Exploring Crystals with Jo

Have you ever felt inexplicably drawn to pick up a particular stone or crystal? Wondered why certain ones seem to call to you while others don't?
 
In this rich conversation, host Sarah Gorev chats with Joanne Gillibrand from Tree of Life Holistics in Rugby - and Jo brings 26 years of crystal therapy experience to share. Her journey from Catholic upbringing (singing Latin hymns and drawn to ritual) to leading transformative women's circles is as unexpected as it is inspiring.
 
What makes this episode special is how Jo combines the scientific with the spiritual. She explains vibrational frequencies in a way that actually make sense, then moves seamlessly into talking about leading circles where 40 women roar and sing. It's the perfect balance.
 
You'll discover:

• What crystals actually are and the measurable frequencies in them
• Why we're "chaos in human form" while crystals remain stable - and what that means for healing
• The seven main chakras and which crystals correspond to each energy centre
• How Jo's work evolved from personal curiosity to running Red Tent gatherings and drum circles
• The concept that stones can hold memory 
• Practical guidance on choosing your first crystal 
• How to spot fake crystals online and what quality indicators to look for
• The dark side of the crystal industry and why ethical sourcing matters
• Why Jo's crystal shop consultations last an hour - because it's never just about selling stones

 
Jo also shares her women's empowerment work - creating sacred space where even the most reserved participants in drum circles can't help but join in. She talks about Red Tent gatherings, the power of collective practice, and why buying crystals from her involves a deep dive into what you actually need, not just what looks pretty.
 
This conversation explores the mystical (stone memory, energy work, sacred circles) and the practical (spotting fakes, ethical concerns, quality checks) with equal depth and authenticity. Jo's honesty about the crystal industry - including the rife problem of fake crystals - is refreshing and important.
 
Whether you're crystal-curious, have been collecting for years, interested in women's empowerment circles, or simply want to hear from someone with genuine depth of knowledge, this episode offers something valuable. Jo holds nothing back.
 
It's grounded, honest, occasionally spiritual, and proves that 26 years of experience shows.
 
Perfect for: Crystal enthusiasts seeking deeper understanding, women interested in empowerment circles and Red Tent work, anyone exploring energy healing and chakra systems, people concerned about ethical crystal sourcing, beginners wanting to know how to choose quality crystals, spiritual seekers who appreciate both science and mysticism, or anyone drawn to holistic practitioners with real expertise. 

Links mentioned in this episode:

Website: https://www.treeoflifeholisticsrugby.co.uk/
Offerings: Crystal shop, therapy, sound healing, women's circles, Red Tent, drum circles, gift vouchers, Christmas boxes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Treeoflifeholisticsrugby

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/treeoflifeholisticsrugby

Judy Hall books: https://www.waterstones.com/author/judy-hall/347435

Thanks for listening.

Transcript

Exploring Crystals with Jo

​[00:00:00] 

[00:00:07] Sarah: Have you ever felt drawn to pick up a certain stone on a beach or wondered why certain crystals seem to call you while others don't? What if seemingly inanimate objects could lock in emotions and interact with our wellbeing?

Welcome back to Exploring Ways to Wellness. Today I'm thrilled to share my conversation with Joanne Gillibrand from The Tree of Life Holistics. Jo's curiosity about the unseen world has led her to a 26 year journey into crystal therapy and holistic healing. What I love about Jo is how she combines the scientific with the spiritual.

We will explore vibrational frequencies and how crystals interact with our chaotic human energy. [00:01:00] Jo also talks about leading women's circles and drum circles where even the most reserved participants can't help but roar and sing. Grab yourself a cuppa because this is a masterclass in crystals.

Jo shares practical guidance on choosing and caring for them and why certain stones ground us while others lift us up. She also gives an insight into the reality of running her crystal shop where consultations are never just about selling stones and important truths about fake crystals and ethical sourcing.

She holds nothing back. Whether you are crystal curious or have a collection of your own Jo's wisdom and authenticity shines through. That's quite enough for me. Let's dive in.

 I am absolutely thrilled to have Joanne Gillibrand with me today [00:02:00] from The Tree of Life Holistics,

and you'll see this if you go to her website. There are so many different options of what Jo could be talking to us about today. But I have chosen crystals 'cause I'm particularly interested in crystals. But I'm sure, I'm sure we'll be able to weave in some other exciting things that, uh, Jo gets involved in.

So thank you so much for joining us today, Jo. 

[00:02:24] Jo: Hello there, Sarah. How 

are you today? 

[00:02:28] Sarah: I'm good. Thank you. It's lovely to see you there in your beautiful crystal shop with some of your crystals around you. So what a beautiful environment that is. 

[00:02:39] Jo: Yeah, it's a beautiful, um, backdrop to, uh, introduce what crystals actually can bring to a person's life.

I'm lucky to have two very beautiful place of work, one being my tree sanctuary, um, which is a, a gorgeous log cabin at the bottom of my garden surrounded by [00:03:00] trees and natural abundance, but I thought today we will have the backdrop of the glorious crystals. 

[00:03:07] Sarah: I'm so thrilled that I have had a chance to be in your sanctuary and have a crystal therapy and sound therapy and just yeah, the most incredible experiences.

