In a world where development is becoming sustainable and well-being is emerging as a new way of life for parts of the West and the East, our relationship with the world is changing. 

Among humans, this transcendence manifests itself in the overcoming of the perceived limits of space and time: social media allows anyone to reach anyone else with a phone, provided they are connected to the invisible world of radio waves, which have become indispensable vehicles for social interaction.

But humans still have a body. Socially, they are aware of it. Mentally, even if they deny it. And physically, which they seek to make their partner. These three aspects of the body are now leading them to rethink their relationship with matter—and, in turn, to rethink their environment. 

Whereas, since the 19th century and its industrial revolutions, the dominance of physics has imposed its determinism on matter—extraction, combustion, fission… Fusion? The rise of the omnipotence of contemporary biology prefers harmony instead.

A harmony with the animal kingdom, which the community is increasingly striving to protect… A harmony with the plant kingdom, which we are beginning to understand more deeply and which fascinates us.

But what about minerals? They were the primary source of wealth throughout the last century, and they have been the cause of wars, conflicts, accumulation, and transportation (minerals are the first travelers, even before humans). How can we rethink the connection between humans and minerals within our current way of life, which is moving toward greater awareness?

For over a decade, we have been working to promote an innovative perspective on the world of crystal healing, one that is firmly rooted in our daily lives. And today, despite tens of thousands of positive experiences attesting to a clearly unique relationship with minerals—one that improves individual well-being—we are aware that while this ancient practice is becoming increasingly popular, it remains marginalized by the Western Cartesian mindset due to the current lack of scientific validation.

We sense that a convergence between our mysterious field and the realm of science would allow us to share our expertise in a more open environment and build the bridges needed to support everyone’s well-being.

But what is the scientific basis for this universal and age-old practice that leads so many people today to take a fresh interest in stones—and even to make room for them in their lives? 

This is the very purpose of this research chair, established in partnership with the DBA ESGCI and the University of San Diego in California.

While physical or biological studies to measure the vibrations of minerals and their resonance with human beings would represent a future step that still requires patience, the objective of this Research Chair is already to humbly explore everything that connects humans to stones, throughout history, through the traces of major schools of thought and ancient cultures, and through the scientific innovations of the modern world. But also to provide everything necessary to conduct research based on observation, using a quantified methodology that has not yet been explored. 

Some of the questions we hope to begin addressing through this Research Chair include the following: Do stones have an effect on living beings? What is the source of this impact? How do stones work? How can we measure human emotions that change upon contact with a stone? Is it even necessary to provide tangible, quantifiable evidence of this practice, which is so intangible?

For us, establishing this research chair means embarking on this ambitious endeavor to develop insights into the interrelationship between minerals and humans from a perspective that complements that of inner experience.

Our goal would be to spark enough curiosity within the community and advance research by perhaps inspiring projects in our field—which remains largely obscure—within the hard sciences.

The mineral world certainly has much to teach us—both about itself, through its healing stones, and about ourselves. Here, we seek to explore and appreciate it from a new perspective, with an approach marked by humility in the face of its great fundamental mystery: that of Nature itself.