Introduction Crystal healing--more and more it is claimed to be a miracle cure, used to treat everything from physical pain to emotional concerns, but what is it? For some, it is merely a curiosity, seen as a way to connect with nature, but for others, crystal healing is a replacement for traditional medical care. No matter how far one takes their belief in crystal healing, the core concept is the same: it proposes that everything in the universe is connected by spiritual energy, and crystals can act as conduits or emitters to connect our minds and bodies to that energy. But does it actually work? There is an undeniable appeal to crystals that few other things share. Their geometry is enigmatically precise, their colors sometimes unbelievably vibrant, and many of the finest specimens are so pristinely transparent that you could read this page right through them. They''re perfectly natural but appear to have been constructed; believing that they could contain some kind of otherworldly power is therefore not too much of a stretch of the imagination for some. And that''s exactly the kind of enthusiastic reverence and awe that crystal healing authors cultivate, exploit, and sell. But after centuries of research, we know crystals aren''t magic; they are well understood and certainly do not impart any "healing energies." So why do some people still believe in it? Crystal healing beliefs are easily spread and promoted on the internet by individuals who feel they have found genuine success with it; who lead an alternative lifestyle and have little trust in modern medicine.

But these ideals are also perpetuated by those who stand to make a profit--the authors of crystal healing books, sellers of crystal specimens, and therapists performing treatments. These "healers" sell a lifestyle, and some of their followers have been led to replace tested, evidence-based treatments for illnesses like cancer with crystals and other alternative healing practices. But beyond the compelling anecdotes and hopeful ideas presented by crystal healers, there is no scientific evidence that crystal healing can treat medical conditions; in fact, a 2018 study showed that patients who used alternative therapies alone were over twice as likely to die from treatable forms of cancer. While an extreme example, this alarming fact highlights some of the major issues with crystal healing beliefs, namely that the alternative healing industry exploits people''s vulnerabilities and their hopes that crystals can offer an affordable and effective means of treatment. It''s unlikely that you''ve picked up this book without any preconception of crystal healing. Maybe a friend told you of their success with crystals, or perhaps you saw a social media post proclaiming their curative effects. However this concept of energy-based healing was first presented to you, you were probably left with many questions. You may have been skeptical, and rightfully so.

But if you''ve only read about crystals through the lens of crystal healing, it can be daunting to try to separate the seemingly plausible theories from the science fiction--yet most of it will be far from fact. Throughout this book, we will talk about what crystals really are, why people let themselves believe they are mystical objects, and the hidden costs of mining and selling crystals for the alternative healing industry. An Introduction to Rocks and Minerals Crystal "healers" do an excellent job of presenting crystals as mysterious objects with unique properties, but if you''ve only ever experienced crystals and minerals through their crystal healing rhetoric, what you may not realize is that there is, in fact, no mystery to crystals. We know exactly what they are and how they develop their peculiar shapes. And because they''ve been researched and understood for decades, we also know that they do not emit any curative energy. But the crystal healing industry survives on a misunderstanding of this fact; it relies on misinformation and the public''s general lack of knowledge of the true makeup and properties of crystals, and it takes advantage of the well-meaning enthusiasm many people have for the beauty of crystals. Pointing to their wild shapes and stunning clarity, "magic" starts to seem a valid explanation, to some. But why does this belief exist? A good part of the reason is because geology, mineralogy, and crystallography are inherently complicated subjects.

They can require extensive research to begin grasping their concepts, and their core ideas are difficult to quickly convey. This can be frustrating for someone eager to begin learning about them, and that person may instead look for faster, easier answers. Crystal healers often provide such an answer; false claims that are easier and more fulfilling because they are invented in such a way as to leave no questions unanswered. But the complexity of these subjects doesn''t make them any less valid, nor does it mean that crystal healers get to ignore physics and rewrite the facts. Crystals do have testable, measurable properties, none of which include divine sources of power. In this section, we''ll look at what crystals actually are, down to their tiniest components, to show you that you will find no mystery at their core--just an incredible story of natural history. What Are Crystals and Minerals? A trick performed by a talented magician is always wondrous and mysterious until it is explained to you exactly how it was performed. With the veneer of magic stripped away, you can see how sleight of hand and clever misdirection led you to believe that something more incredible was happening.

Crystals--with their enigmatic geometric shapes, rainbow of colors, and ancient origins--cultivate a similar experience; they appear to be mysterious, even alien, and can remain a source of almost spiritual wonder until they''ve been properly explained. And, like analyzing each step of a magic trick, when we study crystals and break them down to see what lies at the core of their "mysteries," we find no magic but instead something perfectly explainable: a perfectly geometric arrangement of atoms.