Witchy Asks: Cleansing, Charging, and Consecrating your Crystals

Why do we cleanse and clear our crystals? Crystals, stones, and gemstones are effectively acting as batteries, storing energies as a vibration within their structure. This energy can be used to amplify the effects of the stone. We use these crystals to direct their energy for our purposes. Crystals have a tendency to absorb the energies around them which can affect the way they interact with our intentions and spellwork. You need to release old energies and absorbed emotions from your crystals so that they are able to function properly. Your crystals have a history. Quite a long history compared to your time on this planet. Who knows who previously touched your stones? You need to personalize them and make them your tools. Boost the power of your crystals by attuning them to your personal energies and charging them.

When you begin to work with crystals, you also need to think about their care. As you use your crystals regularly, you’ll build up a personal link with them, attuning them to your body’s unique energies. As you use them, the energies they’ve built up will be dispersed. Other energies will be absorbed from the environment around them. You’ll need to cleanse and recharge them from time to time to keep them working at optimum levels. These are your gemstones of the craft, now. Care for them properly.

This is especially important when you use your crystals to attract positive or healing energy to you. Regular charging will ensure your crystal acts most effectively as a magnet to those types of energy. Recharging your stones at regular intervals keeps them working effectively.

Before cleansing and charging your crystals, purify the environment. Native Americans used sage, cedarwood, and scented hay. Research has proven that the smoke coming from these herbs can seize the positive ions in air molecules and extract them.

A Few Specifics Before We Begin

Crystals that do not require cleansing: Crystals that do not like water: Crystals that do not like sunlight:

Witch Tip: Generally speaking, stones and crystals that end in “ite” are not good for cleansing or charging with water.

Cleansing and charging may seem like a lot of work but oftentimes, the same methods used to cleanse can also be used to charge. It all depends on the type of crystal you have so that it is not damage it and what the intentions you wish to charge it with are.

Cleansing your Crystals

Using the elements

Earth:

• Bury or place them in the sand or soil overnight (but remember to mark the spot well if you bury them).  It can be a sort of rebirth for the crystal to be put back in the embrace of the earth, the environment which it has been taken from originally. What better way to clear away negativity than by placing your stone back into its original place in mother earth? The earth element absorbs negativity like a sponge.

Witch Tip: If you do not have access to do this outside, you can use a flower pot inside. Enhance its power by decorating the flower pot with stones that are also capable of charging your crystals such as quartz or amethyst.

• Bury them in brown rice overnight and then throw the rice away the next day. Never eat post crystal cleansing rice.
• Bury them in salt overnight. Salt is useful for cleansing crystals but can corrode some stones. If you are worried your crystals will be damaged, you can use an indirect method.

“Salt from the earth,
Stone from the ground,
Keep my home safe and sound”

• Use other crystals. Put a small crystal on top of a quartz, amethyst, chrysocolla, or selenite cluster overnight or keep a carnelian with your crystals. If it needs extra cleansing, store in a silk bag full of carnelian. This will remove all of the negative and stagnant energy absorbed by the crystal that has built up. Once the cleanse is complete, it will infuse the crystal with fresh, loving, healing, positive energies.

Fire:

• Hold over the flame of a candle. Fire is known as the great purifier and the energy of a candle flame can transform negative energy when the crystal is passed swiftly through it.

Air:

• Burning sandalwood or frankincense incense which provides a medium for the negative and stagnant energy to be carried away.

• Smudge with a feather and sage or Palo Santo.
• Sacred breath and visualization. When you breathe in and out, you are moving prana (life force) energy. By breathing on the crystal, you can send some of that life force through the crystal. Blow negativity away with intention and envision white light surrounding your crystal, creating a soft glow with renewed power. Visualize your breath as white smoke passing from your mouth and through the crystal, coming out the other side and colored grey by the negativity it has absorbed. This should not be attempted if you are not in an ideal emotional state as this could affect your intentions.

Water: (Except for those that are water soluble)

• Hold them under running water. Envision the running water as a waterfall, washing away the negativity and stagnant energy in your crystal and down the drain. Ensure crystal points are pointed down.
• Soak them in fresh sea water. Sea water is a very cleansing mineral. The negative energies will be absorbed into the water because the negativity will be drawn out and into the pure medium of the water element.
• Soak them in sea salt water (not table salt as it contains minerals such as aluminum)
• Soak them in fresh spring water
• Soak them in lake water
• Soak them in river water
• Soak them in rain water
• Soak them in rose water

Using sound

• Use sound vibrations such as tingsha bells, tuning forks, drums, bells, or singing bowls. Use your instrument of choice and imagine golden sound waves passing through the crystal and pushing all of the negative and stagnant energy out.

Using Light

• Clear a crystal of previous energy by setting in the sun on the ground. The charge will be earthed. Then hold the crystal under running water to wash away the last of the negative energy.
• Moonlight/ sunlight. Leave your crystals overnight bathing in the rays of moonlight or vice versa and in the sunlight (but remember that some crystals can be damaged by sunlight). Place your crystals in a glass bowl or dish. Bring your bowl or dish outside under the moon or sun. If it is overcast or raining, this still works. Merely cover your disk in saran wrap to protect your crystals. They will be cleansed within a few hours. The sun and moon act as a wonderful purifier. Light is energy so the rays of light passing through the crystal can help carry the negativity out of your crystals.