So in terms of crystals, obviously you are skilled in so many different holistic therapies, but how did crystals even become part of that? 

[00:03:29] Jo: Well, it started a long time ago now, I think around 1998 I started 

[00:03:35] Sarah: wow, 

[00:03:35] Jo: exploring the incarnation of our humanness. Um, raised a Catholic so very dogmatic in my approaches to faith and faith structures. But I was lucky enough to have parents who nurtured curiosity. So, uh, I started as many little people do with collecting crystals and [00:04:00] shells. I grew up on the beach, so, there was always glorious shells and pebbles to collect. Driving my parents mad with having these, uh, these bits of stones around my bedroom.

[00:04:13] Sarah: I'm sure they 

were a lot more beautiful. I've got two sons . And it got to a point where I was sort of no more stones in the house. So if you came to our house, there'd be like a little pile of stones and a pile of sticks. Yeah.

Either side of the front door. And I 

[00:04:26] Jo: think isn't that magical though? We have, um, twins and, uh, I, I encourage, I encourage that kind of behaviour. Picking up sticks. Beauty from our natural world. Yeah. Just bought into our every day. And I think that's where I was going with the kind of Catholicism, they were rituals that I enjoyed.

You know, the burning of the incense, the chanting, the, you know, I spoke Latin when I was little and, um, little when I was about 10, um, we sang in Latin and you [00:05:00] know, the singing and the vibration of song and faith and it brought me to a quite philosophical point in my early teens where I was fascinated by all things of the unseen.

So, uh, growing up just outside Brighton, we had lots of witchy magical shops and curiosity shops and, um. It was always a bit alternative. So I was lucky enough to have a childhood that and a young life, my teenage years with the, with arena to explore these things. And of course holistics wasn't really a thing then.

Um, you know, nobody had heard of holistic therapy, so I went down the route of looking at past lives, looking at psychology of being us, and then eventually. Um, neurolinguistic programming came in and I [00:06:00] started looking at that NLP and how our brain creates the environment that we wanna live in. And then there were more books about manifesting how we manifest our lives and how we can create our, um, our kind of template for how we wanna go forward.

And then I looked at. Why and how do we do this? And there were only bits and bobs really out there at that point in time. So yeah, around, so around that time of my early years, I was fascinated with Arthur C. Clarke, you know, and, and magazine came out called The Unexplained. And you know, looking at that, looking at why, and something caught my eye.

One of the Arthur C Clarkes about ghosts appearing in old abbey's Chichester was the site of the Saxon Walls, and you know, the, the yew trees that grow there are called the ancient watches,

pieces of our earth lock into their memory all of the, [00:07:00] the trouble that has happened, all of the strife, all of the wars, all of deep feelings, all of the lovers that have felt great emotions have been locked somehow into the stone, into the trees, into all of that. So I started thinking, well, why?

How is that possible that these seemingly inanimate objects can do such great things? They can project images from great emotions. So I began becoming interested in crystals. And learning about their vibrational quotient and how through some form of biofeedback they can interact with our outside world our very being.

And so the journey began deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole. So I read a lot of, um, a lot of books. Judy Hall is one of my most favourite writers in the field of crystal therapy. Her books are the go-to [00:08:00] for anyone who's interested in learning right from the beginning, uh, origins of crystals.

How they interact with our bodies, what chakras and energy systems they kind of interact with. Yeah. So I, you know, it is the, it's the layer upon layer of how we find ourselves looking at crystals to having these deep healing essences. Yeah. 

[00:08:28] Sarah: So I find that really interesting because obviously crystals are beautiful.

[00:08:33] Jo: Absolutely. 

[00:08:33] Sarah: I had the pleasure of coming to the shop yesterday to choose a couple myself for something that I was wanting to do. And you find yourself drawn to the beauty of a certain, crystal anyway, but it's these extra layers that I find absolutely fascinating.

You were so wonderful at, at talking through the different crystals and how they would relate to different things in your life or different [00:09:00] issues that you're looking at and that kind of thing. Could you just explain a little bit about how they are more than just pretty pieces of rock.

[00:09:10] Jo: Yeah. So us as a human body, if we look at everything, you know, science tells us that we are more space than solid. It's only our perception of what is solid form that makes us solid form. And we are all these pulsing, vibrating energy systems. All of our organs vibrate at different quotients, different um, frequencies.

Colour vibrates at different frequencies. Is the chair a chair? Are we seeing the chair as a chair kind of thing. You know, it's the colour and the type of crystal that holds the different frequencies. And when interacting with, uh, with us we are a mass of destabilized energy. We [00:10:00] are affected by emotions, our neurosynaptic responses affect our central nervous system, affects our blood pressure, affects our organs, so we're all over the place. We're chaos in human form. Crystals aren't, crystals are static. They stay at the frequency that the original source programmed them to be. So, um, some are high vibrational.

So you've got the tektites like moldavite, which are space rock, um, which is hugely popular at the moment because it's so unusual and it's so, um. It comes with its own little backdrop of phenomena. So they vibrate at high frequency. Quartz crystal does you know, selenite. They're all high vibrational crystals.

