A couple questions: (1) Is there any scientific evidence that crystals emit power or store energy? (2) Is it possible to create a comic book-type flashlight so bright the briefest exposure would cause permanent blindness? –Xah Lee, Montreal, Canada
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Quartz, also known as silicon dioxide or silica, is the earth’s most abundant mineral, most often seen in the form of sand. Quartz crystals can be created in hot water under pressure, a process that may be readily duplicated in the lab. Though not as iridescent (or as hard) as diamonds, quartz crystals are undeniably pretty, and that plus their large size and easy availability has undoubtedly contributed to their popularity.
Crystal buffs have used the fact that quartz crystals vibrate as the basis for a vast edifice of nonsense about “resonance,” “harmonics,” and “energy.” The mildest claim is that crystals will “center your energies” and improve your life somehow, and if that’s as far as you take it, using crystals is no worse than reading your horoscope or buying diet books. But a few extremists claim crystals can help cure cancer, AIDS, and other diseases. There is no scientific grounding for these claims, and anyone who uses crystals as a substitute for proven therapies is endangering his health and possibly his life.
