The Rise Of Crystal Healing: An In-Depth Look

While the above sections have given you an idea of what healing crystals are and how to use them, it didn’t really provide you with a perspective on why they are being sought after.

Even when most would classify healing crystals as part of pseudoscience, this trend is quite unstoppable in its emergence for a number of reasons.

In this section then, we will explore the ‘why’ of healing crystals, and the reasons behind the popularity of it.

The Major Shifts in History

Commonly overlooked, the major events in human history were the actual game changers even in how healing crystals became greatly popular.

Some thinkers would say that the transition of the New Age reflects the same amount and levels of spirituality. This eclectic approach gives people a wide variety of beliefs that they can simply subscribe in.

Looking at human history, we can see that before the New Age, world wars and the industrialization period happened. These drastic events challenged the definition of humanity and eventually spirituality.

Furthermore, the age of reason and enlightenment also challenged the presumption of the higher being above us as the ultimate law. Such anthropocentric shift has caused the change in the central values of man – from something transcendental to man himself.

This shift can be highlighted by Rene Descartes Cogito Ergo Sum or ‘I think, therefore I am’. Using his methodic doubt, Descartes arrived at the idea that the only thing that man can think of as true is the fact that he thinks.

Such conclusion led to a more anthropocentric approach, given that truth now is purely based on man, instead of some higher being.

These significant events heavily influenced the kind of world that we live in today. By tipping the scales out of balance, the beliefs of people became challenged. Gone are the times wherein the western individual can simply be forced to believe in the big guy up in the sky.

Such transition changed the trend of how people perceive the world – that the material and productive values are given more value to the previously dominant spirituality.

Inevitably, this context has led to a world where traditional institutions of faith have less control over men, and belief over things became more lenient and accommodating to people of different contexts.

The Dawn of the New Age

As established on the previous section, the events in human history have led to a status quo where subjectivity of each individual is emphasized over and above traditional institutions.

The Church no longer has the monopoly of truth, as various beliefs hold their own ground. The veracity of their claims can no longer be subject to the Christian standard, as people are now free to believe whatever they want.

Particularly on the western world, this phenomenon has created a shift, empowering even the minor beliefs which were previously rejected or even ‘salvaged’.

The wars have taught mankind to adapt a more humanitarian stance, one that appeals to love beyond borders, regardless of one’s religion, race, skin color, and culture.

In line with this shift, a rapidly growing movement has finally caught fire.

The Dawn of the New Age.

This dynamic movement easily gained traction as it presented the same values accommodated in the current status quo. Freedom of religion, for instance, is a non-issue because it is something assumed by the new age.

Previously occult practices which involved traditional witchcraft and wizardry are now presented out in the open, an option that is not being shoved down the throats of men.

This accepting and open stance of the New Age allowed it to integrate various beliefs even from the eastern world, allowing westerners to have their own interpretations of previously exclusive terminologies such as charka, reiki, and chi.

Furthermore, this openness of the New Age allowed individuals to integrate practices cross-culturally, making boundaries irrelevant. Such allowed for a different interpretation of eastern beliefs and occult practices.

And as these notions were synthesized, new practices were born, allowing for an even more complex network of understanding spirituality from a new perspective. For instance, some would claim that Anodea Judith’s 7 chakra points are an inauthentic interpretation of the original belief.

But in the world where truth can be relative, such criticism can have little to no value at all, given that individuals are free to choose which ideas to subscribe and believe in, as if they were channels on their television.

Unraveling the trend of Healing Crystals

The Dawn of the New Age has carried with it a plethora of beliefs, a wishy-washy mixture of the vastness of human spirituality. But unlike other beliefs, some had become more popular than others.

One of the most popular beliefs that remain very much trendy even to this day is the power of healing crystals. Even though these gemstones and earthly formations already had historical importance and value, their popularity only skyrocketed further as the New Age emerged.

If we look at ancient practices, Egyptians alone included a lot of gemstones and crystals in their sacred rituals. Some of these crystals are believed to help the dead cross safely onto the afterlife. Other gemstones were believed to cure and remove evil spirits.

Even in eastern practices, gemstones were heavily prized, as wars were fought in China over Jadeites. These green gems symbolized royalty, power, and influence exclusive to the king himself. In the same way, the crystal quartz was heavily revered in Japan, as it was included in their rituals, symbolizing the transformative power it possessed.