Um, and then you've got the [00:11:00] denser, darker crystals. So you've got the obsidians and you've got the tiger's eye that are all about our grounding. So if we want to feel up, we pull the energy up. I don't know whether your viewers will understand the concepts of chakras. You know, we are a system of energy.

We are governed by a channel of light that connects us to our original divinity through. A stream of energy that comes through the central part of our energetic systems called the sushumna. So the sushumna channels, the light down, it's supposed to enter in where the baby's fontanelle hasn't yet formed. So it comes down.

In the ancient Ayurvedic and Chinese principles of energy, we have this connection to divine source that anchors down beneath our feet into the ground and anchors us into this earth plain. [00:12:00] This. Incarnation, if you will. And in amongst all of those things, we have the chakras, we have the wheels of light that sustain all that we are.

So we have the crown chakra, which aligns with amethyst, clear quartz and it's all about our thought processes, our clear mind, our connection to the oneness of all. So it, it taps into the space between you and I, the space between me and the tree at the bottom of my garden. It connects in. It's good for meditation, it's good for lucid dreaming.

Past life exploration or just to calm the mind of anyone that's suffering with anxiety. We then pull the energy down to and between our eyebrows, and we're talking about the third eye. We're talking about colours of deep blue, [00:13:00] the colour of the midnight sky. So we're looking at lapis lazuli, we're looking at blue apatite.

And the darker, like, sodalite and that's about our clear vision, our clear perception, our seeing the path ahead and knowing what we want. It's about tapping into intuitive thoughts, so having that feeling about something and acting on it. We're pulling the energy down again to the throat chakra, and this is the colour of the tropical ocean.

This is your turquoises, your azure colours. So we are looking at amazonite, we are looking at turquoise. We're looking at um, the paler colours of all of the crystals that are out there. This is about communication. This is about our ability to speak our truth without fear of persecution and fear of of, of being judged more than anything, and choosing those [00:14:00] words so that we can interact from a compassionate point of view.

Pulling the energy down again through that sushumna into the heart centre. So we've got the higher aspect, the heart, which governs our. What most would see as our irrational mind, our irrational thought process of love for love's sake. You know, like a, a Shakespearean novel. And there we'd be looking at the rose quartzs.

The rhodochrosite those pink hues. And then we move into the main body of the heart chakra. And there we'll find all the green crystals. Um, green aventurine different forms of jasper that contain the green hues of it. Malachite. Um, chrysocolla is a really good one for the heart chakra. Moving into the solar plexus, the next chakra down, and we are looking at all the sunny [00:15:00] sort of yellows and citrines and golden healers and all of those that are about our self-belief and our self-worth.

To be able to, to say I'm worthy, I'm enough. You know? So we look at those for that. Then we come into the sacral, which is the womb centre where we hold all our feminine power. This is the cauldron, if you will, where we mix our, um, our wonders, our creations into existence. And in this space we can clear linear wounding whether that be sisterhood wounding, motherhood wounding the witch wound, all of those woundings of feminine lineage.

And when we are working through that, we're looking at, um, crystals like carnelian. The more orangey colours, you know, orange calcite, they are brilliant for them and they're also great for those [00:16:00] ladies out there that are struggling with perimenopause. Uh, gynecological problems, conception problems.

All of the things in that middle quadrant. And then finally come down to the root chakra. And as I previously said, this is all about feeling safe, feeling protected, feeling like we're home and we're looking at the crystals like obsidian, um, tormaline, shungite. All of the darker crystals that anchor us here in this earth plain that help us feel secure and safe.

All of those chakras align with different organs in that quadrant. So if we think about the heart chakra, we're thinking about the heart, the lungs, all of the things in that, um, in that space, whether it be soft tissue, organs, or bones all of those aspects. And the same through each and every one

of those parts of the body. [00:17:00] So by placing those crystals upon the different aspects of the physical form, we are aligning something that is in a state of dis-ease, out of alignment, out of balance with the crystals static stabilised frequency. 

[00:17:21] Sarah: It 

sounds like it's that stabilising factor.

So how does it work in terms of bringing that equality between the, the sort of the frequency that's out of alignment in that particular part of the body and the crystal that has a stable frequency? 

[00:17:42] Jo: If we look at the way that, uh, that sound works as well with the with the brain in training into sound.

You know, when you hear a beat and it go, you can't help but move to the beat. Yes. I run drum circles and even the most staid [00:18:00] reserved person can't help themselves after a while. You know, they're 

[00:18:05] Sarah: I sure, yeah. 

[00:18:05] Jo: Banging the drum and then all of a sudden. They're moving with the drum, they're singing with the drum, and the same thing with crystals.

Only the body doesn't realise it, so it's the entrainment of the unheard unseen frequency of the crystal. 

[00:18:25] Sarah: Yes, 

[00:18:25] Jo: that is on the body. So within crystal therapy, we place the crystals in the spaces of the chakras or in spaces of the meridians, the lay lines that run through the body, and we place them on. I may use my hands as well.

I'm a reiki master, so I might use reiki alongside the crystals. I may use tuning forks for that extra kind of resonance, that harmonic resonance between the static form. [00:19:00] The out of alignment body, the sound frequency that will matches as near as I can get it to the crystal, and then I hold the person.

