So you’ve purchased a beautiful crystal to take home to use such as an Amethyst under your pillow to help with sleep, or a Carnelian to help with energy, or a Howlite to calm your nerves, but do you know how to care for that crystal? Do you know how to cleanse and charge your new crystal? Let’s talk about how to best accomplish this so your crystal can do its best job at assisting you.
The first step should be cleansing your new crystal and there are quite a few ways of accomplishing this! For crystals that are water safe, you can place them under running water. While holding them in the stream of water, visualize the water taking any negativity out of your crystal. Do keep in mind that not all crystals are water safe and some will even break down a bit in water. Most crystals that end in “ite” such as Selenite, Vanadinite and Malachite are not recommended to be placed in water. An easy search online will let you know which ones you should keep out of water. You can also smudge them with incense smoke, using an incense with cleansing properties such as sage. Burying them in dirt either in your yard, or even a potted plant for 24 hours is an option as well. They can be passed quickly through a candle flame, but please be careful! A word of caution – Emerald, Moonstone, Sodalite and Unakite do not like heat, so a candle flame is not the best idea for these crystals. Another method is to place them under a full moon overnight as well for cleansing. Sound vibration is yet another way to cleanse your crystals using a drum, a singing bowl, or a bell. Lastly, placing them with Selenite will also do the job. I have a Selenite plate and bowl at home for charging crystals, including pendants with crystals. I leave them on the plate for 24 hours.
Charging your crystals is the next step and there are a few ways to do that, including quite a few from the cleansing stage. One of the most important parts of charging a crystal is to set your intention as to what you would like the stone to work with you to accomplish. For example, if you’re wanting assistance with sleep and are using an Amethyst, then hold the Amethyst in your hand and program the crystal with your intention to sleep better. As you’re holding the Amethyst in your hand, meditate and blow your breath on it. If you’d like to charge it a different way, water both cleanses and charges crystals, as does sunshine (particularly the noon sun) or moonlight (particularly a full moon). You can also use sound vibrations in the form of a drum, singing bowl or a bell. You can place them on top of a quartz crystal as quartz is known for amplifying and will amplify your intentions with the crystal. Just be sure to charge the stone with your intention then place on the quartz cluster. It’s best to try different methods until you feel a connection with the crystal. I always recommend trying different crystals both recommended and not recommended as everyone is different and what helps one person may not have any effect on another person. For example, I’ve tried to work with Opal and have not had great results. For me, it is not a comfortable stone to work with, but for others, it might help them to achieve the results they’re looking for.
I encourage you to try different methods of cleansing and charging until you find one that feels right. I also encourage you to try different crystals as each has a different energy and as every stone is different, so are we. You might find that a different crystal than traditionally recommended works better for you.