loved and cared for, that he or she wouldn’t be able to, in turn, be mothering of others.

I don’t think that this is necessarily true, however, because you can’t miss something without knowing on some level what it is you’re missing. In other words, how do you know what you miss unless somewhere inside of you, you recognize the experience? On some level, I think that we all know what mothering feels like. (Notice that most ancient civilizations has some type of goddess imagery.)

I think that this gives us a way of working with mothering, to start by actually embracing what it is that we’re missing rather than running from it. So, in terms of mothering, even if we weren’t loved or our mother’s weren’t there for us in one way or another, we still have within us an inner knowledge of what mothering is and can find it within. Instead of turning away from those painful feelings of missing your mother, for example, focus even more on what you’re missing, trying to bring up as many feelings as possible. Feel what you are missing. What would it feel like to have your mother’s arms holding you, for example? Now, instead of combining the feeling of your mother’s arms with the thought of “missing” them, instead, just feel your mother’s arms. Feel all of the peace, security and love of her arms holding you. Focus just on the love. The more you do that, the more deeply you experience it. A good next step is this: As you continue to feel this mother-love, you can next send these feelings out to others…friends, family and even strangers. In that way, you’re now able to experience mothering and can share it with others, which brings even more mothering into your world.

We all could use some mothering!

]]>Uma2007-06-06T05:44:00ZMIND OVER MATTER...http://thecompletecrystalguidebook.com/2007/06/06/mind-over-matter.aspx

If our thinking determines our experience of reality, by changing our thoughts we can change what's real. Following the earlier analogy, if someone mentions to us that the leaves look brown, we stop and take a closer look while letting go of our earlier presumption by which we experienced green leaves, and then see that the leaves are brown, our reality has changed. The leaves are the same, but for us they have transformed from green to brown. So, the long and short is that by changing our thoughts we changed what's real.

In crystal and stone healing work we work with our mind and the mind of the other person to change reality. We focus our intention and, at the same time, let go of what we "know" to be real or possible. So, we use the stone and maybe combine it with sound and breath and let go of our minds...our thoughts of what is so or not.

Likewise, if we're working with a person who we both know is ill, at the time of the healing we let go of the knowing of "illness". We stop saying to ourselves that we are healing someone's who's sick or unwell and help the other suspend their "knowing" that they are sick and need healing, which only further solidifies "being ill", and instead let go of all logical knowing. We open up our minds to a place that could be described as pure potentiality, of pure beingness and "see" the other as healed. Not BEING HEALED, but AS ALREADY HEALED. And all this takes place as you work with your stone IN THE MOMENT.

]]>Uma2007-06-06T05:38:00ZSLOW DOWN AND SIMPLIFYhttp://thecompletecrystalguidebook.com/2007/06/06/slow-down-and-simplify.aspx

In order to focus during your crystal and stone work you have to slow down. When you're laying stones on the body, you don't want to rush or be impatient. If you are so impatient that you don't slow down to listen to your inner voice, or you're thinking about what you've learned to do next and rush ahead to do that, chances are that you won't be effective because you won't "hear" the guiding "voice" within that will let you know exactly what to do.

This holds true in our daily lives as well.  It is most helpful to slow down....to become the still center within the whirlwind of life.  The western style of living is based on doing instead of being, and more often than not our sense of self worth is measured by what and how much we do rather than our deeper inner core self.

Again, in life as in crystal work, if we're living in a whirlwind, our attention scattered, we can't even begin to focus and calm ourselves.  It's so easy to get caught up in life's whirlwind too and not even realize how off center we are. So, as we continue in this "crystal path", we will likely find ourselves simplifying our lives so that we have less "busyness".

The less we have, after all, the less there is to think about and take care of, giving us the opportunity for less doingness and more beingness.!  The more we are just "being", the more focused we can be because there are less distractions...and more importantly, the more calm, relaxed and deeply satisfied we can be. When we are calm and centered in our "beingness", we will find that a deep happiness and contentment emerges within us.

