When the New York Post reported on the Wall Street guys who just happen to be healing crystal aficionados, we couldn't help but chuckle. The image of a besuited financial drone cradling his citrine during an important meeting initially struck us as silly, but no doubt a sign of progress: Even the most straight-laced among us are expanding their spiritual horizons, and that's something to celebrate.
"The fact that corporate executives are finding the magic of crystals and investing in them as mental, physical, and spiritual resources is not surprising to me," Athena Perrakis, PhD, founder and CEO of Sage Goddess, tells Refinery29. Crystals are known conduits for power and wisdom — it's no wonder that such high-powered people are drawn to them.
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But, upon second glance, we noticed something about these men that put their love of amethyst in a whole new light. One man went from splurging on nightclubs to spending thousands of dollars on crystals, while another declared that he dropped $10,000 on the stone of his dreams, a mysterious moldavite. The article closed with a quote from yet another high-roller who admitted his healing crystal might not perform its function as well as he expected, but he liked having it around anyway. From where we stand, it appears as though crystals are merely another status symbol for these men.
Of course, this is hardly the first time healing minerals and stones were flaunted as luxury items. Spencer Pratt has long been a proud advocate of pricey gems and recently Kim Kardashian West chose, of all things, quartz crystals to inspire the marketing and packaging for her fragrance line. Unlike the finance guys profiled in the Post, both Pratt and KKW have said that their crystals function as more than mere eye candy. Nevertheless, that doesn't conceal the fact that they've made these once strictly spiritual objects into part of their public brands.
"One one hand, I think it's good that crystals are becoming more mainstream, because even if people are just gravitating toward their beauty, they will connect people to their spirits," says seeress and shaman Deborah Hanekamp of Mama Medicine. On the other hand, we can't help but wonder if treating these powerful stones as little more than trendy pieces of decor will affect their influence as spiritual objects.
Heather Askinosie, crystal expert and co-founder of Energy Muse and author of Crystal Muse, tells us it doesn't matter: "Whether you’re meditating with them, have them within your home or are just collecting them like works of art, they force you to stop, get off of your phones, breathe a little deeper and connect with yourself."
Even if they're left to sit in your living room and look pretty, crystals can imbue that space with a particular sort of energy (that said, most crystals require some amount of upkeep). So, whether those CEOs and real estate moguls openly admit that they believe in the more esoteric benefits of healing crystals or not, simply bringing them into their lives means they're open to it — just don't tell their clients.