And simply by holding a person and holding a space and holding a physical part of their body, the body relaxes down. You know, when a child falls over and we place our hands on the child and say, oh, rub it better, kiss it better, you know, the actual touch. My body to their body, my hand to their, whatever ailment they've got is a connection.

So the brain, without realising it, sends its signals to say there's something that doesn't belong to the body on the body. And then it automatically goes to that point. Because what I find with a lot of my clients is. They're almost disembodied. They're not actually in their body and [00:20:00] people use the term woo woo with a lot of things that we do, and I find that highly offensive because one thing that I strive to do with my client group is to actually make sure that they are fully incarnate in their body that we are.

You know, we are an embodied soul that we are fully aware because otherwise that's where ailments start to happen. We are not fully aware of our body. We are running a million miles an hour in our own heads. We're having all of these thoughts. We know we're having so much stimulus from the outside world.

We've lost track in what it is that we feel and what it is, how we see the world, and we only have to look around us to see. The disconnect to see the division, to see all of those things that separate us rather than bring us together and pull us into the centre of our own being so that we can live out our [00:21:00] existence in connection with everything else without it affecting who we are in this moment.

[00:21:08] Sarah: Yeah, that's so true. We do spend all our time just in our heads, don't we? At the, yeah. At the moment it's bombarded by so many messages, so many things that we feel like we need to be doing. It. It interrupts our sleep. When you, you know, you've got so much going on in your head, and actually that connection with our body is so important both to acknowledge how you should be feeling to be able to be aware when there's a problem. I know that was, that was an issue that I came up against in the past where I was ignoring signals in my body that were signifying there was a, there was a bigger issue and. Want. When you look back, it's like, oh yes, there was that and there was that and there was that and there was that.

But it was, it was that. No. I [00:22:00] just have to keep on, I have to keep on with what I'm doing. I just have to get through to the next day. I just have to keep on top of everything. Yeah. And that, that sort of mind body connection is so, so important that we acknowledge that, that we're aware of that. And we live in our bodies, as you say, rather than just in our head.

Yeah. 

[00:22:19] Jo: And we feel like we fail, especially as women. I know that you've probably got male viewers out there as well, but I work predominantly with females and you know, especially females around my age now who are choosing to step into their power. And I always find it a deeper experience for women if they can authentically share.

Where they feel that life isn't working out the way that they'd have hoped or they are seeing the things, the problems that we haven't spoken about [00:23:00] before. I mean, Davina, what an amazing woman she is that bought all the menopause to the forefront and said, we need to talk about this, ladies, come on, you know?

And when we sit in circle here, when we run our red tents, gatherings, our drum circles, our Friday night meditations, all of those things, or even in here in the simple interactions, buying crystals here is not about just buying crystals. It's deep dive. I ask people to make appointments so that they can spend an hour with me and tell me what it is they want to achieve and then I can kind of tailor that.

To their needs. They could come and they can look and they may not buy anything, and that's fine also. But then the conversation opens up to, perhaps they, they need to. They need to offload, they need to say something. Yeah. They need to share those those feelings of inadequacy or that they're not enough [00:24:00] or, you know, and have someone hear it, have someone bear witness to it.

And I think as holistic practitioners, um, and I know with a lot of your tapping work, you probably feel the same. You know, it's sometimes offering a space for people to come forward. To step into their power and for the first time ever embody their emotions rather than receive them. Because when we're receiving these signals from other people, we're bolting them onto our own energetic profiles and we are, we're almost giving away our power, and I feel crystals enable us to take back that power.

Even if it's a matter of holding a palm crystal, setting an intention, setting yourself a mantra that attaches to this crystal that says, I am enough. I am standing deep within my power and this crystal that I'm [00:25:00] rubbing is a reminder of that. It's a part of your energy that you are inviting in, you are invoking.

We do a lot of, um, very powerful invocations in group circles where women, I can have up to as many 30, 40 women in a circle who are saying, I am standing in my power. And we, you know, sometimes we roar and sometimes we sing the songs of our ancestors and step into that more tribal energy and there are always crystals on my altars wherever I practice. We have altars through our house. My children have crystals in their room. Their friends, if their friends come over, I'm giving them crystals. I check with their parents, but I, I give them crystals and, you know, wherever necessary.

It's about. Bringing the beauty of the natural world into [00:26:00] our life and stepping away from the fogginess of it all and realising that we are humans. We are souls in human form that are striving to make deep connection and. Yeah, I guess I use my crystals to make that connection with other human beings, with other like-minded beings that are on this path.

[00:26:26] Sarah: It's such a beautiful practice that's got so many layers, so you know, you could just be simply choosing a crystal that you like the look of and using that as an anchor, as you say, during the day. You know, having your intention and then whenever you see that crystal, it just being that little reminder to you versus being used as therapy.

Yeah. That can go so much deeper and can not only help you on a sort of psychological, emotional [00:27:00] level, but potentially also on a physical level as well. It's just, I just find it fascinating. 

[00:27:07] Jo: Yeah, it depends on how far you'd like to go with it, I suppose. One of the most beautiful research pieces I ever saw was, uh, and you may well have heard of him, Dr Masaru Emoto, and he wrote a piece called Crystals in Water. And he was able to look in depth at what water did with certain frequencies being fired at them. So he played heavy metal to one set of musical water samples, and he played classical music to another.