It's really quite circular...the more we simplify and slow down in our lives, the more that we can be that same way in our stone work. The more that we do our stone work with a sense of inner calm, then, the more we are able to bring that to our lives. Simplification is key.

]]>On The Crystal PathUma2007-06-06T05:36:00ZLAYING STONES ON THE BODY - HOW TO PLACE THEMhttp://thecompletecrystalguidebook.com/2007/06/06/laying-stones-on-the-body--how-to-place-them.aspx
It’s kind of like the difference between coming up behind a person and giving them a slap on the back or saying hi and gently resting your hand on their back for a moment. Chances are that the person will automatically resist the slap and better be able to accept and feel the gentle, forwarned hand on the back. Just plopping the stone down on the body without being aware of how you do it is like the aforementioned slap on the back.

So, when I’m placing stones on the body here’s how I do it. First I have the other person (or myself) lie down on their back with their eyes closed and palms facing up. Then, after centering and grounding both myself and the other person, I hold a clear crystal in my receptive left hand with the tip pointing up my arm. Or I hold a double terminated clear quartz.   I hold another clear, like sized, crystal in my right hand and then slowly sweep down the body, sensing any blockages etc. that need to be clearing or any other areas that need attention. I listen with my “inner hearing” to any information that I may be picking up that could be related to these blockages etc. (which may later influence where I place stones.) When I sweep down the body I am sweeping the aura, usually about 6” to a foot over the physical body. If I sense the need, I continually clear my crystals of any negativity that they may have picked up.

Then I replace the clear quartz in my right hand and begin to place my first stone, usually on the heart center in the middle of the chest. As I begin to lower the stone toward the “edge” of the aura or etheric body there is a slight feeling in my right hand that can best be described as buoyancy. I pause there until I feel a sense of give or a sense of opening in the aura through which I can lower my stone. With complete concentration I continue lowering the stone until it rests on the physical body. During this process, if at any time I feel a sense of resistance or that sense of buoyancy, I pause until I sense an opening again.

As you continue to do your work with stones and crystals you will automatically become more sensitive to this as long as you pay attention. You’ll become very aware of the surrounding auras and energy fields, within and around yourself, others and all other objects. The energy centers in your palms will be stimulated by the crystals and as you do this process and others stone work so that you will be able to feel the aura with your hands quite easily.

Depending on the person I’m working with, using a calm rather hypnotic voice, I let them know that I am about to place a stone on their body and where I’m placing it. Much of the time that helps with acceptance.

]]>Uma2007-06-06T05:32:00ZMORE ON LAYING STONES ON THE CHAKRAShttp://thecompletecrystalguidebook.com/2007/06/06/more-on-laying-stones-on-the-chakras.aspx
   So to clear up blockages, not only do we lay stones on the chakras, but we also connect them one with the other. One way to do this is the following: First, lay the stones on the chakras starting with a red stone on the bottom chakra, an orange stone on the second chakra followed by yellow on the third, pink or green on the fourth, turquoise on the throat, blue sodalite or lapis on the forehead, and amethyst over the crown chakra. As you do this visualize the color and attribute of the stone entering into, opening and energizing the chakra. Next, visualize or imagine a golden cord of light flowing from the bottom stone and chakra upward through each respective stone/chakra and through the crown. As you do this, visualize all blockages clearing until there is just a free flowing stream of golden light. Then, if you like, you can visualize a rainbow of light from bottom to top.

   Next, place clear quartz crystals on each palm and visualize a golden stream of light connecting each palm with the other. Then visualize cords of light flowing up from each palm, up the arms to connect in the heart center. This forms a triangle.

   Last, place smokey quartz, black onyx, obsidian or hematite below the center of each foot. (There are charkas there also.)    As you did with the other chakras visualize a stream of golden light flowing between each foot up each leg and joining at the bottom of the spine.

           If you are working with someone you can gently guide them in this visualization as you lay down each stone. (Remember to consciously and gently lay each stone on the body.) This is a good layout for a general “tune-up” and complete energy balancing .

