by Andrew Pacholyk MS L.Ac ~
Peacefulmind.com
Crystal cleansing can be done several ways:
Method One: First and foremost, if you are unsure if your crystals can be cleansed in water, not in water, sea salt, no sea salt or charged in the sun, no sun…. The best and safest way to cleanse your crystals of negative energy is to:
Cleanse your crystal by smudging with sweetgrass, sage, cedar or incense. Pass the crystal several times through the wafting smoke and then:
*place your crystal to be charged in a bowl of tumbled hematite stones or tumbled quartz crystal for 24 hours.
Method Two: If a particular crystal should not be placed in water, simply cleanse your crystals by placing them in a bowl of flower petals.
Method Three: Water can cleanse your crystal. Clear negative energy by running them under room temperature or luke warm water. Soaking your crystal in flower water with the petals of flowers such as rose, honeysuckle, orange blossoms for 24 hours… will cleanse the crystal of all it’s negative energy.
Method Four: Some crystals CAN be cleansed in sea salt water. One teaspoon of sea salt in a glass bowl in cool to lukewarm water. Place the crystals in the water. Make sure the crystals are covered with water. Let them bathe in the water for 24 hours. This is a wonderful way to rejuvenate the power of your crystals. It washes away the negative energy it has absorbed and recharges it with the positive healing energy again. (Note: Some crystals should NOT be washed/cleansed in salt water/sun for it changes their physical properties, not their metaphysical properties, they are listed below).
Not to be cleansed in Salt Water:
*Alabaster
*Calcite
*Carnelian
*Hematite
*Labradorite (Spectrolite)
*Lepidolite
*Moldivate
*Opal
*Turquoise
*Ulexite
*Use caution only with the softer Mica and crystaline stones
May fade in Sunlight:
*Amethyst
*Celestite
*Opal
*Turquoise
Method Five: Charge and energize your crystals by placing them under the light of a full moon for up to 24 hours. (up to two nights of a full moon)
Method Six: Charge your crystals by burying them in the earth or pot of dirt (make sure you mark them so remember where you buried them!), for 24 hours.
Method Seven: Crystal clusters make great chargers and can also cleanse any crystal just by placing it on top of the cluster for 24 hours.
Method Eight: Some crystals love to be charged and energized in the sun. Allow them to sit in the daylight for up to 24 hours. (up to two days of sunlight).
Tips for Cleansing/Charging Stones
How long should I cleanse my crystals? How long should I charge them?
The best answer to this is – use your intuition. It will never fail you!.
Remember, stones will retain negative energies. Be sure to cleanse them afterwards. When you first receive your stone/crystal, you receive it smudged (blessed). It has been cleansed for you. After use, you should cleanse them again. Several ways are suggested:
*Place it under the light of a full moon/sun for 24 hours.
*Bury it in the earth (make sure you mark it!), for 24 hours.
*Place in Sea Salt Water.
Add one teaspoon of Sea Salt in a glass bowl in cool water. Place the crystal in the water. Make sure the crystal is covered with water. Let this bathe in the water for 24 hours. This is a wonderful way to rejuvenate the power of your crystal. It washes away the negative energy it has absorbed and recharges it with the positive healing energy again. (Note: Some crystals should not be washed in salt water for it changes their physical properties (not their metaphysical properties), they are listed below.
*Smudge your crystal with sweetgrass, sage, cedar or incense. Pass the crystal several times through the wafting smoke.
*Place your crystal on a large crystal cluster for 24 hours.
*Soaking your crystal in flower water with the petals of the flowers such as rose, honeysuckle, orange blossoms for 24 hours will cleanse the crystal of all it’s negative energy.
INTENTION– Mental Focus
Use your mental focus and direct the emotional energy of love toward your crystal. Directing positive intention can be very effective when you focus and are not distracted by other thoughts on your mind.
Hold the stone in your dominant hand. You can place your other hand underneath it or over the stone. Focus your attention on it with the intention of clearing it. Your goal is to clear a stone with the emotional energy of love. This intention gives you the opportunity to use the stone for its greatest good.  Consult the crystal intuitively for a sense of how much it needs to be cleared. For most stones, a minute should be long enough to clear it. I always suggest you use your intuition to sense this. Imagine a light from your heart or third eye while you focus on the stone.  You may visualize a soft pink light glowing from your heart but the key is to feel love and project into the stone. When using energy and intention methods to clear your stones, program the crystal to retain or restore it to its ideal state.
