How To Cleanse Your Crystals

Water is the simplest and most convenient way of cleansing your crystals.  Fresh water can be used to both physically and energetically cleanse.  It can be as simple as a quick rinse or it can an elaborate ritual.  If you want to delight your crystals, let them soak in fresh water with fresh or dried flower petals.

Salt water can also be used ritualistically.  However, it is recommended that any crystals exposed to salt water are rinsed off with fresh water before being put away.  This is purely for practical reasons since salt can act as unintentional abrasive on soft minerals.

Dry salt has been associated with purification since ancient times, since it preserves meat from spoiling.  Most people think of salt as something we eat, but it’s also a type of crystal!  Some practitioners of ritual magic, such as wiccans, will use salt to draw a magic circle.  Any circle can act as an protection boundary for spells, but salt is specifically used to help purify and sanctify the sacred space within the circle.

Crystals are often used in tandem with celestial events.  After washing your crystals with water, allow them to dry under the night sky.  This can be done outside in the open air, or by placing the crystals near a window.  They can be left there for just a little while or overnight, whatever feels good and reasonable to you.  Approach this with good intentions and don’t worry if you’re doing it “right.”

The phases of the moon are often considered in ritual cleansings.  A new crescent moon is ideal for cleansing before setting an intention for a project.  A full moon is ideal for cleansing when harnessing abundant and generous energies.  A dark moon can be a powerful choice for cleansing before shadow-work.  You may find it helpful to also consider the astrological phase of the moon or the seasonal name.

Other celestial events like eclipses, meteor showers, or planetary alignments are fantastic opportunities to take your crystals outside.  Let them cleanse and soak up the magic.  Spend some time looking up and let the Universe fill you with wonder.

Sometimes a crystal feels very tired and needs some extra TLC.  This may happen if you rely on a single crystal for serious energy healing over a long period of time.  Sometimes even the most generous healing crystal needs a little break to get recharged.   A crystal can be buried outside and left for awhile.  It can also be placed on or in the soil next to a potted plant.  The crystal and the plant will both be perfectly happy to snuggle.  This method is best when it is not rushed.  Moonrise Crystals recommends that a buried stone be left alone for at least one full lunar cycle.

Sound is also a powerful cleanser.  Sound healing can take the form of chanting, singing, or prayers.  It can also be done with ritualist tools such as a drum, bell, or singing bowl.  It’s important to listen to the tone of the sounds.  A dull or off-key sound should be avoided.  The tone can be high or low, but it should be clear and the sound vibration should feel good physically and mentally.  If using words, choose them with care.  Words are powerful magic.

There are a few stones that can be used to cleanse other stones.  In recent years, Selenite has become the most commonly-used cleansing stone.  This pretty mineral is often used to make charging plates and bowls.  Selenite is actually a form of hardened salt, so the idea that this mineral will cleanse and purify energy is based on the same logic as using table salt in spellcasting rituals.

Selenite, Kyanite, and Citrine are considered “self-cleansing” crystals.  Think of them as energetic soap.  They are naturally clean and are meant to energetically cleanse everything around them.  But, just like soap can get covered in a dirty film or strand of hairs, these crystals can also get physically dirty.  If used too much, they can even get energetically tired.  However, these three tend to recover very quickly and soon return to their full energetic strength.

Other stones can be used for cleansing too.  However, these stones don’t self-cleanse and so will need more attention.  Think of them like a towel or dust cloth, rather than soap.

Sunshine is often recommended as a method of energy cleansing.  This method is fine for white, gray, or brown opaque stones, but isn’t recommended for other stones, particularly colorful transparent stones.  Over time, sunshine will cause the colors to fade, just as sunshine will fade paint or any kind of dye.  It’s fine to put your stones in direct light for a little while, just be aware of the physical consequences if left there long term.

Smudging, particularly sage and palo santo, have become increasingly popular methods for cleansing crystals.  Smudging doesn’t necessarily refer to any particular herb, it is cleansing by smoke.  Any plant can be used and different plants will bring a different kind of energy to the ritual.  Smudging is practiced by shamanistic indigenous peoples around the world, and can also be seen in the ritualist use of incense in synagogues, temples, and churches.

White sage from the western United States has become closely associated with healing crystals.  The majority of the sage is wild harvested in an unsustainable manner.  Moonrise Crystals offers organically farmed White Sage.  Palo santo is native to Peru, Ecuador, and other parts of Latin America.  At one time, it was listed as an endangered plant in Peru due to overharvesting.  In 2019, it was listed as “of least concern” by the IUCN.  However, the dry tropical forests in which palo santo grows are threatened.  Dry forests are easier to log than wet rain forests.

Beyond the environmental concerns of using these plants, there is also the potential for cultural appropriation, which is when an element from a non-dominant culture is used inappropriately or without acknowledgment by a dominant culture.  This is a problem because colonialism has already caused so much to be lost, physically and culturally.  When spiritual culture is watered down and commodified, it can have far reaching consequences both practical and emotional.

Non-indigenous people may choose to use these plants for smudging to connect to the land and may even feel a kinship with pre-colonial cultures or modern indigenous groups.  If you choose to use sage or palo santo, know where it comes from and if it was harvested ethically.  If you truly feel an affinity for indigenous spirituality, be sure to use your vote and your voice to protect these cultures.

Healing crystals and essential oils are both popular commodities in the wellness industry.  Unsurprisingly, some people are encouraging the use of essential oils for cleansing and charging stones.  Moonrise Crystals does not recommend using any kind of oil.  Many common healing stones are porous and so the oil will soak in and stain the stone a darker color.  Rather than trying to keep track of how porous each type of stone is, it’s far easier to treat them all as porous.  Save the essential oil for yourself.  ;)