]]>How ToUma2007-06-06T05:30:00ZTHE MOST BASIC STONE LAYOUT OF ALLhttp://thecompletecrystalguidebook.com/2007/05/16/the-most-basic-stone-layout-of-all.aspx

The most basic layout is just to lay a stone on the heart center…for our heart is the center of all…and love heals all. It will help bring compassion, love and empathy. It will help us to access the wisdom of the heart, to "hear" and "see" with the heart mind. If nothing else, it is profoundly relaxing and will help with sleeplessness.
To do this, I lay the person down on their back or have them sit upward in a straight backed chair or in lotus or half lotus position. The point is to have the spine straight without needing to have any attention on the body. I guide them to close their eyes and to focus on their breathing, feeling it flow in and out of the nose. That will tend to calm and center the person.
When the person feels centered I tell them that I am going to lay a rose quartz, clear quartz, or a green stone like a serpentine or jade on their heart chakra in the center of their chest. If the person is sitting up, I have them hold the stone on their heart center by placing their left hand over the stone and heart center, and then placing the right hand over the left so that the stone is held with both hands.
I will generally use a double terminated stone, or a heart shaped stone on this center. If I do use a single terminated stone over the heart center, I point it downward toward the bottom of the spine if the person needs more grounding and upward if the higher centers need to be more opened.
I may use another crystal as a wand, holding it in my right hand and using it to send energy into the heart, spiral it over the heart center in a clockwise position to open it further, or "pull out" energy to release blockages.
Finally, I guide the person to feel as if, or to imagine that their breath is gently flowing in and out of the crystal and heart center, causing it to flower open. I leave them in this position with the crystal for approximately 20 minutes or until it seems as if it’s time to stop. You’ll just get a feeling if you stay in tune with the process and the person.
If the person wants to continue working with stones to help open their heart center, they can wear a stone heart, or crystal pendant on a 24" chain which will generally rest the stone near or on the heart.

]]>How ToUma2007-05-16T03:59:00ZTHE CROSS STONE LAYOUT: AN OVERALL “TONIC”http://thecompletecrystalguidebook.com/2007/05/13/the-cross-stone-layout-an-overall-tonic.aspx   The Cross Layout is the most basic other than just laying a stone on the heart chakra. (See other blog.) Here is how this layout is done:
   I lay the first stone, usually rose quartz and/or a green stone, on the heart chakra in the middle of the chest. This opens up the heart and begins to relax the person so that they will be able to take in the energy of this and the other stones. I usually guide them to relax the small of their back and take a couple of deep breaths and release them while sounding “Ah-h-h-h-h-h”.
   I then place a clear or amethyst crystal about 6 inches to a foot over their crown chakra near the top center of their head. I envision a clear line of light connecting the heart crystal and chakra, through the crown chakra and the crown crystal.
   Next I place a clear crystal or smokey quartz, obsidian, black onyx or hematite stone about 6 inches to a foot below their feet, positioned in the center. Check to see that this stone is aligned perfectly with the heart stone and crown stone. Adjust them if you need to so that they are straight. If my stone has a point I point it down. As you do this visualize a stream of clear light flowing through the bottom crystal, the heart stone and up through the crown and top crystal and “see” the person as having this subtle cord of light flowing up and down through the center of their body.
   Once I have completed this, then I next place a clear quartz or amethyst in the center of their palms. After I have placed each stone, I visualize a clear stream of light flowing from the crystals/palm charkas up the arms and then joining in the heart. I usually point the crystal in the left hand pointing up toward the shoulder and the right hand crystal pointing outward. This will help balance the male/female polarities in the subtle body.
   Now that I’ve laid the stones in this cross position, I let them rest on the body for at least 15 or 20 minutes, all the time fine tuning and adjusting the stones and possibly the physical body to continually keep these energetic connections between the head, feet and hands open and flowing. As I do this I may guide the person to envision these streams of light themselves also. I don’t as the person this if it at any time seems like it will interrupt the process. If you aren’t keeping track of the time, you’ll get a sense of when to stop.
   I remove the stones in this order: First the hand stones, then the stone beneath the feet, then the stone over the crown and finally the stone on the heart. I may let them rest with only the heart stone for a few minutes also.
   This is the most basic stone layout position. It is excellent for an overall tonic or preventative. The person receiving the layout will start feeling very relaxed and may feel as it they’re floating…very light. They may feel a sense of “letting go”, of just being in the here and now. It will help the mind slow down and riotous feelings to calm. It’s great for helping to calm anxiety. It is useful for any type of healing of the body, mind or emotions.
   It is not unusual for imprisoned feelings to be released as blockages are released, particularly in the heart and thoat chakra. It is important to be able to help the person process and release these blockages if necessary. I do this either by having them visualize grey negativity flowing out of the blockage, leaving it clear. Or I guide the person to feel as if they’re breathing in and out of the blockage, “seeing” it dissipate as they do so. Or I help keep them focused on their heart center, perhaps feeling as if their breath comes and goes through the heart center as they “let go” of these thoughts for now as they rest in the light.


