Excerpts from Color & Crystals

Part 1: Introduction Overview

"The living body of man and the living body of the earth were constructed in the same way. Through each ran an axis, man's axis being the backbone, the vertebral column, which controlled the equilibrium of his movements and his functions. Along this axis were several vibratory centers which echoed the primordial sound of life throughout the universe."
—The Book of the Hopi by Frank Waters

As Westerners we believe that life energy is limited to things that move and take nourishment and eliminate waste and reproduce. This is a cultural bias, not shared by most so-called primitive people. The art of using color, crystals, sound, and the Tarot has existed since ancient times in parts of India, the Orient, Europe, Africa, Hawaii, and among American Indians who have kept the old ways. These people never forgot the inner world of Spirit and how to commune with the plants, animals and rocks. In the past, Western civilization looked down upon the beliefs of indigenous people. But there is a growing interest in shamanism, the practice of living in harmony with nature and working with natural forces. Psychologists are studying shamanism, leading vision quests, and moving into the field of metaphysics. Through the exploration of hypnosis and dream therapy, and through the works of Carl Jung, Fritz Perls, Wilhelm Reich, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Carolyn Myss and others, we are witnessing a remarkable melding of psychology and metaphysics. Emotions can no longer be separated from the spirit, nor can spirit be divorced from the body. Neither can the body of humanity be separated from the body of the earth. As body, mind and spirit weave together, we find ourselves rediscovering knowledge that is as old as humanity. Foremost among these is the ancient science of the chakras.

The chakra system is known to the Hindu yogis and to many other cultures. It is a method of combining philosophy, spirituality, psychology and sexuality in a coherent picture of the whole person. Once this concept is understood, various methods such as color, gemstones, and vibratory sound (toning) can be used to enhance a person's growth or to adjust imbalance.

According to the teachings of the chakras, as our consciousness evolves it follows a predictable path. This can be anticipated by understanding how energy moves up the spine through the chakras. Chakra means wheel or vortex. There are seven major chakras along the spine. Each is a vortex of spinning energy. When a chakra is relatively open, the rate of spin is healthy and the chakra is charged with energy. When a chakra is relatively closed, it doesn't have much energy moving through it.

Each chakra gives off one of the seven colors of the rainbow, so when all the chakras are open and a person is vibrant and healthy, all the colors of the rainbow appear in the electromagnetic energy field that surrounds the body, which is that person's aura. When there is serious physical, emotional or spiritual imbalance, specific chakras will be less open and the corresponding colors may be impure, blotchy, muddy, or entirely missing from the area of those chakras and from the aura, and this condition will eventually lead to physical illness.

Research initiated by the Russians into a technique known as Kirlian photography enables a person to take a picture of the aura. While experimenting with plants, Semyon and Valentina Kirlian found that before plants became visibly diseased, there were clear signs of imbalance in their auras. Kirlian photography also gives evidence of the existence of acupuncture points, which appear as volcanic bursts of white light on the surface of the skin.

For centuries, traditional Chinese acupuncturists have been treating their patients to prevent illness. They have a method of taking pulses for each of the internal organs. They use this information to balance the energy before an imbalance leads to disease. Through treatment at the acupuncture points, they maintain the flow of energy throughout the body by breaking up blockages. Healing with crystals and gemstones is a similar process. You heal by allowing the aura of the crystal to intermingle with your own. Through its dominant energy, which is a particular color, it clears and brightens that color in your aura, thus removing blocks, and helping to reestablish balance.

Colored light works in a similar way, with the ray of the light penetrating your aura. This is why the pure colors, such as those found in German glass, are more effective than blended colors in lower grades of glass and plastic.Toning makes use of the vibratory frequency of sound to break up blockages in a manner that closely resembles the effect of acupuncture needles. All illness is characterized by blockage in the channels. There are many channels including acupuncture meridians, nerve channels, arteries and veins. Whenever there is a blockage or injury in a channel, it can result in inflammation, irritation, and illness.

