Balancing and healing with crystals - The Martha's Vineyard Times

Visiting with Sue Angeley, a certified crystal practitioner.

Crystals are more than pretty objects to admire. They are used in a noninvasive, energy-based healing mode to realign our body’s energy.

Some 6,000 years ago, the Sumerians of Mesopotamia believed in crystals’ healing properties. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners have used them for at least 5,000 years. And the ancient Egyptians mined crystals, employing them in jewelry and amulets to ward off negative energy and illness.

I experienced crystal healing with Sue Angeley, a certified crystal practitioner, during her presentation at Howes House on Oct. 10.

I learned crystal healing is based on the idea that the stones interact with our body’s energy fields, or vibrational energy. Practitioners believe that crystals can redirect energy flow, helping to unblock areas of the body that are “stuck.”

“Everything is energy, and all matter vibrates at different frequencies. Crystals, which have a very stable molecular structure, give off a steady vibration, which is why they are used in watches, computers, and different instruments,” says Angeley.

“Over thousands of years, people have found that certain crystals ‘entrain,’ or resonate, with certain parts of the body. Say, for example, my heart is a bit out of whack. If I put a crystal on it that resonates with the heart, then my heart will pick up that pattern of the vibration.”

She likens “entrainment” to the experience of holding up two tuning forks, striking one so it vibrates, and, in a few seconds, the other one will begin to vibrate as well.

People seek crystal healing for both physical and emotional relief. Angeley emphasized that it is not a substitute for traditional medical or psychiatric evaluation, diagnostics, or treatment. If anyone believes they have a condition requiring medical or psychiatric help, it is important to seek professional treatment immediately.

She explained, too, that crystal practitioners help people heal themselves. Angeley began the session by calling on source energy, my spiritual guides, and my higher self to assist, and expressed gratitude for our mutual healing.

The aim was to open and align my seven chakras, or energy points in my body, that correspond to bundles of nerves, major organs, and areas of our energetic bodies that affect our emotional and physical well-being.

Angeley started by putting a grounding lodestone just below my feet, which seemed to radiate warmth. She placed quartz just above the crown of my head, and used a selenite wand to get my energy flowing up and out of my crown.

Over the next half-hour, she placed different crystals on each of my chakras and tested them one by one with a scolecite and amethyst pendulum. Without moving her hand, the pendulum would begin to rotate either clockwise or counterclockwise, depending on whether the chakra was blocked or open. As Angeley tested them, she adjusted the stones as necessary until I was finally aligned.

I closed my eyes while Angeley worked on me, and different colors swirled behind my closed lids as she moved up my body. For instance, there was yellow when she was at my solar plexus, green at my heart, and lots of purple when she was at my crown. As the session progressed, I also felt an increasing sense of warmth and relaxation. And when we were done, the stress of the day — and week — seemed to have faded a few shades into the background.

When I got home, I sought out an amethyst pendant I’ve had for years and put it around my neck to carry some of the serenity with me for a time.

For more information, contact [email protected].