The Book of Stones: Who They Are & What They Teach [Paperback]

Robert Simmons (Author), Naisha Ahsian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 4, 2007

The Book of Stones is a new edition of the best-selling guide to some of Earth’s most beautiful natural objects. Two introductory chapters detail the authors’ theories about how to work with crystals and stones—including the concept of crystal resonance and the scientific observation that living organisms (such as ourselves) are liquid crystalline structures. An illuminating alphabetical journey through the mineral kingdom, stone by stone, follows.

Each entry begins with the stone name and photo, plus its elemental and chakra correspondences, as well as keywords that indicate its properties. Next comes a description of the crystal structure, hardness, history, and known locations of each mineral, plus any relevant legend or lore from the past. Each author then offers an essay on the subtle energy properties and spiritual applications of the stone. The entries conclude with summaries of the spiritual, emotional, and physical healing qualities of the stone, and an affirmation for evoking its potential benefits. The book’s presentation is straightforward enough to make it an excellent introduction for beginners, yet the level of detail and the depth of research make it an invaluable resource for the most experienced stone practitioners.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The Book of Stones is filled with information and with beauty!”
—Melody, author of Love Is in the Earth

“Each description is an intimate conversation between the Wisdom of the Stones and the deep soul Wisdom of thee two authors.”
—Robert Sardello, PhD, author of Love and the World and Silence

“This beautiful and unusual work opened a new and unknown world to me, right under my feet—a realm of qualities and possibilities of which I had known nothing and for which I am the richer.”
—Joseph Chilton Pearce, author of The Crack in the Cosmic Egg, The Biology of Transcendence, and The Death of Religion and the Rebirth of the Spirit

“The Book of Stones has elevated the spiritual knowledge of crystals into a higher form. The classification of each stone is impeccable, along with wonderful photos—creating an intimate connection with a wide variety of minerals. This book offers us all an opportunity to sharpen our skills and renew our interest in the crystal healing world.”
—JaneAnn Dow, author of Crystal Journey: Travel Guide for the New Shaman

“Quite easily the most comprehensively written and beautifully photographed book on the subject that I’ve come across. If you own only one reference book on stones and crystals, make sure that this gem is the one.”
—Dr. Eric Pearl, author or the international bestseller The Reconnection: Heal Others, Heal Yourself

“The Book of Stones takes the reader on a fascinating journey. The writing is clear, thoughtful, and easily understood, and the inclusion of scientific data, history, and folklore helps make the book a valuable resource for all those interested in the mineral kingdom.”
—Thom Hartmann, author of The Prophet’s Way and The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight

"The Book of of Stones: Who They Are and What They Teach by Robert Simmons and Naisha Ahsian explains the physical and metaphysical properties of crystals, minerals and gemstones."
—Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Robert Simmons is the founder of Heaven and Earth, a company offering more than 2,000 gem and jewelry items for self-healing and spiritual and emotional development. Together with his wife Kathy Warner, he is the founder and sponsor of The Crystal Conference, an annual four-day teaching event in which the best-known crystal authors and teachers come together to offer intensive workshops to stone enthusiasts from all over the world.

Naisha Ahsian is an author, teacher, and healer with an international practice. She is the creator of the Crystal Resonance Therapy and Primus Activation Healing Technique spiritual healing modalities. Director of the Crystalis Institute for Personal and Planetary Evolution, an educational organization offering training and certification for healers worldwide.

Hazel Raven, former Vice Chairman of ACHO (Affiliation of Crystal Healing Organisations), has been teaching professional crystal programs since 1990. An international writer, lecturer, and therapist, she is a teacher and practitioner member of the BFVEA (British Flower and Vibrational Essence Association).

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: North Atlantic Books; Revised edition (September 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556436688
• ISBN-13: 978-1556436680
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 1.2 x 10.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (108 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,072 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Field Guides > Rocks & Minerals
  • #7 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age > Divination > Crystals
  • #58 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age > Mental & Spiritual Healing

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

318 of 332 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not what it seems, December 21, 2007

By 

A Reader - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Book of Stones: Who They Are & What They Teach (Paperback)

Before you buy this book, do yourself a favor and have a look at the product catalog of the authors' crystal business, called Heaven & Earth. I was impressed with this book at first, but then I began to notice how many of the crystals are trademarked. Trademarked crystals seemed a little odd to me, and I can give them the benefit of the doubt if there are one or two, but apparently the authors are "discovering" these new crystals all the time. Keep reading the catalog and you'll find that a lot of these "new" (and as it happens, invariably rare and sold by the gram) crystals are regular, not so uncommon crystals with fancy trademarked names, some other variation of a manmade coating on an existing crystal, or even just glass. Have a good look at the catalog, because the purpose of this book is to convince you that you need the stuff in that catalog.

Don't get me wrong; I believe in crystal healing and that's probably why this systematic exploitation of crystals and the people eager to learn about them makes me feel ill.

I gave this book 2 stars because the photography is lovely and it makes a good doorstop. Please look for another book to buy, though.

61 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very beautifully done, June 19, 2006

By 

Nicholas Pearson (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Book of Stones: Who They Are & What They Teach (Paperback)

Rob Simmons certainly knew what he was doing when putting this one together. I love Naisha's entries, and Hazel Raven is a very well respected healer in the UK. Simmons also knows his stuff, and has compiled a convenient guide with photographs for each entry. Many stones included are exclusive to Heaven and Earth (The publisher/distributor of the book) and many have names that are unique to Heaven and Earth (mostly a marketing ploy...)

The book is full of mineralogical data, photographs, diverse views, stones to use in combinations, and affirmations. I reccomend this to people that are moving away from the writing styles of the early writers and those like Melody; although they are wonderful, they may seem to esoteric or too impersonal. This book is very personal, although it does sensationalise a bit.

44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highest rating in my library, October 25, 2006

By 

Sonya M. Baity "reikihypnotherapy.com" (AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Book of Stones: Who They Are & What They Teach (Paperback)

I have many books on various metaphysical topics, including crystals. The Book of Stones is probably my favorite from my collection. It includes 2 objective resources for each stone, ways to use them, what stones they work well with, their structure, hardness and sources, and most importantly, pictures. I have too many books that don't have pictures, or they only have one and it is probably the least available form of the stone. I would also recommend Heal Yourself with Crystals by Hazel Raven as a complement to this book. It is not as detailed, nor does it include such a great multitude of stones, but it does explain layouts and combinations to use for specific dis-eases, such as headaches, insomnia, cellulite...