How to Charge Crystals and Stones for Healing

By Mary Ancillette |

How to charge a crystal

A crystal’s energy can become depleted over time, making it less effective for crystal healing. Here are my favourite ways to charge a crystal and restore its original vibrational state.

Why Do Crystals Need Charging?

Crystals emit a positive and uplifting energy. Absorbing this energy raises our vibration, which helps our physical, mental, and emotional wellness.

Most crystals don’t have unlimited energy though. Once a crystal’s energy has been used up, its positive vibrations will be temporarily restricted. It may even become less effective for crystal healing.

Charging can reconnect a crystal to its original frequency, so it’s ready to be used again. I’ve listed eight of my favourite charging methods below.

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What’s the Difference Between Charging, Cleansing, and Programming a Crystal?

There’s often confusion about the difference between cleansing and charging a crystal. While the two processes can be similar, they have different purposes.

  • Cleansing – Cleansing a healing crystal removes stagnant or negative energy. It’s particularly important before charging a crystal, or if you’re using a crystal for the first time.
  • Charging – Charging returns a crystal to its original energetic frequency and healing power. If your crystal is starting to feel dull or ineffective, then it’s time to charge it.
  • Programming – Once charged, you can program a crystal for an intention or desired outcome.

You’ll need to cleanse a crystal before you charge it. Once charged, the crystal is then ready to be programmed with a specific intention.

Note: While cleansing and charging are not the same, some of the methods are similar. Click here to read my guide to cleansing crystals, including methods using saltwater, smudging, running water, and Himalayan salt.

8 Methods for Charging Crystals

All crystals and stones can benefit from being charged. As always, you should trust your intuition when judging if a crystal needs to be recharged, then select an appropriate method from the eight below. 

How to Charge Crystals With Sound

Example of a crystal singing bowl

Sound is a lovely way to charge a crystal, as the waves of vibration can restore a crystal to its unique natural state. This method works for all types of stone, and can even charge your entire collection at the same time.

You can use anything that creates a sound frequency. Bells, chanting, and tuning forks are all great examples. But my favourite is singing bowls (either Tibetan or crystal,) as they generate a rich tone that’s perfect for charging a crystal.

To charge with sound, play a single note loudly so that it penetrates the whole crystal. This will re-tune your crystal and bring it back to its original frequency. Do this until you intuitively feel it’s time to stop.  

Any pitch or tone can charge a crystal. But you can deepen the effect by using a note that resonates with a stone’s associated Chakra. Here are the notes linked to the seven main Chakras: 

  • Root Chakra – C
  • Sacral Chakra – D
  • Solar Plexus – E
  • Heart Chakra – F
  • Throat Chakra – G
  • Third Eye – A
  • Crown Chakra – B

Tuning forks or singing bowls are tuned to the musical scale A – G, which makes this very easy. 

How to Charge Crystals With Moonlight

The moon’s nurturing light is perfect for charging your crystal. It has a soft energy that requires an entire night to charge a crystal, but the light is gentle enough for all types of stone.

For this method, place the stone outside on the earth or on a natural material. This keeps it grounded while it bathes in the lunar energy. If your crystal isn’t suitable to get wet, you could leave it on a window sill or under a glass bowl. 

The lunar energy is strongest during the full and new moon, so these are the best times to recharge a crystal. Don’t worry if there is cloud cover, as the energy will still reach your crystal.

Tip: You can also experiment with using different phases of the moon for specific crystals. Black obsidian, for example, responds well to the new moon, while selenite prefers the full moon. 

How to Charge Crystals With Sunlight

A crystal in sunlight

Sunlight’s energising properties make it a powerful way to charge crystals. While this method is faster than using moonlight, it’s not suitable for stones that fade in direct sunlight.

To recharge a crystal with sunlight, place it outside or on a window sill. Ideally, the crystal should be placed on a natural material to remain grounded, and be left for up to two hours.

The sun is less intense in the early morning or late afternoon, so I prefer to charge my crystals at these times. Don’t worry if there’s cloud cover, as the sun’s energy will still charge your stone.

While this method works throughout the year, the sun’s energy is more heavily charged during the summer and winter solstices, along with the spring and autumn equinoxes.

Note: Not all stones can tolerate sunlight, as they may fade or become brittle. If you’re unsure how your crystal will react, use moonlight or one of the other methods for charging your crystal.

How to Charge Crystals With Salt

Sea salt is commonly used for charging crystals. This is a simple method that’s great for recharging a small number of stones.

To use this method, simply fill a bowl with sea salt, then place the crystal inside. Leave the bowl overnight to ensure it’s fully recharged. 

Tip: Check if your crystal is suitable before using this method. Softer stones, or crystals that contain trace metals, don’t tolerate salt. If you’re unsure, use one of the other methods on this list.

How to Charge Crystals With Touch

If you’re in a rush, then using your own energy field is one of the fastest ways to charge a crystal. 