This trend, which was supposedly exclusive to each culture, has now become cross-cultural due to the influence of the New Age. Jades, Crystal quartz, limestones, and the like are no longer exclusively valuable and significant for one culture alone.

Even more, the values and contexts of these gemstones have been integrated into one big web of connections, leading to what is commonly known nowadays as healing crystals.

With the rise of healing crystals, almost all significant gemstones in existence have been identified for their meaning, value, and healing properties. Given this index, a compilation of values can be presented depending on each stones’ context.

As such, healing crystals are often deemed applicable to a wide range of situations, with a specific crystal for almost each problem that one may possibly have.

This one-stop-shop solution became a popular alternative for the modern man, channeling their inner spirituality through the crystals that they have. Whenever they experienced that life is not going along with them, an Onyx stone would do and allow them to move forward with less negativity.

Thus, for the rest of this section, we will be exploring value propositions presented uniquely by healing crystals as part of the new age movement. By going through them, we’ll be able to have a deeper understanding of their rising popularity.

Value Proposition #1: Healing Crystals are Non-Intrusive

Together with other forms of New Age spirituality, healing crystals can be considered as one of the more popular ones. The reason behind this popularity is because they are generally non-intrusive.

What we mean by this is that healing crystals, in themselves, need not challenge your own beliefs of what is and what should be. While other New Age practices sets a new standard of spirituality, the upside of using healing crystals is that they need not challenge our non-negotiable beliefs.

For instance, if you are a Christian, it doesn’t mean that you cannot use healing crystals in conjunction with your own belief. In using these crystals, you need not pray or worship them, nor junk your own belief in Christianity.

While fundamentalists would still be wary of such, we can say that healing crystals are likely to be acceptable. In using one, it only requires you to understand the logic of vibrations and energies stored within it.

In other words, even when you are using healing crystals, you can still pray on your own God. It doesn’t mean that when you use a Carnelian to provide you with vigor and strength in your dealings, you stop believing in God.

The same notion applies in generally most of the major world religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. Possession and usage of these gems do not carry a belief of a transcendent being on their own.

Rather, the focus of the healing crystal is in emphasizing that energies and vibrations are stored within these stones, of which can be channeled through electromagnetic waves.

Thus, using healing crystals doesn’t challenge your current belief, making it a viable option to reinforce your own visions and thoughts of how your life should turn out.

Plus, they are Optional and doesn’t require a lot of commitment

Given that healing crystals are non-intrusive, the way that it is packaged to the masses is that it is optional.

While this doesn’t seem much, the fact that healing crystals are optional is actually one of the major pillars why it became hugely popular. As mentioned above, unlike traditional notions of religion, healing crystals doesn’t require strict implementations and guidelines to live by.

It doesn’t ask us to use them every day, nor does it need to be tended to or thought of for every single moment.

Such practice empowers man’s freedom, that his life and meaning is not entirely dependent on that gemstone in his or her wrist. Rather, man has full control of when and where to use these healing crystals, placing man as the captain of his own boat.

This openness and lack of commitment in using healing crystals gives them their alluring appeal to the general audience. Being able to use them without committing our lives to it seems fitting in a post-modern society where all values can be relative and fleeting.

Thus, individuals are free to use a crystal which fits their current problems. For instance, in the midst of confusion, one can appeal to the powers of crystal quartz to clarify them. But afterwards, it doesn’t require the user to eternally carry the crystal quartz.

Individuals are free to dispose or store them at will, not being forced to do anything at all.

And so, this trend may have had a reverse side-effect. Because of this optional approach, the general masses seemed to have loved these crystals more. Because they don’t need to commit on it full-time, they are easy go-to’s, matching the society that glorifies productivity.

As long as something works, whether it’s about a love conflict, a recurring gout, or even a lack of spirituality, people grab them as if they were nutribars in a grocery store. This is how healing crystals appeal – through their non-intrusiveness, people want them even more. 

Value Proposition #2: Healing Crystals are Inclusive

The non-intrusive nature of healing crystals has a fitting counterpart – inclusiveness. This second section will show another major reason why healing crystals are widely popular – because they allow literally anyone to be part of it.

