Cleansing and charging work together as a two-step process, ensuring that your crystal is filled with positive energy and doesn’t build up negativity.
Cleansing is the act of removing unwanted energy from a crystal that it may have absorbed through its environment, while charging is topping the crystal back up with positive energy.
In this article, we will cover the difference between charging and cleansing, methods of cleansing and charging, whether you can do both at the same time, and how often you should do both.
What's the Difference Between Cleansing and Charging?
Charging and cleansing are two steps in the same process:
Cleansing
Crystals absorb the energy around them and what they come into contact with. This is a big part of how you charge them, but it can mean that they take in energy that is negative or undesirable.
Cleansing is the act of removing all the negative energy from a crystal and getting it ready to be recharged with positive energy.
Charging
With the energy having been removed, the crystal is ready to reabsorb energy it comes into contact with. Charging a crystal is about giving it the right environment, exposing it to desirable energy, and storing it properly.
How to Cleanse Your Crystals
There are many ways to cleanse a crystal. Here are a few of the most common and convenient, tried-and-true methods:
Smoke Cleansing
This involves burning a dried bundle of herbs, most commonly White Sage, or a wood, like Palo Santo, and passing the crystal through the smoke. The idea is that as the smoke passes through and around the crystal, it carries the unwanted energy away with it, disappearing just like the smoke itself.
This is a great choice for crystals that are sensitive to sunlight and can fade over time, like agate and quartz.
Moonlight Cleansing
Place the crystal somewhere that it is in direct view of the moonlight overnight, like a windowsill or outside. Moonlight is seen to be a gentler counterpart to sunlight.
Sound Cleansing
For this, you need something that produces a sustained resonant tone, like a bell, singing bowl, or tuning fork. The sound travels as a vibration through the crystal, dispersing the unwanted energy.
Nothing is making physical contact with the crystal, so it is considered the safest way to cleanse a crystal that is fragile, fades easily, or porous.
Need a cleansing kit? Shop our smudge and incense collection to get started.
How to Charge Your Crystals
Now that a crystal has been fully cleansed, you can refill it with positive energy so it can support you at full strength again.
Sunlight
Place the crystal somewhere it will receive direct sunlight, like a windowsill or outside. You only need a couple of hours in direct sunlight for a charge because of the sun's intensity. Often this is better for a quick boost, rather than an extended charge.
The colour of some crystals, like amethyst, will fade if left in the sunlight for long periods. For hardier stones, a few hours in the morning or afternoon is all you should need, but for anything more delicate, it is worth charging using a different method.
Under a Full Moon
Much like cleansing, you simply need to leave a crystal out during a full moon, with the added benefit that moonlight is far more gentle than sunlight.
The full moon is considered to be the peak of the moon’s energy cycle, so charging on that night is considered to be a stronger and more concentrated version of normal moonlight charging.
Earth & Crystal Clusters
Bury the crystal directly in the soil and leave it for around 24 hours, and try to remember where it is! The earth offers a strong, grounding and calming energy, compared to the sun and moon above.
Large crystals or groups of crystals have their own energy fields. By placing a smaller crystal on top of or close to the larger ones, it will absorb that energy slowly over time. No ritual or planning needed.
Can You Cleanse and Charge Your Crystal at the Same Time?
You can certainly charge and cleanse a crystal at the same time. Moonlight is a great example of this. It cleanses a crystal while replacing the negative energy with positive energy. It is one of the most popular cleansing and charging rituals for this reason.
Over-charging and over-cleansing are common concerns, but neither is harmful. If the crystal feels clear and energised, you don’t need to spend time unnecessarily. There is no ‘too much’.
How Often Should You Cleanse and Charge Your Crystals?
You should cleanse a crystal when you first receive it, after it’s been through an intense or negative emotional period, or every month or so.
There are a few ways that your crystal might begin showing that it needs charging:
- A crystal might appear hazy or lack clarity
- It may feel heavier in the hand, or you may even feel a slight aversion to it
- Crystals that are cleansed but need charging will feel flat and won’t draw your attention
Making It Part of Your Routine
There are a lot of methods for cleansing and charging crystals, all of which are easy to do at home. Some of the methods can even charge and cleanse at the same time.
Cleansing and charging your crystals is not about doing something right or wrong; it is more like a houseplant, little and often. There is no wrong way, and you can’t over-cleanse or over-charge.
Whether you are looking for a new crystal or a cleansing sage bundle, Dylan’s Den has what you need. Shop our full range of crystals or find one of our shops for your cleansing and charging needs.