He spoke words, him and his scientists spoke words of hate and malice to one group of waters, and they spoke love to another, and they saw that. Some of the frequencies that were lower vibrational frequencies, they would react differently. They would become [00:28:00] jagged and not very beautiful and it would change the molecular structure of the water, the ones that had been spoken to with love and compassion and gentleness.

They formed these most beautiful, they look like. You know, as children, we cut out the snowflakes at Christmas time, they looked like them. They looked like these beautiful mandalas they'd formed into the prettiest of patterns. And you could see that water responds in the same way as we respond to emotion.

And we are like, over 70% water and we, we talk horrible words into ourselves and we accept that other people are horrible to us and we carry on. Whilst the crystals within us are forming these jagged patterns that we take on board ourselves. And I think part of. A part of working with crystals and working in that affirmative kind of fashion, that that [00:29:00] mantra, that positive reinforcement is to tell ourselves that we accept ourselves and that we accept ourselves as we are, not how we are told that we should be.

Mm. Um, so, you know, I think that's another thing. The positive affirmation aspect. We call it the Sankalpa, what it is that we are pulling towards us, how we envisage our life to be. And I think crystal's working with sankalpa, working with the chakra healing, working with the sound, working with all of those things that give us this recalibration of our energetic patterns is what will bring us home to ourselves.

[00:29:47] Sarah: Yeah, I know certainly with EFT a point that can often be missed when you see many tapping videos and things, is that important piece of accepting who you are [00:30:00] now in that moment rather than jumping straight to the affirmation or straight to the, this is how I want to be. Mm. And, and it feels like it.

Exactly part of that. You need that sort of, well, hang on, stop, relax. Bring yourself back to centre and breathe. Exactly. And, and realise, well, what it is, what is it that's going on with me at the moment, and dropping down from your head to your heart and, and appreciating. Whether it's a physical or an emotional area, what is it that, that doesn't feel right, that, that is out of balance?

And whether that's speaking it out or just acknowledging it within yourself to then know where you are now in order to know where you want to get to. Because otherwise your whole body will just yeah, sort of reject that. If it doesn't believe it, [00:31:00] yeah, absolutely. It's going to reject that affirmation.

You can shout it as many times as you like, but it will take a much longer time in order for that affirmation to become believable to your mind and your body than if you say, okay, this, but, but this is where I am now. This is where I want to get to, but I need to take the steps. In order to, to get to that point and to have something like a crystal or to have sound or any of your other holistic therapies is just.

Just such a beautiful way to get from one end to the other rather than beating yourself up that, okay, this is where I am now and that's terrible and I shouldn't be here. And this is, this is absolutely, awful. And what am I projecting to the world? What, how is this affecting my relationships? You know, you can get yourself into this mad downward spiral and say, oh, that's not achievable.

But actually by having something like crystals or sound or other therapies. It takes you on [00:32:00] that journey, that gentle, beautiful journey to that place where you can achieve that goal, that affirmation. 

[00:32:07] Jo: It opens us up as well. I think a lot of us bolt on our trauma as if it was a kind of suit of armour, you know?

Mm-hmm. We understand that. We understand our trauma, we understand our pain, we understand all of the darkness. We understand it. We understand what it is. We haven't dived in t o the shadow elements of it but we see it and we acknowledge it and it's like, no, this is going to become my armour that will divide me from the outside world.

That will divide me from understanding myself. And I think once a little sort of little crack in that armour opens up to a possibility of light getting in, we're able then to step further into our power. So with a lot of people, I talk about in my classes, I talk about the unfolding. The [00:33:00] unfolding of who we are, almost laying it bare.

And as painful as that is for people, they can then see what it is that they've got to work with. And once they understand, okay, this is the map forward, we can start integrating. Crystals, meditation, breath work, somatic movement, um, sound, drumming, and so on and so on, and layers outwards. So they then have a pathway out of this cage that they built for themselves.

So I think crystals are the, are the gateway into 

[00:33:36] Sarah: Yes, exactly. 

[00:33:36] Jo: Into a more deeper, deeper reflection maybe of self, of who we are. 

[00:33:41] Sarah: Yeah. That's so beautiful. 'cause we can define ourselves, can't we? By the, the dark side or the, the things that are sort of happening to us, rather than we can take back control, it can be a, a way of us taking back control and saying, okay, but this is something that happened to me, or [00:34:00] this is something that.

Is happening to me, but that doesn't have to define who I am. 

[00:34:05] Jo: Yeah, 

[00:34:06] Sarah: absolutely. Um, and anything that can give us back that feeling of control and that feeling of strength, even if we're borrowing that strength from something else. Yeah. It breaks bridge that gap. 

[00:34:15] Jo: I think it breaks the cycle and it gives us an opening to talk about.

Who, you know, the whole energy system, you know, because the crystals are beautiful. You, there's no getting away from that. But they all symbolise an aspect of us in human form. They all symbolise a part of us that might be hurting or something that we strive for. You know, and whatever that is, it opens up the conversation to go deeper into that.

People say, I want a crystal for love. Okay. Okay. What would you like, what would you like to achieve from love? What, what [00:35:00] is it? What I'd like to find a new love. Okay. What are you looking And the more you dig. The more it comes around to, do you need to love yourself a little more?