]]>How ToUma2007-05-13T07:21:00ZFocus!http://thecompletecrystalguidebook.com/2007/05/09/focus.aspx
     One pointed focus is integral to crystal and stone work as well as all forms of energetic healing. Focused will (willpower) serves as the energetic driving force empowering visualization, contemplation and meditation, creativity and all forms of intention. It is what allows us to stay open to let the creative, healing and spiritual forces to flow through us. It is what allows our inner ears to "hear", our inner eyes and our mind's eye to "see". I could go on and on.

    One last thing...at the same time that we are focusing our will, it is helpful (and most powerful) to be in the realization that it is not "our will" or our power that is being energized. Our focus allows the conditions to be set so that healing etc. can take place. When we're using willpower it's not really us, it's more like "there is willpower happening". It's really easy to get caught up in powertripping and ego tripping of all sorts, which is really detrimental to you and others. I like to use this prayer before and during my crystal, stone and energy healing work: "Not my will but Thine".

    More on focus later...

Aloha!

]]>How ToUma2007-05-09T07:48:00ZLAYING STONES ON THE BODYhttp://thecompletecrystalguidebook.com/2007/05/02/laying-stones-on-the-body.aspx
   It is very usual for people to have one or more chakras being more stimulated or open than the others. Usually in the western culture the first, second and third chakras are quite stimulated and thus continually distribute that chakra’s energy throughout the physical, astral and etheric bodies as well as the mind and emotions. So, if these three chakras have to do with survival, sexuality and power, these energies predominate within the person. However, if the heart, throat, third eye and crown chakras are not also similarly open, disharmony or “dis-ease” results. This disharmony may not even necessarily show in the body, although often it does manifest as illness. Instead it may manifest mentally, emotionally, psychically or spiritually.   For example, if I have a very well developed ajna or third eye center, I may be able to be very intuitive but also develop huge headaches because my lower centers are not very open and I’m not grounded. Likewise, I may have a very open navel chakra and have tremendous strength of will but also feel very lonely because my heart chakra is closed and I have no empathy.

    Last but not least, it is very important to healing to have the sushumna or central energy channel open, but if there is a blockage in one chakra or another it is like putting a dam up...energy can’t flow freely. If the energy or life force can’t flow freely between chakras, or in and out of our crown and root chakras, then we cannot “feed” our bodies the basic life force by which we live.

   So, when I lay on stones, not only do I lay stones which correspond to the color of the chakra, but I also visualize a cord of light or a free flowing line of energy from one stone to another.

