Crystals are powerful tools to aid in meditation, healing, divination, and chakra realignment. Natural crystals formed in the Earth’s crust thousands or even millions of years ago—something to keep in mind when you’re holding these ancient, beautiful artifacts from eras long past.
It’s important to understand that crystals do not create energy; they hold, amplify, and release energy, and this is determined by your connection and intentions.
What I have found in my personal use is that I connect better to my crystals when I assign one particular intention to each one in my collection. Certain crystals resonate better with certain types of energies, so I research this prior to each assignment. I channel negativity into my obsidian, which excels at absorbing and dissipating this bad energy. I channel love into my rose quartz as I send kind thoughts out to my friends and family and fondly reminisce. Amethyst is my stone of protection. And the list goes on.
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But as powerful as crystals may be when it comes to absorbing, amplifying, and/or rebalancing energy, they need to be purified from time to time to prevent a buildup and loss of effectiveness.
You should cleanse your crystals prior to the first use, as many crystals traveled a long distance from where they were unearthed before finding their way to you, which means they passed many hands and were exposed to energies that may be misaligned with your own intentions.
Depending on your environment, resources, preference, and weather, there are several different methods to rebalance your crystals.
This article will review 9 different ways you can cleanse, purify, and charge your crystals so they are harmonized and ready to use:
1. Water
Water is a powerful purification tool, but you need to be careful with it. Brittle and soft crystals, such as selenite, kyanite, and halite, don’t do well with water cleansing, nor do rough stones and natural geodes. Hard, polished crystals are the ideal candidates.
Running water can be acquired from a faucet, although natural sources such as a stream with be more powerful. Hold your crystal under the stream of water for a few minutes while concentrating on the pure intention of cleansing.
Salt water can be tricky, so make sure you’ve carefully researched the crystal(s) you want to purify with this method prior to using it. With softer crystals, the dissolved salt can penetrate microscopic fissures and weaken the stone. If you choose to use this method, collect seawater or fill a bowl with purified water and add in kosher salt. Submerge the crystal and place the bowl in sunlight to charge. Be aware that certain crystals will fade with continued exposure to sunlight: ametrine, aventurine, apatite, amethyst, aquamarine, beryl, citrine, calcite, celestite, chrysoprase, halite, kunzite, lepidolite, malachite, sapphire, selenite, fluorite, rose quartz, and smoky quartz.
Rain water is my favorite way to purify with water. Thunderstorms have especially powerful energy for cleansing. Arrange your water-friendly crystals in a safe place where they are exposed to the rain but won’t get washed away by a heavy downpour.
2. Moonlight
Another one of my favorite cleansing methods, moonlight is a safe way to purify any crystal type, whether it’s a polished gemstone, crystal cluster, geode, or rough-hewn stone.
I prefer to carefully arrange my crystals on my deck railing during the full moon as part of my meditation ceremony, but there are nine nights in a lunar cycle between the waxing gibbous, full moon, and waning gibbous where you have enough moonlight to purify.
You can leave the crystals indoors in a moon-bathed window or leave them outside, but be mindful of morning dew with the water-sensitive types, and don’t forget to bring your sun-sensitive types inside as soon as possible the next day.
You can also make moon water with your favorite crystal(s) and a clear night.
3. Starlight
Using the power of the stars to cleanse crystals is a less popular practice but still a worthwhile one. This practice relies on the energy of the universe, planets, stars, galaxies, comets, and other celestial bodies.
The process is similar to moonlight cleansing. Pay attention to the weather and be sure to choose a clear night so your crystals can absorb as much star power as possible. The effects will be more prominent when Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, or Saturn are bright in the night sky.
4. Sunlight
The purifying rays of the sun can be powerful, but this method is reserved for special crystals. Amethyst is especially notable for fading when overexposed to sunlight, but ametrine, aventurine, apatite, aquamarine, beryl, citrine, calcite, celestite, chrysoprase, halite, kunzite, lepidolite, malachite, sapphire, selenite, fluorite, rose quartz, and smoky quartz are all susceptible.
Before using sunlight to cleanse your crystals, be sure to do your research. As with the moonlight method, crystals can be charged indoors by sitting in a sun-bathed window or outdoors soaking up the rays directly.
5. Earth
If the practice of earthing, or making skin contact with the Earth to exchange and rebalance natural electrons, is good for us, it goes to reason that it’s good for your crystals as well.
Set your crystals in the grass, on a stone, or on a tree branch, but be very careful not to drop them and risk breaking them.
Some people like to bury their crystals in the soil for a short period of time. If you choose the burying method, be mindful of recent weather and try to do so when the soil is dry so any water-sensitive soft crystals don’t absorb too much moisture.
6. Sound
There are many creative avenues to incorporate sound into your crystal cleansing. Some of the more traditional methods include using a singing bowl, gong, chime, or tuning fork, but a singer can use his or her voice to achieve the same effect, just as a musician can play soothing tones on just about any traditional instrument of choice.
If singing on key isn’t your thing, you can still use the reverberations of your voice by chanting a prayer or mantra. However you choose to use sound, be sure the intent to cleanse is prominent in your ritual to ensure positive results.
7. Smoke
Smoke cleansing, also known as smudging in some cultures, is an old and sacred practice with many applications, including cleansing the self and removing negative energy from the home. It’s also a powerful tool to purify crystals by clearing inharmonious vibrations and restoring nature energy.
While sage is the most common choice, you can also use palo santo, herbs, incense (read about how to choose the best smoke cleansing material).
As always, when working with fire, be very careful indoors and open the windows if possible. For best results when smoke-cleansing your crystals, start by ceremoniously cleansing yourself first. Then, the room. Once you and your space are pure, then you can cleanse your crystals, visualizing the smoke as a manifestation of your purifying intentions and imagining the negativity rising up and evaporating.
8. Crystals
Crystals are able to “talk” to each other in a sense by harmonizing with the vibrations of other stones. Setting a small crystal on top of a larger geode, quartz cluster, or selenite slab will cause the inharmonious energies in the small stone to reset in tune with the larger crystal’s frequencies.
However, be sure that the larger crystal is in a healthy state of positive energy before syncing the smaller working stone.
9. Intention
This is an advanced technique for experienced Reiki masters, psychics, shamans, and energy healers. In order to successfully use intent to cleanse your crystals, you must have total control over your own energy and ensure that your chakras are cleared. Once you are ready, hold your crystal and project a pure intention and/or a specific prayer or mantra.
If done correctly, you will be able to feel the energy shift and know when the crystals have been sufficiently purified. This method is useful in that you don’t need any extra materials or specific weather conditions, but it’s tricky in that beginners are unlikely to cleanse psychic debris as efficiently as the earthly elements.
Breathwork can be an effective aspect of the intention purification method. Hold the crystal in your dominant hand and focus your intention on healing and cleansing. Inhale deeply. Bring the stone closer to your face and release short, forceful breaths, visualizing the negative energy being blown away and the crystal returning to its highest and purest vibration.
Visualization is another method, but in order to do it successfully, you must be completely in tune with your sense of self. Take at least a few minutes to meditate, clear your mind, and center your energy and intentions. Hold the crystal and visualize your hands filling with purifying white light. Visualize the impurities being driven out of the crystal as the light shines brighter and brighter. Imbue renewed purpose into the stone and continue envisioning the bright white light until you feel the energy shift and know that your crystal is in balance.
Which methods have you found to be the most successful? Please share in the comments!
Award-winning fantasy author, freelance writer, spiritual explorer, and sole founder of Green Witch Lunar Witch. She created her first website in 2016 and published her first novel two years later. Sara spends most of her time writing, creating, and daydreaming.