Cleansing your Crystals

How often do I need to cleanse my stones?

The more often you use a stone, the more energy it collects. A good rule of thumb is to clear all of your stones at least once a month.

If an individual stone is feeling heavier than usual, go ahead and cleanse it. You don’t have to wait a designated amount of time between cleansings.

Running Water

It is believed that water can be a great neutralizer for all the negative energy which can become inadvertently stored in crystals. Place your crystals directly under tap water or natural rain, or in a stream, for approximately 4 to 5 minutes.

Sunlight and Moonlight

One of the oldest methods of cleansing crystals is to use sun or moon energies. When your crystal becomes a bit dull in appearance or effectiveness, the best way to cleanse it is to return it to natural light. Place the crystal directly under sunlight or moonlight for at least four hours. Sunlight bathing works best with warm-colored crystals like yellow, red and orange crystals. Make sure not to expose them to the sun for a longer period of time, as they may become faded.

For best results, cleanse your crystals during a full moon light and leave them overnight, or during a cloudless day.
Continue the moonlight or sunlight cleansing for three days.
Recharge your crystals using this process once a month.

Moonlight cleansing is a delicate method but can be especially effective during a full moon. When the moon is bright with full potential, it can help increase your crystal’s vibrational energy.

Cleansing with Crystal Clusters or Selenite

Quartz clusters, amethyst geodes or selenites have a special ability to purify and cleanse other crystals. This method requires the following approach:

Place your crystals on clear quartz or a selenite charging plate.
You can also place your crystal in a bag with quartz.
Leave them there for six hours, or overnight.

It is believed that, after following this method, your crystals will become cleansed of any unwanted energies.

Smudging

Smudging is an ancient cleansing method used in many cultures to cleanse items, rooms and other things of negative energy. Surrounding crystals with smoke and letting the crystals pass through the smoke helps cleanse them.

This method, which is believed to work for all kinds of crystals, requires the following approach:

Use a sage stick, sandalwood, cedar, palo santo or frankincense to create smoke.
Allow the sacred smoke to surround your crystals.
Smoke carries low or negative energies away from the crystal, which helps raise the vibrational energy of the crystal.

Cleansing with Soil

This cleansing method is based on the theory that crystals can be cleansed by returning them to nature. This method is believed to be particularly helpful when a heavy cleansing is required to remove toxic or otherwise negative energies. This method requires the following approach:

Look for a clean place to bury your crystal.
Bury your crystal in the soil just a few inches deep.
Leave your crystal buried for a minimum of 24 hours and for up to three days for best results.

The elements present in the soil will help soak up all the unwanted energy present in the crystal, leaving the crystal restored.

Saltwater

Salt can be a useful vehicle for absorbing unwanted energy. According to this method of cleansing, stones are soaked in salt overnight. It is believed to be ideal to use natural seasalt or himalayan salt for this purpose.

Afterwards, rinse your crystals with clean water. Please be warned that salt can damage or change the appearance of certain delicate stones, with the result that this method is not suitable for all crystals and stones.

Visualization or Meditation

You can use your own thought processes to cleanse your crystal. While this method is often referred to as the ‘visualization’ approach, it is also known as the ‘meditation approach’ given its similarities to meditation. This method requires the following approach:

With a clear mind, hold your crystal in your hands.
Visualize a bright, radiant light surrounding your crystal and passing through it.
Direct your thoughts to impurities flushing out of the stone.
End this process when you feel your crystal has restored its balance.

Sound

If you are looking for a simple way to cleanse your crystals, then doing so with sound can be a great choice. Cleansing crystals with sound is one of the most effective cleansing methods available. The gentle vibration created by a tuning fork or a singing bowl can help clear negative energy quickly and effectively.

The vibrations created with sound helps break up any stuck negative energy in the crystals, and that the musical frequency of the process restores the harmony of the crystal.

In essence, sound sends vibrations into the environment which penetrate the structure of the crystals. This method is particularly useful if you have a large collection of crystals and wish to cleanse them at the same time with minimal labour.

You can create cleansing sound in a number of ways. The most popular and effective way is to use a bell, tingsha, brass Tibetan singing bowl or Quartz singing bowl.