Word: crystallized
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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High above the clouds, at 35,000 ft., Adnan Khashoggi's DC-8 is cruising noiselessly toward his estate in Marbella, Spain. His guests, sipping 1961 Chateau Margaux from crystal goblets with triangular silver bases, lounge on the jet's cream-colored chamois-and-silk banquettes. His masseur, his valet, his barber and his chiropractor -- they accompany him everywhere -- are relaxing as well because "A.K.," as he is known to his employees, is fast asleep on the $200,000 Russian sable spread covering his 10-ft.-wide bed in one of the plane's three bedrooms...
...plane's fully equipped kitchen, Khashoggi's chef is preparing hors d'oeuvres. They will be served on white triangular china, embossed in gold with the letters AK, designed, along with the crystal and flatware, at a cost of $750,000. The plane, which Khashoggi bought in 1982 for $31 million and had reconfigured for an additional $9 million, has the streamlined and futuristic feel of a flying 21st century Las Vegas disco. In the sumptuous lounges, digital panels indicate the time and altitude, and electronic maps chart the jet's current position. Inside a coffee table, a color monitor...
Manhattan Businessman Richard Perl, 29, has a morning ritual. After dressing, he drops a small crystal into his pocket to enhance his concentration and aid + him in contract negotiations during his workday. Andrea Cagan, 38, a Los Angeles physical therapist, follows an evening routine: she slips a sliver of rose quartz under her pillow to help her sleep peacefully...
Perl and Cagan are among the growing number of Americans, many of them under 40, who are tuning in to "crystal consciousness," the pseudoscientific belief that such natural gemstones as quartz crystal, citrine, tourmaline and amethyst have paranormal healing and restorative powers. The crystal craze is part of a loosely linked spiritualism gaining ground on both coasts. Called "New Age" thinking, it is an esoteric blend of computer-age jargon and ancient religious practice, which often invested stones with powerful magic. Some other curious elements of the New Age faith include reincarnation, channeling (communing with souls in their afterlife...
...washing it in ocean water (in a pinch, salt water will do). Then leave it outside for at least 24 hours so that rays of the sun and moon may penetrate it. A quicker, high-tech method is to pass an audiocassette eraser over each side of the crystal for half a minute. To program, after the crystal has been cleared, hold it in both hands and blow on it while making a wish. For good health, for instance, one might say, "I want this energy to aid my immune system...