]]>How ToUma2007-05-02T10:12:00ZCRYSTAL WORKING – A WAY OF LIFEhttp://thecompletecrystalguidebook.com/2007/04/25/crystal-working--a-way-of-life.aspx        Though when we talk about working with crystals and stones we always talk about things to do,
it’s really not about doing at all…it’s about being. By working with our stones and crystals we begin to experience ourselves well beyond who or what we normally thought ourselves to be. We begin to experience life and ourselves “beyond the box”. Our consciousness expands so that we begin to “know” in other ways which, in turn, leads us beyond mere conception and the logical mind. As we learn to let go of our expectancies and presumptions of what’s real and not, we begin to experience a new reality that has no words or particular form or beginning or ending.
For lack of other words, we begin to experience and live more and more in the state of “isness”, of pure beingness, a pregnant state of pure potential beyond all normal time or space in which we are all one. That’s the real point of crystal and stone work...to “be”…and from the ground of this essential beingness that connects us with our client and with all life, healing happens.   In other words, healing happens as we connect with our and our client’s essential beingness. In this way, working with stones and crystals can be considered our spiritual path and our way of life.

]]>On The Crystal PathUma2007-04-25T06:54:00ZTHANKFULNESS: SOME THOUGHTS AND A CRYSTAL HEALINGhttp://thecompletecrystalguidebook.com/2007/04/25/thankfulness-some-thoughts-and-a-crystal-healing.aspx     I was walking through my garden the other day and found myself thinking about thankfulness. When you’re feeling connected love, with the Higher Spirit or God, or with nature, with the cosmos, feeling a sense of peace and wholeness, what emerges is a deep feeling of thankfulness. These two feelings or experiences are linked with each other almost as if two sides of a coin. It’s as if from the deep well of your open heart what flows the voice of bliss saying, “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.” This deep sense of thankfulness flows as long as we’re open. Thankfulness, God and love are intimately related.

     So much of the time, however, life doesn’t seem to afford us the opportunities to feel this relaxed openness where thankfulness automatically arises. Instead, dealing with life on a day-to-day level seems to smother any feelings of wholeness and gratitude. Life can be so fast paced with so many responsibilities that you feel stressed, pushed to the max, your whirling mind anything but peaceful as it’s cluttered with internal lists of things to do, places to go and people to see. Instead of wholeness your body tenses up and clenches, trying to hold at bay anxiety and fear as you race ahead trying to get everything done. There is no time for you to relax. Instead you feel scattered in a million pieces. Or life is really hard for one reason or another…and for many of us it is… with wars, famine, poverty or impossible living situations. Maybe we’re sick, or our kids are sick. Maybe we’re dying. How can we possibly feel thankful when we’re dealing with life at that level? What’s there to be thankful about? And why be thankful anyway?

     Thankfulness is a natural antidote for anxiety, depression, tension, feelings of being scattered and overwhelmed, illness or disease. To be thankful is to begin to know the Higher Spirit. While we’re being thankful we feel good and our body relaxes, our hearts open and we begin breathing more slowly. As we continue feeling thankful we begin to feel as if we’re whole again, and a sense of peace flows through us. As we begin to be relaxed and whole, we begin to know our own Self.

     Being thankful is something that we can do at any time anywhere. We can make it a daily practice to feel thankful moment to moment, finding a reason to be thankful over and over during our day. No matter where you are you can just stop for a moment, perhaps close your eyes, take a long deep breath, and as you let your breath go, silently say “Thank you.” It really doesn’t even matter who you say thank you to. You may be thanking God, thanking your Creator, thanking the Mother Goddess, thanking the Higher Spirit, thanking the inner wisdom that flows through us. Nor does it particularly matter what we’ve chosen to feel thankful about. What matters is only saying “Thank you” It’s even better if you can actually feel a sense of gratitude as you say “thank you”. If you can’t feel it, perhaps just imagine you feel this sense of gratitude.

     Now, perhaps life is tough and you can’t find anything to feel thankful for. If at all else, be thankful for your own breath. Take a deep breath and be thankful at that moment that you have that particular breath to take. And then take another breath and feel thankful for that.   As you do this, you may find something else to be thankful about. It doesn’t have to be anything important. Or you may just feel thankful that you were able to eat a meal today…or have clothes on your back. You can even be thankful for “bad things” that may have happened to you because maybe you learned something from it. You can even feel thankful that you are feeling thankful. There’s always something to be thankful for.

