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By Valerie Tort

Buddha beads , birthstones, and bracelets— typical accents used by people who believe in luck more than what a man’s free will can do. Charms and Crystals by Joy Lim brought the awareness to Filipinos that charms are for everyone and not just for the superstitious Chinese and the Chinese New Year tradition.

The innate power of these crystals is hardly recognized because most of us consider it an ordinary object incapable of doing anything. From Downtown Manila to Ayala Malls, semi-precious beads and ready-made accessories flood every corner. Joy Lim jumped in the phenomena of semi-precious beads and crystals and established Charms and Crystals.

“It was cute, attractive, and unique. That’s what I believed back then,” a vivid description of the semi-precious stone bracelet of MJ, a senior nursing student from the University of Perpetual Help Las Piñas.

“Luck was such a subjective idea. Rituals and other ceremonies were always associated with luck and its enhancement, therefore, people cannot be blamed for their views about the power of stones,” MJ added while looking at her bracelet.

Media played a significant role in bringing valuable information to its audiences. “Joy Lim of Charms and Crystals was always mentioned by TV host Kris Aquino as one of her sponsors for her accessories in her shows. Since I wanted something just like what Kris Aquino wore in her TV shows, I dropped by Charms and Crystals and picked my choice,” MJ explained.

MJ got an all-in-one bracelet for protection, good health, and more luck. “The arrangement of stones depended on the birth date of the person who would wear it,” the store attendant in the Charms and Crystals Dapitan said. It contained different stones such as tiger’s eye, peridot, citrine, moonstone, emerald, agate, etc.

Tiger’s eye provides clear thinking and balanced emotions especially in making important decisions. It was also believed to be the Prosperity Stone according to the attendant.

Peridot enhances a person’s growth while opening greater opportunities for the individual wearing it. It also stimulated the mind in detecting the opportunities along the way.

Citrine is a kind of quartz creating a positive self-esteem. Also known as the Merchant’s Stone, Citrine attracts abundance while guarding it.

is associated with new beginnings and new life. It brings a different kind of love and support for the charm wearer since this is more of a feminine stone, a mother’s stone.

Emerald, just like citrine, is a stone for abundance. In addition, it boosts patience and memory.

Agate is a stone for additional strength against negative elements such as sickness, fears, pain, and everyday stress. Most of the time, this stone is mistaken as serpentine, or sunstone quartz due to its variety of colors like red, brown, green, and so on.

Each stone has its own uses and strengths depending on its properties. The all-in-one bracelet preferred by most of the Charms and Crystals customers cover most of the aspects in a person’s life—love, prosperity, wealth, fame, fortune, success, etc.

These good luck stones are also believed to be the secret of success by people with Chinese ancestry. Since most Filipinos wanted to have a comfortable life in spite of the crisis in our country, we gave in to the belief and practiced another aspect of Feng Shui—the use of luck enhancers such as chimes, pots, figurines, and other decorative ornaments for home use.

The strength of these items rely on its location inside or outside the house. A compass would be helpful in finding accurate directions at home.

Buddha Plate is a flat piece of gold metal with Chinese characters and a picture of Buddha at the center. It is placed inside a red plastic case. The Buddha Plate is used for personal protection for travel, and any other undesirable intentions of people.

Mystic Knot is another popular charm bought by customers in Charms and Crystals. It’s available in different sizes suitable for key chains, mobile phone accessory, or for home ornament. Mystic Knot is to be placed in wallets, safety deposit boxes, or any other location that kept money. It guards the money from escaping and attracts money as well.

Fortune coins became the customers’ favorite since it neutralizes bad elements and bad energy in the house or the workplace. The Six-Antique Coins is applicable for people into networking or recruiting business. When placed at the Northwest portion of the business area, it converts negative energy to positive, therefore bringing in more income.

Pi Yao is popular in helping individuals with bad feng shui for the year. It neutralizes the negative elements that would bring a bad chi (low energy).

The Buddha is one of the most popular charms for many Filipinos. The image depicted by the Buddha in the figurine is a happy and wealthy Buddha. This figure translates to joy and good tidings. Buddha was also believed to be responsible in granting wishes and making other dreams come true.

The Crane Family is attributed to bringing long life for family members. It would be placed on the South side of the house. Each direction promises to bring good luck for a family member. One must avoid placing The Crane in areas that flushes out or drains water such as the kitchen, toilet, and bathroom.

Though these feng shui charms and crystals need not have any ritual, we are still the dictators of our own destiny and not these cute, attractive, and unique items. One must keep in mind that our own perseverance and hard work in making our lives comfortable would determine our success and goal attainment. These charms and crystals would serve as a garnishing for a slow-cooking meal of success.