Book Reviews (Oct 2009)

Larry Dossey, MD. The Power of Premonitions: How knowing the future can sharpen our lives, New York: Dutton/ Penguin 2009. 288 pp. $25.95   Refs15 pp.     

As always, Larry Dossey brings us an enjoyable feast of facts, personal experiences and discussions in this review of premonitions. The book is divided into chapters reviewing examples of foreknowledge, research explorations of precognition, and then various dissections of the material to appreciate how it informs our lives and our understandings of the world.As Dossey notes, the collective evidence from research presents results with statistical analyses showing astronomically significant findings. These include explorations of predictions of the order of cards in a deck that haven't been shuffled yet; predictions of electronically generated information; and viewing remote places (that may be many miles away) prior to the time that observations are made by an experimenter dispatched to the randomly chosen location. 

As fascinating as the evidence is, it is even more interesting to speculate on explanations for how it is possible for people to transcend the accepted boundaries of future time and perceive that which will occur in seconds, minutes, days or even years later. Dossey succinctly and clearly summarizes evidence and theories from modern physics that show our world to be a place where time is not the linear river we commonly perceive and accept it to be. Modern physicists predict, and their experiments confirm, that interactions of consciousness may occur with matter in ways that clearly cross the supposed boundaries between present and future.

Important philosophical questions are raised by these confirmations of precognition. Dossey points out that some have been troubled by the seeming implication of a predestination in the universe, if we can see what will happen in the future before it happens. This would mean, according to them, that there is no free choice. Dossey's reports, however, show that there are numerous instances where precognitive awarenesses led to people averting the perceived disasters. This has been validated in research as well, with statistics confirming that people avoid traveling on trains and planes that have accidents.

Considering that premonitions often come to people as dream-like images, frequently including dream-like distortions, one could also point out that no predestination need be postulated from premonitions. A person having a premonition that s/he is going to die may just be the way that the unconscious mind puts an exclamation point after the image that is intended by the unconscious as a warning about a dangerous situation where the unconscious mind actually perceives that the person won't die, but creates the image of dying in order to motivate the dreamer to avoid the danger.

Another way of looking at this, not suggested by Dossey, is that precognitive perceptions need not indicate a predestination in the perceived actions. In retrocognitive perceptions, people have glimpses of past occurrences. John Gribbin has a collection of these in a book titled 'Time Warps.' I have never heard anyone suggest that because we can perceive events in the past they must have been prede-termined. Similarly, there is no reason to suggest that glimpses into the future imply predetermination. These are just windows of awareness across the illusion of the separateness of past, present and future. As meditators, mystics and intuitives of many traditions tell us, all time is Now.

Dossey, as usual, provides a wealth of references for further explorations. In this book, the references
are keyed in the endnotes to phrases on relevant pages, the pages being listed in the endnotes. No endnote numbers appear in the text. (What a boon to the author and to copy editors in sorting out the text for publication!)

 

Nilsson, Marie. The Magic Power of Stones, Crystals and Minerals.  Kalmar, Sweden: Kundalini Nyckeln, 2008.  415pp. 
375 SEK for unsigned copies and 400 SEK for signed copies outside of Europe + shipping cost
http://www.kundalininyckeln.com    info@kundalininyckeln.com

Stones, crystals, gems and minerals have fascinated humans since the beginning of time.  In this book Marie Nilsson’s amazing photography captures the reasons we have so often been captivated by their beauty and diversity, and the energies they hold.  Many stones, crystals, gems and minerals appear like frozen glimpses of rainbows and sunlight, while others have amazing shapes, colours and textures; crystallized ‘flowers.’ formed from the depths of the earth itself, they draw us to them like magnets. 

Marie spent many hours of ‘work and fun’ researching each stone, crystal and mineral - over 1000 in all, and then used her intuition to listen to them and capture a sense of their spiritual qualities. If you are a lover and collector of stones, crystals and minerals you will really appreciate this book – not just as a wonderful and beautiful resource for identifying those ‘strangers’ in your collection you haven’t, frustratingly, been able to name, but also for the creative and insightful manner in which she has put this wealth of wisdom and beauty together.

Labradorite

Marie writes, “As a mechanical/electronic engineer with a good knowledge of physics, I already knew everything consists of energy and that everything segregates, radiates, and receives energy at different speeds, at all times.  I also knew that thoughts and strong faith affects a person mentally, emotionally and physically.”

Through the ages, people seem to have that same sense of the energies of these magnificent ‘flowers of the earth’ and used them for healing and protection, and for enhancing their powers and connection to the spiritual realms.  Stones, crystals, gems and minerals have adorned the crowns and sceptres of royalty, and the breastplates of warriors and priests, providing them with power, strength, and deeper connections to consciousness and the divine.  Rudolph Steiner once said that any being who would choose to become crystalline in nature must be closest to God.  Dorothy McLean, one of the founders of Findhorn, speaks of being humbled by a small reddish rock she picked up on the beach that introduced her to the most incredible being she ever encountered – the ‘Cosmic Being of Stone,’ that went on into infinity.

In Vedic times, gems were used whole and placed or worn on the body, or crushed and ingested as a powder or drunk as an elixir.  Somehow, humans through the ages have ‘sensed’ the vibrational powers of stones and their potentials to influence the subtle energies of human beings. As Marie explains, “You can use stones, crystals and minerals to dissolve different types of energy blockages within your physical body as well as within your subtle bodies or within the charka system.  It can for an example involve emotional or mental blockages.  It also can be within another area where you need to dissolve blockages.” 

