The Mystique of the Crystal Skulls
Part 3
Diego Antolini
16/06/2023 10:21:42
THE MYSTIQUE OF THE CRYSTAL SKULLS
Believers in paranormal phenomena claim that the Crystal Skulls can produce a variety of miracles. Anna Mitchell-Hedges said the skull she claims she discovered could cause visions, cure cancer and, once, its magical properties were used to kill a man; on another occasion, Anna would have had a premonition of the assassination of J.F.Kennedy.
Naturally, these statements find no support from the scientific community which has not observed any anomalous phenomenon associated with the skulls examined, and has not had particular reasons to continue the investigation after confirming the origin and manufacturing method of the objects.
Another historically unfounded hypothesis is the legend that the skulls are somehow connected to the end of the Baktun cycle of the Mayan calendar; in fact, it was said that if on December 21, 2012 all the 13 skulls (this is the known total number of existing objects) had been gathered in a mystical circle, the catastrophe predicted with the end of the Mayan calendar would have been avoided.
In 2008 a SciFi Channel documentary titled "The Mystery of the Crystal Skulls" interviewed many experts in the paranormal and mystery industry including Richard Hoagland, who attempted an unlikely connection between the skulls, the Mayans and life on Mars, and David H. Childress, author of books on the lost civilization of Atlantis and anti-gravity.
The Crystal Skulls are also mentioned in the book Serpent of Light by writer Drunvalo Melchizedek. He writes that he came into contact with Mayan descendants who would possess crystal skulls that would be used in the temples of the Yucatan; according to Melkizedek, the skulls contain the souls of ancient Maya who are waiting for the right moment to distribute the ancient wisdom in the world.
Similarly, the alleged association of skulls with Native American mythology, as advanced by neo-shamanic writer Jamie Sams, finds no basis.
Instead, as Philip Jenkins has pointed out, the mythology of the Crystal Skulls can, if anything, be traced to the "baroque legends" initially circulated by F.A. Mitchell-Hedges and then multiplied on various communication channels. In the 1970s, the Crystal Skulls had already entered the New Age mythology as powerful relics of the lost continent of Atlantis, acquiring various mystical properties starting with their total number: 13.
None of this would have been connected with Native American affairs if some New Age writers had not taken an interest in the subject.
Certainly, crystals have particular powers: it now seems proven that they can stimulate the perceptive and intellectual faculties, sharpen the senses, but also generate tranquility and relaxation. They are minerals with extensive healing properties that have given rise to a real modern holistic discipline, crystal therapy.
It is possible that the Crystal Skulls were created as an alchemical project by scholars in the field who attempted to gather the energy of the crystal into a human form (the head as the seat of the brain but also of the senses.) The alchemical hypothesis was never raised but the 19th Century was the century of spiritualism and discussions on the paranormal, a legacy of the alchemical tradition of the previous two centuries.