Crystal power
Crystal power is a belief that
crystals have
healing,
mystical and
paranormal powers. It is popular in the
New Age movement, but regarded as
baseless by
skeptics and the general
scientific community.
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Quartz crystal |
Crystal healers claim that every living organism has a "vibrational energy system," which includes
chakras, subtle bodies and
meridians. By using the appropriate crystals one can allegedly "tune" an energy system or rebalance energies, thus improving well-being.
The earliest records of crystal healing come from ancient
Egypt. The Ebers papyrus states the medicinal uses of many different gems. Healing with crystals is also recorded in
India's
Ayurvedic records and in
traditional Chinese medicine from around five thousand years ago.
Some authors of fiction have claimed that crystals can be used as a focal point for magical spells; an idea probably founded on scrying-gems such as
John Dee's shew stone. This, and similar, was used by magicians, fortune-tellers, etc for one of two purposes; to co-ordinate the visionary power or to misdirect the attention of the customer.
Criticism
Scientists, health professionals, and
skeptics consider crystal healing to be
pseudoscientific, since there is no scientific
evidence that healing can be achieved by 'crystal power' or that such "energies" even exist. The
placebo effect is a possible explanation for any healing that occurs in the presence of a healing crystal.
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Skeptic's Dictionary on Crystal Power
