Michael Gienger - Crystal and Stone Massage: Energy Healing for the Vital and Subtle Bodies

Crystal and Stone Massage

Crystal and Stone Massage is the standard work in the field of gentle massage with precious stones. The authors are outstanding in their ability to convey the energetic aspects of massage and the importance of touch. Six different massage techniques are illustrated in detail, from intuitive massages to very complex reflexology.... Recommended for both professional massage therapists as well as the layperson.

DAGMAR FLECK,
COAUTHOR OF HOT STONE AND GEM MASSAGE

An excellent overview and introduction to the various methods and techniques of massage using crystals.

FRED HAGENEDER,
AUTHOR OF THE MEANING OF TREES

PREFACE

To Touch and Be Touched

To be massaged is surely one of lifes most special experiences. Whodoesnt enjoy putting oneself in the hands of a trusted masseur or masseuseand allowing nice things to happen? But giving a massage canalso be an equally pleasant and transformative experience. To give yourfocused attention to someone who has put his or her trust in you, andto then see how good your healing touch makes that person feel, isincredibly satisfying.

Massage, from the Arabic massa, means to touch. And deep down,we all long for someone to touch us. This is true in every culture andin every human interaction. Just a glance, a word, or a gesture cantouch us. But direct, hands-on contact with another persons body forthe purpose of healing is something even more profound. Its too badthat this kind of contact seems to be waning in our world; this may bebecause we have less time to give or receive massage, because we dontknow how to, or because culturally we dont think touching anotherperson other than someone who is very close to us is appropriate.

A world without the kind of physical contact that massage provideswould be a much poorer world. By contrast, a world in which humanbeings touch others in this kind of healing way as a matter of coursewould be a world rich in empathy, understanding, and compassion. For instance, during my time as a shiatsu practitioner I began to notice how much I liked the people I massaged. Regular massages allow our understanding of one another to grow, regardless of any differences in our thinking, behavior, or lifestyle. In the thirteenth-century Icelandic work the Poetic Edda we find this: A gift, and a gift in return, founds friendship, if nothing else opposes it. Could there be any better gift, or gift in return, than to touch another and to be touched?

Massage, from the Arabic word massa, means to touch.

Its no wonder, then, that massages are so beneficial, and not just for the body, but for the soul, the mind, and the spirit as well. To touch and to be touched always means you are dealing with the whole being; therefore, massage is necessarily holistic healingas well as a form of healing, by the way, that anyone can give or receive. This is because the essence of healing massage is not technique, but rather the quality of turning to another person with the clear intention of doing goodto provide well-being and healing. If we open ourselves up to this kind of tuning in to others, our hands will usually know what will feel good to the person under them, and what has to be done to achieve this state of well-being. For this reason, I believe that precisely following textbook instructions in massage technique is much less important than how we approach the massage, the spirit in which we offer it.

With this book we would like to introduce you to a new dimension of massage, one that incorporates the energetics of crystals and gemstones. Crystals and massage, you may ask? This might seem like a strange or unlikely combination, because most of us tend to think of crystals as being hard or heavy, or containing rough or sharp edges. But you might be surprised to discover how soft crystals and gemstones can actually be, the delicate action they can transmit to the skin and body, and how much light energy they can transmit. Crystal and gemstone massage combines the wonderful advantages of massage, with its intensive tactile contact, with the harmonious, subtle healing bestowed through the luminous energy of the types of stones being used. Depending on how the crystals and stones are applied, we can work on different levels: physical, ethereal, mental, or spiritual. The result is always holistic, and yet each of these approaches has a different point of access. Each one opens a different door to us, to our inner world.

You might be surprised to discover the delicate action crystals and gemstones transmit to the body.

This book is divided into five parts and addresses a broad spectrum of readers, from those who have no experience giving massage but who are curious about and interested inand certainly capable ofusing gemstones and crystals in healing bodywork; to experienced massage therapists who want to expand their repertoire of services to their clients and are keen to learn more about how to incorporate crystals and gemstones into their practice. In part 1, Massage Basics, I walk the reader who may be less experienced in the art of massage through the basic steps of giving a massage.

In part 2, Intuitive Massage, I focus on how to work with crystals and gemstones, including different techniques, and how some of the different shapes of massage stones can be manipulated to achieve certain effects. Here too I include a list of all the minerals commonly found in crystal massage today and suggest the specific kinds of healing effects that each type of gemstone can provide.

The concept of the vital body is explored in part 3, Vital Body Massage, where I walk the reader through a whole-body vital massage sequence using crystals.

In the last two parts of this book I present contributions from two esteemed colleagues. In part 4, Harmonizing Massage with Amber, Hildegard Weiss, an eclectic healer whose work blends crystal massage with her background in craniosacral massage, Bach flower remedies, astrology, and the teachings of Hildegard von Bingen and Thich Nhat Hanh, guides readers through a step-by-step massage sequence using amber, which has a multitude of wonderful healing attributes. And in part 5, Crystal Sphere Massage, Ursula Dombrowsky, a medical massage therapist who has been incorporating crystals into her work for many years, walks us through a whole-body massage sequence incorporating crystal spheres, a most potent healing tool! My gratitude to both of these contributors, who have been so generous in their willingness to describe these massage techniques they have developed.

I would also like to thank Marco Schreier, a gemstone expert who specializes in the use of stones for health and wellness, who was the initial inspiration for this book and who let us dig deeply into his stock of crystals. I also offer thanks to Sabine Schneider-Khnle for accompanying the project; to my German publisher, Andreas Lentz, for his willingness to publish this book in its original German edition; to Fred Hageneder for his sure instincts in the design of that edition; to Arwen Lentz for first publishing an English-language translation of this work; and to Tom Blair and Roselle Angwin for their work on that initial translation.