Introduction

With this guide I hope to introduce you to some of the basic points to consider when purchasing, and then working with healing crystals and stones.
In part 1 I looked at some basic history and choosing a crystal, and in this part I will go on to give some hints and tips about cleansing and then charging them.

Cleansing

When you bring your crystal home or after tearing off the packaging after the postman has delivered it, you need to cleanse it of all the energies it has accumulated on it's way to you.  During it's journey from the mine where it was "birthed" to where you are sitting with it right now, it will have been touched by many people and so you need to get rid of what they have imprinted on it.  There are LOADS of different ways to cleanse your crystals, and you just have to work through them all until you find one which suits you best.  Some of the most common are listed below :

• Wash under running water - tap or stream
• Leave in sunlight/moonlight for 12-24 hours
• Bury in earth for 24 hours - even a small pot will do
• Place on large crystal cluster for 12-24 hours

Before you use a method involving water or earth then please make sure that your crystal/healing stone isn't porous as it will be damaged, so double check beforehand.

Charging

So now that your crystal is nicely cleansed and ready for action, what do you do now?  Well you now need to charge it - this means "instructing" the stone to do what you require of it, and you especially need to do this part if you are working with clear quartz.  Healing stones which have a particluar healing property just need to be reminded of what it is that they will be doing, and it is very handy to do this if you will be giving it to a loved one.  Clear quartz is like a blank piece of paper which needs someone to come along and write on what is needed, so you have to tell it exactly what you want.

Getting started

You need to find a comfortable and quiet place where you won't be disturbed, so that you can connect with the energies within the crystal.  Using your dominant hand - the one you naturally write with - hold the crystal and breathe slowly and deeply, feeling the crystal within your hand and focusing upon how you want it to help you.  If you find it easier to say it out loud then do so, and talk to it!  In the beginning you may feel a little silly doing this but as you progress, you will become more and more used to it and may also find yourself meditating whilst charging them.  Please make sure that no little fingers can grab hold of your crystals after you have cleansed and charged them, otherwise you will need to do it all over again.  Place each one in a seperate small pouch or box and keep them in a place where they can't be handled by others, and ask that no-one touch them or hide them if you don't feel comfortable disclosing what you are doing.