     If you do this meditation, you’ll find that the feeling of thankfulness grows within you and with each “thank you” your mind and emotions become quiet and calm, your heart opens and expands, your breathing slows and deepens and your body relaxes. You begin to feel grounded, centered and whole. And it gets easier and easier to feel thankful just as you go about your daily life. You begin to “broadcast” thankfulness and your peace extends beyond you, affecting others and your environment. After awhile you just live in the feeling of thankfulness. You don’t even have to think about it.

          Sometimes in my crystal healing work, after placing stones on the heart chakra and in a circle surrounding the body, I guide the person receiving the healing to feel thankful much in the same way I spoke of it above. I guide them to feel thankful for one thing or another over and over as I use another crystal to open the heart and align the subtle energies. It’s possible to see amazing healings and emotional releases doing this. Be sure to do this work in a safe, quiet environment where you will not be interrupted. After doing the session, let the person receiving the healing lie back for as much time as they need to integrate the experience. I remain open and available to help him or her process the experience because this simple process can be quite powerful.

]]>On The Crystal PathUma2007-04-25T06:45:05ZHeart Centered Wisdomhttp://thecompletecrystalguidebook.com/2007/04/03/heart-centered-wisdom.aspxWhat does it mean to listen with our hearts? When we’re relaxed and our hearts are open, there is a sense of inner knowing that is different than intellectual knowing. It’s a knowingness that is supported by our acceptance of “what is” while letting life flow…one form of manifestation after another, sensation after sensation, feeling after feeling, thought after thought.
             Again, the knowingness that flows from our hearts, from the center of love within us, can’t be explained by mere intellectualism, although our thinking mind is not “turned off”. On the contrary, our thinking mind is in a state of fine attunement, discriminating which of many possible actions would be those most in line with the“information” we are hearing. Also important during our healing work and in life in general, we use our discriminating mind to help separate what is our fancy, our wishful thinking or our own projection from what is actually true.
We may think, for example, that when we put the green aventurine on our client’s forehead that that cured her headache, and we may even be sure that we are experiencing her face relax and her breathing deepen, especially if we have been told that this would work. However, perhaps when forgetting for a moment what we have learned about what’s right to do, and we instead pay more attention to the wisdom of our heart, we may may discover that this time the green aventurine wasn’t good for her headache. Freed from our earlier suppositions and observing more closely, we notice that her face was still because it’s resisting the color, and that the client’s true feeling was not one of relaxation, but of being in more pain. We have learned, perhaps, that amethyst is generally a good stone for relaxation and any type of healing, we pay attention to our “heart mind”, and know that , indeed, amethyst is a better selection.
When healing with our stones we become more like compassionate observers, then, heartfully paying attention to the river of knowing that flows through our open hearts, joined in partnership with our intellectual mind as we engage in discriminating action. We don’t ignore one type of knowing for the other. We don’t just “figure things out”, nor do we only pay attention to what we’re “feeling inside”. Neither do we insist that one type of knowing is better or more important than another.

]]>On The Crystal PathUma2007-04-03T04:41:00ZIs Reality Determined by What We Think?http://thecompletecrystalguidebook.com/2007/03/24/is-reality-determined-by-what-we-think.aspx

What's reality? If two (or more) people can be in the identical setting and circumstance, yet experience them totally differently, what's real? Is it what we think it is?  Is our reality determined by what we think?

Let's talk about this... Say your husband comes home and is angry, and you think he's angry with you, even if it's really about a situation at work, to you, your husband IS angry with you. And you may react to that because it's real TO YOU.

Another example: If I know that a tree has green leaves they will appear to be green to me, even if to another they all look brown in color.  Or I "see" green leaves on the tree because I "know" that the tree has green leaves and can even see the green leaves when the branches are clearly bare to another's perception.

If our thinking determines our experience of reality, by changing our thoughts we can change what's real. Following the earlier analogy, if someone mentions to us that the leaves look brown, we stop and take a closer look while letting go of our earlier presumption by which we experienced green leaves, and then see that the leaves are brown, our reality has changed. The leaves are the same, but for us they have transformed from green to brown.   So, the long and short is that by changing our thoughts we changed what's real.