A Spiritual Spring Cleaning

Locals pay a visit to Crystal Portal in Railroad Square.

Karlyn Sykes

Imagine a world without modern medicine. Instead of popping by CVS for an aspirin you visit an apothecary for a piece of quartz. Instead of taking a laxative for a bodily reset you meditate and sip on a detox water. For FAMU student Alex Hightower this is a reality she already lives in.

According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrated Health, Americans spend about $30 billion a year on complementary health approaches–$12 million of which is spent on natural products alone. This statistic reflects how many American’s are seeking alternative forms of medicine when approaching health and wellness.

A new industry has emerged out of this trend called cleansing. While the industry is populated mainly with companies selling juicing and detox plans to reset the digestive system, for many cleansing takes on a much more holistic form: a cleansing of the soul.

Spiritual cleansing is described as a type of healing that seeks to remove the damaging spiritual causes in ones life; it can also be referred to as energy clearing.

Hightower, a sophomore biology student from San Diego, Calif., was well-acquainted  with the detox lifestyle back home, but the transition to college prompted her to seek a more comprehensive remedy. 

“Last year spring semester I had a really rough semester. Academically and socially it was a lot for me. So when I got home that summer I was determined to get back to myself. It was good to get back to my smoothies and juicing regularly but I just didn’t feel the same,” Hightower said. 

She decided to go on a camp in Indian Hills,Calif. where she began a “life changing” five-day spiritual journey by meditating, detoxing and reconnecting with God sans technology.

“Growing up I was always taught that you treat your body like a car. You take your car in for regular check ups or for an oil change, so that’s what you need to do for yourself…Mentally and emotionally we are such complex creatures so it’s also important to realign yourself with what’s important, I feel,” she finished. 

Hightower avoids using traditional medicine for healing and prefers herb-based natural treatments. While her habits may be unconventional to some they actually fare on the safe side of the spectrum of alternative medicine. 

According to Google Trends here has been a 40% increase in Google searches for “crystal healing” in the last five years.Crystal Portal in Railroad Square has been meeting the healing energy needs of Tallahassee residents for over three years.

“It’s interesting that [crystals] have been more prevalent in today’s society yet they’ve been around for so long, before time,” Chrissy Powell, store manager of Crystal Portal said. “I like to tell people that this a belief of energy. They have a vibration. They are little tools to help you throughout your journey of life and of finding yourself.”

She explained that selenite is known as a cleansing crystal which helps ward off harmful energies. Like quartz it can be programed to your specific needs and provide an energetic shield to protect and detoxify the spirit. While Powell doesn’t reject medicine in whole, she believes that we need to look for outside sources of healing before going straight for chemicals.

“This just shows there are other ways to calm your anxiety or calm your fears. When you’re frustrated there is a crystal you can literally look at and that goes away. There’s sage or palo you can burn and that scent just cleanses your spirt,” Powell added. 

More people are investing in the maintenance of their internal well-being each and everyday. The shift in the conversation from  “new year, new me” to “new year, cleansed me,” illustrates the rise in alternative medicine as it sheds light on the many ways to achieve balance and wellness in ones life.