Crystal Charging & Cleansing

You’ve got your crystals, they’re looking mighty fine on your altar, nightstand, desk, and basically your house is vibrating with energy.. until it’s not?!

Crystals have a vibrational frequency, which is what makes you feel so good when you hold them and when you keep them in your space. This happens because there is an exchange of energy and like us humans, they can reach a point of depletion and need a recharge to power back up. So how does one do this?

There are a few things you’ll need to know about charging and cleansing your precious babies. First you’ll want to identify your stones to make sure there aren’t any precautions you’ll need to note. Some stones are water soluble, meaning you won’t want to get them wet while others may get damaged by sunlight.

After you’ve purchased a new piece to add to your collection you’ll want to cleanse it to remove any absorbed energies from prior handlers. Crystals might pass through many hands before it finds it new home with you so you’ll want to make sure it has a clean slate before working with it. Some methods for cleansing and charging are listed below.

Smoke:

Give your crystals a smoke bath by burning ethically sourced palo santo or sage. Rosemary is another favorite for cleansing. Burning a bundle of herbs is a safe method of cleansing for all crystals. Use a feather, cloth or your hand to waft the smoke around the specimens to clear them.

Moonlight:

This is one of our favorite ways to cleanse and charge at Waxing Moon House. When the moon is full she is energetically at her peak, illuminating the night sky with a magickal glow. Place your crystals outside, preferably on the ground (using caution - some stones may not like this) and leave under the moonlight for at least 4 hours but ideally overnight.

Sound:

Like crystals, sound waves operate vibrations. Tap into this frequency to cleanse your crystals by using a singing bowl, drum or tuning fork for a beautiful and powerful cleansing ritual.

Sunlight:

The giant ball of fire that sustains all life can also burn off any negative vibes your crystals may absorbed. This technique is not recommended for all stones but is a simple and accessible method of cleansing.

Water:

Water is an extremely powerful conduit for exchanging energy. The Earth is compromised of over 70% water and our human bodies at 60%. It is gentle and fierce and these characteristics make it a powerhouse for cleansing. Be sure to identify that your stone is not water soluble before proceeding (some stones can produce sulfuric acid when exposed to water - see what I mean about water being a powerful conduit!) to cleanse either submerge crystals in water or hold under running water.

Bury:

Stones that dislike water should also avoid this method. Simply dig a hole and bury selected stones to cleanse and charge. I like to use this method for stones I intend to leave buried, letting the stones absorb and release in sync with nature. Burying crystals in the garden is act of reciprocity. If you don’t plan to leave the stones buried just make sure you don’t forget their location!

Salt:

Place your crystal/s in a bowl and cover with salt. Any will do but sea salt is recommended. Leave covered for 20 minutes to 2 days, remove from salt and viola! Note: do not reuse the salt used to cleanse, it has absorbed all of the crystals energies and should not be consumed. Return it to the earth.

Selenite:

Some stones do not need to be cleansed for they have a cleansing frequency of their own. Selenite is a go-to for this technique. Place crystals on selenite (or touching it) to absorb any built up energies. I often use a selenite charging pad for this method with my tumbled stones.

These are some of the most common practices for cleansing and charging stones but the true act of cleansing is powered by your intention and intuition. If these methods don’t resonate with you allow them to be a spark of inspiration. Don’t have a singing bowl or a tuning fork but you play guitar, piano or the flute? Channel that sound energy to purify and charge. The crystal police don’t exist and won’t bang on your door to tell you a right way or wrong way to cleanse your stones, do what feels good for you. Follow your intuition.