Rock stars
WITH A STRING OF CELEBRITY FANS, THE MYSTICAL WORLD OF HEALING CRYSTALS HAS GONE MAINSTREAM PRACTICALLY OVERNIGHT. LIZ CONNOR DIGS DEEPER INTO THE TREND
ADELE holds them while she’s performing live. Katy Perry sleeps with one next to her pillow. Victoria Beckham uses them backstage at her fashion shows.
We’re not talking about the latest iPhone or expensive dog breed. These days, the accessory that celebrities won’t travel without are some of the oldest materials on earth; healing crystals.
Crystals have been touted for their spiritually aligning properties for thousands of years (the Egyptians carved grave amulets in lazuli, clear quartz and carnelian), but thanks to A-listers and social media, they’ve had an unprecedented resurgence of late, practically becoming commonplace for today’s wellness-smart Millennials.
Instagram’s global footprint is living proof; the hashtag has been used more than six million times, mainly as a vehicle for ‘crystal hauls’ (the trend for ‘gramming crystals and gemstones in artfully curated layouts). The industry is now reported to be worth well into the billions, with slick web stores trading in high-end crystals popping up at a rapid rate.
The so-called ‘first wave’ of healing minerals happened in the Seventies, but it gave the practice a bit of an unfair rep, thanks to its connotations of hippyish, ponytailed men and witchy women who’d give Stevie Nicks a run for her money.
Today, spirituality is as important as fitness to many young people, and with ancient practices like yoga and meditation hitting the mainstream, crystals are just the latest new-old thing we’re giving more time to.
“It’s not surprising,” says Reeya Avani, a crystal therapist and dealer based in a well-heeled part of London’s Mayfair (reeyaavani.com). “Today’s teens feel like they have to be on top of everything, so there’s a lot of peer pressure for them when it comes to technology and trends. They’re counteracting this by falling back on the authentic, on what was.”
She believes one of the biggest reasons why people have started to invest in the practice is our plugged-in, stressed-out culture, alongside a societal shift away from pharmaceuticals. “We don’t want to be taking antidepressants anymore,” Reeya says. “Why pop pills when you can heal yourself with something natural? This way of thinking is starting to make sense to people.” Reeya says her client base ranges from frazzled city workers looking for spiritual calm, to students who would rather spend money on their health than on a night out drinking during exam season. Though there’s little in terms of scientific evidence, the therapy is based on the premise that crystals have highly-consistent molecular structures that can bring inconsistent energies, or ‘blockages’, back into harmony (a process known as ‘entrainment’).
Holistic therapists believe crystals have unique vibrational frequencies that can synchronise with the body in several ways, which is why they are thought to have different healing properties.
Lapis lazuli is good for back pain, Reeya tells me, while chrysocolla can soothe the aches and pains of arthritis. She uses green aventree, a pretty emerald-coloured gemstone, on clients with high cholesterol and blood pressure.
The emotional benefits are potent too: Rose quartz is believed to be good for love and healing a broken heart.
“I don’t stay single for long,” Katy Perry was quoted as telling Cosmopolitan magazine. “I carry a lot of rose quartz, which attracts the male.”
Amethyst is a good blanket fixer to promote positive thoughts and absorb bad energy, while blue lace agate and lepidolite is said to help calm the Millennial scourge; anxiety.
Reeya’s Mayfair office is filled with crystals of all shapes and sizes, some of which – I discover while visiting for a treatment session of my own – have been organised to form a line leading onto the bed. This is called a ‘crystal layout’ – sort like a spiritual menu, with each stone lining up to a different area of the body.
She explains that crystals concentrate on seven chakras which run from the head to gut: the crown, third eyes, throat, heart, solar plexus, sacral and root. These are the centres through which energy flows in our bodies. A blocked chakra, Reeya explains, can result in mental and physical illness. She tells me she originally got into healing after going through a traumatic time in her life.
After a day of commuting and deadlines, I arrive for my 45-minute treatment flustered and stymied by a buzzing smartphone.
Reeya explains that she uses a mixture of Reiki and crystal healing to help clear the body of bad energy and reopen the pathway from crown to root – all I have to do is lie on the bed, hopefully in a deeply meditative state, while the stones are placed on my body.
The entire process is a divinely and deeply calming experience. Call it placebo if you will – but I could practically feel energy thrumming through my body as Reeya worked from head to toe ‘unblocking’ my stressed-out chakras.
That night, I slept better than I had in months, and the next day felt energised, awake and calm.
There’s homework to do afterwards. People who want to find Zen at home can meditate with the stones placed over their chakras on the body for 20 minutes per day.
Or, if you have limited time and patience – let’s face it, we’re all busy people – Reeya says you can simply place some crystals around your house and let them do their mystical business.
“Amethyst is brilliant,” Reeya advises. “It’s my favourite stone. I think everyone should have a big piece in their home or office, as it just absorbs the negative energy.”
Next year, she will start supplying crystals to corporate offices in a bid to help tackle mental health in the workplace.
The beauty industry is also cottoning on – jade and pink quartz skin massage tools are a big trend for the coming year, while brands like Aveda, Kita, Prismologie and Kora Organics already sell products infused with ‘positive energy’ stones, like tourmaline and clear quartz.
Clearly, we’ve barely skimmed the surface of ‘peak crystals’, and 2018 looks set to be another landmark year in their meteoric rise.
One tip? Just don’t go thinking that it’s New Age.
“Celebrities have a massive impact on the public and what they do. Boy George was into crystals, and The Beatles were big on spirituality,” says Reeya.
“But it’s not new. It’s old, sort of like going back to basics. People are just seeing it in a new light.”