Cleansing & Charging Your Crystals

By now you’ve been putting your crystal collection to good use (I hope you’ve been enjoying using the Metraton's Cube grid!). You’ve undoubtedly realized though, that these sweet little gemstones take on the harshest of vibes! Think of the amethyst you might keep under your pillow to rid yourself of restlessness, or the sunstone you’ve been carrying around to help pull yourself out of a funk.  Everything I explain below can be used to clean and clear your crystal jewelry as well.Have you considered a way to cleanse your crystals of these negative energies? Like everything that we value in our lives, these precious stones need our TLC.

Cleansing Your Crystals

Here are two of my favorite ways to cleanse your crystals:

AMETHYST CAVE

I know what you’re thinking, “sure, let me just run out to my backyard and hop in my crystal cave!” Although that would be fun, this type of cave is much more compact. An amethyst cave refers to a cathedral-shaped structure. Geodes and clusters will also work well for this. Just leave your crystals on the amethyst for 24-48 hours.

SMOKE & HERBS

A well-liked method for clearing crystals, I suggest exploring some plants and tools that are related to your ancestral lineage. Some examples of  smoke and herbs are:

• Lavender

• Mugwort

• Cedar

• Rosemary

If you want to learn how to make DIY herb sticks, check out this blog post.

Charging Your Crystals

Success! Your crystals are now super fresh and ready for charging. Charging is meant to keep your gemstones in tune with you and your personal uses for them. Try to charge them soon after cleansing them so they don’t pick up any of those bad vibes.Just like cleaning, there are several methods for charging your crystals but here are a few:

SUNLIGHT

Light, life, abundance, and vitality. Be careful not to keep your crystals in sunlight for too long as this can cause fading.

MOONLIGHT

Inward fulfillment. Crystals can be left outside under the moonlight for a few hours for charging.

WAXING MOON

If you are hoping to use your crystals for an intention focused on new beginnings then place them under the light of a waxing moon as it is moving towards a full moon.

WANING MOON

If you are looking to decrease something in your life, such as illness, place the crystals under a waning moon as it is moving away from a full moon.

I hope all of this talk about cleansing and charging has been helpful. I sure did learn a lot! There are as many methods of clearing crystals and charging them as there are people.

Please reply and share some of your tried and true personal favorites! For more ways to cleanse and charge your crystals, click here.

Activating Your Crystal Grid

You’ve set an intention and created a beautiful crystal grid, but now what? Activating your crystal grid is a great way to spend more time with it, reinforce your intention, and bring positive energy into it. We covered the basics of making a crystal grid for reaching your goals on the blog two weeks ago, and today I want to talk a bit about how to carry on with this practice.As a note, crystal wands are beautiful but they’re not a necessity for activating your grid. You can use a point crystal of your choice or even your hand.  

Three Ways to Activate Your Crystal Grid

With all three of these methods, it’s important to center yourself with a few deep breaths and focus your mind on your intention or goal for the crystal grid. You may want to repeat a mantra or visualization throughout the activation process to help reinforce your intention.

THE “CONNECT THE DOTS” METHOD

Start on the outer crystals of your grid with your crystal wand or a pointed crystal, and start drawing lines between the crystals, just like you’d do for a dot-to-dot drawing. Continue working your way closer to the center, drawing invisible lines between all of the crystals. Once you reach the center stone take a moment to close your eyes and imagine the energy of the stones uniting and connecting.

THE “CAKE CUT” METHOD

Starting on the outside of the crystal grid, circle your wand or pointed crystal around the grid in any direction that feels good to you. As you slowly circle the crystals' image, invisible lines of energy begin connecting them. Once you’ve finished this first step, place your wand on your center stone and slowly trace out on the rows of crystals, using the same motion you would cut a cake, until you’ve traced over all of them. Imagine the energy of the crystals uniting and radiating from the center stone.

THE “HAND” METHOD

Start by moving your hand above the stones in a circular motion. Imagine a ray of light connecting all of the crystal and traveling through them. Spend as much time as you’d like on this step, moving your hand over the crystals and visualizing the light. When you feel that the stones are connected, hold your hand over the center stone and feel all of the energy centralizing there.With all of these methods, take a moment to sit with your activation and fully experience and thank the universe for the energy to activate your crystal grid.If you're looking for a crystal grid to start with, download our Metraton's Cube crystal grid here.

