December 22,
2006
A crystal skull is a model of a human skull made out of clear quartz
crystal. The sculptures vary in size from a few inches to the size
of a human head, if not bigger.
There are 13 crystal skulls worldwide which some say have
mystical powers and are of uncertain ancient origin.
People who believe in the psychic power of crystal skulls
say that the skulls are a center of radiant psychic energy
and have the power to increase happiness and improve people's
lives just by being held, handled and spoken with; others
have suggested that crystal skulls can be used like crystal
balls, to aid divination.
The healing and supernatural powers of crystal skulls have
never been scientifically established. The scientific community
at large has found no evidence of any unusual phenomena associated
with the skulls nor any reason for further investigation.
Ancient Crystal Skulls are allegedly fashioned
hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago. Most of these
skulls have been discovered within or near ancient ruins
in Mexico or Central America and many are guarded by descendants
of indigenous people throughout the world. These custodians
speak of remarkable magical and healing properties of
the skulls. Usually
with these ancient crystal skulls some type of tool,
mark left by the carver, is found. Crystals can be dated,
but the age of the older crystal skulls remains an enigma.
More modern Crystal Skulls are manufactured in many parts
of the world, and are carved out of various quartz crystals,
or other types of stone, and are made and sold regularly.
Crystal skulls are often associated with:
There are legends that speak of indigenous peoples who have
ancient crystal skulls - which contain hidden information
- that they keep secretly hidden from the rest of the world.
The public first became aware of the crystal
skulls during the later part of the 19th century. At this
time, many museums of the world became interested in displaying
antiquities from past civilizations - Egypt, Greece, Mesoamerica,
etc. Thus,
in the 1878, in the Musèe de l'homme (Museum of Man
in Paris) and in 1898, in the Museum of Man of London
- each had a clear quartz skull on display (both came out
during the 1860's during the French occupation of Mexico,
purportedly found or acquired by Soldiers of Fortune, linked
to Mayan sites in this country).
There are reports of a number of other old and ancient crystal
skulls that were uncovered in various ways during this same
century which eventually found their way (after passing through
the hands of various people) to specific individuals. Supposedly
ancient civilizations used crystal in their computers - or
in ceremony with crystal skulls - as computers to heal, channel
and direct energy for many purposes - spiritual and technological.
Today many people buy crystal skulls and use them in much
the same way.

The image above - displays the pattern of 12
around 1 -- sacred
geometry. The 13th skull represents the Point of
Origin - Source of consciousness creation. 13=4=time -
evolution of consciousness in the alchemy of time.
The shape of the crystal skull looks a lot like the ancient Incan
skulls having an elongated cranium. The elongated skull entities
are also found with some ancient Egyptian gods, such as Ptah.
Their advanced abilities would include telepathy, telekinesis
and teleportation.

