A reader asks about the characteristics or uses of the gemstone or crystal called peridot, and how it works.

 

I am not really into quartz crystals and gemstones, although I have been fascinated with them since the early 1980s when an American friend, Andrea Cagan, introduced me to these stones and their beneficial uses. Since then I have collected a few crystals and noticed my affinity to certain types.

 

In Sedona, Arizona, for example, my energy affected a fairly large, clear quartz crystal (supposedly from Atlantis) when I held it in my hands while in a trance. Five American companions (two female and three males) witnessed the crystal’s transformation.

 

A stone to ward off spirits

 

I am indebted to Badeth Camus for the following information about peridot which she obtained from a book on crystals by Robert Simmons. “Peridot’s name is Greek in origin,” according to Simmons, “but was valued by ancient Egyptians to ward off nightmares and evil spirits. It is also the symbol of the sun and of those born under the zodiac sign of Leo.

 

It was in 13th-century England that peridot became a stone of prosperity.

 

A peridot bracelet or ring should be worn on the left arm. If it’s a necklace, it should be on a gold chain. It can be placed under a pillow to ward off nightmares.

 

I have been wearing a peridot ring for several years now since I learned it could protect me from evil spirits. I didn’t know it is also used to heal, to attract lovers and to make love spells more effective.

 

I accidentally discovered the peridot stone while experimenting with my pendulum using a book, “The Practical Pendulum Book,” by D. Jurriaanse, a Belgian occultist and healer. There was a chart of different gemstones arranged on a half-circle like a gauge. The pendulum is supposed to be held on top of the base of the chart and the pendulum sways toward the stone that one needs most.

 

The pendulum kept swaying to a gemstone called “olivine,” which I had never heard of. No matter how I changed the position of the chart, the pendulum always pointed to olivine. Turns out “olivine” is another name for peridot.

 

At the time I needed a stone that would protect me from evil spirits or negative influences because of a spirit cleansing I was asked to do in a house of a friend.

 

Disappearing subjects

 

Another reader asks why a person disappears from a photograph: “We were in China recently and took pictures of our group. My sister who was in front of me did not appear on the picture. All the rest did. What does this mean? Should this be cause for worry?”

 

Not necessarily. I have come across a number of similar cases of people disappearing from pictures taken of them with several others. But nothing bad ever happened to them.

 

This phenomenon usually occurs in places where there are earthbound spirits of the dead or elementals. They also happen during séances. For some reason that we can’t explain, the spirits prevent the person from being seen in the picture.

 

This happens not only with people but also with inanimate objects. For example, the former curator of the Central Bank’s art gallery told me in the ’80s that a particular piece of wooden furniture never appeared in photographs, no matter how many attempts were made. Only that piece disappears from the photo, nothing else.

 

I jokingly said, perhaps there was something wrong with the camera, but that’s not likely. When I checked that information with the former Central Bank governor, Dr. Jaime Laya (who was my contemporary in SGV), he said the story was true and he had witnessed it himself.

Perhaps, in this case, the spirit of the owner of that furniture may not want its picture taken. Who knows?

 

The point is that there are many phenomena in this world which cannot be explained rationally or scientifically. This is no reason for rejecting them. In fact, the proper attitude should be to continue studying them so we can understand the true nature of the world we live in.

 

The next seminar on “Basic ESP and Intuition Development” is scheduled on June 28 and 29, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For details and reservations, call 8107245, 8159890 and 0908-3537885.