EARTH
Bury your crystals in the Earth for a few days to give them a rest and clear them of energy. Stones that you feel carry extremely negative energy can be buried in the earth for an entire moon cycle or longer. Some rocks and minerals such as hematite and other iron rich stones can rust or fall apart in the earth. You will need to mark the location of your buried stones to make sure you can find them again.
DRY SALT AND VINEGAR SOAKS
Leaving the crystals in dry sea salt overnight or longer is a clearing method. Soaking the crystals in a solution of 1 quart of warm water with one tablespoon of sea salt OR a quarter cup of apple cider vinegar for 20 minutes to half an hour is a quick clearing technique that is not too drastic and is quite thorough. A similar solution with distilled vinegar actually seems to work well with just a quick dip in the water. Use a glass or lead crystal bowl for these immersion methods. Â Before putting the crystals in the water, place your hands on the side of the bowl and intend that it be empowered to clean your crystals. Salt can be harsh and many stones are water soluble or otherwise potentially harmed by water. Some of these include halite (salt), sylvite, desert rose and all selenite, angelite, azurite and talc. Calcite may dissolve in water as may alabaster. Sulfur dissolves in salt water.
SMUDGING
You can also smudge your crystals with sage, sweet grass, cedar, sandalwood epsom salts, essential oil, incense or other clearing smoke. Fan the smoke over them or holding them in the smoke. Make sure that all sides of the stones are placed in the smoke. This works well and can be used on crystals that can not be placed in water or salt. There is less possibility of sparks if you have your smudge material in a dish or shell sitting on a trivet.
CRYSTALS
Small crystals can be cleared by leaving them on a large crystal cluster. Consider using either clear quartz, amethyst or a selenite wand. Other crystals will work for this too, but quartz amethyst and selenite are the most affective. It is preferable that the cluster have points in many directions as it is said to be the multiple steams of energy that clear the resting stones.
BREATH
Breath techniques are very effective for small pieces. Hold the stone to be cleared in your dominant hand, (the one you use to write with). Take a deep breath in through your nose and focusing your intention on clearing the stone, expel your breath firmly onto the stone from your nose. Repeat until you have covered all sides of the stone either with a long, slow exhalation or short quick bursts. Â Â You may take a deep breath through your nose. Holding the stone in your dominant hand, with your mouth slightly open, expel your breath through your mouth slowly over the stone while making the “ha” sound.
LIGHT
White light and rainbows either from actual light or energetically is also used. White, gold, violet and blue light are commonly used, because of their metaphysical properties. Visualizing a purple flame is often used for self-clearing for both the physical body and crystals too. You can visualize the colored light or white light flooding the crystals or actually expose them to the light. You may use gels or colored glass as a color source. Holding the crystal in the rainbows cast by a prism is a gentle way to clear and charge crystals.
SOUND
Toning, bell ringing, drumming, chanting and other clearing with sound can also be effective and enjoyable. Try: OM, Aum, AH El EE Oh, Ha ,eee- ah- O and ah- eee -Oh. These are all tones that may be used. Â Playing healing music and chants of various kinds are often used. Â Some sources suggest that you use a pitch pipe and use the tone that is assigned to the Chakra that you would use the stone for.
SUN AND MOON
Placing stones in sunlight or moonlight for 24 hours are also good for clearing and charging crystals. Some stones fade in direct sunlight. This may include: amethyst, rose quartz, citrine, celestite (particularly blue), aquamarine, moonstone and fluorite. Some turquoise may also fade.
RUNNING WATER
Running water works well for clearing stones that are not harmed by water. A spring or stream or the ocean waves are best. You must be careful not to lose your stones to the ocean or river. Holding crystals under the tap will do in an emergency. Some people like to leave their stones out during rainstorms too. Many people also bathe with their waterproof crystals, which not only clears and charges the stones it is very refreshing and healing for the bather as well.
FLOWER, FEATHERS and SAND
Gentler and slower methods include immersing the stones in rose petals, lavender petals or sage. Thyme or rosemary leaves or even feathers or sand are wonderful, natural ways to cleanse your stones. Putting the stone on a sacred altar or in a place with healing energies will also work over time.
MIST
Essential oil mists and flower essences will also work as a cleansing mist that can be made easily by just adding a drop or two of sandalwood, citrus, ylang ylang, lavender or cedarwood essential oils in water. These are among some of the oils that have been used. In an atomizer, mist softly over your water safe stones.
PYRAMIDS and OTHER GEOMETRIC BOXES
Some people clear crystals by putting them in pyramid-shaped boxes. There are also boxes and copper wire objects designed in some other geometric shapes, which are said to be great for crystal clearing and charging.