Yeah. You know, do you need to sit within self-compassion? Buddhist, talk about the metta practice. You know, are you carrying out your metta practice? Are you feeling love? Are you feeling peace? Are you feeling ease? You know, give that gift to yourself. 

[00:35:28] Sarah: Yeah. Yeah, we don't look inwards enough, do we?

[00:35:31] Jo: No. 

[00:35:31] Sarah: Everything is external. 

[00:35:33] Jo: Yeah. So the crystals are a conversation starter and we can then work energetically with them and that's when the treatments come in. And then, you know, and then for a lot of people it comes out control collection of crystals that they can call on, but they're then asking themselves the questions that go with that, that give them validation, that give, you know, that become, an awareness of their [00:36:00] unfolding. An awareness of where that cage has been opened. Yeah. And they can live their true, authentic lives. 

[00:36:07] Sarah: Fantastic. 

Does anything spring to mind an experience that you've had or someone you know, has had where having that crystal has made that difference that they were looking for.

Yeah, 

[00:36:20] Jo: I mean, it's a sad story the one I have unfortunately. Tektites really fascinate me.

Um, you know, moldavite in particular, and I have this beautiful pendant that's now locked away not to be worn for a very long time. I don't sell moldavite to people because it changes the trajectory of your world. And I, um, I ran. I ran a, a retreat a little while ago and, um, it was my first retreat that I'd ever ran.

It was about three years ago, two, three years ago. And, [00:37:00] um. Yeah, I, uh, I'd had a lot of destabilization in my life at that time and I was pretending that it wasn't happening. I was kind of burying my head and I was wearing this, on this one Sunday. I was closing down after the retreat and was p utting all the equipment away.

And a friend of mine said, should you really be wearing that at this moment in time? I was wearing this moldavite pendant and later that day an old friend that had expressed they weren't too happy with me had decided that she was going to go her separate way. Then my holiday that was meant to be going on the next day cancelled.

And there was lots of things that just went wrong on this day. Yeah. But, but it all opened up for other things. I got an upgrade on my holiday. 

[00:37:53] Sarah: Oh. 

[00:37:54] Jo: But that's, and it ended up back in a place I used to work in many years ago. And, [00:38:00] uh, I worked for a short time in the New Forest with NLP and various other, um, working with young people who had, uh, a lot of emotional problems.

And I ended up staying in the village that I'd done my NLP training in. And it brought back a whole host of memories and they'd upgraded me. But obviously this moldavite had been sent to separate me from things that weren't meant to be on my journey. The friend that I lost was never meant to be on my journey moving forward.

Mm. And as heartbreaking as that seemed at the time, you know, if we look at the shadow self of that and ego of wanting to hold onto something so tightly, not taking on board my part to play in the destruction of that friendship, you know, that opened up for us both to move away and grow separately. And.

The holiday being canceled, I got an upgrade. [00:39:00] Yes. Um, so crystals can sometimes come into your life to level the land, to be able to move forward into new light, into new possibilities. Um, I've used crystals when I've been poorly myself in recent years in meditation practicing the crystal placements on myself, and I've felt a lot more calm, a lot more centred, and that's what we need to bring about for ourselves, that calmness, that centred feeling of

connection with our body. 

[00:39:38] Sarah: Mm-hmm. 

[00:39:39] Jo: Connection back to who we are, identifying the pains that we have, so we're able to work with them deeper. 

[00:39:47] Sarah: Yeah. 

[00:39:47] Jo: Within them, not just on a superficial level really. Yeah, and I think all of that, you know, all that I've said might have seemed a little bit, well that's a bit peculiar,

but we need to come [00:40:00] at it from curious mind, from a mind of a student in every aspect of who we are and our lives as they are, you know, and that involves analysing the relationships that don't work as well as the relationships that do, the moments that we are unwell, as well as the moments that we are well, and look at it all as a, a learning journey of all that we are 

[00:40:27] Sarah: it's all part of that human experience, isn't it?

[00:40:29] Jo: Absolutely. Absolutely. 

[00:40:30] Sarah: And as much as we can sort of say, oh, you need to. Just focus on gratitude or focus on, what's going on that's, that's bad that we need to heal ourselves from, as you say, it's, it's everything. It's all weaved together 

[00:40:44] Jo: absolutely 

I'm not big on the whole love and light aspect of spirituality in the modern day. I feel that there is a lot of toxic positivity that is wrapped around the work that we [00:41:00] do. 

[00:41:00] Sarah: Yes. 

[00:41:00] Jo: And sometimes, you know, we have to get deep in the thick of all of the darkness so that we can inject the light into it. But we have to get to the core of what that is.

First, rather than just being passive with our throwaway comments Everything I aim to say, I say it with the deepest part of my, of my being. Yes. I, I sometimes pause and people get very unnerved by the pause, but it's really important that we, we, we do have those moments where we choose our words and we choose our paths.

We choose the way we wish to heal, we choose the life that we want, and we're active in that because no one, no one is going to help us with that. We have to help ourselves really. 

