What Should You Do With a New Healing Crystal?

Step 1: Learn About Your Crystal’s Basic Properties

A crystal’s properties affect its healing abilities, how it can be cleansed, where it can be stored, and much more. So, it’s important to do some research before using a new stone.

The hardness of a crystal, for example, may affect whether you can cleanse it with water. A stone’s transparency and inclusions also determine whether it will fade in sunlight.

Additionally, I find that knowing where a crystal came from and how it was formed allows me to develop a deeper connection. This is important for improving a crystal’s healing effect.

Fortunately, the internet has made it easy to find out everything you need to know about a crystal. Here are a few key points to research:

• The crystal’s rating on the Mohs Hardness Scale and whether it’s water safe. As a general rule, stones below six on the scale should not be cleansed in water (although there are exceptions). You also shouldn’t store stones of different ratings together, as this can lead to scratches or chips.
• Whether the crystal is safe to put in sunlight. Some crystals fade or crack in sunlight, making it important to avoid this cleansing method.
• Which healing intentions the crystal is naturally aligned with. All crystals have a unique frequency that’s aligned with certain intentions, making them more effective for these purposes.
• How the crystal was formed. Knowing about the history of a crystal allows you to develop a stronger bond.

Tip: This guide is for people who have already acquired a new crystal – but what if you’re not sure which to choose? Take a look at my guide to choosing a new stone.

Step 2: Cleanse Your New Crystal

Crystals absorb energy from their surroundings. As your stone probably had a long journey, it will have been exposed to a variety of negative energies that it may have absorbed.

For this reason, cleansing a new crystal is essential before using it for healing.

There are many ways to cleanse a crystal. Some cleansing methods take a few minutes, while others can take days or even weeks. My favourite methods include:

• Running water. Water can remove negative energy that’s stored inside your new crystal by grounding it back to earth. I like to use natural water sources, such as a stream, but a running tap will also work. Keep in mind that softer stones are not suitable for water cleansing.
• Smudging. Smudging uses the smoke of herbs to remove negative energy from a crystal. It’s a gentle method that has the bonus of cleansing the room of negativity.
• Salt. Salt has a purifying effect that can absorb negative energy from a healing crystal. Burying a crystal in pink Himalayan salt and leaving it for a few hours, for example, will remove all negativity from the stone. As with running water, not all stones are suitable for salt cleansing.
• Moonlight. Placing your stone in moonlight is an easy way to cleanse it. It’s best to put the crystal on a natural surface for this cleansing method, although if it’s going to rain you can use a windowsill that gets direct moonlight.
• Selenite. Selenite has a fine vibration that can remove negative energy from other crystals. Place your new crystal on a selenite slab or inside a selenite cleansing bowl to benefit from selenite’s cleansing properties. For more information, read my guide to cleansing with selenite.

As running water and salt can damage some types of crystal, I recommend moonlight or smudging for a new stone if you’re not sure which methods are safe.

Want to learn more about cleaning crystals? Read my in-depth guide to cleansing a healing crystal.

Step 3: Charge Your New Crystal

Cleansing gets rid of negative energy that may have accumulated inside a crystal – but it may not restore the stone’s positive energy.

For that, you need to charge the crystal.

Charging returns a crystal to its original vibration and recharges it with positive energy. All new crystals should be charged, but you’ll also need to periodically recharge most crystals in your collection – especially after a healing session.

Using Visualisations to Charge a Crystal

There are many ways to charge a crystal, but visualisation is a great option for a new crystal.

It’s a quick method that you can perform anywhere, making it perfect for when you want to prepare a crystal for healing.

Here’s a step-by-step process for using visualisations to charge a new crystal:

1. Start by holding the crystal. If the crystal is too large to comfortably hold, then place your hands either side with a small gap.
2. Visualise a bright white light from the sky that’s entering your Crown Chakra. Imagine that this light continues through your body into your Heart Chakra.
3. It may help to imagine that your in-breath is synchronised with the light coming down.
4. Next, visualise this light radiating throughout your body, into your hands, and out into the crystal to charge it.
5. Continue the visualisation until your intuition tells you that the crystal is charged.

Tip: Visualisation is just one method to charge a healing crystal. There are many others, including moonlight, sound, salt, sunlight, and incense. Click here to read my guide to crystal charging.

Step 4: Program the Crystal With a Specific Intention

After cleansing and charging, your new crystal is ready to use for crystal healing. But to gain the most benefit, you need to program the stone with your specific intention.

Programming focuses the crystal’s healing energy on the goal or intention you’re trying to achieve. The process makes the crystal more effective, as it allows you to harness the stone’s full power for your chosen intention.

I also think it’s important to spend time with a new crystal once it’s been cleansed and charged. Sit with the stone and get comfortable with its its energy and frequency of vibration, so you can develop a deep connection.

Step 5: Store Your Crystal Correctly

Cleansing, charging, and using a new healing crystal are exciting tasks – but don’t overlook storing the stone safely!

There are many ways that a crystal can be damaged. It could fade in sunlight, partially dissolve in water, rust (if it has metal inclusions), get scratched by harder stones, or absorb negative energy from its surroundings.

This is why it’s essential to understand your new crystal’s properties. Unless you know how your stone reacts to water, sunlight, and other potential dangers, you won’t know how to store it correctly.

Tips for Storing Your Crystals

If you want to keep your stone on display, make sure you take into account whether the crystal is likely to get wet or exposed to direct sunlight.

Many people display their crystal on a windowsill, only to be disappointed when it quickly fades. You should also be careful of putting your crystal near a bath, basin, or other water source.

Not all crystals are suitable for displaying . For those that need to be stored, I like to use wooden boxes rather than containers made from artificial materials.

Wrapping delicate crystals in a natural fabric can also provide extra protection. Silk or leather are great choices, as they can block negative energies.

For more tips, take a look at my guide to storing healing crystals.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Use My Crystal for Healing?

How you use a crystal varies depending on the size, type, and desired intention. Here are a few examples:

• Meditate with your crystal while bringing your focus to a specific intention.
• Place your crystal in an area of the home that supports a desired intention.
• Carry your crystal with you throughout the day to gain from its healing energy.
• You can also wear crystal jewellery, such as earrings or necklaces. Try to choose a jewellery type that places the crystal near an associated Chakra.
• If you have multiple stones, consider using a crystal grid to amplify their healing energy.

Summary

Getting a new crystal is always exciting, but don’t start using it for healing immediately.

Instead, take time to understand your stone, cleanse it of negative energy, and restore its healing power. You can then program the stone for your specific intention and start using it.

Do you have any questions about what to do with a new healing crystal? Please let me know in the comments section below.