All images courtesy Crystal Connection
Crystal Connection is housed in a historic Wurtsboro Methodist church.
If there was ever a time to invest in self-care, it’s 2020. Given everything the year has thrown at us so far, we all deserve some time for deep introspection and personal growth. At Crystal Connection in Wurtsboro, the path to betterment is paved with crystals like blue calcite, garnet, and lepidolite. “Crystals are minerals, so your body can use them like supplements, except you hold, work with, or sleep with them." says Travis Ogden, who co-owns Crystal Connection with Tim Bracci. “When you hold it and feel it, it’s a process of getting in touch with your mental, spiritual, and physical body.”
If someone comes into the shop feeling anxious, the Crystal Connection team will encourage them to hold a mineral that contains lithium, which has a long history in the medical world as a mood stabilizer. Many often report a sense of relief and calmness inside themselves.
The team also discovered that women experience relief from inflammatory issues like menstruation cramps or hot flashes when holding blue calcite, a mineral with a cooling, water-like effect. It also contains calcium carbonate, which is often recommended as a bone health supplement.
"Minerals provide benefits to the body in any shape or size," Bracci says. “But it’s the consciousness of touching a mineral and the subtle energy of the crystal that gets the energy in you moving." That's why each person that visits the shop is encouraged to interact with the minerals as much as possible to better understand their particular effects.
The team also discovered that women experience relief from inflammatory issues like menstruation cramps or hot flashes when holding blue calcite, a mineral with a cooling, water-like effect. It also contains calcium carbonate, which is often recommended as a bone health supplement.
"Minerals provide benefits to the body in any shape or size," Bracci says. “But it’s the consciousness of touching a mineral and the subtle energy of the crystal that gets the energy in you moving." That's why each person that visits the shop is encouraged to interact with the minerals as much as possible to better understand their particular effects.
The intuitive process of finding a mineral that matches your individual needs is part of what draws so many people to Crystal Connection. But it’s also a destination all its own. Located in a circa-1890s Methodist church complete with hammered tin ceilings and stained glass windows, the shop contains over 120 thousand pieces of more than 420 varieties of minerals. As one of the largest crystal inventories in the Northeast, it attracts people from all over the country who often discover the shop through social media and viral videos of the vast glittering collection.
To cater to enthusiasts and travelers looking for the full metaphysical mineral experience, Crystal Connection even has a crystal-themed Airbnb next door, a rentable apartment completely decked out in mineral decor. They also just bought the building on the other side of the shop, with plans to open a mineral wholesale location that will also sell tinctures, herbs, and CBD products, and remedies from around the world.
Despite the shop being closed for several months this spring due to the pandemic, Crystal Connection has kept their online community engaged with live sales and classes on Facebook and Instagram, which they intend to continue offering in the future. They want to keep reaching people across the world, offering support for those who don’t have alternative or holistic stores nearby. By introducing more and more people to their realistic approach to minerals, many people discover the crystal kingdom in an entirely new tangible, livable way.
As a gift for coming into the shop, Tim and Travis would like to offer each visitor a free piece of below-sea level black tourmaline, accompanied by Crystal Connection's wishes of "Blessings, Feel, Heal & Connect."
