Permutt The Ancient Power of Crystals

History, legends, and healing practices from around the world
1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-1-80065-547-8
Verlag: CICO Books
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 144 Seiten

The new guide from PHILIP PERMUTT, 'Britain's leading crystal expert' (Daily Mail). Discover how CRYSTALS have helped people throughout HISTORY and learn ways to HARNESS this age-old WISDOM for today. From American First Nations' tales of the healing power of crystals to weapons used by cavemen and in sacrificial ceremonies by the Aztecs, The Ancient Power of Crystals offers an exciting journey through time through the eyes and energy of the mineral world, showing how crystals have helped to create the world we live in today. Learn about lost civilisations such as Lemuria and Atlantis and their applications of crystals for both healing and power, and find out how methods that were used to work with crystals in the past can be adapted for the present day. Tap into ancient lost knowledge by working with crystals to communicate with spirit guides, angels and guardians, to heal yourself and others, and to grow your personal energy. This is an essential guide for anyone who is interested in how crystals have changed the world - and how crystals can change their own life, too.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Permutt, Philip

Leseproben

Just One Morning…

When you wake up in the morning, what do you do? Perhaps your alarm has gone off on your quartz clock, watch, or cell phone. Then maybe you turn on the light, which is powered by electricity that may come from solar panels on your roof or from an electrical grid, which is powered, at least in part, by crystalline technology.

You cook breakfast in your microwave oven and eat it while watching the television, listening to the radio, or streaming music through your Wi-Fi. Next, you grab some clean clothes from your tumble dryer, put some dirty ones in your washing machine, and turn the dishwasher on.

You hop into your car and drive to work, but there’s traffic, so you check your satnav or GPS device for a different route, or maybe you have taken the bus or train instead. Running late, you get to your office, turn on your computer, and then look at the beautiful amethyst crystal sitting on your desk and you feel a calmness come over you. And you realize that every single thing you have done this morning has relied on crystal technology.

Just imagine our ancient ancestors sitting under the stars on a moonlit night and imagining their future…

A Crystal Timeline

Crystals have played a crucial role throughout human history. This timeline highlights some of the most interesting ways in which we have worked with crystals through the ages. Some dates are approximate.

3.5 million years ago, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa

Excavations at the Cradle of Humankind (a site roughly 30 miles (50 km) northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa) have unearthed ancient stone tools that would have been employed by our early human ancestors at this time.

3.2 million years ago, Ethiopia

Carnelian beads were placed in burials, presumably to protect the soul on its journey to the afterlife. It was only a short time after our ancestors first started working with crystals and stones as everyday tools that they began to link them with their spiritual beliefs.

Cave at the Cradle of Humankind, South Africa

Carnelian beads

Example of an Oldowan stone tool

2.9 million years ago, Nyayanga, Kenya

Early hominins used stone toolkits (known as Oldowan tools), which included hammerstones (rounded stones used as a hammering tool), cores, and sharp, cutting flakes. Collectively, these tools were used to pound, scrape, and cut both plant and animal material—this included the butchery of hippopotamuses. Recovered from an excavation site called Nyayanga in western Kenya, these ancient tools were much more sophisticated than older stone tools that have been discovered.

2.5–1.9 million years ago, East Africa

It is likely that early humans were experimenting with controlled fire throughout this period.

1.9 million years ago, Turkana Basin (which stretches into Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Uganda)

Fossil records suggest that controlled fire was regularly being used for the first time. Ancient hominins would have created fire by striking two pieces of flint or pyrite together to produce a spark, which was then caught in a combustible wad. Fire would have provided light, warmth, safety, and the ability to cook food.

Early hominins used flint (below) to create fire, as well as pyrite.

700,000 years ago, Lomekwi 3 Site, West Turkana, Kenya

The next stage of tool development included sharp stone tools, hammers, and anvils, which were utilized by our ancestral cousins and still predate the earliest Homo species.

Fire: A Turning Point in Human History

Up until this point in evolution, like most other animals on the planet, we spent most of our time doing three things: eating, reproducing, and resting.

