Sue Ellis-Saller

I FINALLY got to go to Amethyst World in Maissau, Austria yesterday! For a crystal junkie like me, it is a little bit of heaven on earth. My energy was restored, I got a nice little haul of stones (thanks Mom!), and I can’t wait to go back.

Amethyst World is located about 30-45 minutes north of Vienna. Don’t worry about having to drive mountain roads, though, because it’s nestled in a village in the hills of Lower Austria (Niederoesterreich) – not in the mountains. The drive was stunning as the Austrian countryside is beautifully immersed in fall colors and the trees and vineyards, with their bright yellows, oranges, and reds were a gorgeous contrast to the gray fall skies.

Honestly, the day we chose to go was a little chilly and rainy, and one of Amethyst World’s main attractions is digging in a (probably) seeded “amethyst field” with a pickaxe, shovel, and bucket, looking to score some chunks of “self-mined” amethyst.

Aside from digging and pix-axing like a maniac, there are 2 different tours available there – one of a nice vein of amethyst which explains the mining process and the other an Edelhaus, which is the home of many different precious stones and minerals. We didn’t go to either of them this time around, as my littlest little came with and wanted to play on the playground and dig in the amethyst field after an hour drive and then he was  hungry, so we had cake instead of doing the Edelhaus tour. Such is the life of Mom, right???

Anyway, the grounds there were something to experience – especially if you are sensitive to energy. The area has a wonderful vibe, likely due to the crystals and the forest – and also, in part, due to the intention of making an experience that would help a visitor feel the healing vibes of the crystals on the site, no matter if that person was a junkie like myself or something of a skeptic.

There was nice little “energy recharge” area. It had a giant quartz crystal in the middle of a fountain/pond area, with benches set up to allow you to offload some negative energy and then recharge yourself with some of the good stuff. It’s a nice place to spend a little time grounding, releasing, and recharging. You can recharge and reflect before moving onto one of the other “attractions” at Amethyst World, like the Chakraweg.

I particularly liked their Chakraweg (Chakra Trail), which is supposed to help to activate and restore the different chakra areas when a person walks through and stands on different points on the path. The path is geometrically set up in a way that is supposed to be beneficial to the wanderer. There big circles made of concrete and crystals that are associated with each chakra – and a center point where the person walking on the trail can stand in and fully receive a charge up/balance of each energetic point in the body.

When I stood in the middle of each circle and closed my eyes, allowing myself to sense the energy and receive the full benefit, I could totally feel the crystals, colors, and set up working on the chakral area it was supposed to. The places I felt the most energetic balancing/clearing being done were my sacral chakra (a little under my belly button) and my heart chakra. The intensity of the energy was pretty fascinating to me, and – of course – helped to reaffirm my belief in working with crystals, chakras, and energy healing.

Because it is fall, though, the experience wasn’t as “full” as it could have been, as there are also herbs and flowers related to each energy point which would normally enrich the experience, but we were there “off-season,” so the flowers and herbs had all pretty much died away for the season.

Oh, darn. I’ll have to go back. And next time I’ll bring more money because…

The gift shop at the Amethyst World is excellent, too. Oh dear Gods and Goddesses, if I had some money to spend… Their jewelry and crystal ranges from what you can find at pretty much any shop (although I trust their labeling 1000% more than I would trust the average shop) to some pretty darn stunning pieces of fine jewelry. Honestly, too, the prices were not all that bad on the nicer pieces. Of course, you should expect to pay a little more for a flawless stone or a precious metal mounting. I saw some rings and necklaces I’d love to add to my collection.

Will I be back? Um. Hell yeah! This is going to be one of my new favorite spots to go in Austria! Would I recommend it to others? Also an affirm. It isn’t the biggest place, but it is well worth the drive and an afternoon of your time, especially if you love crystals and energy in the way that I do.

Do you have any crystal mining/exploring/energy healing locations to recommend? I’d love to hear about the best places you’ve found to enjoy crystals and energy work.

(Is it wrong to say “Crystal Junkie”? Not sure if that gives a bad spin to my crystal loving and hoarding tendencies.)