“Stones are truly as fundamental as it gets,” says Sarah Thomas, owner of Clarity Acupuncture and Clarity Stone Medicine, who has been studying Chinese medicine and the applications of stones in healing for the past eight years.
“Indigenous cultures of the past such as the Taoists and Native Americans realized that everything in nature had a purpose and could be used in healing,” Thomas says. “It was this fundamental connection with nature that led them to explore the ways stones could be incorporated into their lives, from healing to tools.
“Stones are the oldest living things under the surface; they are literally the roots of the plants, ” Thomas notes. The positioning of stones deep under the surface and close to the core is a tip off on how stone medicine works for humans, she points out. “Their medicine is to treat what is under the surface in us … all the subconscious and unconscious patterns living out through our lifetime,” she explains.
“Stones are the grandmothers of herbal medicine; it’s time we started really experimenting with the deepest offering the earth has given us,” she says.
“I’ve worked with many clients who have had unbelievable experiences when they started working with stones,” says Thomas as she mentions a video series she is working on called “Stone Corps” (named after Story Corps), where she interviews clients about how certain stones have impacted their lives.
Since ancient times stones have been used in correspondence with certain meridians and points in the body, Thomas explains. “There are stories of people running away into the woods to see a medicine man or woman and return home with powdered crystals for ingestion, stone elixirs and mineral powder poultices.”
In fact, the very first acupuncture needles were made from stones, Thomas says. “They were originally made from flint, opal or obsidian before stainless steel factories came into production.”
In her office, Thomas offers acupuncture as well as a non-needle practice where stones are placed on the body. “This is a great alternative for people who like Chinese medicine but are afraid of needles,” Thomas notes. “They (the stones) are equally powerful or more powerful than needles. A lot more chi is in a stone than a needle that is produced in a factory,” she says.
by Emily Nichols
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