5 WAYS TO CLEANSE YOUR CRYSTALS & WHY IT’S SO IMPORTANT FOR SELF-HEALING

Words: Leah Shoman

Cleansing your crystals is vital if you are working with their energies on a daily or frequent basis. When you use your crystals in any healing modality or even when they have been stationed in an environment for some time, they will build up with these energies that need to be released; much like when you build up energy in your own human system. Cleansing your crystals restores them back to their vibrational frequency, allowing them to operate at 100 percent capacity.

FIVE MODALITIES YOU CAN USE TO CLEANSE YOUR CRYSTALS

FLOWING WATER
To be kind to Gaia, please only use natural forms of running water such as a river, stream, or lake. If you do not have this readily available to you, there are other methods that are just as suitable for cleansing. Only use this method with crystals that are scored a five and above on the Mohs hardness scale meaning no soft or porous crystals are allowed! If you place a crystal softer than a five in water, it can begin to disintegrate, deteriorate and change its natural properties.
Some examples of soft crystals to avoid in this modality are selenite, kyanite, calcite, fluorite, halite etc. Hard crystals include quartz and most forms of jasper. If you are unsure if your crystal can touch water, please make sure to do your research! This modality can actually cleanse and charge your crystals at the same time due to the flowing nature of the water.

HOW TO:
Place your crystals in a fine mesh bag. While holding onto the mesh bag, safely place it in the river, stream or lake and allow the running water to wash over the crystals. If there is a location where you can safely submerge the crystals, you can do this as well. Allow the crystals to bathe for as long as you feel is necessary for their cleansing.

SALTWATER
Do not use this method with crystals that are soft, porous, or contain metal, as they can begin to disintegrate, deteriorate and change their natural properties. If natural saltwater is unavailable, you can add cooking salt to your water source. Remember to do your research first before placing any of your crystals in salt water. Examples of crystals to avoid in this modality are opals, pyrite, hematite, etc.

HOW TO:

Gather natural saltwater – if natural saltwater is unavailable, you can add cooking salt to your water source. Place your crystals in a ceramic or glass bowl (no metal). Pour the water into the bowl, submerging the crystals and allow them to bathe for up to 24 hours – whatever you feel is necessary for their cleansing. When you are ready to remove the crystals from their salt bath, run them under cool water, ensuring you have rinsed any and all salt residue from them. Discard the remaining saltwater in the bowl, as it cannot be reused due to its collection of negative and unwanted energies.

DRY SALT IMMERSION
Do not use this method with crystals that are soft, porous, or contain metal, as they can begin to disintegrate, deteriorate and change their natural properties. Use cooking salt or sea salt. Remember to do your research first before placing any of your crystals in salt.

HOW TO:

Place your crystals in a ceramic or glass bowl (no metal). Fill the bowl with cooking salt or sea salt, submerge the crystals and allow them to bathe for up to 24 hours – whatever you feel is necessary for their cleansing. When you are ready to remove the crystals from their salt bath, run them under cool water, ensuring you have rinsed any and all salt residue from them. Discard the remaining salt in the bowl as it cannot be reused due to its collection of negative and unwanted energies.

SMUDGING
This is an ancient ceremonial ritual where you burn sacred herbs or resins to cleanse and purify your energy and environment. There are many tools you can use for smudging, including incense sticks, smudge sticks, ethically sourced palo santo, feathers, or smoke-less smudge spray with essential oils. Some herbs and oils you can use for smudging your crystals include sage,cedarwood, lemon, sandalwood, lavender, sweetgrass, frankincense, myrrh, and palo santo.

HOW TO:
Light your smudge stick, incense stick, or palo santo, and hold your shell or bowl underneath your smudging modality of choice. Wave and waft the smoke over your crystals and let the smoke linger around them; this process doesn’t take long as the smoke does all the work for you! If you choose to use a feather, just wave the feather in a sweeping motion around the crystals. If you choose to use a smoke-less spray, simply spray the environment around the crystals, and if the crystals rate hard enough on the Mohs hardness scale, you can spray them directly as well. NOTE: ensure that your crystals can handle the water and essential oils.

PROXIMITY AND SELF-CLEANSING
Some crystals have extremely high vibrations, absorb less energy than others, and can transmute negative energies. Some would call them self-cleansing, meaning they are great for boosting and cleansing the energies of other crystals.
HOW TO:
Place the crystals you would like to proximity cleanse near amethyst, quartz, chalcedony, carnelian, citrine, halite, kyanite, or selenite and leave them there for 24 to 48 hours – and that’s it! Another fun tip is to always leave them stationed (when not in use for healings or meditations) next to a piece of one of these crystals, so it’s always on top of its cleansing game.