[00:41:55] Sarah: I mean, we could talk about this for another half an hour, but I think that's a really, [00:42:00] really important point to make that the, it feels like the sort of wellness industry from a holistic perspective and from a complementary perspective is going through a bit of a change in awareness, but also it.

A sudden influx in the number of practitioners that are coming in that maybe have done a quick online course or something. And, and what I find concerning is the fact that we are human beings, that are complex creatures. And the potential for someone to bring up something traumatic or something that they don't understand.

It is important that you really look into 

[00:42:51] Jo: absolutely 

[00:42:51] Sarah: who you're with and that they do have, you know, whether it's that trauma training or they do have that experience, that means they [00:43:00] can hold you in a safe space and they can 

[00:43:03] Jo: Yeah. 

[00:43:04] Sarah: Help you work through anything because it may be things you're not conscious of at the moment.

[00:43:09] Jo: Yeah. 

[00:43:10] Sarah: But as part of the work, things can come up and it is really important that we're, we are careful. Yeah. As you say, even with the words that you're saying, I mean, 

[00:43:22] Jo: absolutely. 

[00:43:23] Sarah: It is so important. And I, and I guess that in a way, links to sound therapy and the frequency that you're using, you know, the, the words that we use have sort of been created for a reason.

[00:43:36] Jo: Yeah. 

[00:43:37] Sarah: There is a reason why people respond in a certain way to the words that you're saying. 

[00:43:43] Jo: Yeah. 

[00:43:44] Sarah: And, and the frequencies that you're using to do those. So yeah so much to delve into so much, I think we need 

[00:43:52] Jo: another, another session. 

[00:43:54] Sarah: We do definitely. And, and. Something we've not really touched on but we were hoping to get [00:44:00] to was the community aspect of 

[00:44:02] Jo: Yeah.

[00:44:02] Sarah: The gatherings. Um, because I know that's a very important area of 

[00:44:06] Jo: Absolutely. 

[00:44:06] Sarah: Of your work. So, if I could be so cheeky, maybe we could have you back. In the new year to talk about that, there's obviously so much to go over with crystals, but if people want to contact you, Jo, um, what's the best way for them to do that? Is it on social media?

I know you've got your shop as well. 

[00:44:26] Jo: Yeah, so the best place. To keep in touch with me is on Facebook, under Tree of Life Holistics Rugby. We've got an Instagram page also. We have the website. Now that only holds my events and my treatments on, or you can reach out on my phone as well, the phone numbers on Facebook and on the website.

And it's simply a matter of carving out an hour for you to come and spend with me in the shop. If you know what you want, then [00:45:00] sure, fly in and and pick something up. But if you want to spend time with the crystals and working your way around how they interact with you it's free consultation when I'm said and done.

I can talk for England about crystals and about you know what, what will work for you.

[00:45:21] Sarah: So I just wanted to touch on as well, if you are looking to buy some crystals for yourself, what sort of things should you look out for? I mean, I was at a festival at the weekend, the Mind, Body and Spirit Festival. Every second stall seemed to have a massive amount of crystals there.

If you Google crystals, you'll have a huge amount of websites that are selling. But obviously from the ethical side and the moral side, sort of, not all crystals are equal, I guess. No, 

[00:45:53] Jo: yeah, it is, um, something that's concerning me. The market place seems to be flooded at the moment with [00:46:00] crystals with the likes of tempting you and, um, and other, um, organisations that are selling crystals out there.

For legal views I don't know about those other places, you know, but what I can say is that what I do. Until recently I had two crystal intermediaries, so they stand between me and the countries of origin that I purchased the crystals from. Um, one of my intermediaries has now retired which leaves me with one who is an amazing guy.

He's based in the UK and he has family mines out in India, Pakistan, Madagascar, and I want to say Tanzania, . And he sends me footage of his family mines of the local communities. I meet with him regularly. It's probably every three months that we actually have a physical meetup.

[00:47:00] So, we have discussions we have, we share the same ethical, ethical mindsets. I myself, I'm vegan. Um, we strive, my husband is a holistic gardener. We strive to live our lives as in connection with the planet as possible. So my crystal purchases have always been in alignment with that. I remember watching Blood Diamond years ago and it breaking my heart, so I know that this industry is riddled with with a lot of darkness also. So all I can say is make sure that where you are purchasing your crystals from comes with an ethical background. Otherwise you are buying into an trade that that is shocking and horrendous and illegal. Or you are buying things that are substandard or not even crystal at all.

You know, 

[00:47:58] Sarah: wow. 

[00:47:59] Jo: The fakes [00:48:00] out there are rife. 

I've had, um, members of various courses that I've run say that they purchased this on X, Y, and Z online, this and that, not naming any names, and they've handed it to me and it has been, I don't know, silicon or some form of mass that has been made to look like a crystal. Yeah, so I have a strict kind of, don't ask me if you haven't bought your crystals from me, don't ask me what they are because you may not like the answer.

Um, crystals also if you purchase, so I don't know whether you can see The room that I'm in has extreme light in it. It's painted white. The shelves are white. The light is streaming in through the windows. Crystals love to be in the light. We say charge in the light of a full moon, charge in the sunshine.

You know, they love the light. But if you [00:49:00] find amethyst is like the one that shows up the most, if you find amethyst that have been kept in darkness and um. They haven't been looked after very well. They look lackluster, they look dull. They sometimes look gray. And you don't want to be buying crystals that don't shine and sparkle and let the light through.

