Researcher, Author, Coach and Speaker
Lapis lazuli is a mixture of hauyne, lazurite and sodalite in a matrix of calcite, with pieces of pyrite providing the golden flecks. Its name means ‘sky stone’, from the Latin ‘lapis’ meaning ‘stone and the Persian ‘lazward’ meaning ‘blue’, or ‘sky’. It has been used since at least 5000BC, and was very popular with … Read moreCrystal Work: The Magic of Lapis Lazuli
The most important concern when using aromatherapy and essential oils with babies and children is safety. Choose only suitably gentle oils to use in low concentrations. Babies and children have immature body systems and organs, which means they could have difficulty in eliminating the more powerful oils. They also tend to be far more responsive … Read moreAromatherapy for Babies and Children
The quartz family of crystals is large and diverse. It is estimated that quartz makes up about 12% of the volume of the earth’s crust and clear quartz crystal is very common throughout the world. Our ancient ancestors were certainly familiar with it, even if they misunderstood its nature. Because of its resemblance to ice … Read moreCrystal Work: The Magic of Clear Quartz
There are millions of species of plants living on the planet, with a diversity of characteristics. Fortunately, botanists have completed the difficult task of correctly identifying one plant from another by setting up a system of classification and assigning species according to their common characteristics. These might be similarities in germination, growth, shape or chemistry. … Read moreAromatherapy: Understanding Plant Families
The word ‘Diamond’ has its origin in the Greek word ‘adamas’, which means unconquerable. Ancient civilisations discovered that diamond could cut any other stone, and so it became known as the ‘ruler of stones’. Diamond has been mined for more than 4,000 years. Such is its value that across time and culture, people from ancient … Read moreCrystal Work: The Magic of Diamonds
The chemist might describe essential oils as chemical compounds generally made up of hydrogen, carbon and oxygen derived from a single botanical species. The manufacturer might say they are volatile materials extracted from plants by means of physical processing. Both definitions are correct, but neither explain the origin of essential oils. The purest form Essential … Read moreAromatherapy: Understanding Plant Essences
In the past, garnet was commonly referred to as carbuncle, and there were all sorts of myths attached to the stone. One of the most impressive was a Medieval belief that dragon’s eyes were made of garnet. In the Far East, garnet was believed to staunch the flow of blood and to be able to … Read moreCrystal Work: The Magic of Garnet
The term ‘aromatherapy’ – or French ‘aromathérapie’ – was coined in 1928 by French chemist Rene-Maurice Gattefosse. His interest in all essential oils was sparked following an accidental laboratory explosion in which he burned his hand. To soothe the burn he immersed his hand in the nearest liquid, which, quite by chance, was neat lavender … Read moreAromatherapy History: A Renaissance
Carnelian takes its name from the Latin word ‘cornu’, which means ‘horn’, and the stone is particularly associated with sexual energy and fertility by crystal healers. Throughout history, carnelian has been attributed protective powers. In Islam, it is called the Mecca stone and used as an amulet against the evil eye. Muslims also believed that … Read moreCrystal Work: The Magic of Carnelian
Much of Greek medicine was founded on Egyptian healing, but the Greeks can take credit for greatly developing these systems. Medicine began to separate itself from religion and aromatics went into private use during the times of the Ancient Greeks and Romans – more so than at any previous time. Both the Greeks and the … Read moreAromatherapy History and the Fall of Rome