6 Ways To Cleanse And Charge Your Crystals

You may have heard people talk about the importance cleansing and charging your crystals. Here I am going to talk a bit more about both and try to explain why.

Cleansing and charging are not the same!

Cleansing, also sometimes caller clearing, is exactly what it sounds like, it's a way to remove built up negative energy from a crystal and strip away any past connections it has. If you are going to wear a pair of jeans you just brought home from the store or thrift store, you will want to wash them first because you don't know who wore or had them on them last. Likewise if they had been sitting in your closet for a year you might want to wash them to get rid of that musty smell. Same goes for crystals, they pick up energy and spiritual debris and filth from their environment and the things they come in contact with. If you are going to use a rose quartz that a friend gave you in a spell for self love for example, you will want to remove any traces of your friend owning the crystal first or you might end up with a dud spell. There are a few crystals that don't hold negative energy and never need to be cleansed, they are kyanite, citrine and selenite. It is still a good idea to remove any prior energetic connections they might have when bringing them home though.

Charging is also called programming. It is when you tune the vibrations of your crystal for your specific intentions and it's an incredibly powerful way to use your stones. You can think of this as teaching the crystal what tasks you want it to perform for you at this time. Different crystals will have different learning potential and while any crystal could technically be charged for any potential, some will be much better at that job than others. Just like human employees. You can teach me to be an accountant but I will likely be lousy at it. Someone who is better at math and organization than I am would be much more suited. In the same way you could probably try to charge your rose quartz for calming anxiety, but snowflake obsidian would be a much better option.

Ways to cleanse and charge your crystals:

1 – Moonlight:

This is the most commonly known method and also the biggest pain in the ass if you have a lot of crystals. If you are particularly called to work with the moon however, you can certainly use this method on the specific crystals you would like to use it with.

To cleanse:

Place crystal where it can be touched by moonlight for several hours. The moonlight will gently release any negative energy. Moonlight is a reflection of sunlight and so it illuminates and chases away darkness.

To charge:

Before you place it down, write on a piece of paper some words you want to program it with. If you are using jade for attracting money you might write, “good luck, good wealth, attract money, bring blessings.” Focus on the words and imagine them being true already. Feel the feelings you will feel when you achieve your desires. Place the stone on the paper in the moonlight and leave it there overnight. When you collect it in the morning (don't leave it out in the sun for too long, sunlight can damage some minerals) take a moment to focus on the intentions again. Allow yourself to feel optimism about it already being done. If you can, try to imagine some things about how your life will be when this intention comes to fruition.

2 – Water:

Water is an easy and logical way to cleanse your crystals. It makes sense that washing things physically will also wash them spiritually. Water is also a really good conductor of energy. It is worth noting that not all stones like to get wet. make sure that your stone is water safe before getting it wet. Turquoise, Chrysocolla, Malachite, Azurite, Grape Agate, Pearls and Opal are only some of the stones that don't like water and especially salt water.

To cleanse:

The most intuitive thing is to wash the stone. Physically move it and rub it with your fingers in the water and imagine negative energy coming off the stone like paint from a pain brush. You can use regular tap water (make sure you don't have extremely hard water or sulfur in your water), go down to the ocean, lake or stream or you can catch rain water. Wash the stone until it feels clear. You can also use this opportunity to physically scrub your stone with a soft toothbrush. Never underestimate the spiritual value of a thorough physical cleaning!

To charge:

You can use water to charge your stones several ways.

You can use the same technique of writing words down for your stone as the moonlight option and put the stone in a jar of water with the piece of paper. Don't worry if the ink dissolves into the water, this just strengthens the symbolism. If you are not sure that your crystal can be placed in water or if your stone is on a piece of jewelry place it in a small glass jar inside a larger bowl of water. Leave it overnight to charge.

You can also use any sacred or blessed water like holy water, Florida Water, moon water, Rose Of Jericho Water or any other water you would like. I like placing some water in a clear jar with herbs that support my intention and then leaving it in the sun for a full day to steep. I use this water as described above or I place it in a spray bottle and sprits in on my crystal or in my space to charge with intention.

Another option is to place some sort of sacred water in a glass and play the rim of the glass like a singing bowl. playing it clockwise will attract and playing it counter clockwise will repel.

3 - Soil:

Our crystals were forged deep in the womb of the Earth, so it makes sense that we can use earth to cleanse and charge them.

To cleanse:

Bury in a pot of earth. The consensus on how long can vary, anywhere from overnight to up to a year. Trust your intuition. This is a slightly more advanced technique that requires some attunement to your stone. Many people bury straight in the ground but it is definitely safer to use some sort of container or clearly mark the spot you bury it. I also recommend wrapping the crystal in some cloth first, especially if it is a polished or soft stone. Sand is made up primarily of quartz which is much harder than most other stones and will scratch them.

