The Age of Crystals

Comic books, animations and films have become modern man’s projection of what he would like to be. Hence, the superheroes come alive illustrated, animated and even acted on the screen. But what is amazing is how Jung made the archetype predictable even through the arts.

Consider Superman. This man who can fly in spite of the silly red sheet can do a lot of other marvellous things, of course, superhuman feats but he has only one weakness, the element kryptonite even as it occurs only as a handy crystal. Consider, too, the local superheroine Darna. Ravelo has ravelled her source of strength as a singular stone; the fabled mutya of the mag-aanting (people involved in the talismanic magic). But as projections, they exemplify this generation and its dependence on matter for behold, the age of crystals is ushered in.

Perhaps this anecdote is worth telling in order to describe this dependence better. One day, Majesty, the pet eagle of this writer started to show strange behaviour, it was very restless as it flew in its cage by the gate. After a few minutes the whole wall on the side of the eagle’s cage fell away revealing that the ground of the lot beside was significantly much lower such that the foundations were exposed, dug further and thus it caved in.

Simeon, the neighbour landlady said, is the strange man who rented the house and he disappeared after the incident. It was only then that this writer had been informed that the same guy appeared in a television interview concerning crystals and stones. He was mining beside the fence that fell for some mysterious stones.! Imagine how much damage this delusion had caused this writer when he could easily ask for hiss kidney stone for free!

But jesting aside, crystals and stones have become serious business as all new age philosophy items one can visit the big malls and get curiously engrossed at their manifold shapes and functions.

Approach the salelslady and you will right away get a free expert advise concerning their use: this one will make you fiery in love that is why it is so red… ah that one is to make your lover faithful to you… that green one is only very cheap but will attract a fortune. It has the color of dollars… see. And yes, it has the color of the five peso bill, too; and the color of someone with kidney trouble, Don’t kid me.

Just beyond Kinabuhayan on the way to Durungawan in Dolores, Quezon is Cristalino falls. There are two versions why it has that name. One is its crystal clear waters and the second, it was the source of small crystals, now exhausted, which were made into amulets by early mountaineers.

The elementals, actually are the ones who taught mankind overdependence on crystals and stones. Gradually, using new age philosophy, they have defined these crystals and stones to be vital in influencing not only human moods and behavior but his destiny as well. The spirits have done their handiwork again.

Perhaps, their archetypal penetration is such that a new superheroine was again born on the TV screen. Krystala travels through time and space and is given the power concentrated in a crystal. Earlier, even the mermaid, Marina had to use rocks and crystals to fight the nemesis. This writer is glad they are over. He is concerned that young people watching will all the more have attachment to these stones. Then his kidney stones are in trouble, again.

But even if one fills his house with magical crystals and stones they would not amount to anything at all. What is important allegorically is a Cephas, a little rock on which God can establish His church within the hearts of men. This little rock called Faith.