Using other Means

• Placing in a bowl of potpourri.
• Using a piece of silk whose color you feel will charge the crystals.
• Using your intuition

Witch Tip: If the stone or crystal has points, be sure to place the points facing downward to help release the negative energies.

Charging your Crystals

Using the Elements

Earth: Earth can both cleanse and energize at the same time.

• Bury or place them in the sand or soil overnight (but remember to mark the spot well if you bury them).  It can be a sort of rebirth for the crystal to be put back in the embrace of the earth, the environment which it has been taken from originally. What better way to clear away negativity than by placing your stone back into its original place in mother earth? The earth element absorbs negativity like a sponge.

Witch Tip: If you do not have access to do this outside, you can use a flower pot inside. Enhance its power by decorating the flower pot with stones that are also capable of charging your crystals such as quartz or amethyst.

• Use other crystals. Put a small crystal on top of a quartz, amethyst, chrysocolla, or selenite cluster overnight or keep a carnelian with your crystals. All of those points of energy will be shooting through them. It will infuse the crystal with fresh, loving, healing, positive energies.

Fire:

• Hold your crystal over the flame of a candle
• Place them a safe distance away from a fire pit

Air:

• Run your crystals through incense smoke

Water: Water can both cleanse and energize at the same time.

• Soak them in fresh sea water. Sea water is a very cleansing mineral. The negative energies will be absorbed into the water because the negativity will be drawn out and into the pure medium of the water element. For increasing vitality and energizing, put your crystal in sea water during high tide. For relaxation and rest, put the crystal in sea water during low tide.
• Soak them in sea salt water (not table salt as it contains minerals such as aluminum)
• Soak them in fresh spring water
• Soak them in lake water
• Soak them in river water
• Soak them in rain water
• Soak them in rose water

Using Sound

• Use sound vibrations such as tingsha bells, tuning forks, drums, bells, or singing bowls. Use your instrument of choice to instill fresh, invigorated energy into your crystals.

Using Light

• Moonlight/ sunlight. Leave your crystals overnight bathing in the rays of moonlight or vice versa and in the sunlight (but remember that some crystals can be damaged by sunlight). Place your crystals in a glass bowl or dish. Bring your bowl or dish outside under the moon or sun. If it is overcast or raining, this still works. Merely cover your disk in saran wrap to protect your crystals. They will be charged within a few hours.

Using Other Methods

• Spray with essences (ensuring the crystal you spray is not water soluble)
• Physical contact. Hold or rub them.
• Use Reiki or other healing energy.
• Place them in a copper pyramid.

Witch Tip: If the stone or crystal has points, be sure to place the points facing downward to help release the negative energies.

Consecrating your Crystals

Once you have purchased a crystal, cleansed it, and charged it, you may wish to consecrate it to ready it for use in ritual and your craft. A simple consecration ritual which can be modified to suit your needs will work just fine. If you are working indoors, an altar should have some natural object or symbol of nature on it, such as a stone (particularly a hag stone which represents the earth goddesses), flowers, feathers, corn, etc. An outdoor altar needs very little as nature is all around you.

Witch Tip: In the Middle Ages, crystals were polished with honey to restore their luster.

Ritual to Consecrate your Crystals

Follow these simple steps to consecrate your crystal with the magical powers of the elements and the moon. This works best for single crystals or a small group of crystals you plan to use in ritual or spellwork. To consecrate your crystals, set out a magical representation of the 4 elements. For this you will need:

• A Frankincense or sandalwood incense stick and censer (representing air)
• A red candle or beeswax candle (representing fire)
• A small bowl or seashell of water that is not tap  (representing water)
• A small bowl of sand, salt, or soil in an earthenware or wooden container (representing earth)
• A bottle of an appropriate essential oil such as frankincense, sandalwood, lavender, juniper, pine, or salvia

Start by having a ritual bath, allowing yourself to dry naturally. When you are ready, ground yourself iwht an appropriate centering exercise. Cast the circle in your preferred manner. If you work with any deities or entities such as angels, power animals, or spirit guides, call on them and ask for their blessings, energy, and guidance.

To begin, place the bottle of oil in the middle of the items representing the elements with the bowl of earth above (north), the incense to the right (east), the candle below (south), and the water to the left (west) of the oil. This arrangement of the elements has magical associations of its own and will strengthen the spell.

First, light the candle, and then light your incense stick from its flame. Charge with air by passing your crystal through the smoke of the incense making sure the crystal is immersed. Next, charge the crystal with fire by passing it over the candle flame. Visualize the fire’s energy rising into your crystal. Charge with water by sprinkling water over your crystal. Visualize the energies of rain and ocean spray in the drops of water. Charge with earth by putting your crystal in the bowl of earth. Allow your crystal to absorb the earth energy. Now it is time to anoint your crystal  saying “I charge you with the power of the spirit of life and harmony”. Visualize energy passing through you and into the crystal while gently rubbing the oil onto your crystal.

Your crystal is now fully charged with the elements. To prevent it from becoming contaminated with unwanted energy, keep it in a natural silk bag until you need to use it again.

Interested in a topic of your own? Just ask here and I will be glad to post it!

From our altar to yours, with love from the sea,

Click here for an Index to all posts