To recharge a crystal using touch, rub it between your hands so it starts to get warm. This transmits your body’s energy into the crystal and helps it to recharge.

You can intensify the effect by focusing on an intention while rubbing the crystal. Once you sense the energy is increasing, blow several short puffs across its surface.

How to Charge Crystals With Incense

Charging with incense

Incense is a traditional method used by shamans for charging crystals. It’s a great alternative if your stone isn’t suitable for sunlight or getting wet.

Hold the crystal with your finger tips and pass it through the smoke to charge it. Do this until you intuitively feel it’s been replenished. You can also use a feather to waft the smoke over and around the crystal for around 60 seconds.

How to Charge Crystals in Plants or Soil

Crystals love to be in contact with the earth. This makes recharging with soil a lovely method, although it’s the slowest option on this list.

To reset a crystal’s energy, bury it in soil so it can fully engage with the earth’s natural frequency. It’s best to do this in a glass jar, so your crystals don’t get separated or lost. Leave the crystal there for up to a week – and make sure you mark where you buried it!

If you don’t have access to a garden, you can also do this in a flower pot. Nestle the crystals around the roots of a plant, being careful not to damage them. 

Note: Crystals that are associated with the element of earth particularly enjoy being charged this way.

How to Charge Crystals Using a Visualisation

Visualisations are powerful and make a wonderful method for charging a crystal. 

Hold the crystal and, using your Third Eye, ‘see’ a bright white light come down from above into your Crown Chakra. Let it continue down and settle into your Heart Chakra. You can synchronise bringing the light down with your in-breath to aid this.

Once there, allow this Divine light to flood throughout your body. Let it radiate out of your hands and into the crystal to charge it. Again, you can use your breath to help push the light towards and into the crystal.

If you aren’t able to hold the crystal, such as with a large amethyst cluster, you can place your hands either side of it (about 2-3cm away.) Visualise the white light radiating out from your hands into the stone. Let your intuition guide you as to when the crystal is fully charged.

This is a fabulous method when you need to charge a crystal in a hurry. And it can be performed almost anywhere.

How to Charge Crystals with Other Crystals

Some crystals have the ability to charge other crystals. Here are some of my favourite examples:

  • Selenite – selenite is my favourite stone to use for charging a crystal. With its powerful light properties, it can restore a crystal to its original vibration. I use a selenite charging bar or slab, as this allows the crystal to maintain physical contact with selenite’s charging energy.
  • Quartz – clear quartz is a great crystal for charging other stones. It has a high vibration and can raise the energy of other crystals to their highest frequency. You can either place the stone to be charged in a quartz geode, or sit it on a large crystal cluster or generator.
  • Tibetan Quartz – crystals from the Himalayas are often terminated, making them ideal for charging other stones. Surround the stone that needs charging with four Tibetan quartz crystals. Have their points face inwards to focus the effect.

How Long Should I Charge a Crystal For?

How long you charge a crystal depends on the method you choose. Moonlight, which has a soft energy, will need the whole night to charge a crystal. In contrast, highly energetic sunlight only takes 30 minutes to two hours.

If you’re looking for a quicker method to restore a crystal’s healing properties, then incense, sound, or touch and intention can take just a few minutes. 

How to Program a Crystals for a Specific Intention

After cleansing and charging a healing crystal, the next step is to program it with a specific intention. Programming guides the stone towards the healing effect you want to achieve, which makes it more effective.

Keep in mind that the Universe won’t always assist in the same way that you imagine solving a problem. So, be open minded, and always finish your programming with the words ‘For the Highest Good.’

A Simple Method for Programming a Crystal:

  1. Choose a crystal that’s aligned with your intention. If you aren’t sure which best suits your purpose, then clear quartz is a useful stone as it can be programmed for any use.
  2. Once you’ve cleansed and charged your crystal, ensure you have a peaceful environment with no distractions. 
  3. Hold the crystal and ask the Angels to guide you. Say ‘I program this crystal for… (fill in with your intention).’ Make sure you’re clear and concise, and always finish with the words ‘for the highest good.’ Imagine your intention being absorbed into the crystal as you speak the words.
  4. Repeat the programming three times, as this helps to build the desired energy. 
  5. Thank the crystal. It’s now ready for use.

Tip: I like to program gemstones during my meditation, where I can sit and connect with the crystal’s energy. This makes the process feel more respectful. If you wish, you can place your crystal on its corresponding chakra as you meditate.

Summary

We charge a crystal to return it to its original healing energy state. This allows the crystal to resonate at its highest frequency and continue working effectively.

There’s no “best” method for crystal recharging, but my two favourites are sound or moonlight. Touch and visualisation are also useful when you’re in a hurry.

Mary Ancillette

About the Author: Mary Ancillette

Mary is a spiritual teacher, published author and crystal healing expert from the UK. With over 15 years of crystal healing experience, she’s passionate about helping others improve their lives by harnessing the power of crystals and spirituality.

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