Cleansing
Find out how to take care of your crystals
Cleansing with Salt
Salt Water
Suitable crystals (i.e. non-porous, those with no water content and those with no metal content) can be left to soak in sea water or water mixed with sea salt*. Fill a glass bowl (not metal) about half to one third full and place your crystals so they are fully submerged in the salt water for anywhere between 1 to 24 hours. If the crystal needs a deeper cleansing you can leave it submerged for up to 1 week if you wish. After doing this you should ensure you remove all traces of salt by running the crystals under clear water. Ensure the salt water is flushed away and never re-used because it will have absorbed negative and unwanted energies. You can also pour it into the ground and ask that the negative energy be transmuted back into the Earth to be re-created as positive energy elsewhere – the ultimate form of recycling!
Salt water cleansing is considered one of the best and most thorough ways to cleanse crystals, 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! Stones and minerals that should be kept away from salt include Pyrite, Lapis Lazuli, Opal, Hematite, etc. This is not an exhaustive list and you should check the properties of your crystal to ensure it is safe to use salt.
* Cooking salt can also be used if sea salt/water is not available.
Dry Salt
If you wish you can use just sea salt* and bury your crystals in the salt for 24-48 hours. Again you need to be very careful when using salt as detailed above.
Non-Contact Salt
This is considered the safest salt-cleansing method and should be used where the crystals may otherwise be damaged by direct contact with salt. This is also a good method if you are cleansing gemstones found in jewelry or gems surrounded by metal.
Fill your glass bowl half to two thirds full of sea salt* and then half bury a clean glass into the salt. Place the crystals into the glass. If you wish you can fill the glass with enough pure, distilled, or mineral water to just cover your crystals to prevent any salt in the air from damaging them. Bear in mind that certain crystals should not be soaked in water (porous stones or those with high metal content).
This method takes a little longer than direct salt contact but is equally effective. Once again do not reuse the salt as it will have stored negative energies.
Cleansing with other crystals
Crystal Geode or Cluster
All crystals can be cleansed safely by placing them inside an Amethyst Geode Cave overnight or for 24-48 hours. An Amethyst Cluster can also be used in the same way. A Clear Quartz Geode or Cluster is faster than Amethyst, but both methods are just as effective as the other. Place no more than a few crystals onto the crystal points and leave for 24-48 hours. These crystal cluster formations have the ability to absorb the energies contained within crystals, neutralise the energies and then release ‘good’ energy from the cluster back into the crystals being cleansed, so they can effectively cleanse and energise at the same time.
Carnelian
If you place a piece of Carnelian into a drawstring bag with your other cleansed tumble stones it will continue to keep them free of negative energy. You will need to cleanse your Carnelian stone frequently to keep it effective.
Cleansing with fire or earth
Fire
Light a candle and pass the crystal through the flame, being careful not to burn your fingers! Some people use this in conjunction with other methods so the crystal is cleansed using the 4 elements of Air, Fire, Water & Earth.
Earth
You can bury your crystals in the ground in your garden soil (or in a plant pot if you do not have a garden). Just remember to clearly mark where you buried them!
Cleansing with Incense or Visualization Techniques
Smudging
Another popular method of cleansing crystals is by ‘Smudging’. This involves burning either Smudge Sticks (bundles of dried herbs) or Incense Sticks and holding the crystals in the smoke to cleanse the stored energies. Several types of incense are specifically recommended for this because, when burned, they release certain elements into the air via the smoke which can effectively remove bad and built-up energies. The following incense sticks are particularly recommended for effective smudging: Sage and Sweetgrass, Sandalwood or Cedarwood. A feather can be used to fan the smoke across the crystals and this only needs to be done for a short amount of time. 20 to 30 seconds should be long enough.
Visualization
You can also use visualization or ‘thought energy’ to cleanse crystals. Simply hold the crystal, focus on it, and visualize a bright white light surrounding the crystal, followed by a beam of white light coming down through the stone, passing all the way through the stone, taking away stored energy within the stone. Do this until you feel happy that the white light has done its job and flushed away the stored energies. The ‘thought energy’ generated by you will be transmitted to the stone and this cleansing energy will do the job of clearing the stone of its stored energies.
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