Imbolc Clear Out!

If you’ve been snooping round the website you may have noticed a couple of things…  The Christmas stuff is still up and there are lots of reductions everywhere! Apart from the Christmas stuff being massivley reduced, the other reductions are a bit of an easter egg hunt, so if you’re looking for a bargain, do go hunting! Some items are reduced by 50%!

Bought something from us recently? Please leave a review! If you use Facebook, please leave a review on the page.

Your reviews really matter to small businesses like mine, as we are trying to build a brand and reputation. Alternatively, as we are trying to build our profile on Google, you can leave a review here as well.

And don’t forget to include photos of the stuff you bought! And if you’re really brave, you can do an unboxing video on TikTok and show your followers what you got! Likewise, if you want us to video your order being packed please let us know at the checkout and of course your social media ‘@’ so we can tag you in it!

If you are wondering what’s new, then please come and check out the crystals section. Lots of new spheres, pyramids and tumbles are in and are awaiting you perusal. These are organised by lowest to highest price, so you may need to start at the back if you want to see crystal skulls in obsidian and rose quartz!

Let’s talk about Lapis Lazuli.

Lapis Lazuli (also known as Lapis) is a stone with one of the longest traditions of being considered a gem with a history stretching back to 5000 BC. Deep blue in colour and opaque this gemstone was highly prized by the pharaohs of ancient Egypt, and has been used as a paint pigment for millennia.

Lapis Lazuli is great for using in meditation. It helps open the third eye and balance the throat chakra. It stimulates enlightenment and enhances dream work, psychic abilities and stimulate spiritual power.

This maybe an unpopular post, however it needs to be discussed. As you may know, we try and source our crystals as ethically as possible, and at the moment there is a lot of misinformation on the internet about Lapis, more so about how the Taliban are taking all the money from the Lapis mines in Afghanistan. As a result, many shops have withdrawn their Lapis from sale, and customers are refusing to buy it because they don’t want to be ‘supporting’ the Taliban. As such, Lapis has been labelled a ‘conflict mineral’. I call it misinformation as it isn’t true. The Taliban make their money from Opium, both in legitimate pharmaceutical trade and otherwise.

The information I am sharing now is based upon information from miners in Afghanistan, traders in Pakistan and from wholesalers, distributors, traders and other crystal shops around the world.

When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, they did not take over the mines and claim the profits, as you may be told on social media. In fact, mines were closed for a considerable amount of time to the detriment of miners who needed the income from this to feed their families. After the mines re-opened, the borders were still closed, so exports couldn’t happen. This leads me to my next point. There is a considerable amount (tonnes!) of lapis mined and exported in the years prior to the Taliban takeover that are sitting in shipping containers, warehouses and shops because people are refusing to buy it.  All of the Lapis I have in stock was mined prior to 2021. Some of it has even been made into jewellery since it was purchased (which in itself is time consuming, let alone the time it sits on the shelf waiting to be purchased in its new form). So by refusing to buy it because of ‘ethical’ reasons, all we are doing as customers and shop owners is witholding our support from small businesses, traders and wholesalers who already had this stock on hand prior to the Taliban takeover.

There is lapis available to buy from Pakistan instead of Afghanistan, but most of what they sell comes from Afghanistan. Lapis is the only gemstone I import from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

So what happens next? I will continue to sell what I have, as this is part of the stock that was mined before the Taliban takeover.  I am mindful of Afghan miners who need the income from mining Lapis to survive, and will consider their needs when it comes to buying more in the future.  I will make sure that any lapis I sell is sold as ethically as possible, and will speak to the people I trade with prior to sourcing more Lapis, and will inform you as my customer before I do this so that you have the opportunity to get in touch and voice your opinion. Should you wish to do so, my email is info@somethingwiccan.co.uk

I will be happy to get your feedback and hear your opinions before I make the decision to buy more Lapis.

Blessed be

Saranne