Full Crystal Ahead!
Now that you are on board with crystals and cannot wait to start using them, let’s talk about how to care for them, cleanse them, and charge them for maximum benefit!
Cleansing Crystals
It is important to remember that crystals will draw energy when they are touched. So once you have bought a crystal and would like to make use of it to heal or raise your vibration the first thing you need to do is cleanse it of all negative energy it might have picked up along the way.
There are many ways to cleanse crystals but the easiest and most practical is to use purified water with sea salt. A cup of water to half a teaspoon of sea salt is good – it does depend on the size of your crystal, you will want it to be fully covered by the water. You need to submerse your crystal in the water for 5-minutes to a few hours – be guided by your intuition, you will instinctively know when to take the crystal out. Another cleansing option is to bury the stone overnight in the ground so that the earth’s grounding energy can cleanse it. There are crystals which cannot be cleansed as they will disintegrate, be sure to ask when buying a crystal. A few of the crystals that should not be cleansed include kyanite, malachite and citrine. Black tourmaline, selenite and kynite are crystals that get rid of negative energy and do not need to be cleansed. It is good practice to keep these crystals with your other crystals to clear them of negative energy!
Charging & Programming
Charging and programming your crystals is important to do – you are essentially giving the crystal powerful energy reserves and then telling it what you would like it to do.
Charging: Once you have cleansed your crystal, set it in a place where it will receive both sun and moon light. On average you want your crystal to be in the sun for at least 4-6 hours and then in the moonlight overnight. If theft is a concern or you live in a multi-family complex you can put your crystals on a clean cloth on a window ledge inside as long as they get some moonlight!
Programming: Once the crystal is charged you can then set your intention for the crystal. Hold your crystal in the palm of your hand (or in the case of a large crystal place both hands over the crystal) and think or speak about what you are wanting to achieve by using the crystal. Your thoughts are energy and even the intentional thought will be received by the crystal and intensify its healing powers.
I advise cleansing and programming crystals once a month on the full moon for maximum benefit. For crystals that do not need to be cleansed, you can still charge and program the crystals. Some sources advise not to put malachite into the sun. The sun may also fade the color of other crystals so practice with caution – always be guided by your intuition. Charging in just the moonlight is also very effective.
Care & Love
Keep in mind that crystals are living so keeping them tucked away in a draw or cupboard is not optimal for their care. They like to be place on natural surfaces and benefit from gaining several hours of direct sunlight per week; this will recharge the crystal and ensure it is functioning to its best. If someone handles your crystals, cleanse them before using them again. People automatically want to touch stones, as they are pretty, shiny - and filled with your personal, sparkly energy. A crystal becomes personally attuned to you and nobody else should put their vibration or energy on it. Look at it this way: would you share mascara or a toothbrush? Yuck! Similarly, do not handle your crystals while you are feeling negative as that energy will transfer that energy to the crystals. Artificial light is not good for any living thing and crystals are no different in this regard. Think of your crystals as house plants and treat them in the same loving way, ensuring they have the appropriate environment and are cleansed regularly.
Crystals that live on altars should be cleaned on average once a month. If you wear a crystal or meditate with a crystal daily, it should be cleaned once a week. Cleaning is necessary because it removes any dense or stale energy the crystal may have picked up in its environment, or from you. It is similar to washing our faces to remove dirt and debris. There are a few different ways to clean stones - you can do any of the following:
Bury them in dirt for a week. Returning your crystals and stones to the earth allows them to cleanse and recharge with the vibration of the earth.
Wash them in salt water: Salt purifies and absorbs negative energy. (Note: Some crystals disintegrate when wet. Common stones that can not get wet include: amber, turquoise, red coral, fire opal, moonstone, calcite, kyanite, kunzite, angelite, azurite, selenite.) A good rule of thumb: Many stones that end in “ite” are not water-friendly.
Leave the crystals out in the moonlight for three days prior and three days after the full moon (or for at least 24 hours). Lunar energy helps cleanse and charge the stones, and the moon’s light is brightest and energetically strongest during the full moon.
Wipe them with a soft cloth and isopropyl alcohol (witch hazel will do the job for those with allergies or sensitivities) to remove fingerprints and to sanitize.
Burn sage and run the stone through the smoke because it is purifying.
…to our last crystal post in the series, Quartz, Amethyst, Jade, oh my!, where we dive into what crystals work the best with the 7 Chakras and how to use them.