There are physical objects - created by the program of our reality
- to help us remember our connection to higher consciousness. Among
them are crystal skulls - crystals as amplifier of energy - messages
in stone - clay tablets - cave art - pottery - weaving - papyri and
ancient scrolls - other artifacts left for as sign posts to an ancient
past - one that calls to us at this time - and reminds us that 'our'
timeline is a 'work in progress' - which is about to make a major
leap in consciousness. These artifacts guide our journey home. They
help the questors unfold ancient mysteries of the planet and consciousness.
Speaking of which...
The most widely celebrated and mysterious crystal
skull is the Mitchell-Hedges Skull, for at least two reasons.
First, it is very similar in form to an actual human skull, even
featuring a fitted removable jawbone. Most known crystal skulls
are of a more stylized structure, often with unrealistic features
and teeth that are simply etched onto a single skull piece. Second,
it is impossible to say how the Mitchell-Hedges skull was constructed.
From a technical standpoint, it appears to be an impossible object
which today's most talented sculptors and engineers would be unable
to duplicate. The discovery of the Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull,
sometimes referred to as the "Skull of Doom". is a
controversial matter, and reads like a sci-fi action adventure
film.
The skull was made from a single, unusually large block of clear
quartz crystal, and measured 5 inches high, 7 inches long, and 5
inches wide, weighing 11 pounds, 7 ounces. It closely corresponds
in size to a small human cranium, with near perfect detail, even
to rendering the skull without the globular prominence or superciliary
ridges, which are characteristics of a female.
As the story goes ... One day in 1927, English adventurer, traveler,
and writer, F.A. Mitchell-Hedges, who had a talent for telling colorful
stories, was clearing debris from atop a ruined temple at the ancient
Mayan city of Lubaantum, located in British Honduras, now Belize.
His seventeen-year old daughter Anna, who had accompanied him, suddenly
saw something shimmering in the dust below. Anna found an exquisitely
carved and polished skull made of rock crystal, with the jaw piece
missing. Three months later, she located the jaw in an excavation
about 25 feet from the first site.
In 1970, art conservator and restorer Frank Dorland was given permission
by the Mitchell-Hedges estate to submit the quartz skull to tests
conducted at the Hewlett-Packard Laboratories at Santa Clara, California.
From these tests, and from careful studies done by Dorland himself,
the skull revealed a whole array of anomalies. When submersed in
a benzyl alcohol bath, with a beam of light passing through, it was
noted that both the skull and jaw piece had come from the same quartz
block. What was astounding to the testers, however, is they found
that the skull and jaw had been carved with total disregard to the
natural crystal axis in the quartz.
In modern crystallography, the first procedure is always to determine
the axis, to prevent fracturing and breakage during the subsequent
shaping process. Yet, the skull's maker appears to have employed
methods by which such concerns were not necessary.
The unknown artist also used no metal tools. Dorland was unable to
find signs of any tell-tale scratch marks on the crystal, under high-powered
microscopic analysis. Indeed, most metals would have been ineffectual,
for the crystal has a specific gravity of 2.65, and a Mohs hardness
factor of 7. In other words, even a modern penknife cannot make a
mark on it.
From tiny patterns in the quartz near the carved surfaces, Dorland
determined the skull was first meticulously chiseled into a rough
form,probably using diamonds. The finer shaping, grinding and polishing,
Dorland believes, was done by applying innumerable applications of
solutions of water and silicon-crystal sand. The big problem is,
if these were the processes used, then, as Dorland calculated, it
would mean that a total of 300 man-years of continuous labour was
spent in making the skull. We must accept this almost unimaginable
feat, or admit to the use of some form of lost technology in the
skull's creation the likes of which we have no equivalent today.
The enigma of the skull, however, does not end with just its making.
The zygomatic arches (the bone arch extending along the sides and
front of the cranium) are accurately separated from the skull piece,
and act as light pipes, using principles similar to modern optics,
to channel light from the base of the skull to the eye sockets.
The eye sockets in turn are miniature concave lenses that also transfer
light from a source below, into the upper cranium. Finally, in the
interior of the skull is a ribbon prism and tiny light tunnels, by
which objects held beneath the skull are magnified and brightened.
Richard Garvin, who authored a book about the crystal skull, believes
the skull was designed to be placed over an upward shining beam.
The result, with the various light transfers and prismatic effects,
would illuminate the entire skull and cause the sockets to become
glowing eyes. Dorland performed experiments using this technique,
and reported the skull 'lights up like it was on fire.'
Still another finding about the crystal skull reveals knowledge of
weights and fulcrum points. The jaw piece fits precisely onto the
skull by two polished sockets, which allow the jaw to move up and
down. The skull itself can be balanced exactly where two tiny holes
are drilled on each side of its base, which probably once held suspending
supports. So perfect is the balance at these points that the slightest
breeze causes the skull to nod back and forth, the jaw opening and
closing as counter-weight. The visual effect is that of a living
skull, talking and articulating.
The question, of course, is what purpose did this serve? Was the
skull only designed by its artist as a clever toy or conversation
piece, or, as Dorland believes, was the talking skull meant to be
used as an oracular device, through strange phenomena associated
