How to cleanse and charge crystals

Welcoming and caring for your crystal

Your crystal(s) might have travelled a long way to reach its forever home with you and met a lot of people along the way.

To welcome your crystal into your space and to connect with your energy, I would always advise cleansing and recharging. Not only will this beautiful practice restore your crystal back to its natural state and qualities, but it will help to ready it for setting an intention (if you have one, you can read more about intention setting with crystals here) and create a connection between you both.

I love to cleanse my crystals with selenite, I have bowls and plates for my crystals and jewellery, I also hang my crystal bracelets on a selenite tower when I am not wearing them. You can see our full range of Selenite here.

 

I also love to use smoke from smudging, particularly Sage, Palo Santo or Nag Champa incense, because I love the smell of all three of these. It makes the ritual of cleansing my crystals feel (and smell) so special. It is my belief that making a beautiful ritual out of cleansing my crystals is all part of the special relationship I have with them, which intensifies the energies and connection between us.

 

But if these ways don't resonate with you, there are lots of other methods that you can use at any time. Please see my suggestions below. Please note not all crystals react well with water / salt, so always check (generally those ending in ‘ite’ should avoid it). If in doubt, feel free to message me, or go with the safe option of smoke, selenite or moonlight.

 

Smudging / Saining

Smoke has been used by many traditions over the centuries to cleanse.

Saining is a Celtic tradition of burning herbs to bless, cleanse and purify. I always favour herbs native to your own country, even better grown in your back garden.

Lavender, sage, bay, and rosemary are all wonderful.

We sell a variety of gorgeous and ethically sourced* smudge sticks, palo santo and incense in the shop that can be use to cleanse crystals, your home and you.

 ** Making sure your smudge is ethically sourced is important, as there are a lot of farming processes which don't respect the land, environment or the people in order to mass product smudge sticks. Our Palo Santo is only ever from naturally fallen branches too.

 

Selenite

Selenite charging plates, towers or bowls are wonderful for cleansing crystals and jewellery. They cleanse your home, aura and chakras in the process just by being. In my opinion everyone should have Selenite in their collection/home. It is the most wonderful high vibe crystal. Selenite never needs recharging so it is the perfect, easy crystal companion and has a wonderful serene energy. I love it and that is why we have such an extensive collection. It's a must have crystal in my opinion.

 

Full or New Moon

Place your crystals on a windowsill or even better outside in the moonlight,on the ground is best, but on a charging plate is good too (be careful with pets & young children). The full moon will bring an energy of release, whereas a new moon offers an energy of growth. 

Water

Water is said to neutralise any negative energy stored inside the stone and return it back to the earth. Natural running water like a stream would be best. Salt water, particularly the sea, is wonderful at cleansing but please be aware that this method must be avoided for certain crystals as it can have an adverse effect on them and even change their appearance and properties! Always check first.

Sunshine

Just like moonlight, is a wonderful cleanser, left on a window sill to soak up the life-giving rays or bathe outside. Don't leave crystals in sunlight for too long though as the sun can bleach their colour and some can create fire hazards too.

The Earth

Leaving your crystals on the earth or buried in it are also wonderful ways of clearing it, just make sure you remember where you put it and that your dog can't reach it and think it's a lovely thing to play with / lose (trust me!).

Using your intuition

My way of working with crystals is very intuitive and this includes the cleansing of them too. There are no rules of when to cleanse and charge, but I would always do so when I get a new crystal as mentioned above.

If you are working with a crystal, it's a good idea to give them a cleanse often; just like when we are working hard and we need a shower to refresh and cleanse ourselves afterwards. If you are working with a crystal a lot during the day time, it's a great idea to pop it on, in or by some selenite overnight so it can recharge ready for the next day. Same for jewellery, unless you are wearing it over night, then just take it off as an when you feel called. 

I can often feel when my crystal needs cleansing, and you can to. Often they will look dull, lose their sparkle, feel flat, you'll just sense it..these are all good indicators that they need some TLC.

Equally, if you have some crystals that are purely for decorative purposes, they might not need to be cleanses so often. Trust your intuition, have fun with it and know the more you play and experiment, the more you will tune in and know.

 

If you have any questions at all, please let me know, I'd love to hear from you and I am always happy to help.

 

If you are interested in learning how to work with crystals more intuitively and feel empowered to do so, I hold a monthly online workshop where we do just that. I would love to see you there. You can find out more and sign up here.

 

Above all, have fun and enjoy them.

Crystal blessings,

Katie xx