Have you always been curious about crystals, but there seem to be way too many details to take into account? Does the thought of getting the wrong crystal wet or forgetting to charge your crystals every Full Moon makes you anxious?
And how are you supposed to choose your crystals in the first place? In this guide, we’ll give you the information you need to get started. Remember that crystals are supposed to be fun and relaxing, not overwhelming or stressful! So we’ll help you take the stress off and get started with crystals today.
Choosing a Crystal
How do you know which is the best crystal for you at this time? Don’t worry, your soul knows the answer to that. Try to go to a physical crystal store if it’s possible. If it’s not, don’t worry, we’ll give you some tips on how to choose crystals to purchase online.
Take a few deep breaths before entering the store or exiting your car. The more relaxed you are, the more you’ll be able to listen to what your soul has to say to you. Browse the crystals without any preconceived notions or expectations.
If you don’t want to go over budget, tell the staff how much you’re willing to spend on a crystal. Let them show you a few pieces that are below that price. If you’re drawn to a particular crystal, there’s generally a reason why.
If you can’t go to a brick-and-mortar store, some of the same rules apply to online shopping. Take a few deep breaths and enter the website in a calm frame of mind. You can use a pendulum (a necklace that you own works, too) to see which crystal is right for you.
Refrain from reading about a crystal’s properties until after you make the purchase. You may be surprised at how accurate your choice was!
Storing Your Crystals
After you’ve bought them, found them, or received them, where do you keep them?
You want to find a container made of a natural material such as wood, clay, metal, or even a cloth bag. Try to stay away from plastic containers as they tend to be hard to cleanse and stagnant energy sticks to them.
Every so often, take your crystals out and cleanse the container (the New and Full Moon are a great time to do this). Crystals are best kept together with other crystals, as they keep each other clean.
Beware of keeping them near your bed, as some can help you sleep but others do quite the opposite. Some people prefer to keep them outside. If you choose to do so, keep them under some sort of shade so they don’t lose their color because of exposure to the sun.
Cleansing Crystals
It’s very important to cleanse your crystals after you buy them or receive them. Objects tend to retain the energetic impressions of the people, places, and situations around them.
Crystals in particular can retain the energy of a person or spirits quite strongly. They may even have a parasitic spirit holding on to them. This spirit can start to suck your energy the moment you start carrying the crystal with you.
Some crystals are safe to cleanse in water, while others aren’t for many reasons. If you get Selenite wet, for example, it will start to disintegrate. Malachite, on the other hand, can be toxic when in contact with hot water.
To cleanse a crystal with water, put them under the tap for a few minutes. The negativity of the crystal will go down the drain. Let them air dry. Never mix water with salt, it’s one or the other. Some crystals can get ruined with salt.
Avoid getting your crystals wet if they are part of a jewelry piece. Even if the crystal itself won’t get ruined, the piece of jewelry might.
Crystals That Are Safe to Cleanse With Water
- Clear Quartz
- Rose Quartz
- Amethyst
- Black Onyx
- Citrine
- Tiger’s Eye
- Aquamarine
- Ruby
- Sapphire
- Fluorite
- Blue Lace Agate
- Moonstone
- Carnelian
- Labradorite
Crystals to Never Get Wet
- Selenite
- Malachite
- Angelite
- Lepidolite
- Pyrite
- Rhodonite
- Sodalite
- Lapis Lazuli
How to Cleanse Your Crystals
Are there cleansing methods that don’t ruin any crystals? The answer is yes.
Take a bowl made of a natural material like clay or glass. Fill it with raw rice. If you use cooked rice, the moisture in the rice may ruin the crystal. Put your crystals inside the raw rice and leave overnight or for at least three hours.
Then, remove the crystal. It’s now cleansed and safe to use. Either throw away the rice or reuse it for other crystals you wish to cleanse. It’s not safe to eat, as it has absorbed the negativity present in your crystal.
Another safe way to cleanse your crystals is by burning cleansing herbs like Rosemary or Frankincense. You can burn them in a fire-safe dish and expose the crystals to the smoke. If you do this, remember to open a window so the negative energy present in the crystals you are cleansing can leave with the smoke.
Burn the herbs in a fire-safe dish as opposed to the bundles you may find in some metaphysical stores. Those are used for smudging, a spiritual practice from Native American nations. Smudging without being a member of these cultures is cultural appropriation.
Beware of Palo Santo and White Sage as well. Sure, using them is not a closed practice like smudging. However, some subspecies have been overharvested as a result of the commercial demand for them. These two herbs also have ties with Native American cultures that are not properly recognized and respected.
Charging and Setting an Intention
These two processes have overlaps between them. This is why we are discussing them together.
Some people will tell you you absolutely have to do this step. Personally, I do it only when I need to use the crystal for a particular intention.
First, pick your intention for the crystal and communicate it to it. You can do it by cleansing it and then speaking it out loud to it, or writing it on a piece of paper and placing the crystal on top of the piece of paper.
Next, take the crystal and do one of these:
- Expose it to sun or moonlight. Place them inside a clay or glass bowl full of water if they are safe to cleanse with water, or just put directly on your windowsill. It doesn’t matter if the sun or moonlight doesn’t shine directly on the crystals, its energy will find them.
- Bury them in the ground either overnight or for a few hours. This will infuse them with the energy of Mother Earth. Beware, some crystals like Tourmaline can disintegrate if left buried in the Earth for too long.
- Charge them with your energy. Sit down and get into a calm frame of mind. Then, blow on the crystals so they get to know your energy. Imagine white light coming from your chest area and seeing it extend to the crystal. Once it reaches the crystal, talk to it and ask it to do a task for you. You will hear a clear answer. Once you are done, imagine the light coming back to where it came from until it disappears. Do a grounding ritual and you’re all set.