Then came fire…

• Light allowed us to do things for longer. We were no longer limited in our activity by sunlight or the full moon.
• Warmth permitted our global expansion by enabling us to live in less hospitable climates, which opened up new areas for exploration.
• Safety, brought about by other animals’ fear of fire, meant less time focused on defence.
• Cooking enabled us to live off less food (because cooked food contains more calories), and spend less time hunting and gathering.

In a short time, in evolutionary terms, we changed physically—our bowel shortened because cooked food is easier to digest, so we could make do with a smaller abdomen, allowing other parts of the body, such as the lungs and the brain, to increase in size. The brain developed and we began to occupy ourselves with art, stories, looking back in time, and contemplating and planning for the future.

The ability to create and control fire was a big game changer in human evolution.

335,000 years ago, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa

There is evidence from the Rising Star cave system at the Cradle of Humankind (see page 11) to suggest that Homo naledi (an extinct human relative) buried their dead and made etchings on the cave walls. Stone tools were discovered nearby, which were first used to smooth the rock surface, then to carve the markings.

105,000 years ago, Ga-Mohana Hill North Rockshelter, Kalahari Desert, South Africa

Calcite crystals have been discovered at a sacred shelter in the Kalahari Desert, away from their natural environment. This suggests that the crystals were deliberately collected and transported there from another location for a specific and special purpose.

Kalahari Desert, South Africa

Crystal Practices in the Kalahari Desert

• The crystals were all clear, optical calcite crystals (also called “Iceland spa”), which exhibit double refraction and could be regarded as being quite magical, though they don’t have an obvious practical purpose.
• Burned ostrich eggshell fragments and crushed animal bones were also found at the site, which are possible indicators of ritualized feasting or offerings.
• This is an example of early humans displaying complex cultural and symbolic behavior.
• The site has been in perpetual use and is still considered holy by the local people.

100,000 years ago, Lemuria (modern-day Madagascar and India)

Crystals, notably quartz, were possibly employed in technology and in the recording of the Lemurian civilization (see Chapter 3, page 52).

74,000 years ago, Ethiopia

Human technology moved on—the bow and arrow were invented, and jasper and obsidian were employed to create arrowheads for this new weapon. Stone arrowheads have also been discovered dating from this period.

40,000 years ago, Japan

There is possible evidence of microlithic tools being used at this time (see also “17,000 years ago,” page 16).

Obsidian arrowhead

Archery was a primary hunting technique in prehistoric times.

Lemurian quartz crystal

33,000 years ago, Chiquihuite Cave, Mexico

Cutting tools made from stone and shaped crystal points have been discovered in a high-altitude cave in the Astillero Mountains in Mexico. Many of the artifacts, specifically human-made tools, show signs of wear from use.

17,000 years ago, Magdalenian Cultures, Europe

Microlithic technology was developed to create composite tools and weapons by joining small, razor-sharp crystal or stone flakes to another structural material, such as bone or wood.

This was a major leap in technological advancement because it made much more efficient use of available materials, especially cherts (primarily flint), but it also required great skill in manufacturing the component parts.

9,000 years ago, Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq, as well as parts of Iran, Syria, and Turkey)

Crystals were considered powerful tools for divination. There are records of rose quartz, chlorite stone, and other materials being employed as amulets for protection and healing.

In the earliest known writings from this period, all of these practices were considered normal, which suggests they were not new discoveries and that their origins are much older. Rose quartz beads have also been found dating back to this time. (See also page 106.)

Tunnel entrance to the Chiquihuite Cave in Mexico

Rose quartz and chlorite in quartz

6,500 years ago, Egypt

The ancient Egyptians held a strong belief in the magical powers of crystals and stones, primarily for health and for protection in this life and the next. Chrysolite, peridot, topaz, galena, lapis lazuli, and malachite were all commonly employed in spiritual practices. Many practical, everyday objects were made of crystals, and crystals were worn to demonstrate power and position. This practice continues around the world to this day, with jewels integrated into sacred objects of power, such as the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. (See also page 107.)

6,000 years ago, Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq, as well as parts of Iran, Syria, and Turkey)

The Sumerians, an ancient civilization of Mesopotamia, employed crystals in magical formulas for healing. This was possibly the first record of crystal elixirs, which were also utilized in Samaria, an ancient region of Israel, 3,000 years later (see...