with the crystal skull, that defy logical explanation.
Observers have reported that, for unknown reasons, the skull will
change color. Sometimes the frontal cranium clouds up, looking like
white cotton, while at other times it turns perfectly clear, as if
the space within disappears into an empty void. Over a period from
5 to 6 minutes, a dark spot often begins forming on the right side
and slowly blackens the entire skull, then recedes and disappears
as mysteriously as it came.
Other observers have seen strange scenes reflected in the eye sockets,
scenes of buildings and other objects, even though the skull is resting
against a black background. Still others have heard ringing noises
emanating from within, and at least on one occasion, a distinct glow
from no known light source surrounded the skull like an aura for
up to six minutes.
The sum total of the skull appears to take in all five physical senses
of the brain. It changes colour and light, it emits odors, it creates
sound, it gives off sensations of heat and cold to those who touch
it, even though the crystal has always remained at a physical temperature
of 70 degrees F under all conditions, and has even produced sensations
of thirst and sometimes of taste in a few cases.
Dorland is of the opinion that what is happening in all this phenomena
is that the 'crystal stimulates an unknown part of the brain, opening
a psychic door to the absolute.' He observes, 'crystals continuously
put out electric-like radio waves. Since the brain does the same
thing, they naturally interact.' He has found, too, that periodic
happenings in the crystal skull are due to the positions of the sun,
moon and planets in the sky.
Researcher Marianne Zezelic agrees that the skull
was primarily used to stimulate and amplify the psychic abilities
in its handlers. She observes. "Crystal serves as an accumulator
of terrestial magnetism. By gazing at the crystal, the eyes set
up a harmonic relation stimulating the magnetism collected in
that portion of the brain known as the cerebellum."
The cerebellum therefore becomes a reservoir of magnetism which influences
the quality of the magnetic outflow through the eyes, thus setting
up a continuous flow of magnetism between gazer and crystal. The
amount of energy entering the brain eventually increases to such
a proportion as to affect the poles of the brain, a region extending
just above the eyes, contributing to psychic phenomena.'
Going a step further, Tom Bearden, an expert in the field of psychotronic
studies, believes that, in the hands of a skilled meditator and mental
focaliser, the crystal skull also served not only as a vehicle to
transform life field energy into electromagnetic energy and other
physical effects, but also aided in healing, by the altering of its
crystalline resonance to match that of a patient's mind and body
frequencies, and affecting curing energies on the skull that would
manifest in the patient's auric field. The skull should thus be used
as an amplifier and a transmitter of psychic and earth energy forces.
When looking at the sum total of skill and knowledge incorporated
in the Mitchell-Hedges skull, modern science is stumped as to how
to explain it. Author Garvin summarised the findings in these words:
'It is virtually impossible today -- in the time when men have climbed
mountains on the moon -- to duplicate this achievement.
The lenses, light pipes, and prisms alone display a technical competence
that the human race only achieved recently. In fact, there is no
one on the globe today who could attempt to duplicate the carving.
It would not be a question of skill, patience and time. It would
simply be impossible.
By Rob McConnell of the
X-Zone Radio Show in Ontario, Canada
Believers in the power of the Mitchell-Hedges Crystal
Skull, beware! Although it is a truly magnificent ancient artifact,
who origin and age are unknown, the purpose of the artifact is
still unknown, on many levels.
The crystal skull was NOT found in 1924, 1925, 1926, or 1927 by
Anna Mitchell-Hedges, the adopted daughter of Mike Mitchell-Hedges.
The skull was actually bought by Mitchell-Hedges in 1943 at an
auction at Sothebys in London, England, from Sidney Burney. This
was confirmed by notes found at the British Museum.
Other evidence further supports the discovery that the skull did
not take place during a British Expedition. There are no records
or photographs of the crystal skull. Sidney Burney and others
who were on the expedition, claimed from day one, that Mitchell-Hedges
did not find the skull in Lubaatun. Mitchell-Hedges himself, according
to friends, family and associates, did not start talking about
the skull until 1943 after purchasing the skull.
The first time that the Burney Skull was mentioned was in 1936.
During the lectures, seminars, and speaking engagements that Mitchell-Hedges
gave between from the time he returned from Lubaatun, until 1943,
just prior to the sale of the Burney Skull, he never mentioned
it.
I have discovered that the lost tribe of Indians that Mitchell-Hedges
claimed to have discovered, were in fact discovered by Balboa.
Mitchell-Hedges never attended Cambridge. Based on exhaustive
research and interviews, Mitchell-Hedges has a very low credibility
rating.
The many references that Mitchell-Hedges had made about the bad
luck or the willing of people to death by the crystal skull have
been found to be the figments of his own very colorful and vivid
imagination. There is no scientific proof whatsoever that the
crystal skull has been responsible for any harm falling on a person
or any miraculous healing or other miracle.
I find it very strange and fascinating that while
I have been studying the skulls which have been found throughout
the world for a number of many years, I have answers
for almost none of the important questions about the Mitchell-Hedges
crystal skull. Although there are set or "stock" answers for many
of the questions which are constantly being asked, I cannot honestly
say that anyone knows with any degree of certainty who
made the skull, how it was made, when it was made or what purpose
it actually served.

