Crystal Cleansing, Charging and Programming
Crystal, oh how amazing they are! They are valuable tools for balancing our physical, spiritual and emotional bodies. They aren't just a pretty thing, to be placed on a shelf never to be touched (although this is also fine!) they want to be USED, to be given a purpose. To be connected to us through physical and energetic vibrations, this is how they bond to us and attune their frequency to ours.
In this article I'm going to cover a few basic ways you can cleanse, charge and program your crystals to suit your needs, and really take advantage of their potential to heal. You don't need to have any experience with energy work to use these, and you can get as detailed or as simple as you prefer, there really is no right or wrong. The following is for you to extract what resonates most with your practice.
Cleansing your Crystal
When you first get a crystal, it is important to clean it of any unwanted imprints from people who may have touched it before you. Crystals are like sponges, they absorb and reflect energy, so if someone picked up your stone who was maybe upset or angry, their 'energetic residue' can be imprinted onto your crystal and transmitted to you.
The most effective (deep clean) way I have found to thoroughly cleanse your crystal especially if you are not sure where is came from, or was in contact with some form of heavy energy, is to place it in a brown paper bag with some Sea Salt and fresh (dried will work as well) Rosemary. Close the bag and place it somewhere quiet for a minimum of 24 hours, or longer as needed. Discard the salt and rosemary by placing in the compost, dispose of it immediately. This method should only be used with non-porous crystals.
Cleansing and charging your crystal with the Elements.
These methods are excellent if you wish to cleanse and charge your crystal with elemental energies, and attune your crystal to a specific element for spiritual or healing purposes.
AIR: Air energy is manifested by wind, which is used to rid a crystal of negative energy, and re-set it's balance.
The West wind is best for this process, it represents; spring, growth, renewal, fulfillment, vitality, youth and re-birth.
It is best used in the early morning, or dawn. Place your crystal downwind of a blooming flower to enhance the effects and sweeten the energy.
Sage is a good go-to, for cleansing just about anything. This includes your crystals. Wave your crystal through the smoke of incense or sage, this will help to clean it.
EARTH: Burying a crystal in the ground is the traditional method of spiritual cleansing. Best used on crystals with an ethereal nature, or those being used for such things as; meditation, astral travel, out of body experiences.
Wrap your crystal in a natural material, a leaf or bundle of moss and bury the crystal to be left overnight. A water proof container can also be used to add protection against water ( some crystals dissolve when exposed to liquids. The container should be glass, not plastic, and no metal should be present since metal will interfere with the flow of energy.
A more simple method without burying it would be to place your crystal on a patch of moss, or nestled in a flower or bed of herbs. This is an excellent way to cleanse and charge it with Universal Life Force.
WATER: A great quick way to clean your crystal if you need to clear it quickly is to place it under running water. The best form is natural spring water, by placing in a freshwater source such as a river, lake or stream. Bottled spring water works as well, and if your in a pinch, tap water is fine. Although tap water will not completely clean it due to the added minerals and chemicals added to it. Be sure to do your research before placing your crystal in water, some crystals will dissolve like selenite or kyanite. But it you have an amethyst, quartz, jade, or lapis you are safe to use this method. Do not use for flakey or fragile crystals.
FIRE: Fire energy is spirit, life and renewal, excitement, glowing and excess. Making it ideal for cleansing high amounts of negativity. It will also put Universal Life Force back into dull or tired crystals.
Wave your crystal through the flame of a white candle for quick results.
Volcanic rock possesses stored energy from the Earth's core, such as Obsidian, Lava rock or Apache tear. These crystals carry strong Fire energy.
Place a number of lava rock in a glass dish, then place the crystal you wish to cleanse directly on-top. Add some water to the bowl but keep the water level below the lava stones. Place in direct sunlight for several hours, rotating every hour.
Charging your Crystal
Now that you've cleaned your crystal off unwanted energies, it's time to charge it!
If you followed one of the elemental methods of cleansing, then additional charging is not required. Here are some tips on charging crystals:
Use other crystals! Selenite and kyanite are excellent at charging your crystal with pure energy, place your crystal in a selenite bowl or charging plate. If you do not have one, then place your crystal on or next to a piece of selenite, this works just as well.
Amethyst is also an excellent stone for charging other crystals, use an amethyst cluster or geode to hold the crystal you wish to charge. Leave it undisturbed for several hours or overnight.
The Sun and Moon are popular choices for charging crystals. Place your stone in direct sunlight or moonlight, depending on which properties you wish to imprint on your crystal. Be aware that sunlight can bleach certain stones of their colour, like citrine, amethyst and smokey quartz. Use the Sun for sacral and root chakra crystals such as carnelian, jasper, red aventurine, obsidian, tourmaline. Use the Moon for third eye and crown chakra crystals like clear quartz, amethyst, lapis lazuli, moonstone, and selenite.
Another excellent way to charge your crystal is by using a Tibetan Singing bowl. You don't have to own one, you can use a playlist for your sound bath. If you do own a singing bowl, play it over and around your crystals often. Crystals love the frequency these bowls give off, and you might even notice changes in appearance in your stones after using a singing bowl on them. If it's a small crystal, place it inside the bowl as you make it sing. But again, a playlist can be used if you don't own one of these instruments.
Programming your Crystal
Most people have heard about cleaning and charging crystals, but programming is sometimes overlooked. This is a crucial step! If you want to benefit fully from the energies of your crystal, then it is important to make clear what you need from it. Crystals, especially quartz are highly programmable. That's why it is often used in computers and technology, it can hold and transmit patterns or codes.
Programming your crystal gives it a job. You set your intention to the crystal, and the crystal with emanate it back to you.
This is a simple process, after cleaning and charging your stone, ground yourself and decide what you would like the stone to do for you. Your intention ideally should coincide with the metaphysical properties of the crystal for best results. But some crystals like clear quartz can be programmed for any purpose.
To start, decide beforehand what your intention will be. If it helps write it down, or visualize the feeling you wish to achieve through the programming. Ground and center yourself.
Hold the crystal in your dominant hand and visualize your intention going into the crystal. If you have a hard time with visualization, you can simply think about your intention as you hold it, the more details and specifics the better. Imagine the crystal being energized by your thoughts and intentions. Feel the energy exchange between you and the crystal. Hold this for as long as you can. It only takes a few minute for the programming to be complete.
And now you have a cleaned, charged and programmed crystal!
You can repeat this process as many time as you wish. Crystals can hold their programming for a long time, but if you wish to change or refresh the crystal of its duties then be sure to cleanse and charge before hand.
Hold your programmed crystal whenever you need the energy, intention or healing you infused it with. Meditate with it, or place it in a spot in your environment that would most benefit from it's programming.
Let me know if you found this article useful! Or if you have anything to add to this list :)
Have fun on your crystalline journey!
Much love,
Sara.