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Post by thistle on May 8, 2007 17:16:19 GMT -5
Hi. So ,I have a question again. I recently joined a coven and they don't work with crystals since they believe the mining of crystals is bad for the environment and hurtful to the earth. For example people who work in crystal mines have bad working conditions and there is a lot of forest destroyed when finding a place for a new mine. I have gotten a lot more environment friendly since I became wiccan and I didn't know about this. I have been trying to find information on the Internet about it to form my own opinion but I don't know what to look for in English. My question is what you all think about this, did you know or didn't you, do you buy crystals regularly, are you interested in environmental issues?
Blessed Be/Thistle
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Post by Lady Anastasia on May 8, 2007 18:09:22 GMT -5
Ok... Not an area that I play in, so, I went to Wren and asked her what she thought on the matter...
druidsbird: wow
there is the school of thought that it disrupts things to remove crystals from the ground and if they are 'mined' in mass amounts, it can disrupt their energies, think diamonds and slave labor of children
druidsbird: and i, for one, don't wear pearls, because it kills the oyster to remove them but on the other hand people have been taking crystals from the ground forever and using them in magic and healing
druidsbird: it goes back to knowing your source
druidsbird: herbs can be harvested mindfully or not as well but it all comes down to what you believe, what you use things for, etc. i use leather in crafting now, or wood, for example... how was it harvested? is there a difference between the way your crystals were harvested and that chicken on your plate?
druidsbird: where do you draw the line?
druidsbird: i think we need to be mindful in our practices and uses but it is hard to know where to draw the line before one becomes a hypocrite
druidsbird: and while things hold energies from the past, i believe, i also believe it is possible to cleanse them and refocus their vibrations
With this in mind.. I would say this, Do what feels right for you. If you have become attached to your crystals, keep working with them...
When choosing to purchase them in the future, fully research where they are coming from, and how they are being manufactured or harvested...
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Post by tanath on May 17, 2007 22:55:09 GMT -5
i've, honestly, never given much thought to how the crystals are mined. i get most of my stones from pagan shops, who know their suppliers. the ones i get from other sources i buy online directly from the owners of the mines. one supplier i've gotten several stones from even has pictures of the mines posted and invites anyone who wants to to come out to the mines and do some mining of their own.
i don't agree with clear-cutting a forest, for any reason. mining isn't the main reason for clear-cutting, logging and housing are.
i think you can tell if a crystal has been mistreated. there are some crystals that, no matter how clear and esthetically pleasing, just don't feel 'right' when you hold them. if a crystal feels right to you then it is. that's all that really matters.
i think people are too ready to try to invent ways to help the environment sometimes. cotton plants strip all the nutrients from the soil and makes it almost impossible to plant anything else there for a few years. does that mean people shouldn't wear cotton? polyester is synthetic, and therefore requires chemicals to create it. does that mean people shouldn't wear polyester? leather comes from animals, which means the animals had to die. does that mean people shouldn't wear leather? what does that leave? the only thing i can think of left for anyone to wear is the skin we were all born with. does that make sense.
as long as people don't go out of their way to destroy the environment, or support anyone who does, then they're doing a good job. it's inevitable that some things will get damaged in the course of a species trying to live and thrive. all creatures leave some amount of distruction in their wake. what really matters is what they give back and how they try to balance out that distruction.
ok, i think i got off-topic somewhere in there. sorry, i hope it helped though.
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Post by Lady Anastasia on May 18, 2007 4:11:58 GMT -5
i've, honestly, never given much thought to how the crystals are mined. i get most of my stones from pagan shops, who know their suppliers. the ones i get from other sources i buy online directly from the owners of the mines. one supplier i've gotten several stones from even has pictures of the mines posted and invites anyone who wants to to come out to the mines and do some mining of their own. i don't agree with clear-cutting a forest, for any reason. mining isn't the main reason for clear-cutting, logging and housing are. i think you can tell if a crystal has been mistreated. there are some crystals that, no matter how clear and esthetically pleasing, just don't feel 'right' when you hold them. if a crystal feels right to you then it is. that's all that really matters. i think people are too ready to try to invent ways to help the environment sometimes. cotton plants strip all the nutrients from the soil and makes it almost impossible to plant anything else there for a few years. does that mean people shouldn't wear cotton? polyester is synthetic, and therefore requires chemicals to create it. does that mean people shouldn't wear polyester? leather comes from animals, which means the animals had to die. does that mean people shouldn't wear leather? what does that leave? the only thing i can think of left for anyone to wear is the skin we were all born with. does that make sense. as long as people don't go out of their way to destroy the environment, or support anyone who does, then they're doing a good job. it's inevitable that some things will get damaged in the course of a species trying to live and thrive. all creatures leave some amount of distruction in their wake. what really matters is what they give back and how they try to balance out that distruction. ok, i think i got off-topic somewhere in there. sorry, i hope it helped though. I think that was a wonderful response Lovely... I also think that there is a good topic for discussion that we can start based on some of the things that you've stated in this thread...
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Post by tanath on May 19, 2007 9:06:21 GMT -5
awesomeness, i said something profound
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Dystopia
Philosopher
I never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude...
