Lapis lazuli: meaning, uses and care

How to read the labels Historical what the old sources say. Later tradition what later writers added. Modern modern practice and my own notes.

Lapis lazuli is the blue of a clear night sky with tiny golden stars scattered through it. It was one of the most precious materials of the ancient world, ground into the most expensive blue paint in Europe and carved into the treasures of pharaohs. In modern witchcraft it is a stone of truth, wisdom and the night.

At a glance

How witches use lapis lazuli today

Modern Lapis is a classic stone in contemporary witchcraft, especially in practices inspired by ancient Egypt and in work with dreams and the voice.

Speaking truth. Modern books link lapis with the throat and honest speech. Witches hold it before a difficult but necessary conversation, or wear it while writing something true.

Wisdom and study. A lapis on the desk is a charm for deep study, especially of old texts, languages and esoteric subjects.

Dreams and the third eye. Lapis under the pillow or on the forehead during meditation is a common practice for vivid dreams and intuition.

Night sky magic. Its blue-and-gold pattern makes lapis the stone of starlight. It suits star-gazing rituals, wishes on clear nights and sigil work done under the sky.

Egyptian-inspired altars. Many witches who honor Egyptian deities place lapis on their altars, following its role in ancient Egyptian jewelry and amulets. Cunningham lists Isis among its deities.

Tarot pairing. I pair lapis with The Star: night sky, hope and honest guidance.

Journal prompt. What truth have I been softening so much that it no longer says anything?

Try this: one true sentence

1. Light a candle on a clear evening, near a window if you can see the sky.
2. Hold a lapis lazuli and look at its gold flecks.
3. Write one true sentence about your life that you have not yet said aloud.
4. Read it aloud once, to the stone and the candle.
5. Decide whether, when and to whom you will say it. Write that down too.
6. Keep the stone with the paper until you have spoken.

Folklore and history

Historical Lapis lazuli from the mines of Badakhshan in Afghanistan was traded across the ancient Near East. It was inlaid in Egyptian jewelry and in the funerary mask of Tutankhamun, and Mesopotamian cities treasured it. Pliny the Elder’s “sapphirus,” a blue stone with gold specks, was lapis, not the gem we now call sapphire.

Later tradition Ground lapis gave European painters ultramarine, a blue more costly than gold, often reserved for the robes of the Virgin Mary.

Modern Cunningham’s 1988 encyclopedia lists lapis as receptive, ruled by Venus and Water, for healing, joy, love, fidelity, psychism, protection and courage.

Care and safety

Water and salt. Lapis contains calcite, which acids etch, and often pyrite, which damp can damage. Wipe it with a soft cloth; do not soak it or use salt.

Elixirs. Never put lapis in drinking water. The International Gem Society lists it as a medium concern, partly because of its pyrite.

Softness. Store it separately so harder stones do not scratch it. Crystals are focus tools, not medicine.

Ethics and buying

Some Afghan lapis has funded armed conflict. A 2016 Global Witness investigation, War in the Treasury of the People, documented how lapis revenues reached armed groups in Badakhshan. Ask sellers about origin and buy small, well-documented pieces. Watch for dyed howlite, dyed jasper (“Swiss lapis”), reconstituted lapis and paint imitating pyrite.

What next

Lapis pairs with sodalite, its cheaper blue cousin, and pyrite, whose flecks it carries. For safe practice, see my beginner’s guide to crystals.