Preparing Your Crystals for Healing

Before using your crystals for healing or meditation purposes, begin by physically cleaning the crystal of any mud or other debris. Then, using a cleansing technique, remove any negative energies from the crystal.

For maximum healing effects, energize your crystals by charging them with fresh energy. Then “wake up” your crystal, activating it to its role and mission. Finally, program your crystal to direct the energy for a specific outcome or for support during a healing session.

Learn How to …

• ◆ Cleanse your crystals inside and out.
• ◆ Activate your crystals and program your intentions to it.
• ◆ Protect yourself from negative energies.
• ◆ Care for your crystals.
• ◆ Build your collection with more essential crystals.

External Cleaning

When removing dirt from your crystal, be careful, because the crystal might be softer than the matrix it grows in! A warm water bath in a high-foaming liquid dishwashing detergent and a flexible, soft toothbrush is best for fragile or brittle crystals. Be wary though, some crystals are not meant to have a bath, such as halite, which is salt and is water soluble. For fragile crystals, use a soft dry brush or light pressurized air to remove any dust. Check out the “Smudging and Bell-Ringing Cleanses” section for more on cleaning water-soluble crystals.

For really tough cleaning situations, soaking the crystal in chemical might be necessary. For example, the matrix on clear quartz crystal is usually yellow and somewhat caked hard, and it requires a bath of oxalic acid to dissolve the matrix.

Internal Cleansing

After you have physically cleaned the crystal, the next step is to cleanse the crystal of unwanted vibrations and energies from other people who handled the crystal before it reached you. Crystals tend to take on energy indiscriminately and, like wearing someone else’s clothing, you can feel that something’s just not quite right.

Salt Bath

A salt water bath is really good for removing negative energies from most crystals; however, some crystals like angelite, barite, and howlite, and some marbles and pearls are sensitive to salt, and their surfaces can be damaged quickly in a salt bath. Some polished crystals may also pit and lose their shine. For those, you can use the smudging technique found at the end of this section.

To cleanse a crystal you wear regularly, give it a salt bath for 7 hours every 2 weeks or so. Get a plastic bowl large enough to hold your crystal or crystals. (Glass is fine, but it’s a hard surface and you could chip your crystal easily.) Fill the bowl with enough room-temperature water to cover the crystal.

Add about 1 teaspoon of salt for every 8 ounces of water. The perfect cleansing solution is a 30-percent solution of sea salt and spring water. (If you have genuine sea water, use that!) I usually just throw a handful of salt over the crystals in a small bucket and leave the entire thing in the sun to soak up the UV rays and recharge the crystals.

When you pour off the salt water, do not touch the water because you will be transferring the negative energies back onto yourself. Rinse any salt residue from your crystals with fresh water. Let the crystals dry on newspapers or tea towels. If you leave them in the sun while soaking, you can also charge them!

Different Salts

You might wonder if there is a difference between using sea salt and table salt (rock salt). There is. I find that sea salt leaves the crystals with a different energetic feeling than table salt.

Sea salt has a more refined energy signature with a lot of small rainbow-colored vibrations. Table salt is like a workhorse—it’s less subtle, is more coarse, and has clunky yellow and gray-blue vibrations. If you plan to use a crystal at the upper chakras (third eye or crown), cleanse it in sea salt because these centers are very sensitive and prefer a subtler vibration.

To feel the energy signatures from different salts, get a variety of them from health or food stores or pick them up while traveling. I have tried ordinary table salt, Celtic sea salt, Dead Sea salt, Hawaiian red clay sea salt …. Each provides its own type of energy signature and vibration.

It’s time for another experiment. Try soaking two quartz crystals separately in two different salt solutions overnight. After a rinse, see whether you can tell the difference energetically by holding one and then the other.

Salt is so very important to cleansing not only your crystals but also for clearing your environment. Chapter 20 includes a section with further information about Himalayan salt crystal lamps and how they help your health and wellness.

Smudging and Bell-Ringing Cleanses

As I’ve mentioned, some crystals should not be soaked in salt water. These are generally porous or water-soluble crystals such as halite, marble, angelite, and barite. Salt can also pit the shiny exterior of a polished crystal. As an alternative to a salt bath, cleanse these crystals by smudging with sage, sweet grass, Palo Santo wood, or incense such as frankincense or copal. To smudge something is to use smoke to clear it of negative energy. This is a particularly good method to use if you have a cabinet full of crystals or some that are very large and awkward to bathe.

Spend about 3 to 7 minutes doing a smudge, fanning the smoke over the crystal with a turkey or peacock feather fan. As the smudging smoke rises, it pulls the negative energies away from the crystal. Fan the smoke away from the crystal, preferably near a window, or go outside to smudge and dispel the smoke into the air.

