*****Fortune-tellers may have missed rise in value***** “If I had a crystal ball, I would be among the rank of Warren Buffett!” “I will not answer that hypothetical question as I do not have a crystal ball.” These are run-of-the-mill lines adopted by some investment analysts or company chief executives when confronted by an audience anxious to see into the future. While I am equally thrown by such questions mandating divine vision, crystal gazing has been a favourite pastime of mine. In a career closely linked to anticipation is necessarily a core competency. Crystal ball gazing often conjured up images of a gypsy fortune-teller gazing into the orb to predict someone’s future, hence the common misconception that crystals have magical powers that help them foretell the future. Modern students in psychology reveal that such seemingly supernatural skills might be related to the art of scrying-looking into a reflective surface, such as glass, water, a mirror, or crystal, to gain mystical insight. The images seen with a crystal ball are not the signs of future events, but rather images from deep within one’s subconscious, and the crystal ball is the window through which these subconscious thoughts can be accessed. Expert practitioners say intense gazing into the crystal induces a trance-like state that dissociates one’s consciousness, enabling information and ideas from the subconscious to pass through the mind’s eye. It is here that the images are seen, not in the crystal itself. As a keen astrology follower, my long search for the perfect crystal ball through friends around the world failed to net any. Just when I had almost given up hope, I stumbled upon one at a makeshift shop in Wan Chai. This was in the early 1990s when books in Chinese about the mystical powers of crystals were scarce. I got the best natural crystal ball available at a significant fraction of my then salary. Little did I realize that this acquisition for spiritual balance is a good alternative form of investment. A white quartz crystal ball of similar quality is now selling at five times my original purchase price. A quick check on the web confirms that the market value of other semi-precious stones such as tourmaline and aquamarine has since shot through the roof! So good crystal not only lifts spiritual awareness, it also adds weight your wallet. This is something the gypsy fortune-teller may not have been able to predict. (Retiled senior civil servant Juliana Chen is a passionate crystal collector who shares the good things in life.)
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 05:33:47 +0000
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