Healing Crystals – helpful or a hoax?
Amethyst, Labradorite, Rose Quartz and Carnelian are words that might not mean much to some, but to healing crystal enthusiasts each carries different properties.
In the past few years, natural healing alternatives like essential oils, all natural products, and more have been growing in popularity. Along with that trend, mineral rocks commonly called healing crystals are becoming more and more commonplace.
Krista Nestoruk, owner of Tweedside Road, a home décor shop in Fredericton that sells healing crystals has been using crystals for a few years.
It all started five years ago when she opened her first shop in St. Andrews, NB. The shop before her had sold healing crystals, and Nestoruk found tourist customers would often go into her shop hoping to buy healing crystals.
After a few years, Nestoruk decided to start selling some healing crystals in her store. Then, she began using them.
Today, she believes in their benefits as an aid for alternative healing.
“Well, I think that there’s much more to this life than the material world and I think some people are closed off to that idea. And that’s okay; that’s their journey,” Nestoruk said.
“But when you start to open up and realize that there’s more than what meets the eye and we’re energetic beings, then you can accept that crystals can be an aid. They’re not going to change your life, you know?”
Nestoruk’s meditation routine with crystals takes place in a little spot she set up in a room in her home. In that room she has many crystals, including a piece of Amethyst that belonged to her grandmother, along with some personal items.
“Some days I just feel called to hold certain ones in my hand, but sometimes they’ll just stay on the alter and their energy is just in the space,” she said.
But how exactly do they work?
Nestoruk explained all of us have certain energies inside us that can be impacted by external factors – like a rainy day making you feel blue. In other words, we all emit a certain vibration that can be easily affected.
“Crystals aren’t. they hold their vibration; they hold their energy. When you hold onto a crystal or have it in your pocket or in your space it affects your energy. It kind of helps to regulate your vibration. And that’s how they work,” she said.
Still, some aren’t quite so sure about the benefits of these crystals.
Tyler MaGee, third-year university student, doesn’t believe in them.
“I am a believer in modern medicine. I think that we put all our research into science, and it dictates what in my mind we should be doing and practices we should follow. For those who use healing crystals – you do you,” MaGee said. “My personal view on it, though, is that it is a placebo in your mind. It changes your perspective of something; I don’t think it actually helps anything.”
“I don’t feel like it’s a reliable source of medical attention; I feel like the same people who use healing crystals also probably don’t get their children vaccinated,” said Desiree Carr, fourth-year St. Thomas University student.
Finally, Anna Sirois said she has never tried healing crystals before and knows little about the process.
“I don’t really have an opinion – I don’t know enough about how people use them to have an opinion whether I believe in their uses or not. But I am willing to learn about them, and I’m open to learn about them,” Sirois said.
At the end of the day, it seems whether these are crystals with healing powers within them, or just simply pretty rocks, is all dependent on your perspective. I’ll let you decide.
