Selenite is a mineral that is a mental and spiritual expander. A magical and powerful tool with particular benefit to practitioners of healing, meditation and the alchemical arts. Many of the clusters have absorbed mysteries which can be unlocked and revealed to the sensitive or psychic individual. Named for its soft moonlight quality, this stone is a type of gypsum. Do not place this stone in damp or wet - the thin slices of crystal will slide apart and disintegrate. A good stone for removing emotional turmoil or confusion. It clarifies awareness and helps to reach new states of consciousness. This visual image used with permission from Avalon Crystals.

By removing depression, Smoky Quartz assists with grief, despair and other forms of fermenting negativity. A mild sedative with a relaxing effect, it helps you to explore your inner self, embracing dark areas with light and love and so allowing healing and reconciliation to take place. This is also a good balancer of sexual energies. Increases recall of dreams and intensifies channelling abilities. Smoky quartz effectively releases bodily stress and strain related to emotional distress. Smoky Quartz is a filter and trap for those negative thoughts and emotions that are everywhere present. Keep one nearby where you work, bring one with you when you expect to be around negative people. This stone also enables one to assimilate more in life by teaching to let go of what is no longer needed for growth. A nice way to use smoky quartz in meditation is to hold a clear quartz in one hand and a smoky in the other. You may want to think about the conditions in your life which you wish to release or change while mentally focusing on the smoky quartz, then ask for inspiration regarding accomplishing these changes. Smoky quartz is also a good stone to carry when you're feeling ungrounded, overtired, or stressed out.

Sodalite is very similar in look to Lapis Lazuli, although it is usually of a less vivid blue and has cloudy veils of white running through it. One of the most challenging aspects of human anatomy is that the brain is divided into two hemispheres: one devoted to rational, linear thinking, the other to imagination and intuition. The human mind, when these two areas are in balance, is both capable of tremendous creativity and the ability to realize that creativity in practical, material terms. In most Western societies the rational aspects of mind are valued above those of intuition, thus subduing or stifling many creative ideas before they are born into imagination. Malachite and Moss Agate are two stones which help to rebalance the brain and mind. Sodalite's function is different. It is especially valuable for those who find themselves in states of mental confusion, especially when these states are intensified by emotional turmoil. Very often, when our emotions are whirling about in our heads we are tempted to seize at any decision which seems to promise that it will reduce our distress. Sodalite helps us to resist such temptation. This dark-blue stone is one of the most grounding of the blue stones, and has a natural affinity with the third eye center (between and slightly above the eyebrows). Its function is to calm the emotions and the mind and to help one view a situation and the choices which may stem from it with objectivity and detachment. This also means that it can help to quiet any doubts you may have about your ability to make a decision (quiets the inner critic). In addition, it can assist in dissolving old mental, reactive patterns, helping you to realize that you do not have to do things the way you have always done them. Sodalite is additionally helpful for reviewing a decision once it has been made, and is believed by some to help extricate people from the coils of complicated lifestyles. If you are faced with a decision, Sodalite is an excellent stone to use in meditation. Place it on your forehead and contemplate the situation on which you are working. Ask for guidance in making the decision. If you feel yourself coming up with old solutions just because they are familiar, release them and allow Sodalite to clear the path for new ideas.

Many crystal practitioners and teachers feel that stones which have been recently discovered have special lessons to teach us. Sugilite is surely one of these stones. Sugilite helps us to see the beliefs ("I always resent people like that" and/or "There's just so much I'm capable of doing") which can create emotional limitation and physical imbalance, and helps to break up those beliefs on the mental plane, thus stopping them from continuing to send limiting messages to the body. Sugilite is a third eye activator. It opens the connection between mind and body. It attunes one to their mental body to see what is creating the physical problem and in doing so, gain the healing power necessary to balance the physical body. It serves to helps spiritually oriented individuals deal with the sometimes overwhelming negative energies present on the planet. It has been said to help cancer patients release the old angers, resentments, fears, guilt, frustrations, sorrows, or insecurities that manifested the disease. It can be used to relieve headaches. It tends to create a balance between the pineal and the pituitary glands and can help children with learning difficulties like ADD, autism and dyslexia. It can also teach a child how to cope in difficult situations, while remaining calm, as it offers protection from negative energy. It helps to promote and maintain our childhood innocence stemming from our deep wisdom, our immense imagination, our fearless quest for answers based on our burning need to know everything - which all makes up the magic of our childhood. It can also be used to re-awaken those qualities in adults. This stone helps one connect with their own inner light. It has strong balancing and nurturing qualities and for sensitive people it is ideal as a protective stone.