Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. ~Albert Einstein, German-born theoretical physicist
Celestite (aka Celestine) derives its name from the Latin word for celestial. While found in shades of red, yellow, and milky white, it’s the pale blue that’s the most common. And most prized.
A Celestite crystal cluster available for purchase at www.indiamart.com
Celestite deposits occur around the world. A strontium sulfate mineral first reported in the late 1700s, Celestite is extremely soft (3 to 3.5 on the 1-10 Mohs scale of hardness). As such, it’s not often used as a gemstone but left in specimens, many lining geodes. It also claims industrial uses, such as in the making of fireworks (when burned, it gives off a bright red flare), paint, and glass, as well as refining sugar-beet.
A powerful healing crystal, Celestite is valued for connecting one with the angelic realms. It’s believed to relieve stress, bring harmony and balance, and assist in maintaining inner peace. Singers, actors, and speakers should carry a piece of Celestite to ward off stage fright; artists, musicians, and designers can benefit from its boost to creativity; timid children can find it bestows courage in confronting new experiences. Reiki practitioners say it heightens divine intuition, facilitating deep states of meditation and helping with dream recall.
On the physical plane, Celestite is believed to aid in breathing issues (asthma or anxiety), as well as headaches, eye strain, or sore throats. It acts like a detoxifier and pain reliever. Celestine is prized for healing sadness and despair, as well as improving dysfunctional relationships.
Celestite stimulates the Throat Chakra, allowing us to communicate our personal truth to the world. It also activates the Brow (Third Eye) Chakra, opening us to new ideas and dreams, and the Crown Chakra, controlling our thoughts and how we respond to the world around us.
Tumbled blue-gray Celestite from Madagascar (image thanks to www.myrockhound.com)
While not a traditional birthstone, Celestite is associated with the zodiac signs of Gemini and Libra.
Feng Shui experts claim Celestite uses water energy, traditionally associated with the North area of a home or room. This is the energy of regeneration and rebirth, formless yet powerful. Place some where you repose or meditate.
Handle Celestite carefully! Don’t expose it to direct sunlight (it will fade); recharge it by wrapping it in a blue cloth and tucking it in a drawer or box for two days.
Note: The claims here aren’t meant to take the place of medical advice. They’re based on folklore and other sources, and likely “work” best if one’s belief is strong enough!
Musings by an ND Domer's Mom 
I’ve never come across this one before. How intriguing that it’s used in fireworks – it never occurred to me that you could burn gemstones somehow!
I’ve never actually seen this one either. I find the delicate blue color very calming though. Here (https://gizmodo.com/these-are-the-minerals-that-give-fireworks-their-colors-1715822644) is more than you probably want to know about fireworks and their colors!
This one hit me right away. As I read further I saw where it is associated with Gemini which I am. Good one Debbie.
I’ve heard it said that we naturally gravitate to stones that are right for us at a certain time. Glad this one resonated with you, John!
😁
Debbie, once again you taught me something about gemstones. I had no idea that Celestite was found in pale blue. It’s gorgeous!
“Reiki practitioners say it heightens divine intuition, facilitating deep states of meditation and helping with dream recall.”
Yes, being a Reiki practitioner myself, I know that to be true. In fact, my first Reiki master who attuned me, also suggested using crystals in a Reiki session because they can magnify the energy in each Chakra, which resonate to a specific energy, color and sound.
“While not a traditional birthstone, Celestite is associated with the zodiac signs of Gemini and Libra.”
And I also didn’t know that. And I’m a Libra! So thank you for sharing that.
As always, thank you for sharing these post because not only do I enjoy them, but they also inspire me.
Have a super week, my friend! X
Thank you, Ron, for confirming my research about Reiki healing! I find it fascinating that touch and crystals are so intertwined. As someone who truly believes that the Creator put everything here that we’d truly *need*, it doesn’t surprise me that even what we consider inanimate objects would have a useful purpose beyond just their beauty.
You know, I’ve debated with myself whether to discontinue these gemstone posts, so your praises humble me. I’m glad you find them useful and inspiring. I’ve learned so much from compiling the information that I’d really hate to stop now, when there are so many more stones to explore.
Happy new week — hope you can avoid that wicked storm that dumped bucketloads of rain on us! xx
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Thank you for re-posting!!!
When I read that this was involved in sugar beet processing, I thought, “What?!” It took me a while to figure it out, but I finally did. In short, it used to be used to get even more sugar out of the molasses that forms during sugar processing. Now, they have other ways to do it, but here’s a bit that I found from one very interesting site. :
“Strontium is a soft silvery or yellowish metal … Although abundant in the Earth’s crust relatively few strontium minerals are known. The most common are celestine (strontium sulfate, SrSO4, named for its delicate blue color).”
“The first industrial use of strontium was in the production of sugar from sugar beet in the nineteenth century. Beet molasses, a by-product of sugar production from sugar beet, contains 50% sugar by weight. This sugar was extracted by desugarization using the so-called strontian process: strontium hydroxide Sr(OH)2reacted with soluble sugars in near-boiling molasses to form poorly soluble strontium saccharate compounds. These were subsequently filtered and recovered by cooling and exposure to carbonation. Strontium hydroxide was then regenerated by calcination in the presence of steam. Nowadays, desugarization is instead performed using a similar lime-based process, or through ion-exclusion chromatography.”
So that’s the connection. At first, I was wondering if they used chunks of celestite to beat the beets to a pulp!
Linda, thank you for reinforcing my research! Yes, that’s exactly the case, and I found it interesting, too. Of course, I rarely include everything I learn about a stone here (I like to keep these posts to a certain number of words), but I’m delighted when a reader links to “the rest of the story”!
Isn’t it odd that such a delicate blue stone would turn fiery red when burned?? I suspect that has something to do with its chemistry, but sadly, I was probably day-dreaming when that lesson was being presented back in high school!