While most world religions are inclusive, they require certain practices to become true members of their community. For instance, the most lenient and inclusive would be perhaps Buddhism, but still requires certain chants and practices to be true to the shared belief.

Furthermore, while Christianity and Islam can also invite non-members to become part of their culture, their approach requires oaths and commitments, which were emphasized on the previous section.

Even when they don’t force individuals to be members of their society, these standards simply make the post-modern man uncomfortable of easily hopping in. An individual would hesitate to a certain extent given that when they start with these dominant world religions, they have to commit and follow the oath.

Whether they like it or not, in a society dominated by anthropocentrism, making people join with these terms and conditions automatically means a surrender. The modern man refuses to give up their freedom, making them think twice of committing to such.

As a natural consequence, even when world religions try to be inclusive, there is still this eerie feeling that they are not. By setting standards, they create moral guidelines of who is and who should be a part of the community.

These standards make them appear less inclusive, leaving the modern man a lack of way to channel and express their spirituality.

With such, New Age beliefs become more appealing as they require little to no commitment at all.

Here’s where healing crystals come in – they are open to all individuals without commitment making them appear inclusive. Just like the advent of the World Wide Web or the internet, healing crystals allow access to individuals from all walks of life.

Such openness fits the subjective man, whose values can be a mixture of different world beliefs and still end up believing in themselves alone. Healing crystals become an essential part of this section, making them appear accommodating at the very least.

This Universality has led to Healing Crystals to become one of Modern Man’s expression of Spirituality

As a natural implication, the declining confidence of the modern man to world religions have led him to seek for another channel.

Whether we like it or not, part of man’s existence is his spirituality, something that was uprooted in the western world, bringing us to what Friedrich Nietzsche’s famous phrase “God is Dead”.

Because the modern man renounced his allegiance and belief into such supreme being, he is left with no alternative to express his spirituality. This vacuum created an empty space, requiring something to fill it in.

But what alternatives are left for man? Surely, he doesn’t want to go back to the previous practices which he deemed obsolete. Man requires a new way of understanding his spirituality, for there is no meaning in simply decoding the natural world.

Again, this is where healing crystals come into the picture, presenting a viable option for man to believe in something transcendental and greater than him, without necessarily being despotic in its approach.

What’s even greater is that with the New Age, it became more acceptable to have different beliefs being mixed together and forming their own complexities.

Such post-modern approach where there is no one center allures the modern man, an appeal that cannot be matched by the institutionalized traditional world religions.

A frontrunner in this transition, of course, is none other than our healing crystals.

It is no coincidence, however, that such gemstones lead the race. One particular trait that they possess is that these healing crystals work well beside other practices, even with the ones that are deemed traditional and non-inclusive.

Because healing crystals are applicable depending on the situation, they don’t require a constant application or attention.

All these qualities of being universal, non-intrusive, multi-faceted, and applicability contributes to this whole scheme of making healing crystals a viable expression of man’s spirituality.

They present to us the option of being able to exercise our beliefs without necessarily being subject to socially constructed rules and regulations.

Furthermore, these crystals also often abstain to issues of morality. Each crystal has its own value and purpose, most of which are considered amoral.

While seemingly underrated, this is an important point to raise given that the modern man no longer hinges morality on some divine being in the sky.

As Bertrand Russell asserts in his essay “Why I am not a Christian?”, man is capable of setting these moral standards apart from what the Church and religions have taught us.

This alone is a major point to consider, as healing crystals abstains from such controversial and complex issue.

Such abstinence from strict rules of morality and how to live one’s life makes healing crystals appealing and relevant in today’s context.

Value Proposition #3: Healing Crystals have become part of POP Culture

While the current status quo is asserting for a post-modern approach where each idea can become a web of its own (just as Derrida’s deconstructionism), we can see that the general masses is still in search of something that they have been used to.

Being accustomed to centralized institutions which dictates the truth about how to live one’s life is something that the masses have rejected. However, their shadow manifests, as remnants of this craving still seems to surface.

Yet this time around, the same levels and requirement are not necessary, that they want something a bit more lenient and flexible.

Thus, you have POP Culture.

Popular culture has become one of the mainstream institutions that have been dictating the truth. But unlike traditional world religions that technically “imposed” their truths, pop culture has a different approach.

