Why use quartz crystals? What is it about them above all other stones that makes them so
special?

Quartz crystals have been used since ancient times as powerful healing objects and meditation tools, and to make medicinal elixirs. Wise adepts have long known about their qualities and have used crystals for powerful talismans and amulets. Throughout history people have valued the beauty of quartz crystals and have used them for ornamental decoration. References to crystals are found in both the Old and New Testament, and in many other sacred teachings
throughout the world.

How can minerals or stones have any influence or value? It is because there is a consciousness inherent in all forms of matter. Even rocks have their own consciousness! We use these crystals of the mineral kingdom to aid us in attunement with different aspects of ourselves.

Crystals have their own particular vibration of a precise and measurable intensity. This vibration attunes itself to human vibration better than any other gem or mineral. Quartz crystal is used to amplify, clarify and store energy. When you create a thought, you can amplify and clarify it by using a crystal. Quartz has long been recognized for its ability to produce electrical impulses. (Pressure on quartz crystal generates a minute electrical charge called
piezoelectricity.)

You can learn how to handle and work with crystals to heal yourself, others, and the Earth. Crystals have long been revered for use in magick, for psychic development, and to see into the "hidden dimensions" that permeate physical reality. It is said that crystal has the ability to rebroadcast energy from the Universal Mind so your "inner self" can pick it up, granting you heightened perception. A crystal is a focus for this knowledge and help, and it magnifies and
transmits psychic energies and healing powers.

Crystals have a hexagonal, symmetrical shape. This is a basic form in geometry, physics and atomic theory, and is a universal, perfect form in the structure of matter. The energy that radiates from clear quartz, the piezoelectric effect, amplifies healing abilities.

As a rose has been called the most perfect representation of beauty in the plant kingdom, the quartz crystal is the essence of perfection in the mineral kingdom.

The use of any form of quartz crystal will benefit you. What can you do with these gemstones and crystals to help yourself? Meditate with them. Place them on a part of your body that needs healing. Carry them around in your pocket. Wear them as jewelry or use them as a keychain. Sleep with them under your pillow. Put them on your desk, kitchen table, coffee table, anywhere that you will be near them and enjoy the benefits of their vibrations. They are just like a good
friend??"one whose companionship you delight in. Love them. Look at them. Enjoy them. They help you by their very presence. It’s a gift they freely and lovingly give to you.

Historical Uses for Crystals

Stories of the powers and uses of crystals and gems have come down to us from the beginning of time. Legends have it that crystal forces "set" the electromagnetic field of the Earth so that human souls could incarnate. The most popular stories dealing with the use of crystals date back to Atlantis. There, it is said, large crystals were used to generate power for cities, and it
was the abuse of these energies that eventually caused the destruction of this great civilization. Edgar Cayce stated that the largest crystal generator is buried under the Atlantic Ocean near the Devil's Triangle, and this massive shift of unfocused electromagnetic energy is what causes ships and planes to go astray.

It is said that crystals were harnessed in Atlantis for power and surgery. In ancient Egypt they were the force that enabled the huge sandstone blocks to be positioned in building the pyramids. Built atop granite, the immense pressure of these stones activated the crystals found naturally in this granite, creating a gigantic generator.

Crystals were used to light the inner tunnels and chambers while the pyramids and Mystery Temples were under construction. Ancient civilizations, particularly Atlantis, used giant crystals to focus laser light. Crystals were used to fly aircraft, light homes, heal, for agriculture, and to focus beams of energy between pyramids, obelisks, temples, stone monuments and all grid points. Each
pyramid amplified the energies to "light" Earth. Crystals were used to control weather, to attune initiates, and in radio waves for communicating with home bases in space (the orbiting Mother ships).

Crystals were used to generate energy, which was focused in various ways, not all of
which were positive. The Atlanteans used an advanced form of hypnosis in which complex detailed visuals were projected into a person's brain, either knowingly or not. By doing this, thoughts could be influenced, as could memory banks. Near the decline of Atlantis, the dark priesthood was involved in control over others. They used crystal power to create pestilences and diseases to kill
people by projecting holographically the images, fears, concepts, etc., they wanted to impress on people. They experimented on the populace. Scientists manipulated embryos to create subhuman forms to be used as slaves. Embryo development was arrested with crystal energy and hypnotic suggestion caused the embryos to stay more reptilian, scale-like. (Some people today are concerned
that genetic engineering could be used for control and manipulation).