Another alternative cleansing technique uses sound to cleanse crystals. Ring small Tibetan chimes called ting cha, larger Tibetan hand bells, gongs, or singing bowls within 4 to 6 inches of your crystals. The crystals get the full force of their pure sound vibration. Anything that’s not harmonic (aligned to your highest purpose) will be attuned. Ring the bells or chimes gently for 1 to 3 minutes.

For a room full of crystals, you can smudge everything, or ring the bells until you feel the unwanted energy lift from the room. You’ll know when you’ve done that because the bell will ring clearly and will vibrate for a longer time. Sweet!

Fire

Fire is an ancient method for cleansing. Not too many people know about using fire for cleansing crystals, probably because the crystal heats up and singes your fingers if you’re not careful. In India, fire represents Agni, the Vedic fire god, and it is used in sacred purification rites such as during wedding rituals.

This method of cleansing by fire works best if your crystal is fairly long and is easy to hold between your fingers. Using a candle, preferably a beeswax candle, pass the crystal back and forth over the flame a few times. You can say a purification prayer such as the following one or a mantra from any traditional belief system, using the flame of divine consciousness to purify unwanted energy.

Then visualize the triple protection as three layers of color encapsulating the crystal: silver (awakening to the cosmic mind), gold (enlightenment and divine protection), and white light (the transcendent and higher dimensions, angelic connections, and ultimate purity and truth).

Recharging Your Batteries

A crystal grows and is nurtured by yin or feminine energy from its mother, the Earth. To develop, the crystal takes nutrients from the ground like gases, water, and various minerals. When it is harvested from the earth, the crystal is removed from the maternal energies that fed it and now needs yang or masculine energy as its source of energy renewal.

Sunlight

Sunlight recharges crystals with UV light, sometimes called light radiation. The UV light from sunlight provides the full spectrum of light and restores the crystal’s depleted energies.

The time to recharge depends on the crystal’s capacity to absorb light (its individual crystalline energy structure has a lot to do with it) and the stage of energy depletion within the crystal. Typically, I find 4 hours in bright sunlight once a week keeps a small crystal energetic and alert.

Keep your crystals by a window for continual recharging. Some people say that glass refracts the UV rays, but if that were so, then plants raised in glass greenhouses probably wouldn’t survive. Exposing your crystals in direct sunlight during the strongest UV rays of the day is best.

Earth Energy

Another way to both cleanse and recharge larger crystals is to use the earth. Wrap your crystals in a natural linen or burlap cloth or stick them directly into the earth at least 3 to 4 inches down or even as deeply as 12 inches below the surface. Cover the crystals with soil and mark the location. Remind yourself in a few days to dig them up. The natural energy currents of the earth will be attracted to the crystals and will realign their energies back to earth-natural.

Moonlight Charging

Let’s talk about charging crystals in the moonlight. Notice, I said “charging,” not “recharging.” When a crystal has spent its energy, it’s best to recharge the crystal in the sun, with other high-energy or high-frequency crystals, or on a piece of selenite. Moonlight is good for charging a crystal using the gentle yin energies that birthed the crystal in the earth. Moonlight helps restore the original energy of the crystal. It’s energy is calming. Any and all crystals can be charged in moonlight, the reflection of the sun’s rays that gives light to darkness. The energy flow of moonlight is fluid, magical, and mystical. Sunlight is yang energy and is very active and dynamic. But there are times when the Mother Moon is needed for gentle healing, especially during deep transformative periods.

This is good news for some crystals that could fade in direct sunlight, such as amethyst, angelite, aquamarine, celestite, fluorite, kunzite, rose quartz, and some smoky quartz.

Put your crystals outside in the night before, the night of, and the night after a full moon. I find the moonlight energy is very soft and gentle, but also that it dissipates within 5 days. There is an extra strong energy connection during a special moon event or a time of year that coincides with religious celebrations, such as the autumn harvest or Chinese spring moon festivals, eclipses, comets, meteor showers, and other special planetary alignments.

Create a sacred space outside for your crystals. Smudge the area. Place other supporting objects nearby, such as flowers and other crystals to magnify the energy of the moon.

Wake-Up Call: Activating Your Crystal

Sometimes, a crystal can be a “sleeper” and needs a little nudge to be made aware that it’s going to be used for healing or meditative purposes. You can activate your crystal through a self-initiation ritual or by simply holding it, rolling it quickly back and forth in your hands, sleeping with it, gazing at it, washing it, and even talking to it. Keep it with you throughout the day to bond to the crystal’s energy.

To awaken its consciousness through ritual, offer some sage or sweet grass and indicate your intent for the use of the crystal (e.g., for healing, for world peace). In the Attunement section, you’ll see a short dedication prayer that can be used.

Touching a tuning fork to the crystal or using the sound of bells will also initiate its energy by sending a harmonic signal through to the crystal’s structure as a wake-up call.