In presenting what they have to offer, pop culture does it by “show and tell”, not by mandates, oaths, and commitments.

This flexible and uncompelling approach, coupled with intensive marketing and social mind-conditioning, Pop culture has become one of the lowkey yet efficient ways to influence the masses on how to live their lives.

Without people knowing, their choices have become heavily influenced by what the media has to say, making the influence of pop culture even subtler.

For instance, our choice of music is definitely heavily influenced by the media and the popular culture, such that even when older songs are superior in quality, we have no choice but to listen to what’s playing on the radio.

While we have the option to turn it off, the television, billboards, and even the communities that we are in are riding onto this trend, making it almost impossible to avoid its grasp on us.

This phenomenon, the popularization of culture based on what works, have led us to create a society where we’re cleverly deceived, and yet we wholeheartedly accept them.

Healing Crystals have become part of POP Culture, making it hugely popular among us

As this trend above seemed to emerge with even greater force, healing crystals have undoubtedly become part of its core propagandas especially on spirituality.

Even when one has no prior knowledge about it, seeing other people wear such stones influences them on the choices that they’ll make, eventually leading them to purchase these things.

But more than that, the popularization of healing crystals skyrocketed when famous artists and celebrities have begun openly promoting how they need their crystals in their every day lives.

For instance, when the legendary singer Adele was interviewed, she shared how her crystals were vital for her performances, and when she lost them during the Grammys performance, technical issues happened.

Even the likes of Katy Perry, the Jenners, the Kardashians, and of course, the forever lovely Australian Vogue model Miranda Kerr shares how these crystals are extremely important to them.

These celebs and artists openly swear by the effects of these crystals, making it instantly popular to their fans.

As such, the clamor for a non-intrusive and inclusive form of spirituality bolstered the fame of healing crystals, solidifying its position as one of the trendy ways to express ones’ transcendental life.

Since we aren’t necessarily judged when we use them (because they are a major trend), people are allured by their viability, and have included them in their daily dealings.

Such trend has become one of the major reasons why people simply love healing crystals.

But if we try to think of it, there’s a huge difference between a trend and a fad.

While things may trend for a while, when things lose their value and appeal, they are slowly disregarded. In some cases, people call this a fad.

A perfect example of this is how loombands conquered the world by storm. Being fully customizable and high-quality rubber band bracelets, loombands have become an overnight trend.

However, the lack of any real value offered by loombands caused some to be skeptical with its approach, add to that the fact that their items are easily copied by other nameless manufacturers.

Thus, skeptics labeled it as a fad. True enough, the display of how quick it rose to popularity was also a premonition of its drastic downfall, making them disappear with almost no trace.

Whereas there came a time when people valued these loombands, they’re now close to irrelevant, and have almost no value in today’s Pop Culture.

The whole point of this example leads us to think: are healing crystals merely a ‘fad’? which leads us to the third point –

Healing Crystals are meaningful in their own way

Perhaps, one of the reasons why healing crystals continues to thrive in its popularity has something to do with the niche that it is trying to address.

For most part, people “buy their way out”. When we subscribe to Netflix, we think that we are doing it to be entertained. But inherent in that subscription is the fact that we’re buying ourselves out from boredom.

Such rationality brings us to the reason why healing crystals are important – because in having them, we’re technically buying ourselves out from certain problems in our lives.

But how do healing crystals do this?

If we look at each crystal, we will see that every single one of them has a unique meaning and purpose. In one way or another, a crystal quartz will be different from a rose quartz and a selenite.

This variation embodies a certain uniqueness in them, making each crystal valuable in their own way.

As such, we seek the help of these crystals depending on the current problems that we have. Being users of them, we are not limited to a single crystal, for each crystal can have a multitude of possible applications.

With this, what the article is trying to point out is that healing crystals continue to remain as a trend simply because they are meaningful in their own ways.

This meaningfulness plays a crucial role in maintaining their relevance given that it empowers their value. By having a unique function, a healing crystal will have timeless value for application.

Such quality clearly delineates healing crystals from loombands.

Because each healing crystal has a unique function of its own, it won’t necessarily become a fad as long as people believe in them. Compare that to a loomband whose value can be purely aesthetic.

After all, the value and items of things are heavily influenced by the stories behind them. While a single bench under the shade of a tree in the park can be meaningless for you, it can mean the world to the lovers who first met there.