Crystal generators were built which Edgar Cayce called the "terrible crystals." Many Cayce readings refer to the use of crystals in Atlantis, both for positive and negative uses.

Long ago it was learned that much good could be accomplished in the blood and nervous systems. In Atlantis and other ancient civilizations, the Earth grid system or energy ley lines were understood and utilized. Crystals were employed to accentuate this energy grid system. Crystal energy was used as a focus for other purposes also. Atlantis and Lemuria used ultrasound and other energy
forms. They used mind power by humming or "toning," and by doing so levitated rock. Crystal pyramids were used like a laser device because they could store and focus energy: sunlight energy. The crystals could encode information to a higher vibration and beam information into a person. The student could obtain the equivalent of a college education from crystal energy.

Lemurians used crystals underground to grow food because they were afraid of the giants living on the surface who were unfriendly and antagonistic. The Lemurians came to spend most of their time in caves, and so needed light energy to grow food. The stored energy from crystals was the source for this light.

In times past, crystals were used to balance harmonies in the body??"to stabilize the flow of prana, to stimulate the chakras, to raise the kundalini energy. Facets of three, five, or seven were used for certain illnesses, while four- and eight-sided crystals were used to maintain balance. Crystals of various colors??"red, green, blue, violet, white, etc., were used to heal various illnesses. Their healing properties restored eyesight to some in the hands of adept healers. Crystals were placed on the eyelids to draw in prana and heal organs inside the body. Much later in history, the American Indian shamans placed quartz crystals over their eyes to help them become more clairvoyant.

The ancient Greeks believed that quartz was "eternal ice" which came down from Mount Olympus, home of the Greek gods. The people used its natural magnifying power to focus the heat of the Sun’s rays in order to start ceremonial fires. According to the famous Roman scholar Pliny, who wrote in the first century a.d., they used the focused crystal heat from the Sun to cauterize wounds.

The ancient Egyptians held quartz sacred, and carved drinking vessels from quartz. When they drank from these cups, the water became imbued with life-giving energy. They mined quartz, and along with many cultures began to carve it into jewelry and a variety of objects, both artistic and utilitarian.

The Crystal Ball

This unique form of quartz found by archaeologists has been found in such distant areas as Peru, Siberia, Australia, Chaldea, Greece, Rome, Assyria, Persia, Japan, and China. The ancient Chinese and Japanese regarded quartz as the perfect gem. The artists who carved spheres were thought to be the most capable of spiritual and artistic purity. They considered the quartz crystal ball the heart or "essence of the dragon," symbolic of the highest powers of creation. The Chinese and Japanese shared the term sui ching for quartz, which means "water essence," the source of peace and power.

Tibetan monks called crystal balls the "windows of the gods," using them as holy objects of great power. The Taoists believed that looking into the crystal’s clarity "crystallized" one's being, and they considered quartz the "gem of enlightenment." Buddhist altars included quartz spheres as an invocation of the "visible nothingness" that delineates the duality of the material and spiritual
world.

Contemplation of this "visible nothingness" gave rise to crystal-gazing, which has been practiced since time immemorial. Crystal gazers use the spheres as windows to faraway places, the past and future.

American Indian Legend of Crystals

In ancient times, people lived in harmony with Nature. They spoke the same language as the animals and plants. They hunted for food only to satisfy their hunger and needs, always offering a prayer of thanks for what they had taken from Nature.

As time went on, humans lost this innocence and harmony. They took more than they needed. They forgot their prayers of gratitude. They killed animals, and each other, for sport or pleasure.

The Bear Tribe, chief among the animals, called a meeting of all the animals. They decided that something had to be done. The Bears suggested that they shoot back when the humans shot at them, but the bow and arrow required too great a sacrifice, for one bear would have to give up his life so that his sinew could be used for the bowstring. The bear’s claws were too long for shooting a bow
anyway, and would become entangled on the string.

The Deer Tribe offered another method of dealing with the problem. One of their members said, "We will bring disease into the world. Each of us will be responsible for a different illness. When humans live out of balance with Nature, when they forget to give thanks for their food, they will get sick." And in fact the Deer did invoke rheumatism and arthritis; each animal then decided to invoke a different disease.

