At Spirit of Old,
we're very careful about where and how we gather materials for
our items. Our aim is to produce finely crafted magickal items
from the best materials with the least harm caused to the
environment and the entities who inhabit and share the land.
Most of the wood
we work with comes from a large ancient coppiced woodland in
Hampshire. Coppiced woodland is grown specifically with the
intention of the wood being harvested and cleared regularly.
This is a practice which has been carried out in Britain and
also within our area of Wessex since prehistoric times.
We ensure that it
is collected over large areas rather than a lot from any
particular place to prevent any habitat being affected.
Any wood which is
collected from within or near to sites of magickal or
archaeological importance is gathered with utmost respect and
care. This is paramount to what we do.
We also work with
bog wood including bog oak, yew, ash and pine. This is wood from
ancient times, often many thousands of years ago which has
lived, fallen and been naturally preserved in the ground. Much
of the bog wood Spirit of Old works with has been found on
farmland when drainage ditches are dug and some of the wood
comes from peat bogs.
The herbs used for
smudging sticks and dream amulets are hand-gathered and
organically grown. Many of them are hedge-gathered and they are
always dried naturally and slowly to preserve their magickal
essence.
Some of our
jewellery is crafted from mammoth ivory, bear bone and antler
dating from the last ice age. The materials for these have
usually been dredged up by fishing vessels, often from
Doggerland in the North Sea and then sold on. They are lovely
materials to work with, full of interesting textures and
energies.
Other jewellery is
created using modern-day deer antler, hare and fox bone. We are
careful to ensure that no animals have been harmed to supply
these materials and, equally importantly that no market is
created to supply them. Deer naturally shed their antlers during
the course of their life and the antler we use has always been
cast off in this way.
We use animal
bones found naturally in our local area. We spend a lot of time
walking in the countryside and rambling in the woods and chance
upon an animal find every now and then. The remains are treated
with respect and it seems very fitting for a gift from Nature to
be crafted into talismans and charms honouring that animal's
spirit and energy.
If you have any
further questions please feel free to email
enquiries@spiritofold.co.uk. You can also follow us on
Facebook or
Twitter.
