It’s not just a rock: the spirituality of crystals

Citizens of Windsor and Essex-County have been turning to crystals when looking for more than traditional healing and spirituality practices.

Dating back six thousand years, crystals were used as healing tools by ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egyptians. Their use is based on concepts borrowed from Asian cultures and religious practices. Each crystal is assigned different properties which are believed to be beneficial in many ways. All crystals are meant to pull and put in energies through chakras, the seven main energy points located from the base of the spine to the top of the head.

“People are scattered. Their energy is scattered because every time you go and do something you’re giving some of your energy to that and what the crystals help you to do is to pull all of your energy together and keep you centered,” said Linda Amicarelli. “Keeping centered helps you live in the moment. Nothing can phase you.”

Amicarelli is the owner of Pelee’s Rock Bottom in Leamington. She opened her shop in 2002 and has been involved with crystals for nearly 30 years. She’s been mining for crystals in Peru, Egypt, the southwestern states, Nova Scotia, and in northern Ontario.

Amicarelli believes crystal healing is the roots of humanity. She said people who are willing to seek out the information through awakening will find their own path.

According to transcendingconsciousness.com, awakening is a shift in consciousness where thinking and awareness separate. It is considered a form of universal awareness and presence to the here and now.

The whole world is connected through vibrations and energy according to Spirit Science. Some people can feel the energy and vibrations, whether you have awakened or not.

“I am not sure it’s to one thing or object but I have had moments where sonder (calm) sinks into my head and I feel spiritually connected to everything around me,” said Cassidy Van Der Boose.

Van Der Boose does not really believe in crystal healing, but said if she knew more about them she would try it. She believes there has been a link between religion and spirituality, but her beliefs are agnostic.

“I feel like crystals in themselves are not a spiritual journey and not the be all, end all. I believe that they are a placebo that allows people to open their minds and focus on the positive,” she said.

Enlightenment has been derived from Buddhism and Hinduism, where a follower of the faith would open their minds fully and see their truth in life. It is believed certain crystals help a repetitive person become closer to awakening and seeing truth.

“It’s just when people wake up they automatically seek all of this information because they remember it from way back when because of all of the lives we’ve lived,” Amicarelli said.

There is about seven metaphysical and crystal stores around Windsor and Essex-County. Across Canada, there are thousands more.