Page 68 of Tide and Seek
“Still,” she said shrilly.“I’ll bet you deny the healing power of crystals.I believe if you have a powerful enough crystal, you could heal all the sickness in the world.”
I frowned.“With just a crystal?”
“Absolutely.”She nodded, fidgeting with the many gold rings on her fingers.“I’ll take a quality piece of black tourmaline over a prescription any day.”
I stared at her like she’d just sprouted a unicorn horn, then forced my expression into something less hostile when Royce coughed beside me, a subtle reminder that I might be veering into a glare.“I’m sorry, but if one of my patients comes to me with a disease, I’m not reaching for a crystal.I prefer to put my faith in the science of medicine, not geology.”
Moonbeam gasped as if I’d declared quartz nothing more than overpriced gravel.“Are you actually saying you don’t believe in the healing power of crystals?”
“I’m not sure crystals have much scientific basis for—” I stopped talking because Moonbeam’s face had turned so red I worried she might be about to have a stroke.“Are you all right?”
“Well… I just… I can’t believe… you’re so dismissive,” she sputtered.
“I don’t mean to be,” I mumbled, but truth be told, I kind of did mean to be dismissive.I felt she was a loon.
“Oh, Moony, of course Maxwell isn’t going to put his faith in crystals.He’s a man of science, silly,” said a tall man with flawlessly styled hair, a puka shell necklace, and an expensive-looking linen pantsuit.“Hello, I’m Phoenix,” he added, leaning in with a wink.
“Hello,” I said, fighting the urge to back out of the room and run back to my beach house.
Phoenix ran a hand over his already perfect hair.“I get where you’re coming from, saying you only trust science, Maxwell, but science is just one framework for understanding reality, you know?”
“Uhhh…” I began.
“Meditation is an amazing tool,” he said.“When I was in corporate, VP of Strategic Development at a Fortune 500 company, I thought everything had to be quantifiable too.But then I had my awakening and realized we need to leverage multiple modalities for optimal consciousness expansion.”
“Consciousness expansion?”I repeated, gladly accepting the glass of white wine C.J.pushed into my hands.
“Absolutely.You must know your consciousness can expand, right?”
I took a gulp of wine so I wouldn’t have to answer him.
He didn’t seem to notice I was stalling.“I teach our Executive Enlightenment classes now.I’m helping former colleagues pivot theirspiritual portfolios.”He laughed.“See what I did there?”
I was speechless, and very grateful when Royce put his hand on the small of my back, reminding me I wasn’t alone.
“Maybe I was never a corporate VP or anything,” Moonbeam said.“But I still say crystals are the most important weapon we have against the diseases that attack mankind.”Moonbeam lifted her chin.“And I will die on that hill.”
Phoenix sniggered.“And you very well might die on that hill if you only put your faith in crystals.Am I right, Maxwell?”
I was still fixated on what Moonbeam had said.“Well, I just don’t think your statement is accurate at all, Moon… Moonbeam.If you have diabetes, sucking on a crystal isn’t going to cure you.”
“Of course you don’t suck on the crystal,” Moonbeam said in a mocking tone.“You rub it all over your body and meditate on healing thoughts.”
“Rub it all over your body?”I said, aghast.
“Moonbeam can get off in the weeds sometimes with her crystal fetish, and she loses the plot.”Phoenix gave her a patronizing pat on the head.
“I do not,” grumbled Moonbeam.
He ignored her.“The key is meditation.Listen, Maxwell, try to think of meditation as a high-yield investment in your inner CEO.”Phoenix smiled.“Have you considered the ROI on mindfulness practices?”
I sucked in a calming breath because the two of them were making my blood pressure spike.“Meditation has its place for handling stress, absolutely.But frankly, when it comes to a serious illness, I prefer medications that have gone through clinical trials.”
“Clinical trials are so limiting,” Sage interjected earnestly.“They can’t measure spiritual transformation or energy healing.When I had my awakening in Bali, no Western doctor could have helped me the way my shaman did.”
“I’ll bet.”I took a large gulp of my wine, meeting Royce’s uneasy gaze.Under my breath I said, “Is it too soon to leave?”
He laughed and also took a generous sip of his wine.
