by BB Curtis

Crystals are a gift from the Earth, Mother Earth, Mother Nature, God, The Universal One, The Goddess – however you view it, whatever you call your Higher Power, they are forms from nature and part of the basic makeup of our planet. They deserve respect, care, and special handling. They were here before we were, forming long before the first bits of protoplasm crawled from the primordial ooze and proclaimed, “I am (wo)man!” They are VIPs gifted to us to use for the greater good of all. We are their caretakers; and they, in turn, impart their many gifts to us – their energy, their stored knowledge, their spiritual integrity, their abilities. Crystals heal, teach, amplify the individual’s abilities, create energy, transmute or dissipate negativity, elevate the spirit and create atmospheres conducive to the improvement of the Earth and all its inhabitants – if used correctly and with the proper intent. Our pathways converged many eons ago and will continue as long as we understand their nature and their power and continue to use them properly.

We do not own crystals.
We do not choose the crystals that come to us.
We are their caretakers, and they choose us.

Preparing your Stones

Clearing:

Crystals store vibrations. The vibrations can come from any number of sources – light, thought, sound, touch, to name a few. When you first acquire your crystals, after healing work, when you feel that they are storing something that you do not want stored or when they look dull or feel sluggish, it’s time for a clearing. There are several methods of clearing. Try them all and use the one that feels the most comfortable to you or seems the most effective for your stone. I use a variety of methods, using intuition to feel what individual crystals need. Some folks use the saltwater method which, though effective, requires knowledge of the difference between friable and not friable stones. Salt can damage the surface of some crystals and some others are water-soluble, Selenite for instance. In order to keep your stones safe without going through a long list of what kinds can handle salt and/or water or not, many crystal experts recommend using other methods that are less likely to cause damage.

Azeztulite, citrine, and kyanite are self-cleaning. Clear quartz clusters, carnelian, and blue kyanite can be used to clean other stones. Simply place the crystals needing cleared on the cluster or on the Kyanite for 12 to 24 hours. Carnelian can be placed inside a bag containing other stones for the same time period to cleanse them. The quartz and the carnelian will require cleansing by another method after the process is complete.

Breath Method: Ground and center yourself. Make your intention to cleanse your crystal clear in your mind. Sit in a comfortable position and hold your crystal in your left hand between the thumb and forefinger, thumb on the bottom. Now place the thumb of your right hand on any face of the crystal and the right forefinger on the opposite face. As you hold your stone, form the intent of clearing it in your mind. Breathe in deeply through your nose. Blow the air out of your mouth with forceful intent at the crystal, as if you were blowing your intention to clear the crystal with your breath. Now move the thumb of your right hand to the next face of the crystal and moving your right forefinger to the next respective face of the crystal. Again breathe in deeply through your nose and forcefully, sending your intention to clear the crystal, blow the air out through your mouth directly at the crystal. Keep your intention for clearing your stone uppermost in your mind, allowing your breath to carry your intention to the stone. Continue in this manner until all faces have been attended to.

Visualization Method: Ground and center yourself. Make your intention to cleanse your crystal clear in your mind. Sit in a comfortable position and hold your crystal in the palm of your dominant hand. Visualize it surrounded by white light, allowing the light to remove all negativity and any unwanted energies. Continue in this fashion until you feel the revitalization of the stone and until it is no longer cloudy or dull. This method requires complete concentration and no interruptions.

Smudging Method: Ground and center yourself. Light sage, cedar, or sweetgrass incense and start it smoldering. Make your intention to clear your crystal your predominant thought. Hold the crystal between the thumb and forefinger of your dominant hand and move the crystal through the smoke for several minutes until it appears clear. A good test of this is to hold the crystal where the smoke will rise to it. If the smoke avoids the crystal, continue to move it through the smoke for a few more minutes. Test it again to see if the smoke surrounds the crystal or moves away from it. When the smoke surrounds the crystal (make sure there are no fans going in the room that will affect the direction that the smoke is blowing) it is cleared.

Singing Bowl Method: Ground and center yourself. Place your stones in a singing bowl and follow the instructions for the bowl. The sound vibrations will clear our crystals. This method comes highly recommended by those who use it. It tends to provide a deeper cleansing, reaching all the way to the center of the stone. It also charges stones at the same time.

Charging:

After performing any of the clearing methods above except the Singing Bowl Method, your crystal now requires charging, similarly to charging a battery. The most recommended method is to leave your crystals on a windowsill for 24 hours. Optimum charging comes from the crystal receiving energy from both the sun and the moon. It is most beneficial to charge during the Full Moon, although it is possible for charging to take place during other moon phases, as long as there is some moonlight.

Dedicating:

Ground and center yourself. Hold your crystal in both hands in front of you. Picture it surrounded by white light – light a candle to help the visualization. Say out loud to your stone, “I dedicate this crystal to the greatest good of all. May it be used in light and love.”

Programming:

You are now ready to program your crystal. Plan ahead of time for what each specific crystal will be used. Choose tasks that are relevant to the crystal itself so that its full energy can be put into the job you will be assigning to it.  Be specific about your needs and wants. How do you want this crystal to help you, someone else, or the planet? If you will be using it for healing, be specific about the part of the body and the problem with which you need help. If you are using it for self-improvement, be specific about the quality(ies) you are intending to enhance. Light a candle of the color that corresponds to your intent for the crystal. Ground and center yourself. Hold your crystal in both hands or place both hands on the crystal. Attune to your crystal. When you feel ready, concentrate on exactly what you want your crystal to do – be specific. State, “I program this crystal for [the purposes you have determined].” Allow stray thoughts to go back out of your mind and concentrate on the purpose for your crystal. As you concentrate on what you want your crystal to do, breathe in through your nose and breathe your purpose for your crystal out through your mouth, sending the intention into your crystal with your breath. Continue to visualize its purpose as you continue to breathe in through the nose and out, at the crystal, through your mouth, sending your intention with each outward breath. Continue until you feel that the crystal is ready. Now pass the crystal from right to left through the flame of the candle to seal in the intention.

Your crystal is now ready to use. It will hold the programming that you gave it until the next time you clear it. Remember that your crystal needs to be cleared, charged, and re-programmed after healing work, when you feel that it is storing something that you do not want stored or when it looks dull or feels sluggish.

© Bobbi Curtis, 2022, All Rights Reserved