Programming for Intent

Each crystal has its own mission or its own program for healing. Crystal people, or healers, sometimes say that a crystal resonates with a particular chakra, or that it has a mission to clear a past life. We don’t want to mess with that preprogrammed energy. But here’s the interesting thing: each crystal also comes with its own blank database, a subtle or spiritual energy center that can store new instructions, just like humans have an infinite capacity for instruction and spirituality. The crystal can translate and absorb an energy signature from outside itself and store it within its own crystalline energy structure.

The crystal will then resonate with those instructions, amplifying, broadcasting, and projecting the new set of energy patterns in its work. I mentioned these properties of healing crystals in Chapter 2. Now this is the real esoteric work of a crystal!

A Breath of Positive Air

When we’re talking about programming crystals, we’re really talking about infusing them with positive, helpful energy. Here are some different programming techniques used with crystals:

• ◆ Write a thought on a piece of paper, then place a crystal on top of it to absorb the thought energy. The crystal magnifies the written thought pattern and sends the thought in its amplified state to the universe. Use a clear quartz crystal for this or any other crystal that is similar to your request. For instance, for fertility, use garnet; to increase wealth, use citrine.
• ◆ Program your crystal with your breath by holding it in your hand, breathing in through your nose, thinking in your mind of what you want, and forcefully breathing out (snort!) through your nose into the crystal. The intent is programmed into the energy matrix of the crystal. Do this on each side or face of the crystal. There are six sides to a clear quartz crystal; for a tumbled or round crystal or gemstone, hold it in your hand and snort directly over it three to six times. The reason you pass air through your nose is that the mouth is considered vibrationally inferior—you cough, say bad words, and eat using your mouth, so the vibration is not as pure for passing the subtle energies as through the nose.
• ◆ Hold the crystal in your right hand a few inches away from your nose. Focus your mind on your intent. Use a circular breath by breathing slowly and naturally through your nose into the crystal, then breathe energy back in from the crystal. Repeat this circular breath for 3 to 5 minutes. This is an effective meditative technique and is quite powerful for directing your mind for positive results and building up programmed energy in the crystal matrix.

You can put as many thoughts, affirmations, or images into your crystal as you like. Whenever you want to clear them out, just hold the word clear in your mind and then forcefully breathe (snort) through your nose into the crystal three to six times to clear the crystal of unwanted programming.

Learn to Attune

Now you are ready for the process of attunement to your crystal. Attunement is the process of aligning your energy with that of a particular crystal.

To become more attuned to crystal energy and to open your sensitivity to subtle energy, hold a clear quartz crystal at the center of your heart chakra about 4 inches away from your chest. Run the crystal in clockwise circles very slowly in 3- to 4-inch circles around the center of your heart chakra. Feel the sensation of crystal energy in your heart chakra. Stop and hold the crystal in front of you at your heart chakra and say the following dedication prayer or one of your own choosing.

Then, simply place the crystal pointing up against your chest over the heart chakra. Lie quietly with the crystal on your chest for 15 minutes to get a full attunement with the crystal and its mission. Make note in your crystal journal about any images or thoughts you receive during this time.

Protection Techniques

As you work with crystals and open up energy centers, you may feel vulnerable and will want to feel protected from any harm or misdeeds (such as negative energy). This is where special protection techniques can be used.

Recite a protection prayer, preferably three times, to express your higher will. You can make up your own prayer or modify the fire cleansing prayer. Simply ask for spirit guides or angels to stand guard over you. You can envision a golden net with white light over the room, sealing out any unwanted energies. Maybe you’ll envision a ring of fire for protection. Use your imagination. Whatever works for you will have more meaning and power behind it.

More Essential Crystals

Now that you know how to get started with your crystals, I want to tell you about some more crystals that many crystal healers would not be without. I’m not saying you have to add them to your kit right now, but somewhere along the way, you’ll want to make sure to pick these up for their healing benefits.

Kyanite

Blue kyanite is known to energetically align chakras, both vertically and horizontally. For a full alignment treatment, hold the crystal at each chakra for a count of 7 or 21 seconds, or up to 3 minutes for any particularly stubborn chakras. Your hand might wobble a bit with the energy at first, but it will steady itself as the chakra becomes aligned. Kyanite is one of several crystals that do not need cleansing due to its unique internal structure that constantly provides its own alignment. Kyanite should be in every healer’s tool kit!

Selenite

There is no doubt that selenite opens the crown chakra and offers esoteric information telepathically to those who wish to know. You might even be able to access Merlin’s knowledge!

This crystal can be used at the highest levels for healing—to align chakras, to cleanse the aura, to remove obstructions such as tumors, to open to higher states of consciousness, and to increase creativity.

Selenite is another crystal that does not need cleansing because its lustrous light and internal structure eliminates energy from being absorbed in the first place. I discuss different forms of selenite in Chapter 20.

Fluorite

Fluorite comes in various colors and has a natural octahedron shape, like two pyramids end-to-end attached at their bases. Green fluorite is used for physical healing. Yellow fluorite is used for mental stimulation and creativity. Also look for rainbow fluorite, which is banded with many colors, for a full spectrum of healing.

When there are stubborn blockages in the chakras, drop a purple or rainbow fluorite into the chakra for several minutes to loosen up those emotional and mental strongholds.

Fluorite is a master of the mind and intellectual matters. Fluorite is for people who work with large amounts of data requiring thoughts to be quickly and accurately processed.

Use fluorite at the crown chakra in a layout to clear energy passages from the third eye to the crown and to provide an increase in intuition and clairvoyance. For crystal grid work, fluorite provides keen mental focus for intent and helps maintain strength to the grid’s energy structure.

Calcite

Like fluorite, calcite comes in many colors such as orange, green, yellow, and blue. Calcite isn’t a very hard material, so you’ll need to be careful not to drop it or bang it up too much.

Calcite is cooling and calming for emotions, dousing the intensity of stress. It’s commonly used to fill energy gaps in the chakras. It absorbs energy and has the ability to set things right. It can calm upsets whether they are emotional or physical (if your tummy is upset). The crystal is effective for supporting learning projects and helps retain memory. It is also used for healing bones, soft tissues, and skin.

Used in a crystal grid, it supports and amplifies the crystal energy structure. Calcite works the same way in a layout, it harmonizes the crystals within the layout and offers its healing to the specific chakra by color.

Hematite

The natural magnetic quality of hematite makes it a perfect crystal to use instead of commercial magnets to ease nausea and for pain reduction at specific points on the body. Obtain several flat pieces of highly reflective, polished hematite for your crystal healing tool kit, and tape them onto joints and the spine to reduce pain and increase energy. As blood pumps by the crystal, it picks up needed magnetic energy and increases the circulation in the area of the crystal.

Hematite is also a blood purifier and calms and reduces anger and eliminates toxins stored in the liver. It provides protection, reflecting back unwanted energies, and operates as a shield for stress and stressful situations. In a healing layout or a crystals grid, use hematite for grounding and for helping to manifest your dreams and aspirations.

Lapis Lazuli

This opaque noble blue crystal is known for its high vibrational rate and abilities to enhance communications and psychic perceptions. It’s a protector of healers, knowledge seekers, and mystics. It’s a perpetual cleanser and protector to the aura and third eye and crown chakras. Lapis is a crystal that enhances channeling abilities and for opening communications with ascended masters. You can also use it in your crystal grid with mental focus to actualize your intent.

This crystal helps to settle people, even children, who have psychic abilities but sometimes seem lost or unable to access or use their abilities. Lapis creates an energetic connection and loving support for their journey of self-discovery and transformation. It provides courage to take on a worldly role when they may be conscious that their origin and quest is from beyond. Consider lapis lazuli as a gift for those who are seeking something to fulfill their void, no matter what it is.

Tourmaline

Tourmalines are one of the most versatile crystals for use in physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual healing. Tourmalines are available in a range of colors of black, green, blue, pink, yellow, aqua, and multicolored and are known under different names. While hematite is magnetic, tourmaline is a potent electrical healer when in contact with the body. Tourmaline is well suited to healing numerous systems, including the nervous system, meridians, and mental complexes, as well as on the DNA and cellular levels. Used in layouts, tourmaline is capable of aligning all layers of the aura. Tourmaline can impart knowledge telepathically about topics that one might not even have been studying.

Tourmaline is best known for bringing in a full, pure light spectrum and focusing color rays, depending on their color. For that matter, tourmaline helps guide a new soul to its parents. It is great for performance sports and for enhancing psychic development.

Tourmalines are not very big in general, and they can be rare and quite expensive. The largest one I ever held was a green tourmaline as long and as thick as my forearm. When I held it in both hands, it felt like a lightning bolt went through my whole body. The healing power of tourmaline can be quite remarkable.

Treat Your Crystals with Care

As you begin to build your collection of crystals, you’ll want to have a number of different crystals available for various physical, emotional, and spiritual issues. Keeping your crystals together is actually helpful because they tend to resonate to the highest crystal frequency. When they are all together, they share healing memories, so they learn from one another.

For third eye or crown chakra crystals, a container kept separate from heavier crystals will keep the softer and more refined crystals protected. Finally, if there are any crystals that have not been cleared of negativity, the vibration of the other crystals will clear the crystal.

In the next chapter, you’ll learn more about the types of master crystals and the three steps to healing with crystals.

Calcite: I provide chakra attunement and adjustments from induced change. I push you forward beyond your self-limitations. I stabilize your emotions. I provide release, expansion, and vitality to your energy field.