British Museum Crystal Skull (enlarge)
It is currently residing in the British Museum of Man in London,
England, and has been there since 1898. It is a one piece clear quartz
full size quartz crystal skull. There is a pair of similar skulls
known as the British Crystal Skull and the Paris Crystal Skull. Both
are said to have been bought by mercenaries in Mexico in the 1890s,
possibly at the same time. They are so similar in size and shape
that some have guessed that one was copied to produce the other.
In comparison to the Mitchell-Hedges skull, they are made of cloudier
clear crystal and are not nearly as finely sculpted. The features
are superficially etched and appear incomplete, without discretely
formed jawbones. The British Crystal Skull is on display at London's
Museum of Mankind, and the Trocadero Museum of Paris houses the Paris
Crystal Skull.

Paris Crystal Skull
It is currently
residing in the Trocadero Museum in Paris,
France. You may notice a slight indentation on the top,
which is a hole that was cut into the skull purported to hold
a cross.

Amethyst Skull "Ami" (enlarge)
Further examples of primitively sculpted skulls are a couple called
the Mayan Crystal Skull and the Amethyst Skull. They were discovered
in the early 1900s in Guatemala and Mexico, respectively, and were
brought to the U.S. by a Mayan priest. The Amethyst Skull is made
of purple quartz and the Mayan skull is clear, but the two are otherwise
very alike. Like the Mitchell-Hedges skull, both of them were studied
at Hewlett-Packard, and they too were found to be inexplicably cut
against the axis of the crystal.

Texas Crystal Skull "Max"
A skull known
as "Max," or the Texas Crystal Skull, is a single-piece,
clear skull weighing 18 pounds. It reportedly originated
in Guatemala, then passed from a Tibetan spiritualist
to JoAnn Parks of Houston, Texas. The Parks family
allows visitors to observe Max and they display the skull at
various exhibitions across the U.S.

"ET"
"ET" is a smoky
quartz skull found in the early 20th Century in Central America.
It was given its nickname because its pointed cranium and exaggerated
overbite make it look like the skull of an alien being. ET
is part of the private collection of Joke VanDietan, who tours
with her skulls to share the healing powers she believes they
possess. I did scrying with ET at the Star Knowledge Conference
- June 1996.