Color, crystals, and sound are ancient methods of healing. Their vibratory energy breaks up these blockages (whether they are emotional or physical in origin), releasing the energy and allowing it to flow freely. By knowing which chakras are relatively open and closed, you can better understand yourself. Psychologists and counselors can better understand the inner journeys of their clients, and this can help them to bring the body and mind into harmonious alignment.

To illustrate how this works, let's follow the progress of one of my clients. Jack came to see me when his wife left him. He knew he had to make some changes; he had been depressed, irritable, frustrated, and hard to live with. He was a 45-year-old workaholic, yet his work brought him no real satisfaction. Over the previous eight years, he had put on weight, started drinking, and was suffering from chronic indigestion.

Jack was a physiotherapist. His father was a doctor, a busy man who rarely had time for his large family. Jack learned early in life that he could win his father's attention through his interest in medicine. Jack is an example of an imbalanced third chakra personality. When consciousness evolves to the third chakra, there is a need to find your unique gift and express it. You may do this naturally when your parents encourage you to explore your world and discover who you are. But this rarely happens. Jack needed to rebuild on a firm foundation (first chakra).To do this, he needed to go back into childhood and take down the old unhealthy foundation by clearing out unfinished business and releasing old emotions.

I used light hypnosis to help Jack explore his childhood. I put a small crystal ball on the pillow above his head where it touched his crown chakra, to help him remember his past. Then I asked him to go back to a particular incident when he desperately wanted his father's love and approval. Jack found himself as a young boy at a piano recital. He wasn't nervous; he was confident and excited about playing for an audience. He was evidently a highly talented young musician, and his concert was a great success, except for the glaring absence of his father. "How can he be so cold, so blind?" Tears gathered in the corners of Jack's eyes. I touched his arm gently. "Could you, the grown-up Jack, pretend you're a friend of the family and go up to the boy and give him a hug and tell him he was wonderful""Jack nodded. I placed a pillow against his chest, and he hugged that pillow against his heart and cried and cried.

After awhile I asked, "How did the boy respond?"Jack nodded appreciatively, a big smile on his face. I suggested that he visualize the child becoming very small and make a place for him in his heart so that neither of them would have to be alone again. Then I placed a rose quartz over his heart to heal the old pain. When we finished the session, Jack's face was radiant.

I urged him to wear a citrine pendant. The citrine is a yellow crystal (the color for the third chakra). It helps a person get in touch with his personal power. It is also a potent stone for overcoming addictions and strengthening will power. I gave him a piece of rose quartz and asked him to keep it with him to overcome the need for alcohol. And I recommended that he wear a turquoise belt buckle or ring to aid his digestion and give him a sense of balance and self-confidence.

When he returned two weeks later, he had lost weight, stopped drinking alcohol (though he still drank coffee and smoked cigarettes) and had overcome his digestive problems. Shortly after, he quit his job and started working in a band with his synthesizer. He never did get back together with his wife, but they were able to resolve their hostilities and became good friends. He had a deeper sense of fulfillment about his life. When you truly understand the chakra system, you will possess the most wonderful tool for understanding All That Is. I hope you will enjoy this journey through the chakras. I offer this book in a spirit of sharing. May this book enrich your life.

— Joy Gardner, Paia, Maui, Hawaii, 2005

Chakra Diagnosis and Vibrational Alignmentª In my Vibrational Healing Program, I teach my students about the chakras and the chakra personality types. They learn the basic vibratory tools, including the use of color, crystals, aromatherapy and toning. This is the subject matter of this book. Students also learn to do basic hospice-type counseling, to find the underlying cause of disease and to eliminate the cause through emotional release work, core belief work, past life regressions, meditation, and releasing earthbound spirits. This will be the subject of my next book. A complete Vibrational Alignmentª cannot be accomplished without clearing the channels by eliminating the underlying cause. I will describe this method in this section, but I ask that you do not use this term to describe your work until and unless you have been certified by the Vibrational Healing Program (see Resources). Please do not attempt to use this technique unless you have a good background in counseling and listening to your inner voice.

Chakra Diagnosis. Hold a long thin single-terminated (single-pointed) crystal a couple inches above each chakra or minor chakra. Hold the crystal at its base with the termination pointing toward each chakra. Begin at the feet and move toward the head, relaxing your hand and allowing the base of the crystal to move in a circular pattern. As you feel the spin of energy at each chakra you may receive information in the form of sensations or visual images or past-life flashes.

