If I told you that for only one dollar, you could help find inner happiness, balance, relaxation and even prosperity in your life, you probably wouldn’t believe me.
But at House of Energy, located in Kensington Market, all it takes is a rock or crystal to turn your life into something more desirable to you. (Hey, it’s cheaper than a shrink.) For as little as a dollar, why not try something different, right?
Crystals are becoming popular because, as Oswald “Ozzy” Montano, co-owner of House of Energy, says simply, “It’s difficult to live a city life. There is a lot of stress, with jobs, technology, balancing family and career, the economy. People will try anything to keep a calm … balanced life.”
And, according to Montano, having even a small crystal rock can help. And whether you keep it in your pocket, on your desk at work, around your neck, it can change your life.
House of Energy opened in April 2012 and the family-run store knew it was on to something instantly. (They could easily pay rent and their expenses.) The store features more than 260 different crystals and rocks from all over the world.
“There is definitely a trend now. We have old people, young people, mothers, [and] even teenagers come in with specific issues they are having, whether they are hoping for that promotion or having trouble sleeping. There is definitely an awakening when it comes to this business,” Montano says.
(There was a two-page feature in one of my daughter’s teen magazines about celebrities and their favorite crystals!) One lawyer, who was a regular client, became so interested in their crystals, which changed his life, that he quit being a lawyer for a more laid-back lifestyle.
Even when it comes to something so simple, like playing a better poker game, they have a crystal for it (the green aventurine, which is the “stone of optimism” and sells for $3, like most of their hundreds of stones). Ozzy Montano, his wife Talitha and her mother, Jasmine, make the store and entering visitors extremely comfortable, offering a hot cup of one of their homemade superteas.
Now, let’s be honest: How much does the average person really know or believe that crystals can help you? On a recent trip to Miami, I somehow ended up at a mythical rock store. When I tell Montano this, he says that happens more than you would think — ending up at a store like that, almost as if the store were telling you where to go and to walk in. I bought a green crystal at that store. The purpose of the crystal I bought was to bring prosperity. I was told to put it in a glass of water and drink the water. I did. That day, I received a royalty cheque from one of my books. So am I a believer?
Yes. I also bought my daughter, who has trouble falling asleep and making decisions, a couple black onyxs, which is a stone of inner strength, which calms nervousness, quells anxiety, soothes hot tempers and brings reason to passion. She leaves them under her pillow or keeps them in her locker at school.
“Of course many people want to keep their crystals or stones discreet, just because, if you work on Bay Street, people may not understand,” he says. So what do they do with people who just don’t believe? “Well, it’s like saying that you don’t believe a certain medicine will work for you. If you don’t believe it, then it probably won’t work. But even affluent people are seeing and starting to understand and want the metaphysical to help them change whatever issues they have in their lives.…”
When you first walk into the store, the owners suggest you go to the crystal collection, laid out with all their stones and crystals, and “just feel what you are drawn to.”
It is a beautiful collection. I was drawn to a “bloodstone.” I read the little explanation of it.
It read, “Metaphysically, bloodstone is used to either promote a calm, tranquil atmosphere that is grounding or to revitalize insufficient energy. A great stone for mental exhaustion.” Um, yeah. I was drawn to the right stone! I’m totally mentally exhausted! I was also drawn to the amethyst, which is not just a pretty purple stone, but also provides common sense and flexibility in decisions.
“Wear when sleeping or when awake to reduce anger, depression, grief, impatience and nightmares.”
But it’s not just buying a crystal that you feel you need to help you overcome whatever it is in your life. You have to “program” your crystal, meaning once you have chosen your crystal and identified what you want it to help you with, you need to spend some time connecting with it. Holding a crystal in your hand is one of the simplest ways to connect with your crystal’s energy, while you focus on the purpose of your crystal. Then you can ask your crystal to help you with whatever you have programmed it for.
OK, so I lied. I was also “drawn” to a citrine stone, used for problem solving, memory issues, will power, optimism and confidence. It reduces anxiety, fear and depression.
Montano has another way of explaining how crystals work: “Why should we doubt history? These rocks are thousands of years old. Why do queens or kings have crystals in their crowns? Because it amplifies their intention when it seems that certain goals are impossible. It’s not just to look pretty.”
As for me, the total cost of my crystal purchases was less than $12. If they don’t work, what have I lost? But I have a feeling they will
Post City Magazines’ columnist Rebecca Eckler is the author of Knocked Up, Wiped!, and her latest books, How to Raise a Boyfriend and The Lucky Sperm Club.