Crystals are said to contain metaphysical properties that can align your chakras and heal your body in ways you could never imagine. Curious? Consider this an introduction to quartz’s many rumored properties.

Quartz History

Stone quartz is considered one of the most powerful healing crystals and is also one of the most commonly known. Quartz contains all the colors of the spectrum when held to the light.

The Greeks first documented the existence of quartz during ancient times, in 300-325 BCE. They named it “kristallos”, meaning “ice cold”. The Romans believed that quartz was ice that never melted, and they would use the stone to keep themselves cool during warm weather, wearing rings made of the stone. The Egyptians buried their dead with quartz, as they believed the stone helped guide the deceased safely into the afterlife. Pharaohs carried cylinders filled with quartz to balance their Ba and Ka (spiritual) energies. In 1505, German physician Ulrich Rülein referred to the crystal as “querz” in a publication, and so began its proliferation in other records.

Quartz Forms

Quartz comes in two different forms: macrocrystalline quartz and cryptocrystalline quartz (or microcrystalline quartz). Macrocrystalline quart is made of visible crystals or grains, such as in smoky quartz, rose quartz, and quartz grains in sandstone. Cryptocrystalline quartz is comprised of a dense and compact accumulation of microscopic quartz crystals and crystallites, such as in flint, agate, and radiolarite chert.

The Gist of Healing Crystals

The healing benefits of crystals, including quartz, come down to the stones’ unique composition. Because of the way they are structured, crystals like quartz respond to the input of all kinds of energies surrounding them, causing the crystals to oscillate and emit specific vibratory frequencies. The crystal matrix is balanced and orderly, so the energy it gives off stays consistent – when dissonant energy is put into the crystal, that energy becomes balanced and harmonic.

Crystal enthusiasts say that this balancing of energies is why crystals are healing to the body and its chakra: crystals take what is “off” and bring it back into harmony. Of course, none of the healing benefits of quartz and other crystals are scientifically proven. That’s the clincher. Even so, it hasn’t put the crystal industry out of business, if the recent shenanigans of Spencer Pratt are anything to judge by.

And, indeed, there’s something to be said of ancient traditional practices. If healing crystals have withstood centuries, there must be something there.

Quartz Benefits

If you ask an experienced crystal collector and/or crystology practitioner, you’ll likely be suggested to purchase clear quartz as your first stone. The silicon and oxygen-containing crystal is considered a “master healer” that can be used to treat just about any condition. It’s the go-to crystal.

Clear quartz is said to balance and revitalize the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual planes as well as to cleanse the organs and soul, enhance psychic abilities, aid in concentration, boost memory, and stimulate the immune system.

How to Use Quartz

There are many ways to employ quartz into your everyday life. Here are four basic ways to start:

1. Keep a quartz crystal with you 

Wear quartz in a pouch around your neck or as part of your jewelry. You could also keep the crystal in your pocket.

2. Sleep with quartz at night

Hold a quartz crystal in your hand while you sleep or tuck it under your pillow.

3. Target a chakra

Clear quartz connects you to the spiritual aspects of life, so placing the crystal on your head (standing up) or forehead (lying down), near your pineal gland, best activates and opens your crown chakra.

How to Care for Quartz

To benefit from quartz, it is important to keep the stone clean. In fact, many take the cleansing of crystals as seriously as they do their application.

Here’s how to clean your quartz crystals:

1. Wash them thoroughly under faucet water.

2. Lay them out just after sunset, somewhere where they will get direct moonlight.

3. Let the crystals stay out just through sunrise. It is important they receive sun, but not too much.

4. Charge crystals with your intentions. As you transfer your crystals to their usual resting place, imagine your intentions or even say them out loud. Charge them with whatever emotion you hope to cultivate in your life, such as love, forgiveness, awareness, health, and so on.

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People have long used healing crystals for holistic health. Since the dawn of time, civilizations have believed that healing crystals possessed the ability to transmit their own healing energy into humans. Today, crystal enthusiasts drape their necks, ears, and wrists in crystals or clutch them during meditation. They even place them throughout their homes to alter the energy of the home.

Here are some healing crystals and stones with powerful energy that you’ll want to have around your home or on your person for extra support.

8 Powerful and Beautiful Healing Crystals that Promote Energetic and Holistic Health

1. Turquoise

Turquoise is known as the master healer, some even refer to it as the energetic bridge between heaven and Earth. It also has protective qualities for the body.

2. Bloodstone

Bloodstone is a healing crystal that’s known for its ability to purify the blood as the name signifies. It also provides energy and helps you to overcome laziness and lethargy. Bloodstones are charged with energy.

3. Bastnasite

Bastnasite is a crystal that’s known for helping you manifest your dreams. While at the same time it grounds you and provides you with a connection to the Earth. Basically, it helps you to reach for the stars while you’re still planted firmly on Earth.

4. Bixbite

Bixbite is a rare stone found in Utah that’s known for its ability to release stress. It also improves your self esteem and makes you feel more energized.

5. Carnelian Stones

Carnelian stones stimulate the reproductive organs of the body. They also inspire courage, confidence, and creativity. The stones focus energy on the organs of the lower body like the liver, gall bladder, pancreas, and kidneys.

6. Elephant Skin Jasper

This is a stone that can be used during meditation to promote your higher self. It assists your third eye in seeing energetically and helps you find enlightenment.

7. Lava Stones

Lava stones are the product of a volcano–they contain the powerful energy created in an eruption. They can reduce depression and improve vitality.

8. Rose Quartz

This is one of the most powerful crystals representing feminine  energy. It promotes loving at a deeper, more emotional level.

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Chemical-free water disinfection is less harmful to the environment and to workers in plants of industries that depend on ridding water of pathogens – such as food and beverage, dairy, aquaculture and municipal drinking water providers. In other words, why use chemicals to get rid of chemicals?

A Hydro-Optic Disinfection system, developed by the Israeli company, Atlantium, appears to offer a more efficient method for industrial-grade solutions to water micro-organism purification, along with significant cost savings health protection. Filtration and ultraviolet light replaces using chemicals with great results.

The method, using quarts crystals, is able to achieve a uniform distribution of a high intensity ultra-violet light throughout a water sample. The crystals ensure that UV rays are lengthened and bounced back and forth, repeatedly, while engineering a hydraulic flow to make sure water flows in a controlled pattern that is timed to match the UV light distribution.

Sounds complicated, but according to Clean Technica, it all means it is impossible for any micro-organisms to escape detection and being dosed and eradicated.

Experts tell us the aquaculture industry is pursuing  pathogen-free water because high water quality means healthier fish, higher survival and growth rates and a reduction in the use of antibiotics.

Alantium was founded in 2003 with the goal of  contributing to the environment by providing safe water disinfection solutions. Its customer base using the water purification installations extends to Europe, the U.S. Latin America, the Middle East and Australia.

Images: Eyeneer, Rob Wakefield

The post An Improvement for Ultraviolet Water Disinfection appeared first on EcoSalon.