Dissertation for Know & Heal Yourself: A Course in Crystals PART 1

by Ashley Leavy
(USA)

Cleansing Crystal with Salt

Clearing and Cleansing Crystals:

After you have selected your crystals, you need to cleanse them. As you have learned, crystals have the ability to receive, store, and transmit energy. For this reason, it is important to routinely cleanse crystals of unwanted or negative energies. By the time you bring your stone home, it has come into contact with many, many energies, and each person and place the crystal comes into contact with will leave an energetic imprint on its energy field. For this reason, you can see how important cleansing can be to the health and wellbeing of the crystal as well as to any healing work in which you use it.

Cleansing should be done before AND after using your stones. Remember, as always, your intention plays a very important role in this process. When first beginning to work with crystals, you may want to clear your stones on a routine schedule (once per week or once per month depending on the amount of use), but after more practice, you will come to intuitively know when your stones need cleansing.

You may also find it helpful to use your intuition to help you choose a cleansing method for your stone. Some healers are even gifted with clairaudience (psychic hearing) and may be able to ask the stone being which method it would prefer.

For all of the following methods of cleansing, have a clear intention to cleanse the crystal. Have a receptacle of your choice filled with white light to absorb negative energy and transform it into positive energy. Common receptacles include: a black hole filled with white light, a waterfall, a rainbow, etc.

Methods of Cleansing:

WATER: Place your crystal in a container (preferably glass) of natural or purified water and leave overnight. Alternatively, you can hold your crystal in a stream or lake for approximately five minutes (or until you intuitively feel is has been cleansed) while visualizing any negativity being washed away by the water. It is best to use this method to cleanse your crystals on the night of a full moon. Use caution when using this method to cleanse stones as some stones may dissolve or be damaged when placed in water (i.e. Angelite, Celestite, Calcite, Turquoise, Rhodochrosite, Fluorite, Azurite, & Selenite).

SEA SALT: Place your crystal in a container (preferable glass) of sea salt and leave overnight. It is best to completely cover the stone with the salt.

However take note that salt can pit and erode your crystals so rather place your crystal in a bowl and place this bowl in a bowl of salt.

BREATH: To clear a stone using your breath, you must first clear your mind of any outside thoughts. Then, hold the crystal in one hand and breathe out forcefully while quickly waving your other hand over the crystal. Note that if you have completed Reiki Second Degree or Level II you can also draw CKR on your palate with your tongue before breathing on the crystal.

SEA SALT WATER: Place your crystal in a container (preferable glass) filled with Sea Salt water. Be sure not to saturate the water with salt (you do not want un-dissolved salt in the solution as it may scratch some stones); try using about two teaspoons for every eight ounces of water. Leave the stone in the water overnight. Upon removing the stones, rinse them in clear water to remove any remaining salt residue. This is typically best used for stones of 7+ Hardness (Quartz and harder). Use caution when using this method to cleanse stones as some stones may dissolve or be damaged when placed in water (i.e. Angelite, Celestite, Calcite, Turquoise, Rhodochrosite, Fluorite, Azurite, & Selenite).

ESSENTIAL OILS: Rub your selected oil onto the surface of the stone or place the stone in a container (preferably glass) filled with water containing a few drops of your selected oil. If using the container method, leave the stone in the solution overnight. Be cautious if using this method around fragrance-sensitive clients. Use caution when using this method to cleanse stones as some stones may dissolve or be damaged when placed in liquids (i.e. Angelite, Celestite, Calcite, Turquoise, Rhodochrosite, Fluorite, Azurite, & Selenite).

BROWN RICE: Place your crystal in a container (preferably glass) of brown rice and leave overnight. It is best to completely cover the stone with the rice. Some healers suggest eating the rice after the stones have been cleared, but personally I would not recommend it. Since the rice is absorbing the negative vibrations from the stones in order to clear them, I do not believe it to be a good practice to ingest that energy.

Please note that the brown rice does not absorb the energy, it merely dissipates the energy, it is therefore quite safe to consume. However should you feel uncomfortable in consuming the rice please follow your own intuition.
LASER WAND: Before using the wand to clear your crystal, attempt to feel the energy of the stone so that you have a basis for comparison to check the stone after it has been cleared. Place the crystal in front of you. Hold the wand in your dominant hand and use it to gently sweep the unwanted energies from the stone. When you intuitively feel that you have cleansed the stone, attempt to feel its energy once again to confirm that it has been cleared.

SMUDGING: Smudging is the act of burning sacred herbs and using the smoke to remove negative energy. To smudge your crystals, run your stones through the smoke of burning herbs (such as Sage, Sweetgrass, Palo Santo, or Cedar) or incense (such as Sandalwood, Lavender, or Jasmine) for approximately two to three minutes (or until you intuitively feel that the stone has been cleared of negativity or unwanted energies). This cleansing method is traditionally used by Native Americans. Be cautious if using this method around fragrance-sensitive clients. When smudging crystals, the smoke will typically surround them with some smoke on each side of the stone. A common indication that the crystal has been cleared is that the smoke will begin to move to one side of the stone more than the other.

SUNLIGHT: Place your crystal outdoors or on the windowsill and leave it in the sunlight for one full day (24 hours). Be cautious when using this method as some stones may fade (i.e. Amethyst, Rose Quartz, Celestite, etc.). It is preferable to place crystals outside on the ground (where they have direct contact with the earth), but if this is not possible, a windowsill is also acceptable. CAUTION: If cleansing Quartz in this manner be very careful as Quartz will magnify the sun’s rays and may possibly start a fire.

CRYSTAL CLUSTERS: Place your crystal on top of a crystal cluster that has been programmed for cleansing. Clear Quartz, Amethyst, and Citrine clusters work especially well for this.

CIDER VINEGAR: Place your crystal in a container (preferably glass) filled with natural or purified water and a drop of cider vinegar and leave overnight. Use caution when using this method to cleanse stones as some stones may dissolve or be damaged when placed in water (i.e. Angelite, Celestite, Calcite, Turquoise, Rhodochrosite, Fluorite, Azurite, & Selenite). Also, some stones are sensitive to even weak acids (such as Turquoise and Aragonite) and should not be cleansed using this method. Porous stones (such as Pumice or Mica) of any kind should not be cleansed in this manner.

FLOWERS: Place your crystal in a container (preferably glass) filled with fresh flowers or petals and leave it there overnight. It is best to completely cover the stone with the flowers. Rose, Orange, and Honeysuckle flowers work especially well for this.

MOONLIGHT: Place your crystal outdoors or on the windowsill and leave it in the moonlight for one full day (24 hours) or for one full moon cycle. It is preferable to place crystals outside on the ground (where they have direct contact with the earth), but if this is not possible, a windowsill is also acceptable.

SOUND: Use a gong, chime, or singing bowl to emit cleansing sound vibrations into your crystal. You may even place your crystals within a singing bowl to cleanse them, but use caution with points or clusters as the intense vibration of the bowl may chip points. Tumbled stones work best for this method. You can even play your favorite essoteric or classical music with this method and cleanse a whole room of crystals.

MAGNETS: Place your crystal in front of you. Using a pair of magnets, hold the positively charged side of one magnet facing the crystal. Hold the negatively charged side of the other magnet facing the opposite side of the crystal. Alternatively, you can use a tape de-magnetizer.

USING YOUR HANDS: Your hands are powerful energy tools. You can clear stones by passing your hands over them and consciously intending to remove any unwanted energies form the stones. Combining Reiki or another form of energy healing with this method will greatly decrease the amount of time needed to clear your stones (it will also allow you to clear large groups of stones all at once). Go to - PART 2