Interacting With a Crystal
What do you do with your crystal after you’ve completed this process? How can you benefit from their energy? Here are just a few ways in which you can interact with your crystals:
- Carrying them with you or wearing them as jewelry: If you want to feel the energy of the crystal during the day, the best thing to do is to carry it with you. If you keep it in your purse or backpack, it will act on your belongings rather than on you. The best thing to do is keep them close to your body. You can put it in your pockets or inside your bra if you wear bras. You can also wear them as jewelry.
- Sleeping with them: Some crystals are great to interact with while you’re sleeping. Jade, for example, can help you have more vivid dreams. You can keep them by your bedside. You can also make a sachet by putting them in a cloth bag with some relaxing herbs like Lavender or Chamomile.
- Having a bath or a shower with them: If they can be cleaned with water, you can take them to the bath or shower with you. They will infuse the water with their energy. Try taking your morning shower with Citrine to see a boost of energy or a bath with Rose Quartz for beauty and self-love.
- Meditating with them: One of the most straightforward ways to get to know the energy of a crystal firsthand is meditating with it. Just hold it in your hands while you meditate or put the crystal on your body, especially over the chakra that the crystal influences. Observe any sensations in your body and any messages you get from meditating with the crystal.
- Keep them in your home: Some crystals are great to place in strategic places in your house. If you have a lot of social interactions that must go smoothly in an office or the living room, put Rose Quartz there. Keep crystals for relaxing in your bedroom. You can even do some research into Feng Shui and keep crystals related to wealth in the area of your house devoted to wealth, and so on. You’ll start to feel the benefits of this method over time, but it can be very effective if you’re willing to play the waiting game.
Great Crystals for Beginners
Great, now you’re ready to begin! However, you may be wondering about the properties of some crystals. Are there any crystals that are great for beginners in general?
Here’s a list of crystals that can be of great use to most people and their properties.
Clear Quartz: You can use Clear Quartz to direct as well as store any intentions and energy. It also gives you mental clarity and mental vigor. Keep it around you during the day and whenever you’re supposed to be up and about, as it’s very energizing. It can also play a key role in cleansing once the removal of negative energy has taken place. You can use it to attract positive energy to take the place of the negative energy that’s been removed. It can also be used to send messages to the spirit world. You can swap out any crystal with Clear Quartz, as it can easily mimic any intention you have for it.
Black Tourmaline: Black Tourmaline is one of the most versatile crystals out there. It can be used to remove any excesses of energy present in your body. Stress, pain, insomnia, and fever are all excesses of energy. Place Black Tourmaline on your forehead to get rid of a headache, and reduce fever or excessive thoughts. It is also very protective, as it absorbs any negativity near you or directed your way. It can be used to connect with your body during grounding rituals.
Rose Quartz: The crystal for self-love. It will teach you about universal love, starting with yourself. It will guide you to become kinder and more compassionate when you talk to yourself and others. Over time, your appearance will start to improve as it reflects how much you love yourself. It can also be used to have harmonious exchanges with the people around you.
Black Onyx: A deeply grounding and protective crystal, it will keep negativity at bay while also helping you connect to your body. It’s great for disorganized or scatter-brained people, as it will help them have a sense of order and manage their time better.
Amethyst: This is a crystal that knows when you need to rest and when you need to be active and is able to adjust your energy accordingly. It is great for the circadian cycle. It is also great for headaches and migraines. It can help you concentrate while you study. It is the stone of transformation and transmutation: it takes the energy that’s present in a person and turns it into something positive.
Moonstone: This is a great crystal to enhance your intuition. Meditating regularly can help you awaken your psychic powers and get to know them better. Placing them on your ovaries can help with period cramps if you have a uterus, as well as having more regular periods.
Green Aventurine: This crystal feels like a warm hug at the end of a long day. It is very comfortable and it supports you in your journey to healing from pain. It can also help you heal your relationship with receiving if you’re too much of a giver.
Blue Lace Agate: The best crystal for anxiety, nerves, and stress. It calms you down immediately whenever you’re feeling nervous and it can help you fall asleep. It can bring calm into any overactive area.
Selenite: This is a crystal that cleanses itself. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a good option for sleep, as it is very energizing. It has the ability to channel messages from other planes. It can be great to keep by your Tarot deck and other oracles to help you make more accurate predictions.
Chrysoprase: This is a truly underrated crystal. Chrysoprase can help you drive away fear and anxieties surrounding the outcome of a situation. It gives you the strength you need in your heart space to go through any challenges life has for you.
Aquamarine: Aquamarine acts like a gentle spirit guide that slowly doles out wisdom in ways you can understand. In the past, pirates used it as a sort of spiritual compass that would lead them to the best shore. Today, it can be a loyal companion during a spiritual awakening and times of change.
Carnelian: This is a very energizing crystal that has uplifting energy. It is great for reconnecting with joy, fun, and pleasure. It can help you be more creative and have a better performance in the bedroom, as well as be more fertile if that’s what you want. Carrying it around with you can make you magnetic.
Prehnite: This crystal is made up of Black Tourmaline and Green Aventurine. It will absorb any negativity that’s present in your heart and then help you heal from your wounds. It’s great if you’re angry and can’t seem to let go of that anger.
Final Thoughts
In short, after you’ve chosen your crystal, it’s important to cleanse, charge, set an intention, and then store it in a mindful way. There are several ways for you to interact with crystals, including meditating with them or taking baths and showers with them. Finally, we have drafted a guide full of crystals that are great for beginners.
What was your experience with crystals like? Have you tried any of our tips or the crystals we discuss? What other crystals have you tried? Tell us in the comments!
No Comments