Fifth dimension
Igrew up listening to horror stories — mostly from my parents talking about their otherworldly encounters. From staying at haunted hotels to seeing some kind of white smoke blow out of a chimney where no fire was lit, they talked about possessing some sort of extrasensory perception or ESP whilst all of this blew over my head. My pride and joy? No ESP. Just pagiging KSP or kulang sa pansin.
New Age journey starter pack: crystals, healing and community allies.
It was revealed to me later on through some medium that apparently my sister KC, who passed away in a fire incident many years ago, had ESP as well – which explains why I always woke up to her beside me. She saw things. I can’t imagine. All the while, I thought she was always in my room because I was her favorite sibling. Modalities / Mortalities
Well, I spoke too soon. At the not-sotender age of 31, roughly four months ago, I found myself having my first otherworldly encounter. Three a.m. Spirit’s Hour. Lights were out. The bed started shaking. No earthquake alerts on Twitter. Welcome to the twilight zone.
I went through a great deal of stress in those weeks following the incident. Between more bed-shaking, standing hairs on my back, and a general feeling of discomfort as though I was being watched, I met with people with socalled ESP to help me cope. Waking up at 3 a.m. consistently was no joke. For a working dude, it meant sleepless nights
and being in a zombie state while trying to balance work and play. I even went so far as staying in a hotel across from my place one night. There, I experienced no perturbations. One psychic said they were attracted to my place because of the silence and the amount of black. For somebody who had spent time creating a sanctuary from the outside world, I was all of a sudden cohabiting. That was until I met someone who introduced me to what had become my new life’s obsession: crystals.
You mean like jewelry?
No, think of it as energy elixir for the mind, body, and spirit. Crystals are actually part of the New Age movement that has teased enlightenment and the Age of Aquarius for the last half-century. It comes from the word krystallos, which means crystallized light. Its healing powers have been used for thousands of years, having become relatively obscure due to the rise of western medicine. They’re in everything — jewelry, furniture, art, even everyday items that you might have found yourself admiring without reason. I would find out later on that we are drawn to certain crystals, particularly because we are in need of their healing capabilities. An enlightened scan through your space will make you realize that you’ve had them all along.
More than aesthetic, crystals possess energy that expands or redirects your own. Maybe it’s a placebo effect. Maybe it’s the crystals actually at work. I mean, who would’ve thought that those crystals you’d encounter in Final Fantasy really did have powers? Or there was more to the names of villains in Sailor Moon? Look at the index of most crystal books (Naisha Ahsian and Robert Simmons’ The Book of Stones: Who They Are and What
they Teach has become a bible of sorts) and you’ll see that there’s a crystal for every concern you might have. Feeling anxious? Pick up an amethyst. Making a high-level pitch for work? Whip out that Botswana agate. Developing a green thumb? Try a green fluorite. Cramming a paper? Try the Chinese writing stone. Lacking in the heart department? A rose quartz should do the trick. A crystal ally revealed to me recently that having kept a rose quartz pendant by her heart chakra for several months led to her meeting the man of her dreams. They even got married a year later.
Who’s got spirit?
In my case, crystals helped me finally clear my space of unwelcome guests and restore my peace of mind. I found myself after the incident being influenced by friends who have made it a habit to go to the Fifth Dimension shop in Makati More than aesthetic, crystals possess energy that expands or redirects your own. Cinema Square to expand their crystal awareness. There, they sell everything — from customized crystal bracelets, tumbled stones, geodes, and even sage and palo santo, which you can use to clear your space and smudge your crystals (you need to energize and clean them every so often; best thing is to leave them under a new or full moon).
With caution, I talked about my situation and they recommended I buy a huge white selenite to put in my living room. Apparently, wayward spirits and elementals cower at the sight of white selenite. I also bought several black tourmalines to grid all corners of my space in order to further repel negative energies. These have also provided grounding for when I’m feeling disconnected from the earth. In short, lutang.
My collection has since expanded — from amazonite to increase confidence, aquamarine for clear articulation of my highest truth, angelite and howlite to prevent the occurrence of bad dreams and help with my insomnia to sardonyx for a pick-me-up during social situations, among countless others. Amazingly, my social anxiety disorder isn’t so bad anymore. I’ve also made it a habit to get tumbled stones or bracelets for other people. It is said that crystals are more powerful when programmed and given as gifts to others.
Turning over a new leaf
I’m taking my New Age journey a step further by wanting to learn about Reiki healing and finally paying Healing House a visit (believe it or not, I’ve been selfeducating, making myself a guinea pig throughout this process). There, you can try several modalities, from theta healing to mandala art therapy, to help you with life’s stresses.
A recent convo with my mom about crystals led me to some sort of realization about them. I was devoted to crystals, and she to the power of religious artifacts. She gave me a bracelet made of red wooden beads and a St. Benedict to keep the spirits away. Having tried Reiki, I felt around for the energy from the beads. There were none. But the energy from the St. Benedict was palpable — like I had hit some kind of force field. Blessed by the pope, it would protect me from all sorts of danger. But also, it felt to me like an intersection of various beliefs — the Catholic tradition x alternative healing. It’s the concept of universality crystallized through various means.
There’s still much to learn about this whole thing. Try reading books for starters (I’m on my sixth!). Talking to a lot of people. Joining a community of allies. And visiting a crystal shop (there’s also Crystal Age in Maginhawa) to find your New Age BFF. The process has been both fulfilling and challenging. But hey, whatever works, right? Namaste.