The Book of Sacred Stones: Fact and Fallacy in the Crystal World

by Barbara G. Walker, Werner P. Brodde (Photographer)

Bestselling author Barbara Walker debunks the tall tales surrounding crystal mysticism and offers instead an intelligent alternative that includes a complete guide to minerals and their histories. Because of her profound admiration for the beauty and mystery of crystals, Barbara Walker reveals in this two-part examination what crystals truly are, what they can -- and cannot do, and what they have meant to cultures down through the ages.

She exposes the crystal mystics' grotesque ignorance of the very subject of which they claim expertise and presents detailed discussions on crystal "vibrations," healing, and energies. She points with humor and insight to the incomprehensible "word salad" crystal mystics use to explain their notions.

Then, featuring an illustrated A to Z listing of all the minerals used in esoteric studies, Walker presents the true history, mythology, and attributes of each stone. This invaluable reference is for anyone interested in the facts and fiction of crystal mysticism.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality, Self Help

209 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Barbara Walker studied journalism at the University of Pennsylvania and then took a reporting job at the Washington Star in DC. During her work as a reporter, she became increasingly interested in feminism and women's issues.

Her writing career has been split between knitting instruction books, produced in the late 1960s through the mid-80s; and women's studies and mythology books, produced from the 1980s through the early 21st C.

Reviews

[Kitty · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there is a lot of interesting information in this book, I just had a problem with the author's attitude. So much of the book is about "debunking the myths" surrounding gemstones. I felt like it should either focus on the facts and not even mention the "myths", or share the myths without commentary. All the "bashing" just left a bad taste in my mouth.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've ever listened to the commentary track by Jeremy Piven on the PCU DVD, then you know what the tone of this book is. It's basically a complete "you're stupid" rant to people who make things up about crystals and those who believe them when they really do know better. Barbara Walker is known to me mostly as a knitting person, so it was fun to see this side of her. Definitely more scientific than woo-woo, this was a quick read. I skipped the end part with its library of crystals, though.