CRYSTALS.     
     This is the first in a series on the classification of Crystals 
     as an "object of power".
     
     Entered \2.20.86
     Updated \2.26.92
     
     By: Turtle Heart
     Keeper of Ceremonial Bundles
     Otter Clan
     
     Ahnishinabeg
     
     
     Crystals of various types have been a part of the ritual, 
     spirit, and mystery of humanity's psychological and 
     psychic journey since the beginning.
     
     During the present age, the average person has been put 
     into the position of being able to obtain this sort of 
     material perhaps ten million times more easily than our 
     distant ancestors. Examinations of the ceremonial, 
     religious and political artifacts of the far ancient societies 
     has turned up quite a few interesting crystal samples.
     
     Yet, now, as never before, the single quartz crystal has 
     acheived a tremendous amount of attention and it is 
     reasonable to assume that more individual people possess 
     and desire to posses crystals than ever before in our 
     history.
     
     We must admit that a big part of this energy at this time is 
     due to the massive mining and processing of crystals 
     going on at this time. Never before has it been so Easy to 
     obtain this sort of material.
     
     It must be noted that the Spiritual Elders, those religious 
     persons with the greatest accumulation of experience in 
     the class of objects known as "power objects" ...to which 
     crystals belong, believe and state that the MINING and 
     STRIPPING of the Mother earth's flesh to obtain "good 
     crystals" is not in agreement with any existing tribal 
     teachings concerning Crystals.
     
     To many ancient medicine people, the SOURCE of power 
     materials was (and is) a very vital consideration......the 
     OBJECT and the SOURCE of the object are EQUAL PARTS 
     of a Sacred Process.....
     
     The power of HEALING must be balanced with sources of 
     INTEGRITY for the instruments of healing. For any person 
     seriously involved with CRYSTALS.....this aspect of the 
     situation cannot be ignored.
     
     It must be mentioned at this juncture that millions upon 
     millions of people would not know what a crystal is or was 
     or might be.
     
     
     
     Even so, among present-day crystal lore, the present-day 
     crystal owner probably  knows also less than anyone who 
     ever possesed a crystal from the ancient times. There is a 
     lot of posturing. There is a lot of emotional faith. Yet, I 
     could not 
     say I am faulting the present situation--simply observing 
     what must be realisticlly understood.
     
     The  purpose of this file is to act as a gathering point for as 
     much useful information we can obtain concerning this 
     subject.
     
     PROCEDURE.
     
     [1]....DEFINING CLASS OF OBJECTS TO WHICH CRYSTALS 
     BELONG.
     
     [2]....THE PHYSICAL/GEOLOGICAL FIGURES.
     
     [3]....THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL PICTURE.
     
     [4]....MATTERS CONNECTED WITH OBTAINING 
     {HOW,WHERE,WHEN,WHY}.
     
     [5]....ASTROLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS.
     
     [6]....TAROT CONSIDERATIONS
     
     [7]....OCCULT CONSIDERATIONS
     
     [8]....NATIVE AMERICAN CONSIDERATIONS.
     
     [9]....SCIENTIFIC CONSIDERATIONS {MEDICAL,TECHNICAL}
     
     [10]...CLEARING, MAINTAINING PRACTICES AND 
     PROCEDURES.
     
     [11]...EXERCISES TO BE CONDUCTED WITH.
     
     [12]...INTERNATIONAL SOURCES.
     
     [13]...MODERN METHODS OF OBTAINING CRYSTALS.
     
     
     Defining the CLASS of OBJECTS to which crystals belong:
     
     Generally, the present beliefs about crystals place them in 
     a category which we call OBJECTS of POWER.....the 
     POWER we refer to in this case we call PERSONAL 
     POWER.
     
     Ultimately, this concept of Personal Power is a very 
     SUBJECTIVE one.
     
     
     
     For myself, I have listened to various ideas and examples 
     of this issue in the society in which I live. These 
     observations have lead me to a multi-dimensional 
     understanding of this concept. I summarize:
     	
     7 DECEMBER, 1986
     
     These Crystals, we consider them people in their own 
     right, or we could say Mani-do in their own right.....we, as 
     human beings who claim to be in touch with the forces 
     they represent might remember that to the life of these 
     stone relations, all of our power and purpose, and that of 
     our entire civilization, is barely a breath in their lifetimes.
     
     I think an awareness of this concept is quite important or 
     should I say quite worth consideration.
       
     
     01 June, 1992.
     
     The other side of the crytal coin is "abscence" of 
     knowledge about crystals. There are many people who do 
     not understand what a crystal is or how it is formed.
     
     I feel I just must reinterate that any class of power object 
     is enhanced by a thorough and detailed knowledge of its 
     nature and an intimate awareness of its nature. 
     Conversely, any such object is diminished where these 
     matters of consideration are absent.
     
     
     
     
     
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     1992:
     The Year of Columbus 
     (500 Years in the Heartbreak Hotel)
     71