Crystals and Past Lives

Crystals and Past Lives by philip Permutt (First appeared in Paradigm Shift February 2012 www.paradigmshiftmagazine.com)

Past lives have fascinated people from many cultures throughout history. The thought that we might have been here before explains why we have talents and abilities that seem innate. Some of these skills are passed on through the millennia of our evolutional development and are clearly genetic, but others cannot be so simply explained. Having had past lives also implies that you will have a future life and gives a basis for life-after-death and poses the question “What next?”

Beliefs vary; some suggesting we return to Earth in human form, others perhaps in human or animal form depending on the merit we have gained, or lost, by our actions in this life. This is known as karma in Sanskrit. Other traditions such as Buddhism, suggest that our future may be in other worlds or dimensions and yet shamanic traditions tend to believe in a shared past and future experience of one form or another.

The other question people have posed throughout time is “Are we affected by our deeds only in each life we live or do our actions in previous lives carry forward to the next?” Does Karma exist? Will our acts in this incarnation affect us in the next one?

Different traditions around the world have similar ways of expressing these ideas. Buddhists have the wheel of Life with its depiction of the realms of samsara and shamanic traditions often refer to ‘soul pools’ rather than any form of individual reincarnation. Whatever view is followed, there is an energy link between each life and energy itself is transformed and transmuted by the events it experiences and carries.

Perhaps the most notable crystal to aid past life work, and past life recall, is petrified wood (also known as fossil wood or fossilised wood). Many shamanic rituals work with this crystal to facilitate and enhance past life regression. A past life regression can be facilitated in two ways; very generally by Shamanic or hypnotic regression. Whichever route you take the experiences are remembered and can be used to facilitate healing and understanding of events and dis-ease in this life. Apatite promotes recall and understanding of past life events.

Sometimes issues from our past lives can affect us in this current life and alexandrite helps you to leave such things behind and move forward. Sometimes this can lead to big changes and reactions, like a rebirth. Boulder opal can help also, by bringing past life recall from the sub-conscious to conscious mind can bring many current aspects into perspective and understanding. This gives you the power of rational choice and allows you to choose how to move forward.

We can carry all sorts of feelings with us from the past. Some can be detrimental, such as the feelings of oppression or guilt. Holding a dioptase crystal for just 10 – 20 minutes each day will help to gently release these emotions. You can also carry the crystal with you and place it under your pillow or on your bedside table at night.

Some people feel they have lost something, but can never quite put their finger on what it is they’ve lost or when they lost it and this is a typical symptom suggesting the pain is lodged in a past life and not related to this one. This is often related to the loss of a goal or ideal you’ve lost in this life and have linked to the loss of something physical. It may be related to a relationship, losing a career position, business deal, or perhaps a therapist losing a client. It is often not the loss itself that is important but what, what you lost represented for you. For example often something like a job or car may be linked, on a deep past life level, to freedom. If you feel you are experiencing these feelings then try keeping unakite with you 24/7 and meditating with it each evening before you go to sleep. It will open locked doors in your heart and your mind that will lead to the answers you need to find in your dreams. You should note that it is not always the case that such a loss is linked to past life experiences and being unable to place a loss may be related to a traumatic event in this life that has been suppressed.

Sometimes we may have committed an act in a past life which we deeply regret and hold this feeling from one existence to the next. We can be linked to people through several lifetimes; friends or enemies that we keep meeting and help or hinder our progress. We can hold karmic grudges. Eudialyte can help you let go of these connections and love anew or forgive as you need to.  Spirit quartz can help you to enter new social groups, make friends, let go of past life experiences and any obsessive behaviour they create and give you a new sense of belonging.

Cerussite can help to ground past life experiences in the present. In this state you can begin to see and understand how they affect you and using this knowledge free yourself from limiting ties, heal past hurts and move forward in your present life with more confidence to live life to the full day by day.

If you are in any doubt about past life experiences affecting you now please refer to your local crystal therapist, therapist of your choice or counsellor or medical professional.