In recent years, the practice of mindfulness and meditation has gained significant traction, offering a respite from the hustle and bustle of modern life.
Despite the obvious benefits of these practices, most people today are simply incapable of sitting still and focusing their attention towards the object of meditation. This has since led to a slew of new products and solutions aimed at helping improve the practice of mindfulness and meditation.
One surprising new trend in this regard, is the use of crystals and gemstones to help build focus and have better experiences while meditating. In this article, we take an objective look at crystals and gemstones, along with their role in enhancing mindfulness and meditative practices.
Understanding Gemstones
For centuries gemstones have been used by tribes and civilizations across the world for their spiritual significance and healing powers. They’ve recently come to prominence once again, with many new age practitioners using them for healing, changing their fortunes, and more.
While there is no empirical scientific evidence to support any of these claims, regular users continue to vouch for their benefits, thus resulting in a $32 billion global gemstone market.
Proponents claim that gemstones resonate at specific frequencies, and can align with human energy bodies and chakras to drive the desired outcomes.
As a result, different gemstones have different effects on different people. For example, rose quartz is often associated with love and emotional healing, whereas the amethyst is said to accelerate spiritual progress, and likewise.
Scientifically, however, the broad consensus remains that neither gemstones or crystals can have any material impact on human lives, let alone heal. Any improvements or changes that users can see is largely attributed to the ‘Placebo Effect.’
Gemstones For Meditation & Mindfulness
Today, with gemstones becoming increasingly affordable, and most consumers able to order sapphire rings, amethyst stones, along with the most exquisite jade collections at the click of a button, these flashy gems and stones are finding their way into a multitude of use cases, despite the vocal opposition from skeptics.
For practitioners of mindfulness and meditation, there is nothing wrong in trying out the effects of gemstones. If you’re finding it hard to keep your mind from pacing, working with your subtle energies using gemstones can do a world of good, if not the placebo effect could work just as well.
People who’ve worked with stones such as amethyst, jade and sapphire have posted remarkable improvements in their focus and concentration over the years. However, make sure to consult with an expert before deciding on the stone, as depending on your stars and horoscope, a particular stone might not be well suited for you.
Once you have the stone with you, the practice then involves ‘Programming’ it, which means to say setting an objective that you want all of your energies to align towards. In this case, it would be success in your meditation, or mindfulness practices.
After this, you can just keep the gem in close proximity to you, either by wearing it as a ring all day, or by placing them close to your energy centers during certain times in a day. According to experts, you should start seeing changes in your practices within a matter of days.
Should You Use Gemstones?
Despite the lack of any scientific evidence in its favor, gemstones are certainly worth exploring for regulator meditators and practitioners of mindfulness.
If things go well, it can open your mind up to a whole new dimension of possibilities that don’t comply with the sensibilities of modern science, and in the off-chance that you experience nothing worthwhile, you still stand to lose absolutely nothing significant. After all, rituals do have their place in meditation.
Make sure to consult experts, do your own research, and compare stones before buying them. Asking plenty of questions and checking for reviews are surefire ways to ensure you get a good deal, and experience positive results.
MindOwl Founder – My own struggles in life have led me to this path of understanding the human condition. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy before completing a master’s degree in psychology at Regent’s University London. I then completed a postgraduate diploma in philosophical counselling before being trained in ACT (Acceptance and commitment therapy).
I’ve spent the last eight years studying the encounter of meditative practices with modern psychology.