Like every living or non-living thing, crystals are like sponges constantly absorbing and reacting to the environment’s energies. From the moment you acquire a crystal, or find one that has been lying around somewhere, the crystal would have absorbed many energies and emotions from the surroundings or from the people who have handled them. The cleansing of crystals would get them back to their original vibration and clear any unwanted and negative energies. Regular cleansing ensures that the crystals are at their optimal vibrational state, resonating at a high vibration. In the same way that meditation clears the mind and bestows vitality, crystals are happier, refreshed and positive with a nice energetic tune-up occasionally.
There are many safe cleansing techniques, and we urge you to understand a crystal’s composition, experiment and derive at what’s most comfortable and resonates with you the best. To determine how often cleansing is needed, keep in mind your personal intuition, crystal type, its state and your usage frequency. It is a good idea to clean the jewellery and stones used for healing more often. Whichever method you opt for, have a sound intention to clear stored energies, because that is what really matters.
Cleansing and Charging Techniques:
Sunshine/Moonlight
Crystals love to be soaked in the powerful natural energies of the sun and the moon. A sun or a moon bath can revitalize a crystal completely. Place your crystals/gemstone jewellery near a window or outside or any place where they get maximum exposure to sunlight and moonlight. A minimum of 24 hours is suggested for effective energetic cleansing. While a full moon is ideal for clearing, one has to be careful of certain stones like Amethyst, Aquamarine and Fluorite to name a few, when placing it under the sun, as they may fade with prolonged exposure to sunlight. Don’t worry if you missed the full moon as the energetic vibrational frequency of the full moon will be effective for the first three days after the full moon.
Earth energy
Burying your crystal in your yard, garden or in the soil might seem a bit unusual, but it’s extremely effective to clean all negative energies. Earth and her own vibrational energies can help the crystals to re-tune themselves back to their original vibrations. Place the crystal directly into the earth or in a pot with soil and leave it overnight for thorough cleansing and energizing.
Water
Water is a universal cleanser and most crystals enjoy a water bath. Since a natural source of water like a lake, river or ocean cannot be readily accessed, running tap water would be the next best option. Depending upon your crystal type, you can hold your crystal under the running water for a few minutes, or place it in a bowl filled with water and keep it in the sunlight for a couple of hours, with an intention of clearing unwanted energies. Be careful with porous and soft rocks, and any stone with hardness less than 3 (like Selenite, Halite, Anhydride, etc.), as they would dissolve in water. Avoid this method for metal based stones too, like Pyrite, Magnetite, etc.
Smudging
Smudging is an efficient, quick and the least invasive cleansing technique. You can burn some herbs like white sage, sweet grass or any incense which are wonderful energy cleansers, and pass the crystals a few times through the smoke until you intuitively feel the crystals have been cleansed.
Dry Salt/Salt Water
Salt is a hyper-negativity absorber and used worldwide in many ways for the same. Depending on your crystal type, suitable crystals can be soaked in dry sea salt or water mixed with sea salt in a glass bowl. Leave the crystals for a few hours or overnight to wash the negativity.
Visualization/Intention
The power of our minds and intention is often underestimated. Our 'thought energy' can clear and cleanse the crystals of all negativity. Hold the crystal, focus and visualize a bright white light passing through the crystal like a waterfall or smoke or a beam of pure white light passing all the way through the stone, clearing all the accumulated energy within the stone. You can use your imagination creatively and do it until you feel the crystal has been restored to its original vibe. You can also cleanse the crystal with your breath by blowing at the crystal and imagining to cleanse the crystal with your breath.
Reiki
In addition to cleansing the crystals using Reiki, you can enhance the healing process with the help of crystals in conjunction with Reiki symbols.
Crystal Singing Bowls
Sound carries vibrations. Crystal or Tibetan singing bowls, bells, tuning fork, and any form of sound healing methods can help to set a crystal's vibrations back to its original state. You can have your crystals near the bowl as you play it or run a tuning fork over them. The sound cleanses the crystals that are within the sound's vibrations.
Stone Clearing
Some stones like Quartz crystal clusters, Amethyst clusters, Carnelian and Selenite, are few of the ‘clearing stones’ that will clear the negative or unwanted energies from other stones. You could simply place your crystals on these stones and leave for a few hours or a day for cleansing and energizing.