The history of crystal healing

Crystal healing is a technique in which crystals and stones are used to cure ailments and protect against future diseases. The crystals act as a conduit for healing by allowing positive energy to flow into the body, whilst providing a pathway for negative energy to flow out.

The practice of using crystals to heal has been seen since the very early days of humanity, in the form of amulets and talismans, although we have no real way of knowing the earliest date that these objects were used.

• 30,000 years ago - Some of the oldest amulets found in Britain were made of Baltic amber, and can be dated back to around 30,000 years ago in some cases. The sheer distance that these stones and amulets travelled shows just how valued they were to the people of the time.
• Palaeolithic era – Jet beads, bracelets, and necklaces were discovered in gravesites in Belgium and Switzerland from the times.
• Ancient Sumaria - The first historical reference to the use of crystals was from ancient Sumaria, where they were included in magic formulas.
• Ancient Egypt –The ancient Egyptians used crystals like lapis lazuli, carnelian, turquoise, clear quartz, and emerald in their amulets and jewellery for health and protection.
• Ancient Greece –Many of the names that we give crystals today originated from the ancient Greek language. The word ‘crystal’ comes from the Greek for ‘ice’; it was believed that clear quartz was water that had frozen so deeply it would remain solid forever. The word ‘amethyst’ means ‘not drunken’ and amethyst amulets were worn to prevent drunkenness and hangovers. Hematite is derived from the Greek word for blood due to the red colour it turns when it oxidises, and soldiers would rub ground hematite on their bodies before battle as they believed it would make them invulnerable.
• Ancient China –Jade was the favoured healing stone of the ancient Chinese people, and it is still very much valued today. This green stone was recognised by the Chinese for its kidney healing abilities and the colour is thought to bring luck.
• Renaissance period –During the Renaissance period in Europe, which began in the 11thcentury, precious and semi-precious stones were used alongside herbal remedies to heal the sick.
• The 1600s – In 1609 Anselmus de Boot, the court physician to Rudolf II of Germany, proposed that the virtue of a gemstone was due to the presence of good or bad angels. Later on int he same century, Thomas Nichols put forward the belief that gems, as inanimate objects, could not possess healing effects, and so crystal healing fell out of favour across Europe.
• The 1980s –A New Age dawned in the 1980s, and the use of crystals and gemstones in healing began to regain popularity. Much of the modern day practice is drawn from the old methods and adapted to suit our time now that we have more information about how to channel the positive effects of crystals within the body.

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