The healing crystal TikTokers believe ruins lives
Keegan Athens received a call on the last day of her business trip to say that she had to move out of her rented house. In the same 24 hours, she went through a break-up, and found out that her step-dad, who had been terminally ill, had passed away. With tears staining her cheeks, Keegan filmed a Tik Tok video that went on to amass more than 6.3 million views, detailing exactly what she believed was behind the series of ill-fated events. The alleged cause of Keegan’s misfortune? An earring. A Moldavite earring.
Crystals have rapidly increased in popularity over recent years. Combined, there are more than half a million Google searches every month in the UK for the most popular crystals. Numerous celebrities including Adele, Megan Fox, and Katy Perry have advocated for their power, and even Simon Cowell is reported to have surrounded himself with healing crystals in a bid to repair his broken back. The rise of TikTok has undoubtedly boosted the popularity of crystals among younger generations; a search of 'crystals' on the app shows that videos listed under the hashtag have more than 2 billion views. As more information about crystals makes its way into public consciousness, one stone has made a particular impact on TikTok viewers' lives. Moldavite, which is actually not a crystal but instead a tektite formed from a meteorite impact that hit occurred about 15 million years ago, has been responsible (people claim) for lost jobs, partners, friends, and even family members as a result. A clear message has been shared by those who have come into contact with it: do not buy Moldavite.
Moldavite is "a stone of spiritual awakening," explains Mariella Bucci, a practicing witch of three years. And, thanks to TikTok, those who sell crystals say it's becoming increasingly more expensive to buy and because of this there are even fakes loose on the market.
If you’re new to the crystal world, buying Moldavite is "like going to the Olympics before you’ve even run 100m," she says. "It fundamentally depends on how you channel it, so it will go rogue if you do not give it any direction," she adds, ominously. It’s for that reason Mariella advises doing your homework before experimenting with Moldavite. "Write down a list of things that don’t make you happy, and Moldavite will come for at least five of them," she suggests. "Understand why you’re buying it and what part of your life that you want to transform." People are tempted by Moldavite as, according to those who believe, it can help your life in myriad ways. But when it does goes wrong... it goes really wrong, as TikTok users are beginning to find out.
Keegan was fully aware of the risks of Moldavite, but she decided to chance it anyway. "The first time I bought it, I was fighting with my family and I had absolutely nothing left to lose," she tells me. In the wake of her Moldavite purchase, she packed up her car and moved across the country on a complete gut feeling. "Within three days of me moving, I got the highest paying job that I’ve ever had, I met my ex-boyfriend, and moved into my own place at 19."
At first, it felt like the benefits of Moldavite just kept coming for Keegan, but then it all changed. "The pendant just disappeared," she recalls. "A lot of people online say that it just disappears when it’s done with you."
Keegan, however, was not done with Moldavite. So she bought a $40 Moldavite earring. But after a few short weeks, Keegan misplaced the jewellery she’d grown to treasure once again. She felt uneasy, wondering if the repeated loss of her moss-green stone was a signal she should leave it well alone, but all concerns evaporated when she found it again on the last day of her business trip. That’s when things started to go south.
"The day my boyfriend and I broke up, I felt absolute sorrow," recalls Keegan. "I didn’t have any time to process it because I knew my stepdad was about to die. My boyfriend was the person who was supposed to hold me when my stepdad died," she says, sadly. Looking back, Keegan reflects on the ups and downs of her journey with Moldavite, comparing it to "having one door open, and then another slam shut in my face."
In young psychic Ella’s experience, Moldavite quite literally caused doors to slam - or more specifically, caused objects to be thrown across the room. "I've had psychic visions since I was around one or two," she explains, adding that she would have "daydreams" about things that would later come true. It’s no surprise, then, that later in life Ella found herself very " drawn" to the force of Moldavite. "How much more intense could it get?" she remembers asking herself.
A lot, was the answer. Things became extreme just one week in. "Whenever I wore the Moldavite, my psychic visions became more prevalent," Ella tells me. "Spirits became clearer. I could see their faces, they moved paintbrushes and art supplies when they wanted me to paint something." She would later go on to sell those paintings.
While Ella felt frequently intimidated by what she believes was the force of the crystal, there were other ways in which she appreciated its influence. "My connection grew closer with my boyfriend, and we discovered our career paths. The Moldavite increased my intuition, which enabled me to give people more accurate readings, and encouraged me to post my experience on Tik Tok," she tells me.
The power of suggestion
It's easy to become caught up in whimsical ideas about the spiritual power of a stone, but could there be a rather more practical explanation for the whole thing? Like a placebo effect, for example. Dr. Christopher French, a professor specialising in the psychology of paranormal beliefs and experiences, certainly thinks so. In a 2001 study, Dr. French tested the effects of healing crystals; out of a group of 80, half of the participants were given real crystals, while the other half were given fakes. The participants were informed of sensations they might feel when holding the crystals, and only six participants claimed to feel no such sensation.
"What we’re dealing with is the power of suggestion," Dr French tells me. "It’s the same psychology that’s behind any belief in magical objects. If someone tells you that Moldavite brings you good things, you’re going to look out for the good and downplay the bad. Most people’s lives are a mix of good and bad stuff. Even the same event can be open to ambiguity." This could, in turn, apply to if you're hearing that it causes bad things - you may then focus on the bad, downplaying the good.
That’s not to say there’s any active harm in believing in the influence of crystals, "if it gives you the confidence to do the things you wanted to do," adds the expert. "But you are the one bringing it about yourself," he insists.
Who can say why the events in our lives ever happen, and whether they're influenced by any kind of greater spiritual force. But one thing’s for sure, when Moldavite’s in the hands of believers, it holds a degree of power - whether that’s for better or worse.
"Am I 100% sure this was Moldavite? No," Ella tells me. "But all I know is that when I wear the Moldavite I feel extra confident." And maybe that's not such a bad thing after all.
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