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Caleb Brown, an employee at Cool Digs in Athens, Ohio, sets out Ocean Jasper from Madagascar on October 24, 2016. According to Brown, Cool Digs is one of the few places in the United States that has Ocean Jasper, which some people believe can be used for Crystal magic. (EMILY MATTHEWS | PHOTO EDITOR)

Stones and crystals purportedly can be used to create positive energy and overcome obstacles

Iris Virjee wears a small pouch around her neck. It contains five small, brightly colored rocks, and each of them give her comfort in a different way.

Virjee, a sophomore studying urban planning and sustainability, became interested in using crystals for promoting positive energy about a year ago. She was intrigued by their beauty and by the idea that they would help her overcome some obstacles in her life.

“I’ve always kind of been surrounded by those kinds of (metaphysical) things, and not just put off of it as a lot of people are,” she said. “I’ve always had kind of an open mind to it.”

While some people might not believe in the power of stones to alter the energy of a space, others use them both for their own mental well-being and in their homes.

Virjee found her crystals to be helpful in areas such as keeping her grounded and overcoming creative blocks.

Those in Athens looking to buy crystals of their own might head to Cool Digs Rock Shop and Specialty Garden Supplies at 6 Euclid Dr. Cool Digs has a large selection of crystals and minerals with prices ranging from 25 cents to $3000 depending on the size, shape and other properties of the stone. All of the store’s minerals are hand shaped and polished, mostly by people in Madagascar.

Casey Papp, an employee at Cool Digs, said she often points people who come into the store toward rose quartz.

“(Rose quartz) is inexpensive, and it really has a lot of great properties,” she said. “It’s associated with love, it is heart opening (which are) things we all need. It’s a really great stone.”

Papp uses crystals herself, placing them in many rooms in her house, on her porch and in her garden and making grids with them for specific purposes.

“They really just create a nice environment,” she said. “If you can tap into that energy they create, you can feel it. They create a welcome, warm, positive space.”

She said she believes the stones can change their purpose depending on the intention people put into them.

“We use them as kind a safe space creator,” she said. “A lot of people don’t necessarily believe in it, and that’s fine because if you don’t believe, you’re not going to feel the effects of it. We create our own reality.”

Keith Milam, an associate professor of geology who teaches a mineralogy class, said in his expertise, he does not believe minerals can alter energies.

“There is no scientific basis,” he said.

Milam said he thinks people still use stones despite the lack of evidence to give them comfort in their lives.

“Some things give us hope and some people tend to focus their efforts on maybe stones or minerals. Some people may use (religion) as a source of their hope,” he said. “I suppose it’s the human need for hope and reassurance as you go through life."

Although some people dispute the energy properties of crystals, people like Virjee put their trust in the potential powers they believe them to have.

“If you’re someone who doesn’t really trust or have an any interest in the spiritual world or energy, then you’re probably going to dismiss this as some kind of hippie witch nonsense, which it may well be,” Virjee said. “But if you’re someone who’s open to believing it and you kind of have an open mind about it, then I think they can offer a lot of help.”

@adeichelberger

ae595714@ohio.edu

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