August 2008
Living With Crystals
A Newsletter from Beyond the Rainbow
http://www.rainbowcrystal.com/
PO Box 110, Ruby, NY 12475
Volume XII, Number 7
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Living with Crystals gives monthly information about working with crystals, flower essences, and aromatherapy.
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In This Issue
I    Welcome
II    Monthly Sales
III  Feature Article: Being with Crystals
IV  Bach Flower Remedy Classes
V    Courses & Consultations

Welcome to the Beyond the Rainbow's newsletter about crystals, Living with Crystals, first published February 1997.

Every issue of Living with Crystals is dedicated to all of you who read it; we dedicate this issue with special appreciation, and pledge that Living with Crystals will continue to serve all those who wants to learn more about working with crystals as our partners in creation.

May you every day become more crystalline.

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Beyond The Rainbow's Monthly Sale: August 15--September 15

Each month we put a number of items on sale. What's on sale changes every month, so check back often.

This month you can buy tumbled and rough wrapped crystal pendants for 20% off the regular prices. This is probably our most popular line of jewelry.

You can also buy any quartz crystal for 20% off the regular prices. Included are special crystal formations, such as Dow, channeling, gemini, and other forms.

These discounts and sales will not be shown on your shopping cart receipt. We will calculate them manually. YOU MUST TYPE IN "20% off SALE."

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Featured Article:  Being With Crystals

People often write to us, describing their crystals and asking what their particular physical elements mean: a tiny cluster of points on a larger point, an unusual veil in a sphere, the heart-shaped design they find on a sodalite sphere. While we can define features such as rainbows, Isis crystals, double-terminated points, and other formations, every crystal has qualities that go beyond standard classification.

We can't tell you what these unusual characteristics mean, because we believe their significance is unique to you. In a larger sense, so is any crystal, whether or not it has unusual markings and features. The crystals that are right for us arrive in strange and wonderful ways via a kind of cosmic delivery service.

Whether you receive a small tumbled stone or a large cluster, your crystal invites you into a special relationship of discovery.

Getting to Know Them

You can certainly work or play with a crystal without going through these steps, and often through the work/play, you'll learn certain things about them. The approach below is designed, though, to deepen that experience. It can help you recognize and experience crystals as partners in your growth.

In my early days as a crystal practitioner, I recommended the "jump in and feel the energy" method of getting to know crystals. However, it didn't take me long to learn that this doesn't work for everyone.

Many people who have previously been dependent on the reliable workings of the left sides of their brains are interested in crystals to help them open up their intuition.

They need a process, not a plunge. They benefit most deeply from a gradual transition from left-brain to right-brain perception.

The approaches I describe below can be used on several levels.

For the person new to crystals, they provide various approaches to achieving familiarity with one's stones.

The person more familiar with crystals may discover some new methods of getting to know them.

As we change and become more open, we may discover new meanings for old and familiar crystals through these methods.

Any or all of the methods can be used as a "crystal vacation." When you're feeling overburdened, overwhelmed, generally burned out, or simply want a change of pace, you can get relief by switching gears and going into a receptive mode.

What You Already Know

You will probably find the crystal discovery process most effective if you begin by giving reason its due. Don't try to pretend you don't know anything about your stone. You bought citrine because you know it's related to abundance. You're holding a rose quartz heart because you want help in drawing more love into your life.

Be aware of these traditional meanings, and also be aware that intuition can teach you new meanings for any crystal. For example, while I've never read that angelite stimulates vivid dreams, several people have written to me about such experiences.

To Begin

Note: You don't have to go through these processes all at once if inspiration slows down. If at any point, you find yourself thinking, "Oh, good, only two more steps to go," stop.

I suggest holding your crystal and thanking it in advance for helping you. This creates positive energy and opens a pathway for you to receive the crystal's full energies.

I also recommend slow, deep breathing for all stages of this process. Practice this first. Make sure that your abdomen and solar plexus expand when you inhale and contract when you exhale. This is the natural way to breath, and it induces relaxation and receptivity.

The Visual Approach

Now, temporarily put aside purpose and definitions and simply look at your crystal.

Some stones might not seem worth more than a 20-second scan. Hematite (which gets high ratings in the touch-and-feel department) is one. However, because its surface is so reflective, you may find that it's more hypnotic than stones that, upon first glance, seem more appealing visually.

As you look at your stone, move it around. This is especially absorbing if you're holding a translucent sphere, such as any calcite or quartz. You may notice starbursts of light, veils, and rainbows.

Hold the stone up to the light. If it has patterns, follow them. Without looking for anything in particular, see if you notice anything recognizable. (I have a rhodochrosite with an eagle on it and a malachite with a four-leaf clover.)

If you have a clear quartz point or a cluster, look for inclusions (pockets of air and water), points growing inside the main one, and rainbows. Examine the pattern of relationship between the various points on a cluster.

Don't yet try to interpret anything you discover about your crystal. Instead, go a little deeper by focusing on the stone's color. For any of the clear stones, focus on white light. At this point you may want to close your eyes. Imagine that color filling you. You may want to begin with your feet and slowly move the color upward. (This is very good practice for chakra balancing.)

The Power of Touch

Next, close your eyes, thus eliminating visual distractions so that you can feel the texture and shape of your crystal.

Rub the crystal between your fingertips; hold it in the center of your palm (the most sensitive area). Become acquainted with its shape and its texture.

While continuing to physically feel the crystal, notice whether you are aware of any other sensations in different parts of your body. You might, for example, feel something in your solar plexus or at the top of your head.

If you feel drawn to hold the crystal against a particular part of your body, do so. Notice any sensations, images, or thoughts you may have.

Reassurance For the Vibrationally Challenged

At this moment, at least one person reading this is saying, "But when I pick up a crystal, I don't feel anything."

Don't feel badly about this. I don't see auras. For years I didn't want to admit this to anyone, but I've learned to accept it. My intuitional ability to "read" people is no less because of it, and you will discover that your crystals will help to balance your vibrations whether or not you can feel theirs.

And take heart. I believe that as you get to know your crystals you will have a deepening experience of their energies.

Crystalline Messages

Working with crystals might be easier if you had a sudden "Ah ha" moment of discovery about a given crystal's purpose. I'm not saying you won't, but it's more likely that you will develop a subtle awareness.

You may discover that the tiny cluster of points on the larger one is telling you that this crystal wants to help you learn that the many directions of your life are part of one great purpose. The veil in a sphere may indicate that this sphere will help you see something previously unrevealed.

You may recognize that one crystal helps you work with more purpose; while another helps you put aside your problems. Sometimes you look at a group of them and know which one you want to hold for a while or put beneath your pillow at night. At other times, it's knowing which one would be best to program for a particular purpose or to meditate with to help you make an important decision.

And, if you persist, you'll discover that they really do speak. You'll discover that they've been speaking along. The difference will be that you are now listening.

http://www.rainbowcrystal.com/crystal/beingwithcrystals.html

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Learn About Our Courses

If you've been interested in our email courses but have been unsure which would be best for you, you now have a new way to choose.

I've put together a pamphlet in Microsoft Word format that fully describes each course:

• Bach Flower Remedies: A User-Friendly Guide


• Crystals and the Chakras


• Allow More Love in Your Life


• Think More: Work Less