Crystals can be used in many different ways, but you must cleanse your crystals regularly, whether you use them for ambient energy or in a more focused healing process. There are a few different ways to do this, and which method of cleansing you choose is partially personal preference but also partially determined by what crystals you use and how you use them. Below, we'll discuss a few ways you can cleanse crystals and keep your stones basking in radiant light and wring out those weird vibes for a fresh, full, and fabulous healing experience every time.
Why Do I Need To Cleanse Crystals?
Crystals act on energy levels. Depending on the stone's energy itself, they absorb, deflect, or focuses energy. As they work, they take on the energy around them. Some of this will be negative energy. If a crystal's natural energy profile is absorbent, then it will absorb negative energy. If it is reflective by nature, then the negative energy will dim and dirty the mirror. To use them effectively, you need to cleanse your crystals regularly.
When Should I Cleanse Crystals?
How often you need to cleanse crystals depends on how you use them. New crystals should always be cleansed before you use them to release energy left behind by anyone who handled them previously. Crystals that you use frequently should also be cleansed weekly, especially if you use them for their healing power. Crystals set for decoration or ambient energy can go a month between cleanses.
How To Cleanse Crystals
Full Moon
Placing your crystals out in the bright white light of the full moon overnight will fully cleanse them of all negative energy. The moon is a powerful force of nature, particularly due to its cyclical nature. The full moon is at the pinnacle of that cycle - we see its effects in tides, and we can feel it in our own bodies and behaviors. Crystals set in unfiltered moonlight will soak up all of that energy. You can also set your crystals out in direct sunlight for a few hours. They will take on different energy, but they will be just as cleansed of undesirable energy.
Water
Water is purifying, revitalizing, and healing. Just as it cleanses the world around it, it will also purify negative energy from your crystals. Ideally, you should use flowing water from a natural body so that it's free of additives. This can be a creek, stream, river, waterfall, or ocean. Place your crystals in some sort of porous container so they don't wash away, and set them in the water for 2 to 12 hours. Keep in mind that water shouldn't be used to cleanse certain crystals. Particularly porous crystals shouldn't be cleansed using water.
Sea Salt
If you don't have a natural running water source available, don't fret! You can still use water for crystal cleansing - you just need to add sea salt. Place your crystals in a bowl and cover them completely with sea salt. Add enough water to cover the crystals, and stir until all of the salt has dissolved. Leave them in the salt water for several hours, then rinse and dry. You can also use sea salt by itself, without water, for cleansing crystals of excess negative energy. Lay your healing crystals on a plate, cover them with sea salt, and leave them for a few hours.
Smudging
Smudging is an ancient practice used by healers worldwide for centuries. It uses the smoke of particularly healing herbs to cleanse the air of negative energies and can also be used to cleanse your crystals. Sage is the most commonly used herb, but cedar, frankincense, and lavender can also be used. You can harvest, dry, and tie your own smudge stick or buy a sage stick ready-made. Light the end of the stick with a candle, blow out any flames after a few seconds, and then hold each crystal in the sacred smoke one at a time. Leave it there for a few minutes to give the smoke time to remove any lingering energy, and then move on to the next crystal. Be sure that the smoke covers all sides of the crystal and that you always have an open window nearby.
Sound Bath
You can cleanse crystals of unwanted energy by soaking them in pure tone sound vibrations. Gongs are useful for this, as are Tibetan singing bowls. Place the crystals next to the bowl and gently strike the bowl with a wooden stick. Run the stick along the outside rim of the singing bowl in a clockwise motion. Continue the sound and bathe your crystals in the tone. These pure vibrations will clear inharmonious vibrations away.
Quartz and Selenite
Certain crystals have such strong healing properties that they can be used to cleanse other crystals! Clear quartz and selenite are two cleansing crystals, and they can self-cleansing. To use their natural vibrations to cleanse other stones, place all of the crystals you need to cleanse on the floor and surround them with the clear quartz and selenite you own. This cleansing process will take a couple of hours. This is a great way to cleanse, especially if working with smaller stones. It is thought that the larger stone's vibrations will remove the inharmonious energies found in the resting stone.
Burial
The energetic level of the earth is very grounding. If your crystals are full of high-strung, erratic energy, burying them in the soil will be very effective in cleansing them. You can do this either outdoors or in a pot inside. Simply bury them, water the soil, and leave them for a few days. This way of cleansing crystals takes the longest but is perhaps the most effective.
