5 Ways To Clean Your Crystals & Set New Intentions For August

Not so long ago, the mention of crystals would send some folk running for the hills bellowing "New Age nonsense" in their trembling wake. Those reverberations have all but dimmed, and today it seems most people have either a) been to a crystal shop and tried to set up camp—me at Stick Stone & Bone, Christopher Street, New York, b) carry one around day-to-day, or c) have a smattering on their bedside table.

Who isn't attracted to gemstones, I ask you? Precious minerals uplift the heart, and their physical brightness is what we think of when we hear the word that literally launched a thousand ships: crystal.

A crystal is a solid body with a geometrically regular shape, created as the earth formed, continuing to metamorphose as the planet itself has changed. If you've been reading my work on mbg, you'll know I'm a fan of not just the moon and the stars, but also clusters of wild rocks, gemstones, and the earth from whence they came; miniature storehouses containing the records of the development of the planet over millions of years, and bearing the indelible memory of the powerful forces that shaped them.

The more you understand about crystals, the more effective, so to speak, they will be. Dedicating and programming your crystals helps them to work more efficiently—a rite of passage when working with Nature. As crystals are powerful beings in their entirety, they need to be approached with respect. Just like human beings, it is said that crystals have memories and the ability to attract, absorb, and transmute energy. And just like human beings, they can store positive or negative vibrations from being used or abused, environmental toxins, and physical contact.

In the same way we bathe in Epsom or Dead Sea salts to clear the proverbial cobwebs, crystals need TLC to function optimally. Doing this regularly enables your crystals to 'talk to you,' and to show you how you can use them to enhance your life and wellbeing.

Spiritual counselor Ariel Spilsbury, who collaborated with the late and great holistic therapist Michael Bryner, wrote: "Take a quantum leap into the fluidity of unfixed beliefs and expanding realities. By flexibly choosing to move into the unknown, a complete and marvelous reordering of your world awaits you!"

The landscape of our celestial firmament right now is an auspicious time if ever there was one, to perform one of the following cleansing crystal rituals. Truly, these are stones for the Ages.

5 Ways To Clean Your Crystals

1) You can hold a crystal over (but not touching) the flame of a candle—obviously you know that a candle should never be left unattended.

2) You can smudge them with Native American herb bundles containing sage.

3) You can hold them under running water, or place them in a bowl of water to which you can add two drops of Bach Crab Apple Remedy for cleansing.

4) You can take them into the sea with you (my favorite) or make up your own little piece of the ocean with sea salt and water in a bowl.

5) You can place them directly in the sunlight or moonlight.

Setting Intentions

Dedicate your crystal—hold it in both hands and ask that it is purely for your highest good. If you want to use it for a specific purpose, hold it and say, "I attune this crystal for healing" or whatever you need help with—calming your thoughts, bringing clarity, assisting in study, dream recall.

The possibilities are absolutely endless. Breathe, repeat, and open your heart chakra all year long.

by Kayla Jacobs, mbg Beauty & Style Editor

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-26062/5-ways-to-clean-your-crystals-set-new-intentions-for-august.html