I was delighted to be sent Crystal Healing: The Practical Guide to Using Crystals for Health and Well-Being by Simon and Sue Lilly in the post. This is their latest book and it is crammed full of practical ways to work with your crystals.

If you've been looking for a book to help you explore and use the crystals in your collection then this is the one. It is very easy to navigate and find exactly what you need. The book is organised into six main chapters: The Past, Magic and Belief, Healing the Body, Balancing the Mind, Coping with Change, Feeding the Spirit and Living in Harmony.

Each chapter provides a repertory of crystals suggested for working on that particular theme, so for example the crystals recommended for Feeding the Spirit are amethyst, opal, labradorite, lapis lazuli, sodalite, fluorite, sapphire and Preseli bluestone. Each crystal listed is clearly photographed, provided with keywords and key qualities and then discussed in a little more depth. Although of course these crystals have other properties that go beyond those assigned in the repertory, it is helpful to have such clear and concise information.

Moving past the repertory each chapter is split into various issues, challenges and needs that many of us will identify with in our own lives. Staying with the chapter on Feeding the Spirit these are: Moving forward, Shifting blocks to progress, Removing negative patterns, Cosmic stress, Initiation cycles, Past and other lives, Meditation with crystals, Aids to meditation and Spiritual realms. For each of these there is a helpful discussion and then one or two practical exercises suggested. Most include a recommended crystal net. Sue and Simon were the pioneers of nets in the 1980s and have devised a great number which are described in several different volumes. I love Crystal Healing as it has brought together many of the most popular, most universally helpful and tried and tested nets into one text.

For those not familiar with crystal nets the technique is very simple. You select the appropriately coloured cloth to lie on, place the specified crystals around yourself and sometimes on yourself. Then all you need do is lie back and relax while the crystals do their work. Nets are the most popular of all of the techniques with my students on my course and justly so. You can read more in my article on them.

Staying with Feeding the Spirit, then looking at the section Shifting Blocks to Progress, two techniques are suggested. The first is a focused chakra balance, setting a specific intention or goal as the focus before you start and then choosing the chakra balancing stones with that focus kept in mind for each chakra. The second technique is the White Light Net,

"This net uses the protecting, purifying qualities of white light, creating a clean slate and making way for new developments. The energy it releases can be quite strong, so be ready to bid farewell to redundant habits, objects or presences in your life."

This net uses 6 black tourmaline (one of my all time favourites) and 6 clear quartz, plus a white or black cloth. Nets are well illustrated with the crystals arrayed around the photo of a suitably serene looking lady, but if you are keen to try this one at home before you get your hands on the book it is arranged thus:

Spread your cloth and arrange the tourmalines so that when you lie down there will be one each side of your torso at navel level, one either side of your legs at mid calf level and one below your feet on the midline, with the final tourmaline placed about 25cm below that. The clear quartzes need to be placed either side of your shoulders, each side of your chest level with your heart and just above your head. The final quartz is either placed above that one to focus on bringing in new potential or below the tourmalines at the feet to enhance purification depending on your need for the net. All terminations point out from the body.

This net is recommended for just 5-10 minutes on a weekly basis if needed. If you haven't got anyone around to tell you when time is up then you can set a timer, but I'd be inclined to put it just outside the door as a noisy ring can really make you jump when you've been relaxing deeply. Remember to rest for a while after you come out of the net, to ensure the crystals were cleansed before you got started and to cleanse them again when you've finished. A fact box beneath the description of this net is provided to explain more about balancing polarities, something we all have to get to grips with as we live in duality.

My only gripes with Crystal Healing are minor. There is just one lady used as the model for all the nets. Whilst she is perfectly pleasant to look at this could give the impression that crystal healing is only for women, which is not the case at all. This is also the latest volume of several books entitled Crystal Healing by the Lillys, which can be confusing. It is not the same as the others so don't miss out on it because you own a similarly titled book!

Summing up I am personally thrilled with my copy of Crystal Healing and have immediately started using it for my own benefit and for my students and clients. It is a truly practical guide and has plenty of new ideas for the experienced and the inexperienced alike.