The Plant Tribe was more sympathetic and felt that this was too harsh a punishment, so they volunteered their help. They said that for every disease a human gets, one of them would be present to cure it. That way, if people used their intelligence, they would be able to cure their ailments and regain their balance.

All of Nature agreed to this strategy. One plant in particular spoke out. This was Tobacco, the chief of the plants. He said, "I will be the sacred herb. I will not cure any specific disease, but I will help people return to the sacred way of life, provided I am smoked or offered with prayers and ceremony. But if I am misused, if I am merely smoked for pleasure, I will cause cancer, the worst disease of all."

The close friends of the Plant Tribe, the Rock Tribe and the Mineral Tribe, agreed to help. Each mineral would have a spiritual power, a subtle vibration that could be used to regain perfect health. The Ruby, worn as an amulet, would heal the heart; the Emerald would heal the liver and eyes, and so on. The chief of the mineral tribe, Quartz Crystal, was clear, like the light of Creation itself. Quartz put his arms around his brother Tobacco and said, "I will be the sacred mineral. I will heal the mind. I will help human beings see the origin of disease. I will help to bring wisdom and clarity in dreams. And I will record their spiritual history, including our meeting today, so that in the future, if humans gaze into me, they may see their origin and the way of harmony." And so it is today.

This is a Cherokee legend, but it has been told in almost every tribe in the Americas. It tells of an ancient time of peace, a mythical homeland known to every culture on Earth. The Native Americans call it the "old way" or the "original way."

Origin of Quartz Crystal

A crystal is a beautiful, perfect form. It contains within it harmony, balance, clarity and perfection. A quartz crystal takes over 10,000 years to form. They come from deep within the Earth’s core, and were formed when the Earth was evolving. Natural quartz crystals, often referred to by ancient traditions as the "veils of the earth," frozen water or frozen light, combine the elements silicon and water through a lengthy process involving heat and pressure. They are buried in the Earth, or sometimes in streambeds where they have washed down from higher ground after being dislodged. They are often found near gold. Varieties of quartz crystal, sometimes called rock crystal, are found all over the world. The largest numbers of crystals are mined in Arkansas and Brazil.

Ninety per cent of the Earth’s crust is made up of the mineral group known as silicates, a combination of silicon and oxygen, plus other elements. The simplest silicate is silicon and oxygen??"quartz crystal. Chemically, it is the oxide of the element silicon, and its chemical formula is SiO2. It has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale. The crystal structure of quartz is hexagonal with void spaces in geometric trails throughout the crystal.

The name crystal comes from the Greek word crystallos meaning "clear ice," for the ancient Greeks thought that these transparent rock crystals were in fact frozen water turned into stone. Another legend has it that Holy Water was poured out of the Heavens by God and frozen to ice in outer space on its voyage to Earth. Angels petrified the "Holy Ice" to preserve it as a protective blessing for humanity.

Quartz is the most common mineral found on the Earth. In the world of gemstones, quartz supplies more different varieties than any other mineral. Gem quartzes can be divided into three main groups:

- crystallized quartz
- compact quartz
- cryptocrystalline quartz

Most crystals are formed by the repetitive addition of new matter to a growing crystalline mass. Some crystals have their origin in the magma or fiery gases of the Earth’s interior or in the volcanic lava streams which reach the Earth’s surface. These minerals, which include quartz, are called igneous. They are formed by the solidification of this molten mineral as it cools and hardens. As the molten rock mass cools, the atoms group together to form the essential regularity that determines the shape and composition of the crystal.

Some crystals grow from vapors in vents in volcanic regions. This type of crystal includes sulfur, and is condensed from hot mineralized gases into a solid state as the vapors are escaping from the inner Earth.

Some crystals form from water solutions or grow with the help of organisms on or near the Earth’s surface. These crystals are known as sedimentary minerals, and are formed through the process of mechanical or chemical weathering. Air, water, wind and ice are the main erosion factors involved in dissolving the Earth’s materials that will eventually be cemented together and occasionally crystallize.

Also, new minerals are formed by the recrystallization of existing minerals under great pressure and high temperatures in the lower regions of the Earth’s crust. These metamorphic minerals undergo structural and chemical changes after the original formation, reorganizing the atoms and creating different textures, compositions and crystals.