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MARCH 10, 2020 BY RACHEL PATTERSON
Choosing your crystal
If you are lucky enough to have a decent crystal store nearby then choosing the crystal yourself (or letting it choose you, as that seems to be the usual way) is good. But not everyone has access to hands on crystal shops, so purchasing from a reputable online source is absolutely fine. Don’t forget to look about in your local area; on the beach, river banks, woodlands or forests can all be sources of natural stones and pebbles. Check out charity/thrift stores too as crystals sometimes find their way to them too. You don’t have to spend a fortune, although it is tempting. Start small and with the basics. Beautiful magic can be worked with a pebble or a shell. The rough unpolished crystals are usually cheaper than the cut and prettied up ones and the energy will be the same either way, in fact I often prefer the raw unpolished stones myself.
Trust your intuition and pick a stone that resonates with you. If you are in a store hold your hand above the crystals and see if you can feel any heat or energy. If you are shopping online see what images jump out at you. Go in with an open mind, don’t be too set on a particular stone. I have discovered that the right stones will find you. In my experience crystals sometimes arrive from friends as gifts and you will occasionally feel the need to pass one or two of your own on to someone else. Crystals know when their work is done or if they need to move on…go with the flow.
If you are looking for a crystal to work magic with for a specific intent, get the idea, the goal or the desired outcome set in your mind and then ask yourself what crystal you need to use. Hopefully either the name or the colour of a crystal will pop right into your head. If it doesn’t, have a look through the crystals you have and see which one jumps out at you. Hold it in your hand and ask if it is the right one to work with, you should get a positive or a negative feeling.
Cleansing your crystals
Once you get the crystal home and in your sticky little paw you may want to cleanse it. You don’t know how many other people have handled the stone, including snotty little children (or snotty adults) …each one will have left their own personal energy on the crystal. A crystal will also need cleansing after it has been used for spell working or healing. If it has been left on a shelf or in a box for a long while it will probably benefit from a ‘once over’ as well.
Go with what supplies you have to hand, or what works for you when cleansing a crystal. But do check first, some stones are porous or fade in sunlight. Trust your intuition on this, you may ‘feel’ that each crystal needs a specific method of cleansing. I think it helps to cleanse and charge crystals in a way that matches their energy.
My cleansing suggestions:
Visualisation: Cheapest and simplest option. Visualise a white light coming from the sun, the moon or the sky and direct it into the crystal. See it cleansing and purifying any negative energy away.
Water: Run your crystal under the tap or drop it into a bowl of water. Allow the water to wash away any negative energy.
Incense: Light an incense of your choice and waft it over the crystal or holding the crystal in your hand move it through the smoke.
Sun: Leave your crystal in the sunlight, either outside if it is safe or on a windowsill for an hour or two – until you feel it is cleansed.
Moon: Leave your crystal in the moonlight, either outside if it is safe or on a windowsill for an hour or two – until you feel it is cleansed. This is best done under a full moon but work with the moon phases dependent on whether you want to work drawing magic (money, prosperity, love etc) which would benefit from charging under waxing moon. Crystals that you intend to work releasing magic with would be better charged under a waning moon. See my blog https://www.patheos.com/blogs/beneaththemoon/2016/07/i-will-not-be-putting-all-my-crystals-under-the-moon/
Earth: Bury your stone in the soil for a few hours. Probably best done in a flower pot otherwise you might forget where you buried it…
Air: Hold the crystal in your hand and using your breath, blow on it, turning the crystal around until you have literally blown away all the negative energy.
Sound: Place your crystal down and drum around it or use a singing bowl, cymbals or any kind of musical instrument of your choice.
Rice: Bury the crystal into a bowl of dried (uncooked) rice and leave for a few hours.
Fire: You need to be careful with this one. Light a candle and pass the crystal just above the flame to cleanse.
Other crystals: Some crystals are natural cleansers. Lay your crystal that needs clearing on top of a larger quartz or amethyst cluster.
Herbs: Sprinkle a blend of herbs and/or petals over the crystal or pop them in a pouch or jar that is filled with herbs and plant matter.
Taken from Kitchen Witchcraft: Crystal Magic by Rachel Patterson
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Replies
I usually put my crystals in a dish of sea salt since the vibration of sea salt is better than regular salt in my opinion. I put a piece of cellophane between the two since sea salt can harm some crystals. Then I put them in the window to charge. Be careful about some crystals and sunlight, it can make the color of the crystal fade.
onplanners
Thanks for reading/replying Alex! Yes an important warning about how the sun can damage crystals.