Selenite: Properties, Benefits & Different Ways To Use It

There are a number of different crystals out there to help with everything from protection to love. But of all the crystals available, few are better for clearing energy than selenite. Here's why this crystal is a fan favorite of so many, plus how you can use it yourself.

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Selenite is a variety of the mineral gypsum, named after Selene, the goddess of the moon in Greek mythology, Ashley Leavy, founder and educational director of the Love and Light School of Crystal Therapy, tells mbg.

While the name selenite originally referred to the transparent variety, nowadays, it can also refer to the striated, fibrous version called satin spar (which is also a variety of gypsum). "People have gone so far as to say satin spar isn't real selenite, and although it's true that there's a subtle distinction, they're chemically the same—they're the same type of stone," Leavy adds.

She notes there are some specific formations that are used for certain things. For example, angel wing selenite (or fishtail selenite), has a feathery kind of appearance and is often used for connecting with guides and angels.

Historically, large, thin sheets of selenite (sometimes called windowpane selenite) were used for windowpanes, and smaller sheets were used as eyeglasses, she says.

Selenite can be found all over the world, particularly in the U.S., Australia, and Greece. Most famously, Leavy adds, there's an incredibly large deposit of selenite in a cave nearly 1,000 feet under a mountain in Chihuahua, Mexico.

Om Symbol Etched Selenite Charging Plates

Selenite

Selenite Wand

As Leavy notes, selenite is mainly used for energetic cleansing. "I'd say that's the primary go-to meaning or purpose for working with selenite," she adds.

Along with clearing the energy in your body, Leavy says, selenite can also be used for clearing the energy of physical spaces, like your home. As crystal expert Heather Askinosie previously told mbg, "Selenite is a high-vibrational stone so it raises the energy of the environment in which it resides."

According to Leavy, another benefit of selenite is that it can enhance one's spirituality or meditation practice. Since it helps to clear energy, incorporating this crystal into your practices and rituals can help you clear your mind.

Selenite is actually popular for charging and clearing other crystals, making it a particularly special stone. As Leavy notes, "We see this when it's cut into specific shapes or formations, like charging plates or bowls." Some even believe this crystal never needs to be charged itself, she adds—but more on that later.

Lastly, Leavy notes selenite is great for connecting with your intuition, as well as guides—particularly the angel wing or fishtail varieties. As Askinosie adds, selenite brings mental clarity thanks to its clearing properties.

Given that selenite is so great for energy clearing, one simple way you can work with it is by sweeping the body free from any unwanted energies, Leavy says. This is particularly potent with a selenite wand or blade, she adds.

"You can hold a piece in your dominant hand and comb through by holding it perpendicular to your spine," she explains, noting to start at your head and work your way down toward your feet on all sides of your body. "Sweep the energy out of your field while holding the intention to remove any energy that's not for your highest good," she adds.

Selenite can be a powerful crystal to incorporate into any chakra-balancing or clearing rituals. As Leavy notes, selenite is commonly used for clearing blockages at energy centers.

According to Askinosie, selenite may be just the thing your nighttime routine is missing. As she notes, "It's great to keep a deep energy cleanser like selenite—the crystal of 'liquid light'—under your bed or pillow for restful sleep and sweet dreams."

Askinosie also notes that selenite is quite protective, making it excellent for protecting your home from negative energy. Add pieces of selenite to the windowsills in every room of your home for a protective boost, she suggests.

Lastly, selenite's properties make it excellent for enhancing your meditation practice, according to Leavy. Next time you sit for meditation, hold a piece of selenite in your hand, or on the top of your head. With the selenite helping to clear any unwanted energy, you'll be better able to deepen your practice.

Selenite wands are exactly what they sound like: a stick or "wand" of selenite. It's often actually satin spar, which, as aforementioned, is a variety of gypsum similar to selenite. Leavy notes there are selenite wands that come in sticks or blades, as well as wands that are polished into shapes.

"There are long slender ones with very sharp points at one end that are used for reflexology, and there are some with smoothed rounded ends that are touted as massage wands," she explains. To that end, she adds that selenite can be quite splintery and porous, so she doesn't recommend using it with massage oils, or even the oils of the skin.

"I would not use them for massage or direct contact with the skin that way—it's much better to use them more energetically," she says, adding, "Even the cut, polished, and shaped wands can be used the same way as the rough blade or stick, to sweep energy from the aura or energy field."

Because selenite is used for clearing on its own, some people don't think it needs to be cleansed itself. But Leavy contends that this arguably makes it more necessary to give your selenite a regularly cleansing. Plus, "All objects and spaces can use energetic cleansing from time to time," she notes.

She recommends cleansing it deeply with a method that's appropriate. Two of her favorite methods include sound and moonlight. You can "bathe" your selenite in a sound bath or leave it in direct moonlight on the night of a full moon. "Moonlight is especially compatible with selenite because it has that connection with the moon, being named after the moon goddess Selene," she adds.

Be sure to check out our full guide for cleansing and charging crystals for more information.

Selenite has a myriad of uses and benefits, with energy clearing being its most notable property. Whether you want to clear your mind, your energy body, or even your home, selenite is the perfect crystal to reach for.

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Sarah Regan is a Spirituality & Relationships Editor, a registered yoga instructor, and an avid astrologer and tarot reader. She received her bachelor's in broadcasting and mass communication from State University of New York at Oswego, and lives in Buffalo, New York.