Feng Shui and Crystals (Part 1: Tints and Colors)
My best consultations are those in which I am invited to consult again after the changes I’ve suggested have been implemented. Then I can see if the changes were done correctly.
The other day, I went to the home of a client I’ve worked for on several occasions. Just as I had suggested, he had hung a disco-ball shaped crystal between the front and back doors.
As I looked at the crystal, I started to tell him it needed cleaning, then I stopped myself and asked him if I could stand on one of his chairs. I took the crystal down and looked at it closely and sure enough it had an iridescence added to the outside surface. (You can tell that a crystal has an iridescent coating because the surface looks rainbow hued even when no light is shining on it.) I showed him the iridescence and he thought perhaps he could remove it with acetone. I have since found out (and notified him) that it’s best not to try that.
I checked with an expert, Laura Hoffman, owner of Xinacat.com, where I’ve been sending people for years to get crystals. (It’s my go-to referral when clients don’t have a local store where they can purchase crystals appropriate for feng shui use.) Laura said, “I haven’t had much luck removing the coatings on crystals; the coating is fused to the surface. It’s just much better to get the same crystal in clear with no AB (Aurora Borealis, a transparent coating that’s fused to one side of a crystal to give it iridescence, particularly in low light) or other type of coating, if full band-width refraction is what people are going for.”
The key phrase there is “full band-width refraction,” which means it is as prismatic as a crystal can be—it can make rainbows.
If a crystal can create the full spectrum when placed in the sunlight it qualifies as an excellent feng shui cure when harsh energy (shar chi or sha qi) needs to be dispersed. The crystal can indeed disperse the invisible energy of the sun into colors, therefore it is a powerful symbol. Any time a crystal is used as a feng shui solution, it is important to say your intention out loud—something like, “I am hanging this crystal to disperse energy.”
Crystals with a coating or tint of any kind are never used as feng shui cures. Any tint or coating reduces the ability of the crystal to make pure rainbows. Tinted crystals are not a feng shui problem if you want to use them as decorative objects, but they’re not effective feng shui cures. Use clear, manufactured (usually in Austria) crystals for feng shui cures—they’re called lead crystal, because the glass has a high lead content, and that’s the reason they are more prismatic than regular glass. You can use natural crystals from the earth, but they should be completely clear and capable of making rainbows in full sunlight.
If you want to enhance a bagua area, tinted crystals work fine (if you like them) as a way to bring appropriate bagua colors into the area. An enhancement is different from a cure or solution. Pink crystal hearts (note the plural) are appropriate in the Relationship Corner. Purple crystals are fine in a Wealth Corner, and I highly recommend red crystal pyramids in the Fame Area.
I always use clear monofilament (fishing line) to hang crystals—red thread is too garish for my taste, although many practitioners will recommend it. The crystal is a powerful enough cure (in my opinion) that it doesn’t need the extra strength of the color red.
My next blog post will be about the shapes of crystals.