A Quick & Dirty Guide to Cleansing and Charging Crystals
Witch in Charge: A quick & dirty guide to cleansing and charging crystals.
Ayla Manning Dehghanpoor
So you’ve filled your space with crystals to purify, bring love, and encourage abundance. Your house looks awesome, obviously, and you’re feelin’ your energetic flow. The reason you’re feeling so good is that those crystals are absorbing bad vibes and helping to balance and neutralize the energies that affect you. There’s only one way to keep that magical mojo flowing: cleansing and charging your crystals. We’re bringing you the how, what, when, where and why of it all to take your witchy routine to the next level.
Ready to get your rocks off?
Why & When:
Get your cleanse on anytime you feel a shift in the energy in your space, or when you bring a new crystal into your home. The exception, of course, is if a witch has given you a specifically charged crystal. There’s one simple rule that we use for men, dogs, and crystals: if you don’t know who or what it’s been rolling around with, it needs to be cleaned before it can come in the house.
How & Where:
The way that you cleanse your crystals will depend on how extra you’re feeling. If you are in peak witchy form (we’re talking full-on cloak, hat, and broomstick) you may want to perform a cleansing and charging ritual under moonlight. If you need to dial it back, you can achieve the same results from your kitchen counter.
There are a few ways to cleanse a crystal. Our favorites are smudging, submerging in salt water, and burying in clean earth. Crystals are natural elements, which means that there is no one-size-fits-all method. Certain crystals will break down under water, while others may react poorly to salt. If you’re submerging or burying your crystals, you need to reserve at least 24 hours for the process to take root. Smudging, however, only takes a couple of minutes per crystal.
Salt Water
Fill a glass or ceramic bowl with water that has been mixed with two to four tablespoons of sea salt and submerge crystals for up to 48 hours. Crystals are a natural element, and salt water can damage some crystals. It’s incredibly important to know the properties of the crystal you’re cleansing. This method is perfect for popular, core crystals.
Clean Earth:
Fill a pot with clean soil, preferably soil that has spent at least one night in the moonlight. Bury crystals completely for up to 48 hours. For best results, allow the pot to sit outside overnight in full moonlight. This is a great way to cleanse dark crystals.
- Ruby
- Garnet
- Black Tourmaline
- Emerald
Smudging:
The quickest cleansing method, smudging is a great way to incorporate ritual into your cleansing practice. Clear a space and focus your energy on thoughts of purification. Light smudge and waft the smoke over the crystal for up to one minute. This method is perfect for a quick cleanse, or for crystals that can’t be submerged in water.
- Selenite
- Turquoise
- Moonstone
- Labradorite
- Flourite
Once your crystals are squeaky clean, it’s time to recharge them. While there are many ways to charge crystals, we tend to opt for the quick and efficient routes: moonlight or sunlight and visualization. Simply place cleansed crystals in full sunlight or moonlight for up to an hour. Sunlight can cause some crystals to fade, so it’s best to do this in the morning while you’re performing daily ritual, or in the afternoon while you’re winding down from your day. You can also visualize energy by holding the crystal in your hands and picturing a bright, white light enveloping the crystal for five to 10 minutes. Your body’s natural energy paired with your intention setting practice will flow into the crystal, charging it fully Bada bing, bada boom - your family jewels are fit for a coven queen.
View Sage & Salt's crystal selection here.
SHARE:
