Crystals can bring such joy and enhance anyone's life.  Anyone regardelss of class, race, sex, age etc can benefit from the soft energies that crystals bring us.  The important think is to learn to properly handle your crystals.  This means, caring for them when not in use, cleasing them regularly and programming them with your intent!

There are several different methods for Cleansing crystals. I have mainly gotten my methods from reading Scott Cunningham's Book- Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem and Metal Magick, a great book for someone starting out with crystal magic. This book is a must-have for any reference shelf! As usual - Scott Cunningham's writing is easy to understand and his examples are based on real every-day applications rather than esoteric theory.

Here are a few cleansing methods that I prefer:

• Bury the stone in the earth for a period of 2-72 hours - depending on how the vibrations are once you pick them up.
• Let the stones sit outside, exposed to sunlight for one full day (sun up to sun down) or let them be exposed to moonlight for one full night (from sun down to sun up). Make sure you use one or the other - these methods are not generally combined.
• Let the stone sit in a pouch in running water (a nearby stream or river) or let it soak under running tap water (as a last resort).
• Some say you can also bury your stones in salt - I have yet to try this method.
• Soak the stones in salt water for 24-47 hours. DO NOT use this method for calcites or any soft-stones.
• You can also use a sage smudge stick and pass the stones through the smoke.
  

Remember! Stones have a great capacity to to channel and store energy - this is why you must cleanse the stones before using them. Never use stones before cleansing as you do not know what was stored in them previously! If you use your stones for healing - it is highly recommended that you cleanse your stones between healings.

Once stones are cleansed, you can program them for whichever use you wish. The important thing to remember is intent - make your intent clear, and concise in your mind and focus on infusing the stone with your intent.  You will know right away if the stone took your programming or not.  If the energies do not feel right to you, you can repeat the process and think about what you are asking - are you asking something that this stone is capable of doing? Re-think your request and try again.  The key to programming stones is infusing them with your purpose - but that purpose also has to be in line with what the stone natural energies are.

Other good books on crystal magic are:

• Healing with Gemstones and Crystals By Diane Stein - this is an excellent book with detailed descriptions on the properties of each stone.
• The Crystal Bible - A Definitive Guide to Crystals By Judy Hall - one of the best books I have on my shelf - this is a full color guide, with pictures of stones tumbled and rough. This book is great for identifying stones.
• Crystal Enchantments - A Complete Guide to Stones and their Magical Properties By D. J. Conway - I am huge fan of this writer but this is not one of her better books in my opinion. Still - the information is good but the format is a bit hard to follow.
  

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