Paper short abstract:

Crystals as natural minerals are valued as a way to (re)connect with spiritual powers of nature, which is based on a holistic worldview in New Spirituality. Perception and use of crystals express human-nature relationship and green ideology. However, the ecological effect of mining is often ignored.

Paper long abstract:

Crystals are natural minerals that belong to material religion of New Spirituality, and they are also part of spiritual commerce and global trade. My presentation is based on my anthropological research on the practice of wearing crystals and commerce of crystals in Estonia.

According to a holistic worldview in New Spirituality, material world and nature, and spiritual realm are essentially connected and interrelated. This unity of nature and the spiritual world is based on immanent and divine essence, often described as spiritual energy. Crystals are attributed with energetic qualities that have a healing effect on people who wear them or practice crystal therapy. Crystals are also valued as natural minerals. My informants associate spiritual power of crystals with their long-term formulation in the ground, which is linked to a perception of the Mother Earth, or Gaia, who is seen as a living organism in New Spirituality. Minerals too are perceived as other-than-human persons to communicate with, in new animist terms. Crystals as material objects are spiritually and aesthetically valued as a way to (re)connect with spiritual powers of nature.

Perception and use of crystals express a human-nature relationship and green ideology in New Spirituality. Crystals are valued and regarded as being powerful because of their inherent connection with the Earth and nature. However, mining crystals has an ecological effect, that retailers and shopkeepers are aware of, but not communicating it to clients, and due to the extensive global trade of minerals, their origin often remains not located.