Caring For Your Crystals - A Guide To Crystal Cleansing & Charging

Crystals hold energetic frequencies that can help and heal us in many ways. Looking after your crystals helps them to stay in optimum vibration, just the same way as thinking positive thoughts, eating healthily etc can do for us. There are two main aspects to energetically looking after your crystals - cleansing and charging.

There are several ways you can cleanse and charge your crystals. I have found in practice that whilst any of these methods will work for any crystal, some crystals respond better to certain ways of cleansing and charging. For example, I have found that crystals that are linked with the element of Fire, like sunstone for example, will charge very quickly by being placed in the sunlight, while those linked with Earth tend to prefer charging through the ground. It is worth trying each method as you get to know your crystals to see if there is one which you feel your crystal prefers. Any of these methods will work for any crystal with the exception of water cleansing which we will come to in a moment.

CLEANSING

Cleansing your crystals involves clearing them of any energy that they have picked up either through their journey to you (mining, processing, shipping etc), through any healing or self expansion work you have done with them, or just from everyday energy around them.

How often a crystal will need cleansing will depend on where it is kept, how often you work with it and for what purposes. A crystal that is used for healing will need cleansing more often that a crystal which is mostly just on display in your living room, and a crystal that is used for very deep healing should be cleansed after each use.

Smudging

Smudging is the use of smoke to cleanse and clear your crystals. White Sage is an excellent smudging herb for cleansing, as are Paolo Santo, lavender and rosemary but almost any smudging herb or incense will do so use your intuition as to what you feel works best for you. To cleanse your crystal you simply pass it through the smoke from a burning smudge bundle or incense stick a few times until you feel that the crystal has been cleared.

Water

Water is an amazing energy cleanser. Tap water will work but if you can access a spring, well, or even some sacred water, it will have a much stronger effect. Simply run your crystals through cold running for a few minutes or until you sense their energy is cleared. There are, however, some crystals which should not come in contact with water due to their porous or soluble nature. These generally are crystals that score at 5.0 or lower on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. They include, but are not limited to, Selenite, Desert Rose and Lapis Lazuli among others. You can find the hardness information online for most crystals but If in any doubt choose another method of cleansing to avoid damaging your crystals.

Crystal Sprays

You can purchase crystal cleansing sprays from some crystal shops or online. They

are a combination of water and/or alcohol and essential oils chosen for their cleansing

energies. These are an excellent way of smudging without the smoke however, just like with water, some crystals should not come into contact with the spray due to its liquid nature.

Sound Bath

Singing bowls or tuning forks work well to cleanse crystals as they respond to frequency and vibration. Place the crystal in or near the singing bowl while it is played for a few minutes. The bonus of this method is that you will also receive a wonderful healing from the sound vibrations at the same time!

Selenite Charging Plate

Selenite is known as the self charging crystal. It is an extremely high vibration crystal and can be used to both cleanse and charge other crystals. You can buy Selenite charging plates which are flat tiles of Selenite, Selenite bowls of all shapes and sizes, and pieces of polished and raw Selenite. It really doesn’t matter how the Selenite is shaped. Sit your crystals on the plate or in the bowl to cleanse and charge them all at the same time.

Large Tree of Life Selenite Charging Plate

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Visualisation

Hold your crystal in your hand and visualise white light entering the crown of your head, travelling down your arms, into your hands, and washing away any dull energy or blockages from your crystal. Continue this until you are happy the crystal is cleansed.

Salt

Salt is unbeatable at absorbing and clearing negative energy. Crystals can be buried in a pot of pure sea salt to cleanse them, however keep in mind that salt crystals can be small and may be difficult to remove from cracks and crevices in your crystal. It can also be abrasive so if you have a very high polished crystal you might want to choose a different method.

CHARGING

While a crystal doesn’t ‘lose’ its energy through use, it is a good idea to charge your crystal after cleansing it as this will help to strengthen its healing properties and give its vibration a power boost. As with cleansing there are several ways you can charge your crystals.

Selenite Charging Plate

As mentioned above Selenite can be used to charge your crystals as well as cleansing them. Simply sit your crystals on a piece of Selenite for a couple of hours and it will receive both clearing and charging energies.

Selenite Polished Crystal Cleansing and Charging Moon Shaped Bowl

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Sun Energy

The Sun is a pure, wonderful energy powerhouse. Just think how a bright sunny day can make you feel energised and positive! It works similarly for your crystals. Place your crystals in the sunshine on either a window ledge or outside for several hours to absorb the wonderful sun frequencies. If placing them outside ensure they are out of reach of pets and wildlife. (You can place them in a jar or bowl to protect them if necessary)

Moon Energy

This is the same method as sunlight but using moonlight instead. Full moon is the best time to charge by this method as there is the most light being reflected from the moon. The moon brings a softer cooler energy than the Sun so this method works well for the crystals that have a more subtle energy.

Visualisation

Just like when you cleansed your crystal, hold your crystal in your hand and visualise white light entering the crown of your head, travelling down your arms, into your hands, and filling your crystal. Visualise the crystal glowing brighter and brighter with white light. Continue until you are happy that your crystals is full of white light and fully charged.

Grounding

Placing your crystals on the ground outside or burying them is a very effective way of charging some crystals. Earthy stones in particular, like hematite and jaspers, love this method of charging. If placing them on the ground it is a good idea to cover them with a cloth or bowl to prevent wildlife getting to them. If burying them it is wise to place them in a sealed glass jar to avoid dirt and damage. Mark where you have buried them with a stone or stick so you can easily find them later. Leave them for several hours until you sense they are charged.

Selenite Polished Crystal Cleansing and Charging Bar

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