Selenite's alright for fighting!

Building a peaceful space is going to take time, but there is already some progress.

I recently purchased my first selenite wand after ogling them for many months now. Bought from a local store, I picked up a larger piece that, according to the tag, is from Morocco. My intention is to start building an altar of sorts in my room, which could also be named a "shelf of curiosities". Whatever I call it, I'm mostly just trying to build a space of peace to encourage more positive thoughts.

Having bought the selenite wand, I was compelled to do some research on the lustrous mineral. Contrary to the title of this post (thanks Elton John, for making wonderful hits that never leave my mind), I wouldn't recommend using selenite to fight anything, not even a hard dancing groove. With a Mohs hardness of 2, selenite could be easily scratched by a fingernail.

Here are some neat facts about the mineral selenite...

• Selenite literally means "stone of the moon", the etymology coming from Middle English selinete, from Latin selenites, from Greek selēnitēs (lithos)
• This commonly found mineral is an evaporite. When bodies of water evaporate, the elemental chemicals that were dissolved inside of them are left behind.

Photo of selenite skull from Skullis.com

• In Chihuahua, Mexico, there is a place called the Naica Mine where selenite crystals thrive because of the mineral rich water that has since evaporated. The largest crystal found in these caves was measured to be over 33 feet long, and over 500,000 years old.

Image from this article on Lazerhorse.org

• Selenite is a form of colorless and clear gypsum. When gypsum is severely dry, it becomes anhydrite.

"Anhydrite HMNH1" by Alcinoe - Own work. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.