Cleansing & Charging Your Crystals With Magic Full Moon Energy
If you want to know how to charge your crystals and keep them working for you in your healing sessions, moon rituals, and spellwork, you’ve landed in the right place. You might have heard that cleansing and charging crystals on a full moon is the best way to do this, and we’ll delve into this very shortly.
Crystals are magical little pieces of the earth that we carry around our necks or decorate our altars and homes with. They possess such potent power and can help us manifest our deepest desires, protect us from negative energy, and even make us fall deeper in love with ourselves. But if you want to gain the most from your crystals, then it’s essential to take great care of them like you would take care of anything else.
Why is cleansing and charging crystals important?
When you purchase a new crystal, you don’t know whose hands it has been in before it reached yours. You don’t know anything about their energy or intentions and whether these are aligned with your own. And every time you use your crystals in a spell jar, ritual, or healing session, they accumulate energy.
Some of that energy might be positive, but some of it might be negative, too. And working with crystals that are full of negative vibrations will have an impact on any of your future intentions.
So, if you want your crystals to be as effective as possible, and help you manifest your intentions, then you’ve got to cleanse them regularly. And it’s definitely worth cleansing any new crystals you bring into your life.
Cleansing and charging are terms that are often used interchangeably regarding crystals. But cleansing means clearing away all the energy from the crystals while charging means filling it with good juju that aligns with your intentions.
It’s about a physical & energetic cleanse
Taking a shower or a blissful bath leaves your body clean in a physical sense. But energetically? You might still be feeling kinda funky. So if you want an energetic cleanse, you might meditate or smudge yourself.
Crystals are no different from us humans (well, at least in terms of cleansing!). They need cleansing on all levels. And the harder they’ve been working, the more they’ll need cleansing.
Cleansing means making your crystals physically clean on the surface but also cleaning them from an energetic sense and clearing out what we can’t see.
7 Ways to charge crystals
Cleansing and charging crystals under a full moon is one of many ways to charge your crystals. But the running theme when cleansing and charging crystals is to incorporate nature and one of the four elements (air, water, earth, fire).
Here are some of the best ways to charge crystals. Trust your intuition as you read through this list. Do what feels right for you. There is no right or wrong way when it comes to witchy work like this.
Moonlight
Moonlight has become one of the most popular ways to charge crystals. Leave your crystals out overnight underneath the moon and let her work her magic.
What moon phase do you charge crystals?
The full moon phase is ideal because this is when there will be the most moonlight available to you. But the waxing and waning moon phases can also work.
Is it good to charge crystals on a full moon?
Yes! The full moon phase is the most high-energy, illuminating, expansive phase of the lunar cycle, and your crystals will benefit from this divine feminine vibration.
Sunlight
Instead of cleansing and charging crystals at night on a full moon, some people prefer to charge them during the day in the sun. A few hours is plenty.
If you live somewhere with particularly bright, intense sunshine (close to the equator), then keep an eye on your crystals to ensure they don’t start to fade. This is why moonlight is often preferred because it’s a much softer reflection of sunlight.
Water
There are lots of ways to soak and cleanse your crystals in water, but before you do, make sure your crystals are suitable for being submerged. Not all crystals are, and some will be damaged by water, so check before throwing them into a bowl of water or leaving them out in the rain!
If you are going to soak your crystals, use ocean water, or add some sea salt to a bowl of warm water. You could also use moon water. To do this, leave a bowl of water out on a window ledge overnight during a full moon. Voila, you just made moon water!
Soak your crystals for around 20 minutes in your chosen form of water.
Smudging
Smudging isn’t just great for cleansing yourself or your sacred space; it’s also great for cleansing crystals.
Burn some incense or herbs (garden sage, palo santo, lavender) of your choice and hold your crystals over the smoke one by one, giving each one a minute or so.
Sound
You know how you might go and do a sound bath meditation to reset and uplift your energy? Well, sound can do this for your crystal’s energy too. If you don’t have a singing bowl, you can always play a sound meditation from an app or youtube.
Earth
Another way of charging crystals is to bury them in the earth. This is because crystals are made from the earth, and the ground offers lovely healing energy. You can bury them for a night or two or a whole moon cycle; it’s up to you. You don’t need to dig a big hole; a small shallow area is perfect. Pop a little stick or some kind of a flag for yourself so that you know where to return to.
