How to cleanse your crystals

The energy in the crystals sharing your space with is no different than the miraculous spark that keeps all things alive, from plants to sea life to you and the family dog. Therefore, they benefit tremendously from even minor energetic care and attention.
If there has been a lot of stress or challenge around your home, it’s likely your crystals picked up on that vibrational change and are possibly storing remnants of that low vibration. Or if the crystals are covered in a fine layer of dust, this would understandably lower the vibration the crystal is emanating, just as we don’t feel our best if we go without a shower. These vibrant carriers of light respond positively to immersion in natural elements and time spent with other beings in a high vibration setting — simply, crystals get happy the same way you do: hanging outside with friends. Here are a few ways to enliven the energies of the crystals in your life:

Water

For any hard crystal, running water feels as good to a crystal as splashing cool water on your face in the morning. By submersing the stone in the natural flowing waters — of a waterfall, the ocean, a river, lake, or stream, — you’re connecting the energy of the stone with the far more powerful energy of the planet and the Universe. The stones shine brighter after the dip not only because they’re cleaner, but because their energy has been reignited from the source.
This method is not good for softer crystals like azurite — basically if the crystal looks delicate or like it could crumble under pressure, use one of the other powerful measures listed below to give your crystal what would benefit it the most.
Earth
Another way to ground your crystal’s energy with the powerful energy that created the universe is to let it sit in the dirt or sand. The same way humans are calmed by walking barefoot in the grass or sitting on a beach, crystals gain a lot of positivity by sitting on a sandy shore beside you as you read, or being placed in a plant pot or among the bounty in your veggie garden. The energy from the crystal will also benefit the plants near it: like two buddies vibing off each other, plants that share space with crystals tend to produce more flowers faster than those with no crystal companion. Scientific studies have proven that silica — the foundation of all quartz crystals — enhances plants growth, making it a key component in most soil mixtures.
Smoke
Whether it’s incense, sage, or Palo Santo, the smoke released from the meeting of fire and natural sacred plants is deeply calming to the spirit. Simply watching the smoke form and rise, curling over and around itself with no hurry and no plan, can ease a nervous mind and help you forget things that have been taking too much of your energy. The scents of sacred smoke calm us on a primal level, which is the same intuitive level the energy of crystals vibrates on. Spreading the smoke over your crystals consciously or simply letting something burn near them will calm the energy of the crystals, resetting them to their innate energy.
Wind, Stars, & Grid
We have already learned about how three of the four natural elements — water, earth, and fire — play a role in our crystal cleansing practice, and now it’s time to incorporate our final element: air. For crystals to be cleansed and revived by air, simply place them outside where they can take in the powerful mana (life energy) of the winds and gentle soothing of the rainfall.
In addition to these elemental cleanses, the crystals placed outside will receive a direct connection to the moon, sun, and stars, which essentially act like giant energy conductors to enliven the energies released by the crystals. Putting your crystals outdoors for exposure to these resources at the most powerful phases of the moon’s cycle —the Full Moon and the New Moon in particular — raises the vibrations even more.
Another way to further magnify the energy shift in your crystals during cleansing is arranging them on a grid. The ancient patterns that form the grid are part of a practice called Sacred Geometry, where interlinking circles speak the language of life’s energies. By placing stones at the points where the circles interlink (or, if you have an abundance of crystals, even recreating the lines of the image) sends positive messages out into the Universe, joining a chorus of vibration from around the world and amongst the planets and stars. In addition to transmitting, this practice will fill your crystals with the highest vibrations out there in accordance to the universal truth of what we give, we receive.