And if you turn them towards the sunlight, you'll see shelves inside of them that have like little tiny rainbows in them. And they, they look as if they are emitting. In their sheer beauty. Those are the crystals you want. You don't want things that are, you know, unless it's shungite. I have a piece of shungite here.

You know, shungite is never gonna be a pretty crystal. It's meant to be near anything that is emitting, electric magnetic frequencies. So it's supposed to negate that, hence why it's near [00:50:00] my computer. Obsidian again, has a beauty of its own, but it's dark, but it should still have the sheen on it.

Yeah, I, I just think we have to be careful. We have to be ethical. We have to make sure that what we are receiving is what we have paid money for. Yeah. And I don't think you can always do that with an online purchase. I think it has be, you know, you need to see what you are buying really, or have a connection with the person that you are buying it from.

[00:50:34] Sarah: We've got a couple of crystal shops, I guess we're lucky in, in Rugby. Yeah. Um, but if you aren't able to get to a crystal shop for whatever reason, then you know, any ethical seller should be able to answer your questions. If you send 'em, um, a message to say, you know, where are you sourcing your crystals from?

You know, how can you guarantee the quality of them? Yeah. So [00:51:00] some really top tips there. Thank you.

If you have a chance to go to the shop, um, I highly recommend that as an experience. And, um, obviously as I said, I have enjoyed some of your wonderful treatments as well.

So I would encourage people to have a little look at what's on Jo's website and possibly book in something nice for yourself. Uh, I know Christmas is coming up, so that's a great opportunity as well. But I'll put all the links in the show notes. Yeah, so have a look there and follow up. 

[00:51:33] Jo: We do gift vouchers 

also and around Christmas time we do boxes, gift boxes with different, for different conditions, different emotions, and so on. So there's lots going on around Christmas within, um, the crystals and what we can offer here. 

[00:51:50] Sarah: Fantastic. And have you got an online shop or can people ring you?

No. If they're not in the rugby area, 

[00:51:56] Jo: Yes, we can do delivery. So, you know, I will, [00:52:00] I'll endeavour to get a lot of the crystals uploaded that have recently come in. I prepared to post out, and also Dave has said that he will do a delivery service in the local area if there's a call for it. So, um, if you are unable to make make your way to us here, we can always drop it off to you.

[00:52:22] Sarah: Fantastic. So thank you so much, Jo. I know we've covered a huge amount today. I'm hoping we'll see you again, um, in the near future because there are many other things that you do that I would absolutely love to share with our listeners. So thank you for being so generous with your time and your skills today.

[00:52:43] Jo: Thank you so much.

[00:52:47] Sarah: Wow. That was extraordinary. Jo's depth of wisdom she shared from 26 years of working with crystals is exactly why I wanted this [00:53:00] conversation with her. A few things really stayed with me. First, the concept that crystals are not just pretty objects or anchoring us to that moment that we want to remember or that feeling that we need to feel. They're witnesses to history and holders of energy.

And when Jo explained the vibrational frequencies. It grounded the mystical in something more scientifically tangible. I found it interesting how Jo described us as chaos in human form. Our emotions, our nervous system responses, our blood pressure can be all over the place while crystals remain static in their set frequency.

That image of a stabilizing force when we are feeling destabilized really resonates. The chakra work she explained was so clear from the crown where divine light enters to the root, where we feel safe and grounded, [00:54:00] and connecting specific crystals to specific needs, whether that's rose quartz for the heart, carnelian for perimenopause, or obsidian for feeling anchored.

That practical application makes it accessible. But what really moved me was Jo's women's empowerment work, creating sacred spaces for women to step into their power to share where life isn't working, to be witnessed and heard through gatherings, drum circles, and meditations.

I really look forward to discussing this with her in more depth in a later episode of this podcast. As I've experienced buying crystals in her shop isn't just a transaction. She asks people to book an hour long appointment so she can understand what they want to achieve and tailor recommendations.

That's not retail. That's healing work.

The practical guidance at the end was also so [00:55:00] important, the reality of fake crystals online. Silicon masses that just look like stones. The quality indicators of shine, sparkle, how light passes through, those tiny rainbow inclusions and the ethical concerns about sourcing, because as Jo said, this industry can be riddled with darkness.

So when you buy crystals, you're buying into a supply chain and exploring whether it's ethical makes a difference. If you're in Rugby or nearby, I highly recommend visiting Jo at the Tree of Life Holistics. Experience her crystal shop or book a treatment at the Tree Sanctuary. Or even explore the women's circles and red tent gatherings.

If you can't get there, look for ethical sellers who can answer your questions about sourcing and quality. Jo's website has all the information about her offerings, including gift vouchers and Christmas gift [00:56:00] boxes tailored to different conditions and emotions, and I've put all the links in the show notes.

Thank you so much to Jo for sharing her wisdom so generously. Her combination of scientific understanding, spiritual depth, and practical guidance is exactly what makes these conversations so valuable. Until next time, take care of yourselves. 

And remember, there are many paths to wellness and sometimes they're found in the stones beneath our feet and the crystals in our hands.

Thanks for listening