Posts: 124
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Post by Dystopia on May 19, 2007 13:59:59 GMT -5
Hi. So ,I have a question again. I recently joined a coven and they don't work with crystals since they believe the mining of crystals is bad for the environment and hurtful to the earth. For example people who work in crystal mines have bad working conditions and there is a lot of forest destroyed when finding a place for a new mine. I have gotten a lot more environment friendly since I became wiccan and I didn't know about this. I have been trying to find information on the Internet about it to form my own opinion but I don't know what to look for in English. My question is what you all think about this, did you know or didn't you, do you buy crystals regularly, are you interested in environmental issues? Blessed Be/Thistle This is one of those complex questions where you need to find a solution by yourself. It`s `a two blade sword`question, and whatever you decide to do you will loose a little something on both sides. You need to sit down and take all the reasons for and against in consideration. Since now you are a wiccan, and a grown up one, too, you need to set your own priority. Wicca is not a religion with set rules. It has some laws, yes, but still these laws are not confining you to develop your own opinion about some aspects of your life. Wicca is more about individualism and what you feel that`s right to do. If you worked with crystals in past and felt right about it, I don`t see a reason why you would stop. If you have respect for your friends from coven and their beliefs, maybe you shouldn`t perform your rituals with crystals in front of them, but you have the right on your opinion and they should respect that just as you respect their refusal to use crystals. As I already noted, this is individual. It has to do with your relationship with nature and how are you going to treat Her it is up to you. I agree this is a tricky question and I understand that crystal mines are ruining the balance in nature, but doesn`t that apply to plants and animals, too? Should we stop eating meat as well? Are the vegetarians better than we are for not eating the meat? Numerous questions will arise if you think about this further. So, I agree with Lady Anastasia (or druidsbird) - the main question is where do you draw the line? And this, my friend, is your call, not the call of the coven! Since you are a beginner it is wise to do a research and ask others what they think before you act, but I`m afraid that you`ll have to think of the answer on your own.However, I have no doubts that you will succeed. Oh, and a tip for you. When you buy your crystals (if you decide to use them) try to buy those that are not polished too nicely, but those that are rather coarse and with rough surfaces. Polished crystals are usually made for jewelry and paid for a lot of money, which means that child slavery is more likely to be involved...
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Post by Senbecc on May 19, 2007 18:09:37 GMT -5
Child slavery?
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Dystopia
Philosopher
I never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude...
Posts: 124
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Post by Dystopia on May 20, 2007 8:15:51 GMT -5
i hope you understood what I wanted to say,..sorry if I used the wrong expression, I`m not a native speaker, as you can see...
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Post by Senbecc on May 20, 2007 13:50:11 GMT -5
i hope you understood what I wanted to say,..sorry if I used the wrong expression, I`m not a native speaker, as you can see... Actually by the sound of what Anastasia explained to me last night you were right on. Seems a shame too. I suppose it is cheap labor and gets what they want for a really nice profit. I guess the "power of the almighty dollar" isn't confined to just the U.S.A. While I'm not aware of any Child slavery, we certainly do have our "evils" here as well.
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Post by tanath on May 20, 2007 21:24:42 GMT -5
Oh, and a tip for you. When you buy your crystals (if you decide to use them) try to buy those that are not polished too nicely, but those that are rather coarse and with rough surfaces. Polished crystals are usually made for jewelry and paid for a lot of money, which means that child slavery is more likely to be involved... if you like the polished look you can buy a relatively inexpensive rock tumbler somewhere and polish them yourself. it takes awhile, but you can polish any stones, even ones you find outside, and get a gorgeous look. if you live in an area with some geological diversity you might even be able to collect stones in your area and bypass the mining issue completely, and save money.
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Dystopia
Philosopher
I never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude...
Posts: 124
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Post by Dystopia on May 21, 2007 6:02:53 GMT -5
i hope you understood what I wanted to say,..sorry if I used the wrong expression, I`m not a native speaker, as you can see... Actually by the sound of what Anastasia explained to me last night you were right on. Seems a shame too. I suppose it is cheap labor and gets what they want for a really nice profit. I guess the "power of the almighty dollar" isn't confined to just the U.S.A. While I'm not aware of any Child slavery, we certainly do have our "evils" here as well. I wish I was wrong, but from what I read and from what I was told, I`m pretty much sure in the existence of Child slavery (or whatever it is called) not just in my country, or USA, but all over the world. It`s depressing when you think about how children are abused in many ways today, and now even in crystal mines. In such bad working conditions in which children work, their misery and pain is absorbed by crystals, and they spread it further in the shape of `bad` energy. Anyway, that`s what I was told by the more experienced ones when I started working with crystals...
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Dystopia
Philosopher
I never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude...
Posts: 124
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Post by Dystopia on May 21, 2007 6:17:11 GMT -5
...exactly! I generally prefer the "do-it-yourself" technique. It`s economic and it makes you feel better, too.
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Post by thistle on May 28, 2007 16:12:39 GMT -5
Thanks for all your answers, I see your point about drawing the line. I guess I already had made up my mind about crystals when i posted this question and I'm going to continue using them them. I guess problems in a coven can be like this, you don't always agree with one another.
Blessed Be/Thistle
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Post by tahlia on May 29, 2007 0:54:04 GMT -5
cotton plants strip all the nutrients from the soil and makes it almost impossible to plant anything else there for a few years. does that mean people shouldn't wear cotton? polyester is synthetic, and therefore requires chemicals to create it. does that mean people shouldn't wear polyester? leather comes from animals, which means the animals had to die. does that mean people shouldn't wear leather? what does that leave? the only thing i can think of left for anyone to wear is the skin we were all born with. does that make sense. That's it. I'm never wearing clothing again. You just gave me the perfect excuses for perpetual nudity. Thankies. As for the OP here....I honestly had never given it any thought. Yeah, bad me. But now I'm gonna do some searching and find out where the local shops get their crystals, herbs, etc. Thanks so much for bringing this to my attention.
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Dystopia
Philosopher
I never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude...
Posts: 124
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Post by Dystopia on Jun 2, 2007 12:17:34 GMT -5
Thanks for all your answers, I see your point about drawing the line. I guess I already had made up my mind about crystals when i posted this question and I'm going to continue using them them. I guess problems in a coven can be like this, you don't always agree with one another. Blessed Be/Thistle ...glad you found your own way, though I would support you whatever decision you made...
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