Rose Quartz Crystal Skull
The only known crystal skull that comes close to resembling the
Mitchell-Hedges skull is one called the Rose Quartz Crystal Skull,
which was reported near the border of Honduras and Guatemala.
It is not clear in color and is slightly larger than the Mitchell-Hedges,
but boasts a comparable level of craftsmanship, including a removable
mandible.
Origin Theories: Celestial Gifts or Skullduggery?
Regardless
of any unearthly properties the crystal skulls may or may not
possess, the question remains: where did they come from? There
are countless hypotheses that they are the legacy of some higher
intelligence. Many believe they were created by extraterrestrials
or beings in Atlantis or Lemuria. One elaborate theory maintains
that the skulls were left behind by a sophisticated Inner Earth
society which lives at the hollow center of our planet, and
there are thirteen "master skulls" which
contain the history of these people.
The most obvious answer to the mystery is that native artisans
in Latin America or elsewhere crafted the skulls themselves. The
Mayans are most often associated with them, although some doubt
that they could have made the skulls, and not simply because of
the technical conundrum the job poses. One theory holds the Aztecs
as a more likely candidate to have created them. Skull imagery
figures prominently in Aztec art and religious symbols, and not
in that of the Mayans. The Aztecs were also more highly skilled
in sculpting with crystal. It could be that the skulls found in
Mayan ruins are actually displaced Aztec relics... or, as some
suspect, this incongruity may indicate that some accounts of the
skulls' origins are phony.
Many skeptics feel that the crystal skulls are probably of a much
more recent vintage than their accompanying stories suggest. This,
they believe, is the best way to explain their existence, since
no one could have created them without technologies available
only within the past century. Since carbon-dating only works on
organic substances, it is impossible to determine just how old
a crystal skull is. But one recent study found reasonable signs
of some skulls' relative youth.
A May broadcast
of the BBC documentary series "Everyman" reported
on studies of a number of crystal skulls and other
artifacts of supposedly ancient origin conducted at
the British Museum. Using electron microscopes, the
researchers found that two of the skulls possessed straight,
perfectly-spaced surface markings, indicating the use of a
modern polishing wheel. Genuine ancient objects would show
haphazard tiny scratches from the hand-polishing process. The
report speculated that these skulls were actually made in Germany
within the past 150 years.
Even the regal Mitchell-Hedges skull is not without scandalous
accusations of fraud. Some believe that F.A. Mitchell-Hedges had
the piece commissioned by a sculptor, and planted it in the Lubaantun
ruins for his daughter to find as a spectacular birthday present.
The validity of this charge is uncertain, but even if the Mitchell-Hedges
skull is of modern origin, its structure is no less
extraordinary. In all likelihood, every crystal skull
in the world was fashioned by plain old human beings
of some sort, and regardless of whether the work was
carried out five years ago or five hundred years ago, we still
don't have any idea how they did it.
The TV show - Stargate SG1 had an episode called Crystal
Skull.
Ellie and Max, The Crystal Skull

The first time I learned about crystal skulls while attending
a Whole Life Expo in New York in 1989. At the conference - I met
Max an 18 pound skull carved from clear quartz crystal. Max reportedly
originated in Guatemala, then lived with the Tibetan Healer, Norbu
Chen. Today he is owned by JoAnn and Carl Parks of Houston, Texas.
What I experienced with Max - was strong energy and psychic messages
- not different than using other large crystals of that size.
This technique is called Scrying.
I have worked with many crystal skulls through the years - some
supposedly ancient artifacts with encoded messages
- while others are manufactured at this time.
Ellie and Maya, The Crystal Skull

Jane, Joshua and Ellie
In the summer of 1995 I met Jane Doherty. Jane has a crystal
skull she calls Maya, which she purchased in Mexico
several years ago. Jane and I gave two research workshops in the
fall of 1995. The first workshop was at my home - 12 psychics
from different state in the US gathered to work with Maya to get
messages and share knowledge. The second workshop was in Manhattan
at a Metaphysical Learning Center in which Joshua and Jane spoke
about ancient Crystal Skulls. Jane uses Maya to do psychic work
and healings. Maya is very powerful as are most quartz crystals
of that size.
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