Where do your stones come from?

There is a deep irony in this. Pagan-y type folk often use stones and crystals to connect with the earth, to honour the spiritus mundi, the world-soul. Yet, frequently these stones themselves have been industrially yanked out of the earth without any consideration of the spirit of the place where they were mined, and often without any consideration of the humanity of the exploited workers toiling in hellish conditions.

Read on at therivercrow.wordpress.com

Please read this very important post from Ryan Cronin, on sourcing your crystals ethically.

Mining has a huge negative environmental impact, polluting groundwater and making living off the land and water impossible due to high levels of pollutants in water and fish.

I think the animist arguments for not using crystals ripped from the earth are very persuasive, too.

I gave up buying crystals because of the environmental impact, and only use pebbles and found stones.

Some of my most treasured stones are ones that I found on the beach or in the countryside. They are very special and carry the memories of where I found them and what they mean to me.

The River Crow’s post also contains suggestions of organizations to donate to, to help communities and environments adversely affected by mining.

…perhaps a donation to a cause like the Gaia Foundation, who work to “revive bio-cultural diversity, to regenerate healthy ecosystems and to strengthen community self-governance for climate change resilience”, or to the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society who “work to ensure the safety and well-being of First Nations youth and their families through education initiatives, public policy campaigns and providing quality resources to support communities” might help to give back.