I’m so happy to share another one of nature’s treasures with you today. On this journey I am always learning an discovering. So please don’t take the things I’m sharing as ‘the only truth’, but rather as an exploration. I’m sharing from years of devotion to all the different aspects the minerals hold, to truly uncover their stories and what they have to offer us. And I hope by doing so, I can invite you to a new way of viewing the crystals and the world around us.
This week’s powerhouse is a rock consisting of multiple minerals, Lapis Lazuli! Which mainly is lazurite that gives it its deep indigo color, calcite which shows up as white streaks, sodalite which also is blue, and specks of pyrite that give it its shimmer and are a way to tell apart lapis and sodalite, but other minerals can also be present. The name comes from the Persian lahzward, meaning blue or sky, thanks to its captivating color. Now to explain why we call this a rock and not a mineral; a mineral is always just 1 component (mineral) and a rock consists of multiple minerals together.
Since 7000BC it’s been mined in the mountains in the Northeast of Afghanistan, where almost their entire economy consisted of the export of the crystal. To know why we can find this blue rock in Afghanistan, we have to go back about two billion years ago to a shallow part of the seafloor. Here, millions of bacteria produced lime as a byproduct, layer upon layer became limestone which formed the basis of the lapis rock we know today. This limestone deposit belongs to one of the oldest we know, plants and animals did not yet exist during its formation. Much later, through the collision of tectonic plates, this limestone was lifted and became part of the high mountains in Central Asia. After this long journey from the sea to the mountains, a period of volcanic activity began. When deep in the earth rock melted and magma rose, it eventually found its way through the cracks of the cool limestone. Potent chemical reactions took place in this collision, as the limestone dissolved and transformed into different minerals (which is called metamorphism), upon cooling down lazurite is formed, as well as pyrite, sodalite, apatite and many other minerals. In this mineral deposit, high in the Hindu Kush mountain, we can find Lapis Lazuli in large veins. Which has been peacefully resting there for millions of years, until humans discovered it, maybe as early as nine thousand years ago.
Now, this is not the end of Lapis’ journey. 4000 years BC, in the sar-i-sang mines men walked along steep mountain ranges, with strong wind and harsh snow, looking up at high mountain peaks and down at a raging river in the valley, trying to find the best lapis lazuli deposits. The pieces they found were later sent out to the ancient Silk Road to be transported, traded and processed in workshops along the route reaching as far as China, Europe, Africa, and Mesopotamia.
Lapis has captured many souls all over the globe. It is one of the precious stones mentioned numerous times in the bible, and it’s even said to be the stone on which God wrote the 10 commandments. With its pyrite specks glistening in the indigo stone, it symbolized the starry sky, inspiring high priests to use it in mystical ceremonies. The Sumerian goddess of love, Inanna, entered the underworld wearing a lapis lazuli necklace and rod.
Lapis as a pigment became popular in Europe, where its great painters used it as the highest quality ultramarine (which means ‘over the sea’, as that is where the rock came from). At one point it was more valuable than gold and exclusively used to paint holy Mary’s cloak. But also Vermeer’s girl with the pearl earring and Michelangelo’s frescos in the Sistine Chapel were made using this beautiful blue color.
But before, in ancient Egypt, Cleopatra has been said to use it as eyeshadow to see more clearly during important meetings, it adorned Tutankhamun’s funeral mask around the eyes and eyebrows, and judges wore emblems of Maat, the goddess of truth, that were carved from the stone.
And here, we actually already find some clues for its properties. Lapis lazuli strengthens paranormal abilities, it brings mental clarity and connects you to your inner wisdom. Which is also why we see it being used around the throat as necklaces and 3rd eye area as adornment or pigment. With its effect on the throat chakra, it helps in expressing your authentic truth and also your emotions or struggles. To me, it really has a bit of an ‘old wise person’ or teacher energy, and as a Sagittarius, energetically I feel it’s on the same wavelength as this astrology sign too.
Recently I have connected with the crystal as I’ve been navigating my way through collaborations and cool projects. Every time I will send out an email with some kind of negotiation, I write it down in the way I normally would, with lots of ‘potentially’s’, ‘possibly’s’ and ‘maybe’s’. And I feel a bit silly saying this, but then I tune into the crystal and channel my inner ‘privileged white male’ and rewrite my email in a more powerful tone, bringing my message across and standing in my truth and worth. And what do you know? I’ve gotten everything I asked for!
Now there is something important that I still want to address about lapis lazuli. Since 2016 lapis lazuli was labeled a conflict mineral, just like diamond. What this means is that its known to fuel wars and human right abuse. Lapis lazuli specifically, is illegally mined and used to fund the Taliban, in 2016 they believed it earned them 20 million dollars per year. There are no current numbers because of the ongoing war that makes it hard to research this case. Now, lapis lazuli is also found at Lake Baikal, Pakistan, Iran, Chile, Italy and some other places. With especially the western countries being a potentially better source for this mineral. But it is very often hard to know, or intentionally mislabeled, which is why I would advise to refrain from buying this rock, unless you are absolutely sure of its origin.
Luckily, there are many ways to still connect to crystals without holding them physically. So if you feel drawn to work with lapis, I’ve shared a very short meditation that you can use as a blueprint and elaborate from in your personal practice in any way you’d like. If you want to use it for a different crystal, that is also possible. You can find all this information in spoken form including the meditation on ep. 25 of The Crystal Guardian podcast (click here)!
Thank you so much for being here crystal lover, I hope this crystal now holds a special place in your heart as we know and honor its story, beauty and strength.
I’m incredibly curious what your experience is with lapis lazuli, as it works differently for all of our unique energetic systems. Click here to send me a message on IG, I’m always keen to continue the conversation and deep dive together.
Is there a crystal you want me to dive into next? Let me know and see you for the next one!
Speak soon. X
P.s. Do you prefer to listen instead of read? You can also find this information in podcast form on ep. 25 of The Crystal Guardian podcast (click here)!