In the same way, because healing crystals have a unique story and value in their own, they can become more significant than how they appear to be. Like in the case of Adele where her stage performance got problematic when she lost her healing crystal, we have a unique story to tell when these crystals became a significant part of our life.

These stories continue to grow organically, further empowering the value of how people perceive healing crystals.

After all, a media hype would not be enough to sustain its popularity, for it would end up as a mere fad if it didn’t have a way to sustain its value.

But the value of Healing Crystals are Not only their stories but their also their fashion!

Which is something that we shouldn’t really miss out on understanding this trend of healing crystals!

While they have stories to tell and values in themselves, healing crystals are not memorable music boxes that are kept at home.

Rather, they are gemstones!!

Being gemstones, they can become great and fashionable ornaments which one can wear. This flexibility provided by healing crystals makes them a great candidate for an accessory on the night of one’s performance!

As such, each stone can be crafted and used in a way that they can become bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and even anklets. Their ‘wearability’ would be close to unmatchable being perfectly fashionable at the right moment.

Going back to our previous example, whereas loombands can be fashionable and trendy, healing crystals far surpass the greatness of this fad.

Aside from being fashionable and trendy, healing crystals are meaningful and wearable all year round. This viability makes them indispensable in one’s quest for unique fashion trends, ultimately cementing healing crystals as part of one’s fashion sense.

Just think of it this way – in wearing a healing crystal, one is able to showcase it to other people but more than that, they are also able to tell a story about it.

Such value can be unique yet easily inviting, given that others would also want to have a crystal of their own.

With this, people are able to form intimate connections with their crystals and share their own stories with other people.

Value Proposition #4: Healing Crystals have scientific basis

The prior points in this section have shown the context of why healing crystals are popular. Because of the trends and the historical basis of these gemstones, they are deemed important and valuable. Furthermore, add to that the fact that in using them, one is able to create stories which they can share to other people.

In a context where people are free and rational, their spirituality is not anymore dictated by a unitary institution. Rather, it is segmented and subjective, much to the appeal of the post-modern man.

But beyond this context, it is important to point out that the modern man is less likely to be swayed by blind faith alone. Just as man have already rejected such notions, he/she needs proof or basis for how things work.

As such, this is one area where healing crystals gain an edge over other New Age beliefs. While other beliefs focus on a mix-up of eastern concepts and western interpretations, healing crystals are a bit different.

The stronger appeal of healing crystals is empowered by the presumption that they have a scientific basis.

If we look back, we can see the classic example of Galileo where he was able to present a proof that the world is revolving around the sun. Upon doing so, however, the Church persecuted him for it runs contrary to their claim that the world is the center of the universe.

Such is a classic example for the modern man, that should they believe in something, it must be bound by laws and sciences, adding real proof to any claim presented.

As one of the New Age beliefs, healing crystals is one that relies on reason and science.

Although it would be considered pseudoscience or soft sciences at best, healing crystals utilizes the premise that electromagnetic energies and vibrations are stored inside it, making it potent for healing use.

While there can be a lot of debate regarding whether or not one is able to harness and channel these energies, the important thing to point out is that healing crystals assume a certain level of basis in its claims.

Thus, when presented to someone interested in harnessing their powers, healing crystals have a beefed-up effect compared to simply being pseudoscience. The unscrupulous man who is reliant on common sense will easily become a believer given the case.

After all, it would be difficult to refute the fact that everything runs on energy which is naturally created and embedded within these crystals, making a unique and delicate form.

Conclusion: Healing Crystals has a unique value through its functions

The points presented in this section gives us an idea of how and why healing crystals provide unique value which appeals strongly to the modern man.

Given its basis on the sciences and its modern non-intrusive yet inclusive appeal, healing crystals provide original value to their users.

As each crystal has a function of its own, it becomes appealing to an individual, most especially when these crystals respond to their problems and situations.

The discussion mentioned above shows how healing crystals help us in any way possible, making it a spiritual experience that may or may not replace a Higher being.

This unique experience empowers the crystal user, making them more aware of their situations and how to address them. With the help of healing crystals, they are better able to respond in these dealings, as they feel empowered.

Thus, healing crystals became a trend up to this day, given how it can be relevant to anyone regardless of their social and cultural context.