California clinical psychologist Ronald Wong Jue, former president of the Association for Transpersonal Psychology, uses a similar method of diagnosis. "The body is a kind of microcosm, a universe unto itself reflecting all of the different factors that a person is dealing with and trying to integrate," says Jue, in Michael Talbott's The Holographic Universe. Jue calls his method Holographic Body Assessment. He lays his hands on a person's body and then tunes in to "movies" about the important issues in that person's life, including emotional scripts, core issues, and relationship patterns. He then uses this information on his patients to facilitate the therapeutic process.

When I do a Vibrational Alignmentª, I move the crystal counterclockwise at first, like going against the tide to feel the pull of the tide, while unwinding negative energy. The energy of the chakras can be felt from the front of the body. I find that it is sufficient to balance the energy at the front of the body—then the back seems to take care of itself. However, if a person has specific problems with his back, and these problems still exist at the end of a normal treatment, I will ask him to turn over, and I will feel the spin of energy at problem areas on his back.

The left side relates to a person's feminine nature and is often influenced by her mother. The right side relates to her masculine nature and is often influenced by her father. As you feel the energy, here are the things to look for: Feet—Are you on your life path? Are you going forward in life? Knees—How do you feel about responsibility? Hips—How did your mother (left) and father (right) feel about you during the first three years of your life, and prenatally?

First chakra (tailbone)—Did you receive unconditional love and affection (touching) as a child? How strong is your will to survive? How grounded do you feel? How good are you at manifesting the objects of your desires? Are you comfortable in your body?

Second chakra (below the navel)—This relates to sexuality, sociability, friendliness and desire. Not just sexual desire, but the desire for anything: friends, love, material possessions, God. The energy at this chakra fires up those desires and gives you the energy and enthusiasm to reach out for and capture your goals.

Third chakra (at the solar plexus, above the navel OR at the navel)—This is the center of your special gift. This is your inner sun, and how it shines out in the world. All the digestive organs (except the large intestines) are located here, so it governs the digestion. It also relates to self-esteem and self-worth. This is the center of gut-level intuition.

Fourth chakra (at the center of the chest; heart chakra)— Can you give and receive unconditional love and affection? How open is your heart? Have you put up walls that are still there?

Fifth chakra (at the base of the throat)—This is your center of communication and creativity. Speech and singing are stimulated and inspired by this chakra.

Sixth chakra (third eye at center of forehead)—This is about your openness to metaphysical things. It is your higher intuition—the place where all things are known.

Seventh chakra (crown of the head)—From here you feel your openness to Spirit.

The size, shape and rhythm of the chakras. When you feel the spin of energy at a chakra, relax your hand and use the long, thin crystal, with its point toward the person. It is like stirring a pot of soup. Begin by circling in the vicinity of the chakra until you feel caught up in the energy, like feeling the thickness of the broth. The size of a healthy, open chakra is approximately the size of a person's open hand, with the diameter stretching from the tip of her thumb to the tip of her little finger. A large person with large hands would have proportionately larger chakras. But the energy emanating from and received by a smaller person would not necessarily be weaker, just as a small diamond is not diminished in radiance just because it is diminutive next to a larger quartz crystal.

When the energy is balanced and strong, your hand (with or without the crystal) moves freely and easily through a clearly defined path, without encountering obstructions. The chakra may give off emanations and pulsations, or it may spiral upward. The radiance emanating from an open chakra can stretch a great distance. In fact, a person can consciously choose to reach out at a great distance with that radiance, to effect healing. You can feel approximately seven stages of openness at each chakra. I will describe what I feel at each of the seven stages, and how I interpret what I feel. Remember that this is a highly subjective experience....

Copyright Joy Gardner 2005

No part of this excerpt may be reprinted or reproduced without permission of the author.

This book is temporarily out of print. After selling over 60,000 copies in 20 years, a revised edition will be released in the Spring of 2008. Used copies are available from Amazon.net