Atomic structure of a garnet crystal

Science is finally beginning to explain what the ancients sensed, and to develop the knowledge and tools to analyze the structure and properties of gems.  In addition, quantum physics is giving us the answers to some of the questions about their almost magical vibrational properties.  Programs like Xtaldraw, from the University of Texas at Austin, are able to show us their beautifully symmetrical atomic structures. As solid and dense as stones, crystals, gems and minerals might be, like everything else in this plane of reality, they are actually made up of specific patterns of vibrating atoms and molecules and space. As an example, humans have magnetite crystals in their brains.

In ancient healing it was determined that specific gemstones or crystals could be used to heal specific parts of the human anatomy.  We now know that this is because each organ vibrates to a specific frequency.  When disease is present the specific vibrational frequency of that organ is altered.  Through the principles of resonance and ‘dominant field theory’, crystals and gems are able to restore health and vitality.

Quartz Crystal

In another application, using a quartz crystal as a miniature microphone, researchers have developed a prototype virus detector that can ‘hear’ viruses.  They predict that this listening technique using crystals will eventually be used to provide instant diagnosis.  Today, gems and minerals are also used in technology to transmit and magnify energies in many different ways.  Rubies are used in lasers for microscopic surgery and quartz crystals are used in ultrasound devices and watches.  Diamonds cut through the hardest substances and garnets are used to polish things.  Quartz crystals provide us with the ‘chips’ that conduct and hold memory, and help us communicate through cyberspace.

Like myself and many of us, Marie always had an interest in the mineral kingdom, but it wasn’t until about five years ago that she delved into this passion with greater intensity.  To her surprise and disappointment, she found that there were very few books around containing photographs to help her identify her mineral friends, so she decided to create one herself.  She painstakingly taught herself the art of photography and then lovingly took over 700 pictures of gems and minerals from all over the world.

Marie begins her book with her story of how she was able to make her book happen with the help of family and many friends, business contacts, and healers from around the world.  As with many things that are meant to be, the universe sent her and lent her all the stones and crystals she needed for this huge undertaking in the most amazing ways.  As Marie says, stones, crystals, gems and minerals have a habit of ‘appearing’ and ‘leaving’ wherever and whenever they are in need!

Brecci Jasper

The book contains a clear and simple, yet useful introduction that includes choosing stones, crystals and minerals, and then offers her insights into how one can clear and use them in varieties of ways.  Marie provides colourful illustrations of how they may be used with the chakras and affirmations, and shares information about the subtle energy bodies/the aura and kundalini energy.  Charts of birthstones and gems for the days of the week and birth hour are provided from several different astrological traditions. The greater part of this book contains 350 beautifully laid out pages of photographs of stones, crystals, gems and minerals, accompanied by information that Marie encourages you to use as a guide in your journey of self discovery and healing, or as you see fit.  All the information is provided in both Swedish and English.  Each page contains five photographs.  On the opposite page you will find an affirmation, the charka with which it is associated for healing, and its properties, as in the example below

 

Golden/Honey Aragonite 

AFFIRMATION:  I choose to live with opensenses, here and now.

CHAKRA:  naval, solar plexus and crown

PROPERTY:  It helps you stabilize and calm your emotions at the same time as it increases your energy.  It helps you see the whole picture of a problem, the cause and the solution.  It also helps you live with open senses and be present in the moment.(p. 82-83)

In part of this section of her book Marie illustrates and explains all the different types of healer crystals, providing additional properties and names, depending on the shape of the crystal.  For example, Generator Crystal, Record Keeper Crystal, Isis Crystal, Grounding Crystal, Channelling Crystal, Laser Wand Crystal, Lemurian Seed Crystal, and more.

River Crystal (p. 222-223)[This form of crystal has many names such as River egg, Window Quartz, “Seer” stone, Dragon Egg or Ema Egg]

AFFIRMATION:  Now I have a deeper insight of the different dimensions of life.

CHAKRA:  according to the crystal or stone it is made of

PROPERTY:  It brings you the possibility to see another dimension of life which otherwise is hidden under the surface.  It provides you with insight and understanding of deep emotional circumstances.  It has a very powerful and protecting energy that purifies, balances and harmonizes thoughts, emotions and spirituality. It facilitates and strengthens your psychic growth.

A convenient index is provided at the end. 

Colourful affirmation cards with photographs of a variety of stones, crystals, gems and minerals, are in the works.

Just as some healers and psychics are able to read a person’s energy using a photograph, some healers have reported that they can feel the energy of the crystals in Marie’s book simply by holding their hands above the pictures, while some have perceived different visions just holding the book in their hands. 

As someone who has worked with and come home with pockets, bags and suitcases full of ‘rocks’ of all sizes and descriptions since I was a child, having a book like this on hand to find my ‘friends’ has been wonderful.  I’ve been able to identify a number of mysterious stones, crystals and minerals to give them their proper names.  I can also appreciate the mammoth effort it must have taken Marie Nilsson to create this masterful presentation of the mineral kingdom in all its wonder and beauty, and crystallize her insights regarding how we can utilize their vibrational frequencies to expand our consciousness and enhance our well being.  This is a 'must have' for any serious lover of rocks or for those wanting information on how to use stones, crystals and minerals as tools for personal transformation.

Review by Rachel Finney
Essence practitioner and producer of gem-based essences
www.livinglight.com  info@livinglight.ca