About Gemstone Healing
by Edward Bristol

Besides their obvious magic and beauty, gems have a vast heritage of healing power. All cultures, religions and times valued gems to prevent illness, misfortune, and to positively influence the spirit of the wearer. From the shamans of American Indians to the astrologers of Hindu cultures, from the headmen of the Celts to the ghost men of the Aborigines, they all have used stones to cure, heal and protect. Formerly a secret that was passed on from generation to generation, this knowledge has now become a worldwide movement which, across languages and cultures, is dedicated to the re-enforcement of our spiritual self-consciousness. I frequently get asked: "How could a gemstone possibly heal a sickness?" It is not the sickness that gets healed, but the host. Those who dismiss the old wisdom of healers either think science can (or should) explain all there is, or they have never been really sick (despite, or especially because of modern medicine). To start with, a gemstone influences the light pattern of your body and the energy of your aura. Depending on your constellation, your karma or your walk of life a color might be too dominant or underrepresented in you and thus disturb your inner balance. Keeping the colors of your aura in a state of equilibrium is important for your ability to keep off negative thoughts and add positively to your karma. Though we have yet to understand the connection between color and the human brain, quantum physics has come up with a first notion of how colors may influence us on a atomic level.

Here are the basics, as far as we understand them today: Matter is not as solid as it appears to us. In fact, matter can also be understood as energy stored in form of particles. All energy reveals itself in different wave forms such as heat, light or radiation. Color too is a wave form. A gemstone may thus be seen as stored energy (matter) of a certain wave length. Human emotions and physical processes are based on energy and information, which also is transferred in wave forms. Hence, colors may have a direct physical influence on the human mind and body.

Boldly summarized we can see the following equation, or dimension: Matter = Energy = Waveform = Color.

The fact that gemstones combine the most durable matter on earth and the most intense colors, may explain their universal influence and their outstanding position in mythology. Equally important, a gemstone helps you to focus and stay in the present moment. Not to be troubled by an imagined future (which we can not control), nor to be burdened by a past (which we can not change) is the path to happiness and health. Gemstones are not touched by time. A gemstone is the most eternal physical matter we know. The moment you look into a real gemstone, time stands still and the world ceases to trouble you. Try it. Nothing is as satisfying as the timeless look into a gemstone, except meditation.

Gemstones teach you that time is relative or even an imagination of the mind. However, in my personal opinion, gemstone healing is best combined with other traditional healing concept such as yoga or acupuncture. Change and healing do not come from the outside alone, but must also come from within. A gemstone will support a disciplined and focused self development, but it will not replace it. Embedded in a spiritual learning process, gemstones are a powerful healing tool leading to an enhanced self-perception and healthier body awareness. Live skillfully and with compassion for yourself and all that is connected to you. Life is too short to be in a hurry.