Make sure you don’t bury any that don’t do well with water as they may get damaged.
Visualization
And last but not least is the simplest of all ways for charging your crystals. Hold your crystal in your hands and visualize a bright white light flooding your crystal and washing over it. At the same time, imagine this white light cleansing it and recharging it with positive, aligned vibrations.
How to charge your crystals on a full moon
Because cleansing and charging crystals on a full moon is one of the most (if not the most) popular ways to cleanse and re-energize crystals, I’m going to walk you through the simple steps to do this at home.
1. Check the moon cycle
I use timeanddate.com to check what moon phase I’m currently in and plan ahead for new and full moon rituals. If you know you want to charge your crystals sooner rather than later, check to see when the next full moon is in your part of the world (it’s different for different hemispheres).
If you also plan on doing a full moon ritual on the full moon, then plan to charge your crystals the night before the full moon so that you’ve got a bunch of clean crystals radiating positive energy to work with.
2. Gather and arrange your crystals outside
First, gather all your crystals and a crystal grid or cloth (a scarf will work) and go outside. Lay out your piece of fabric on a natural surface, like grass or earth, but on a window ledge or balcony is fine too. Arrange your crystals however feels right to you. Take your time doing this.
3. Leave your crystals charging overnight
When you’re happy with your arrangement, leave your crystals charging overnight under the full moonlight. If you’re in a rush or it’s not safe to leave your crystals overnight, just leave them as long as you possibly can.
4. Set your intentions
Mamma moon will work her magic in charging your crystals, but it’s equally important that you charge your crystals with your own intentions.
So take some time to think about where you want to focus your energy. Is there a particular project you’re working on that you’d like to complete? Do you need extra help and support in a specific area of your life?
You can also use the zodiac to guide you. For example, if it’s a full moon in Cancer, perhaps you want to pay more attention to your home and self-care. If it’s a full moon in Scorpio, you might ask for extra courage to face your shadows and innermost feelings.
Repeat your intentions to yourself, speak them out loud, or write them down. You might want to take a full moon bath and meditate on them while you’re soaking in the tub.
5. Practice gratitude
The final step of charging your crystals is to be grateful for them and the energy that runs through them. Think about all the rituals, healing, and protection your crystals have already helped you with.
Carve out some stillness and give thanks for all the wonderful things in your life today. We all have challenges and battles we’re facing and growing through, but when you look for the good and focus on it, the Universe will send more of it your way.
Abundance begins with appreciation.
Extra tips for cleansing & charging crystals during a full moon
How to keep crystals safe when cleansing & charging at full moon
If you’re worried about rain damaging them, you can pop them in a transparent container. And if you’re worried about a stray animal damaging them, place them up somewhere out of reach like a balcony or window ledge.
How often should you charge your crystals?
As often as you like! It really depends on how much you use them. If you work with your crystals most days, you’ll want to clean them more often than if you only work with them once a moon.
Certain stones like black tourmaline and obsidian are often used in spells and rituals for protection and to clear away negative energy and spirits. This means they will typically soak up more bad vibes than many other stones and benefit greatly from a more frequent cleanse and charge. Similarly, the crystals you love and use most will also have accumulated a lot of energy.
What if clouds are blocking the moonlight?
It’s not the end of the world if it’s a cloudy night because the moon is still there, and her rays shine through the clouds the same way the sun’s rays do. Your crystals will still be charging even if you can’t see the moon.
Where should you keep your crystals once they’re charged?
You might want to place your crystals on your altar, around your home, or in a soft fabric pouch to protect them when they’re not in use. This will prevent dust from building up.
Let your intuition guide you when cleansing & charging your crystals
Now that you know how to charge your crystals the right way, all that’s left to do is enjoy working and manifesting magic with them.
Remember, if charging your crystals overnight under the full moon doesn’t appeal to you, or the energy doesn’t feel right, use one of the alternative methods in this list.
As women, we are inexplicably connected to the moon because our menstrual cycle mirrors her cycle. This is why we are naturally drawn to the lunar cycle, moon rituals, and living in flow with her. But if you don’t feel this connection, that’s okay. Choose what feels aligned for you in the moment. And know that this may change with time.
What’s your favorite way to charge your crystals? Tell me in the comments below!