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How to Cleanse Your Crystals — Six Traditional Methods
Six methods used across Indian, Tibetan, and Western traditions — and which crystals each method is safe for.
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Crystals absorb. They also need clearing. Six traditional methods exist for cleansing — each suited to different crystals based on hardness, water-sensitivity, and colour stability. Choosing the right method matters: salt water on lapis lazuli will dull its colour permanently. Sunlight on amethyst will fade it. Below is the practitioner's reference.
1. Moonlight (universal, gentlest)
Place crystals on a windowsill during the full moon. Leave overnight. The lunar field clears absorbed energy without wear. Safe for all crystals. No risk of damage. The most-recommended method for beginners and the most-recommended method for any coloured stone (amethyst, rose quartz, citrine, fluorite). Cleansing intensifies on the night of full moon, but any moonlit night works.
2. Sage / Palo Santo / Camphor smoke
Light sage, palo santo, sandalwood, or camphor. Pass each crystal through the smoke for 20-30 seconds while holding a cleansing intention. Safe for all crystals, including water-sensitive ones (malachite, lapis lazuli, lepidolite, pyrite, hematite). Use this method indoors or by an open window. Indian traditions favour camphor; Tibetan traditions favour sandalwood; Western traditions favour sage.
3. Running water (cold tap)
Hold the crystal under cold running water for 30 seconds. Visualise the absorbed energy washing away. Safe for hard crystals only — quartz, amethyst, citrine, rose quartz, smoky quartz, jasper, agate, tiger's eye, carnelian. Never use water on: malachite (toxic dust if abraded), lapis lazuli (calcite components dissolve), pyrite (rusts), hematite (rusts), selenite (literally dissolves), lepidolite, calcite. When in doubt, use smoke.
4. Salt (rice, sea salt, or himalayan)
Bury the crystal in a bowl of dry salt or dry rice for 24 hours. The salt absorbs the energy. Discard the salt afterwards (do not eat). Safe for hard crystals. Never use salt on soft or porous crystals — it scratches. Indian tradition uses rice instead of salt for the same effect. Salt water immersion is occasionally recommended but risky — most practitioners advise dry salt only.
5. Sunlight — with caution
30 minutes of direct morning sun cleanses powerfully. Safe only for: hematite, pyrite, red jasper, tiger's eye, carnelian, sunstone (the warm-coloured iron-rich crystals). Never put in sun: amethyst, rose quartz, fluorite, citrine, kunzite, opal, smoky quartz — the colour fades, sometimes within hours. Use sun for hard, dark, iron-bearing stones only.
6. Selenite plate or singing bowl
Place the crystal on a selenite slab or charging plate for 1-12 hours — selenite continuously clears. Or pass the crystal through a singing bowl's tone for 30 seconds. Both are gentle, work on any crystal, and require no daylight or smoke. Selenite plates are a single-purchase tool that cleanses your whole collection ongoingly.
Cleanse monthly for daily-wear crystals, and more often for crystals doing heavy lifting — during grief, illness, or major life transitions.
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Each crystal is chosen and cleansed by hand before shipping.