Crystals and the Rainbow Body Crystals and stones are minerals, meaning they are neither plant nor animal. In other words, they are made up of non-living material. They come in various shapes and sizes. Crystals and stones are also sometimes called gemstones. There are "families" of crystals in which the stones look similar to each other but appear in various colors and slightly different shapes and sizes. Crystals come in a rainbow of colors. These colors indicate how you can use the stone to help you in your life. You are also made up of many colors.

Everyone has a rainbow body. We are all beings of light composed of seven main chakras, or energy centers, and each has a color. The energy centers of the body (the chakras) are bands of energy holding the mental, physical, spiritual and emotional bodies of your awareness. The four bodies, both visible and invisible, create the aura or energy which surrounds your body. The mental body is the part of you that thinks. The emotional body is the part of you that feels, the spiritual body is the part of you connected with the Universal Life Force or God, and the physical body is the place where your soul and spirit live here on Earth. It is good to understand that there are four levels of awareness within every aspect of your life. It helps you know why you feel, think, act or react in certain ways in various situations.

Each of these energy centers has a color associated with it, and together these colors make up the rainbow body. The many colorful crystals and stones can help us to understand and deal with challenging situations as they relate to each of these energy centers. Each of these energy centers has a lot of information stored inside that can help you understand yourself, and your friends and family. Life doesn''t happen to us; we create it with our thoughts, actions, words and deeds. A simple desire to be happy and loved forms an intention. With a little bit of know-how, any of us can change an intention or thought into reality. We all make choices and develop beliefs through the stories we tell ourselves. As we become aware of our choices, we have the ability to improve how we relate with others.

Being aware of your choices can help you feel better about yourself and raise your self-confidence. This can help you in how you get along with your friends and your family. As you get to understand your thoughts and feelings better even your schoolwork can improve because you''ll learn how to stay focused on the lesson. Because each energy center or chakra is a specific color, you can use gemstones of a specific color to help you with that energy center. The stone is simply a tool or a reminder of what you want to achieve. Let''s say you need to present a paper or report at school and you are feeling a bit nervous or shy about standing up and talking in front of your classmates. There are stones that help with self-confidence. One of them is citrine.

You can hold the citrine when you practice your report. You can put the citrine in your pillowcase every night before you fall asleep. You can put the citrine in your pocket when you give your report. Because of the color and the qualities already within the stone, it can help you be self-confident while you give the report. It''s not the stone that gives you the confidence; it is your plan to be self-confident that does the trick. The citrine is the reminder that keeps you focused on your goal. Put your goal into the stone by gazing at it and remembering that every time you touch it, look at it, or think of it, it will help you refocus your attention and awareness on your goal, thereby bringing you a step closer to your plan. It takes focus and grounding to keep your attention on your goal.

Notice I used the word "grounding". The word "grounding" or "grounded" used throughout this book means being centered, focused, and determined to block out distractions. It means getting back to earth vs. being spaced out. Please don''t confuse it with being grounded because you got into trouble! Mother Earth has provided these gemstone tools in all the colors of the rainbow and in every shape imaginable. Each of the gemstones relates directly to one of your chakras or energy centers. To determine which gemstone you should use, it is best to be aware of the colors that are associated with each of the chakras (see illustration) as well as the meaning and purpose of each chakra (discussed in the chapters to follow). With this basic information, you can then use gemstones in your daily life.

Each chapter to follow includes a discussion of crystal/gemstones and how they relate to particular energy centers, and provides affir- mations for use with the crystals. Affirmations are positive thoughts. Think good thoughts while you hold your stones and good things will come to you. Gemstones, such as agate, quartz, tourmaline, calcite, and jasper, come in a variety of colors and will therefore appear under more than one color energy or chakra. Although the actual minerals hold specific vibrations, the color of the stone is a more important consideration in combination with the area of your life you are working on. Every time you see or touch a stone, you reactivate your goal and focus on your plan. Repeat the positive thought affirmation in your heart and mind. Let the crystals and gemstones shine their light and add the full spectrum of color to light up your life with joy, happiness, self-confidence and laughter! THE CHAKRAS AND ASSOCIATED COLORS 7 Crown: The top of the head - Violet 6 Third Eye: The middle of the forehead - Indigo 5 Throat: The area around the neck - Pastel or Turquoise Blue 4 Heart: The center of the chest - Green and Pink 3 Solar Plexus: Just above the belly button - Yellow 2 Belly: Just below your belly button - Orange 1 Root: The base of the spine - Red Everyone is a living, breathing rainbow of sound, color, and vibration!.