CRYSTALS, ENERGY & SKEPTICISM: Healing with Kay from KC Holistics

Guest: Kay — KC Holistics. Qualified Reiki practitioner and crystal healer based in Sale, Greater Manchester. Does one-to-one sessions, group sessions, online and in-person, plus regular crystal markets across the North West. Website: kcholistics.co.uk. Instagram: @kcholistics. Kay's inbox is always open.

Note: This is Mind Cake's first ever joint interview — Lee and Paul both present at the same time, which they found discombobulating. They managed.

How Lee and Kay met: Lee was in Knutsford for a weekend with friends Bob and Hannah. Hannah — very much a spiritual person — dragged Lee to a Christmas market where Kay had a crystal stall. Lee told Kay he was sceptical about crystals, which is a bold opening gambit at a crystal stall. Kay liked him immediately. Lee then went for a last-minute psychic reading with a woman called Cara — who had had a cancellation and could fit him in that afternoon — and returned describing what Kay could only call a mad weekend. Cara gave Lee a black volcanic glass crystal and told him to keep it on him. He still has it.

Topics covered:

What is Reiki?

• Universal life force energy — known as prana in yoga, Ki or chi in Eastern medicine
• Reiki practitioners channel this energy and direct it to where the body needs it — working with the chakras (energy centres) to restore balance and flow
• Can be hands-on or hands-off depending on the client's preference
• Lee's previous Reiki experience: felt intense heat, pressure and movement despite no physical contact — Kay confirms this is completely normal and she had the same experience herself
• Kay trained in Reiki primarily to deepen her own spiritual practice rather than to treat clients — she doesn't currently offer one-to-one Reiki sessions

What are crystals and how do they work?

• Crystals emit energy at a constant, steady frequency — unlike human energy which fluctuates depending on stress, emotion and circumstance
• When crystals come into contact with us, they can sense which part of the body is operating at a lower frequency and direct energy there
• The goal: bring the body's energy into alignment with the crystal's frequency — emotional balance, physical ease, spiritual calm
• Each crystal connects to different chakras and has different properties

Crystals for specific needs:

• Sleep: amethyst (crown chakra, clears mental chatter, calms the nervous system — put it beside the bed or under the pillow — small ones, mind) and moonstone (subtle, calming vibrations, wind-down energy — like a hot bubble bath)
• Anxiety: labradorite
• Confidence: citrine
• General emotional support: rose quartz
• Lee's daughter's 6-year-old endorsement: she loves the colours and smoothness regardless of any healing properties — Kay says this is exactly how she got into them herself at 14

On scepticism

• Kay doesn't need everyone to believe in the metaphysical properties — even just holding something beautiful and smooth and being present with it has a calming effect
• Lee's position: still sceptical, but can't deny the tactile calming effect, the unexplained things Cara said in his reading, or the fact that a chain of random events led to Kay being on his podcast
• The Mind Cake position, as always: if it works for you, that's what matters

On intuition

• Kay chooses which crystals to stock entirely by gut instinct — she literally walks past things she's not drawn to and buys what calls to her
• Paul's reflection: since his own mental health struggles, he's been trying to listen to his gut more — more often than not it's right, and more often than not he ignored it
• Lee: the awareness practice from The Greatest Secret — asking yourself "am I aware?" as a grounding tool. Connects to Dr Jan's 5-4-3-2-1 sensory grounding technique from a previous episode

The Secret and The Greatest Secret

• Lee was sceptical about The Secret when recommended it post-diagnosis — "a lot of old shit" was his initial verdict
• Cousin Carrie (logical, scientific, not Hannah) also recommended it, which gave it more weight
• The film: Lee watched it, possibly the worst film he's ever seen, didn't finish it
• The Greatest Secret: Lee is four chapters in, finds it repetitive, but there are nuggets
• Kay has read The Secret several times, connected strongly with it, sees it as connected to the law of attraction and her own experience of abundance flowing when she's happy

How Kay got into crystals

• Received a pack including rose quartz and amethyst as a gift aged 14 or 15 — felt an immediate visual and physical warmth
• Started learning about the properties and chakra connections, started collecting
• Trained as a Reiki practitioner and crystal healer years before having her son
• Launched KC Holistics during maternity leave when her son (now 18 months) was napping on her — she couldn't sit still, needed something to do, and a passion became a business

The crystal cabin

• Kay's crystals come from trusted UK suppliers who source directly from Brazil, Madagascar, Morocco and India
• Some suppliers bring vans directly to Kay's house — a crystal warehouse on wheels — and she handpicks everything
• She's packing for a crystal market in Sale on Sunday, going heavy on greens and blues — connected to communication and the heart

Shout outs this episode:

• Ian McNabb — loyal listener who has shared specifically how the podcast has helped him. Sends many emails. Very vocal
• Karis — gymnastics teacher to Izzy and Aaron in Balfron. Post-COVID, the kids now have friends from different schools through gymnastics — Lee finds this genuinely moving
• Chris Hyde — 40-year friendship, listened to the Charlotte/bee therapy episode at the gym while burning off Christmas mince pies. Recommends Monocle Moore. His wife got engaged there
• Gail — Paul's partner, avid listener, has publicly endorsed the Tracey Ullman song Breakaway as an absolute banger. Paul's estimations of her have dipped slightly
• Alan (in Australia) — listened to all episodes over a couple of weeks, found the guest advice helpful during his own difficult time. Paul is his favourite — they went to school together and Paul was at his stag do. His son Adam was stung by a jellyfish mid-episode. Alan did not wee on him

Referenced:

• kcholistics.co.uk — Kay's website, with a guided section for beginners to find the right crystal for their specific need
• The Secret — Rhonda Byrne (book better than the film)
• The Greatest Secret — Rhonda Byrne (Lee is four chapters in and finding it repetitive but persevering)
• Dr Jan — previous Mind Cake guest, 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique referenced
• Charlotte / Monocle Moore — previous episode, referenced by listener Chris Hyde
• Waterside Arts Centre, Sale — both Paul and Kay bought the same mug there independently. Cosmic coincidence or The Secret at work
• Towers of Silence, India — Zoroastrian sky burial platforms where bodies decompose naturally. Lee claims bodies in the West take seven times longer to decompose due to preservatives. Nobody can confirm this

Note on recording: Lee's connection dropped briefly mid-episode. The mistake he was still laughing about at the end was edited out. He did eventually say "Kay" correctly on the third attempt.