GOOD VIBES

THE CURRENT

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GOOD VIBES Crystal CLEAR CLEAR

LOOKING FOR WAYS TO MAKE ROOM FOR NEW ENERGY IN 2023? CRYSTAL VISION OFFERS ALTERNATIVE HEALING ARTS.

BY JESS SWANSON

On Friday nights at Crystal Vision, the vibes are fl owing. Watches are known to suddenly stand still. Patrons report feeling tingles or heat in their extremities. It’s all part of the reiki circle hosted at this lime-green Hollywood shop, where practitioners trained in this ancient Eastern healing modality reportedly exchange energy through precise touches and hand movements to promote well-being. But for second-generation shop owner Stephanie Guzman, it’s just another confi rmation that she made the right decision to quit her communications gig and help her grandmother run the family crystal shop and Loving Touch Center reiki school after her grandfather died in 2012.

“Everyone says that my grandparents were such pioneers because when they opened the store people thought it was very Woodstock and for hippies,” says Guzman, who took her fi rst reiki class at age 6. “Thank God that through scientifi c research we’ve really gotten to see the mental benefi ts and the ways that meditation can affect your brain. Even hospitals are recognizing reiki, and a number of our clients and students are nurses and doctors from Memorial Hospital.”

In 1986, Guzman’s grandparents opened a watch store that also displayed a shelf of crystals. More than 35 years later, there’s not a single watch on display, and that sole crystal shelf has expanded to now fi ll the entire store, with stock that includes thousands of precious stones and gems.

Since 1990, more than 10,000 students have taken a class at the reiki school that operates on the premises, and scores of individuals attend the free reiki circle each week. Though her grandmother passed away two years ago, Guzman says she’s committed to continuing the family legacy. From tarot to astrology to reiki and even shamanic energy clearings,

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well-being. But for second-generation shop owner Stephanie Guzman, it’s just and Loving Touch Center reiki school after her grandfather died in 2012. “Everyone says that my grandparents

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From opening a specifi c chakra to warding off negative vibes, each crystal is said to bring its own mystical properties. And there’s perhaps no better time to harness their powers than when setting resolutions and manifestations at the start of a new year. Here are fi ve crystals Guzman says will help you kick off 2023 right.

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Citrine “Use citrine for prosperity and abundance. It works with your solar and sacral chakras to remove that procrastination, that lack of motivation. It gives you self-confi dence and self-esteem.”

Apophyllite “I like higher ascension stones [known to aid meditation and psychic protection] like apophyllite. It’s one of my favorite go-tos. It off ers this really beautiful white light element “Use citrine for prosperity and abun- into the space.”

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ARINA KRASNIKOVA

If you’re in search of a fresh start, try a reiki session, a Shamanic energy-clearing ritual, or harnessing the power of crystals to help usher in new energy at Crystal Vision in Hollywood.

the shop aims to connect folks with respected practitioners—regardless of where a client may fall on the skeptic/spiritual spectrum.

“Whether you’re the happiest person or the person who’s going through a lot, you always want to fi nd a safe, sacred space,” Guzman says. “For me, it’s as if my grandparents passed the honor of carrying on that tradition for the community.” (crystalvisionltc.com)

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Blue Crystals Blue Crystals “January 22 is the Chinese New Year, and it will be the year of the water rabbit. So we’re going to use more blue crystals, such as larimar for calm and peace, [and] sodalite and kyanite for communication and co-creating.”

X REIKI 101

Consider reiki like seasonal energetic maintenance, a tune-up for the soul. Crystal Vision’s reiki master and shaman Vanessa Green— who studied with Q'ero shamans in the mountains of Peru and the Ashaninka tribe in the Amazon—says this healing method can address a person’s mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual needs.

FLI: Who should use reiki and why?

Green: You’re carrying all this stuff with you—the situations that happen, the people you meet, the moods you encounter—and I can see it in the aura as dust bunnies. If you don’t take care of it and clear it, it burrows more and more and can manifest into negative thought patterns.

How does your training in the shamanic arts add to the practice?

With a traditional reiki session, you’re sticking by the book with specifi c hand positions in specifi c ways and with specifi c symbols to have your energy cleared, your chakras aligned and working, and for synchronizations to start happening in your life. When I’m incorporating more of the shamanism, I’m connecting with the person in that same exact way, but when I’m in this space I’m fi guring out what is happening, [either] seeing visuals or sometimes verbally fi nding these clues to fi gure out whatever it is that has to be released.

What can people who are new to reiki expect to feel?

Clients often report feeling lighter, thinking clearer, and sleeping better. It’s very diff erent with every person, but for the most part, the commonality across the board is a sense of peace, and that inner turmoil is now calm.

Selenite “Selenite is a beautiful white light stone. It’s normally super, super clear, but when it does a lot of absorbing it almost looks crystallized.”

ARINA KRASNIKOVA

FLI Green:

commonality across the board is a sense of peace, and that inner turmoil is now calm.

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Tourmaline “Tourmaline is an ancient ceremonial protection stone. Green tourmaline attracts luck, success, abundance, and prosperity. It inspires creativity and may be used to project, create, and manifest one’s goal. It might also increase one’s opportunities to earn a second income by turning an interest or hobby into a business.”