To charge:

When you go to check on your crystal and feel like the cleansing is "done" you can again and a piece of paper with key words for intentions written on it. Leave it until your intention tells you that it is ready. Some people prefer to bury the crystal next to a plant with corresponding properties. If you want to charge your crystal for empowerment for example, you might bury it with your rosemary.

4 – Smoke:

Smoke cleansing, smudging, or saining is one of the oldest and most widely practiced ways to cleanse and charge objects, spaces and people. It has been used by almost every culture on every continent going back to the cave men. Today many people use diffusers with essential oils instead. You can also use incense, smudging herbs or bundles like white sage or mugwort, sacred wood like cedar or palo santo, or resins like frankincense and copal. There are many ways to use these aside from what I will describe here. If you are practicing a specific path or tradition there might be prescribed ritualistic ways to do this.

To cleanse:

One option is to “wash” the stone with smoke. Light your chosen material and place it in fireproof dish. Hold the stone in the stream of rising smoke and wash it while focusing on the feeling of dark, stagnant, old energies leaving the crystal and floating away like paint from a paintbrush when you run water over it. After a few minutes your crystal will feel cleaner. People experience this in different ways like the crystal changing temperature or feeling lighter. You will figure it out with practice.

Another option is to circle the smoke counter clockwise around the object to send away negative energy. Some traditions just basically fumigate the object, space or person in smoke by overwhelming it with so much smoke that negative energy will "flee."

To charge:

If you are using the rising stream of smoke method to charge the stone, switch to imagining that you are transferring the energy of the thoughts or key words or desires to the stone through your finger tips as you rub it. You can say the key words out loud, taking time between each to focus on loading the crystal with that idea. If you like you can repeat each word or sentence several times. Again, take a moment to daydream and imagine that you already are receiving these blessings you are asking for. Feel the gratitude and bliss.

If you are circling the smoke you can do the same but circle the smoke around the object clockwise this time to attract blessings. You might also want to pick your smudging material to support your intention. You might for example want to use some sort of sage, thyme or cedar to remove negative energy and then switch to palo santo, rosemary or incense to attract the intention you want. If you are charging a crystal for peace for example, you can use lavender.

5 – Sun:

The sun works the same as moonlight and you can use the same steps. It is very important to make sure that your stones can handle sunlight as you are much more likely to damage a stone with direct sunlight than water. Place the stone in the sun only for a few minutes to an hour. The sun is the source of all life on this planet so it is more powerful than moonlight and works faster. It is more strongly associated with masculine energy while the moon is associated with feminine energy. Some stones that will fade or crack with prolonged exposure to sunlight include but are not limited to all colored quartz (eg rose quartz & amethyst), fluorite, opal, aragonite and many other oxides and silicates. This method is not recommended unless you know your stones. You can also harness the power of the sun by charging water in the sun in a clear glass jar and using any of the water methods to cleanse and charge your stones.

6 – Music:

Music has been used to drive away darkness and access our spirituality since we first learned to make fire and bang out a rhythm on something, maybe even before that through using our voices. Sound and music is a great way to clear energy and tune objects. Some commonly used instruments are drums, bells, singing bowls, tuning forks and shakers or rattles. Chanting or singing is also very popular and has an undeniable positive effect. Modern practitioners also enjoy using prerecorded music like classical music or even modern pop songs. Furthermore you can find sound baths on YouTube and Spotify.

To cleanse:

The Chinese use the sound of explosions in the form of thousands of fire crackers to chase out malicious spirits. Banging on drums, playing shrill repetitive sounds and continuous monotonous sounds like singing bowls are all popular ways to cleanse stones. You can really use whatever method, sound or instrument you like. Consciously direct the sound at the crystal. Imagine the vibrations shaking loose energetic debris and energy attached to the object.

To charge:

Choose a sound that fits your intention. If you are charging a crystal for healing your throat chakra for example you might choose a singing bowl or a tuning fork that corresponds to that chakra. If you are trying to attract get up and go energy, pick something that makes you want to move your feet. A lot of people like to use a chant like Ohm to charge and tune the crystal. Imagine the crystal glowing brighter, like the sound is turning on an internal light and making it brighter with each vibration. Consciously direct your intention towards the crystal like explained above.

You can mix and match these methods as they feel right to you. Don't be afraid to experiment. There are no hard and fast rules as to how to do things. When you cleanse and charge a crystal you are also drawing that energy into your own aura. Remember, crystals are powerful talismans to direct your own power! Work with them and get to know them and they will work for you.