2 Spring Equinox Rituals to Cleanse & Refresh

Have you ever been curious about how to celebrate the Spring Equinox, also called Ostara in the wheel of the year, or ever wondered what it is exactly? We’ve got explanations and two different ways that you can celebrate rituals for the Spring Equinox.The coming of Spring is marked by the Equinox - meaning “equal light.” The Spring Equinox, or the first day of Spring, occurs when the sun crosses the celestial equator from South to North. This special event happens every year on March 19th, 20th, or 21st. This year it is happening on March 20th. During this time, daylight and night are equal and balanced, right before tipping over to the side of light. Flowers are blooming, bees are buzzing, and birds are chirping…it’s officially SPRING!!Around the world, many different cultures hold celebrations for the Spring Equinox, and I want to share with you some of my personal favorites.

Yoga Mala Sun Salutations

More than a beaded bracelet, a yoga Mala is completed by doing a set of 108 sun salutations. It’s a great way to cleanse the mind, body, and spirit. Completing this could take as long as two hours (expect a lot of jump backs into Chaturanga), but you can always rest in downward facing dog or child’s pose. Sweaty as you may be, it’s a great way to cleanse and detoxify the body for a new season.

How to Get Involved

If you’re an experienced yoga practitioner you can set a time special time and place to do this on your own or with friends. If you’ve got a favorite local studio it’s likely that they’ll be offering something for Spring.

What to Know Before You Go

• Sign up ahead of time for this special event at your local studio.

• Come to class with an intention. An encouraging message will help you to push through.

• Be prepared to sweat! The room will naturally heat from all of the movement and breathwork of you and your fellow yogis. Bring a towel to place over your mat, or a hand towel to wipe off any excess moisture that might cause you to slip.

• Wear an inspirational piece of jewelry. I wear a hamsa hand around my neck that inevitably dangles in my face while I’m resting in downward facing dog reminding me “you’ve got this!”

Forest Bathing

Forest bathing is a Japanese tradition called “Shinrin-yoku,” or “taking in the forest atmosphere.” Unlike the vigor of a Mala, forest bathing is meant to be a calm, low-speed experience. As leaves begin to bud, and flowers begin to bloom, a forest bath is a perfect way to honor the arrival of Spring. You could do this by meditating in a lush green area, taking a hike, or even having a picnic.Not only are these ideas relaxing from a spiritual perspective, but there are actually scientific advantages behind these inspiring practices, too. Many trees give off organic compounds that decrease stress hormones and boost your immune system.

Additional Benefits Include:

• Decrease in anxiety, depression, and anger

• Increased cognitive function

• Reduced blood pressure

• Accelerated healing

• Increased ability to focus

• More energy and better sleep

Let me know if you’ve tried any of these in the past or have plans to create a new ritual this year. Happy Spring Equinox! Find more rituals for Ostara here.

Reaching Your Goals With Crystal Grids

I’m sure you’ve been working hard to stay focused on all those New Year goals you set intentions for in January. If you’re like me, you may need a little momentum after the buzz of the new year subsides. I’ve got some good news, not only are crystal grids beautiful but they’re also a great tool to help reach your goals.

Why crystals?

If you’re like me, you have a special place in your heart for these natural beauties. What makes crystals even more enchanting is that they often have a little piece of you in each one of them. Maybe you found a crystal on a memorable hike. Maybe you were just browsing your favorite online crystal shop when you spotted one that seemed to be calling your name (that definitely happened to me several times this week).

What do we love about using crystals?

Crystals are thought to be gifts from the Universe - even physical manifestations of your spiritual work. They come from the Earth. So, they are rooting. They connect our energy back to the Earth and the Earth back to us. Because of this energy, crystals can elevate our vibes: our intentions. Using multiple crystals has the potential to magnify the shared energy toward the desired intention.

Where do I start?

Follow your heart. Making a crystal grid can be as simple as setting up a crystal in each corner of a room in your home or placing a crystal on the corners of your yoga mat.Of course, there are varying degrees of crystal grid application. You might choose to place your crystals on an image that represents whatever goal you have your intentions set on. However, you could go another route and use a crystal grid that uses a sacred geometric pattern, acting like a map for the crystals you have selected. Here is a Metraton's Cube crystal grid you can print out and use as a template for laying out your crystals.

Whatever method you decide to go with - whether you grid strictly on intuition or you like to follow a predefined grid - remember to:

• Meditate on and set your intention

• Pick the crystals that you feel align best with your goal

• Place each crystal in its place with purpose

• Use a central crystal to harmonize the other crystals and your intention

If you feel like you are missing some basics, or even want to add something special to your collection, check out one of my favorite Etsy shops: The Lunar Fae. And be sure to check back here in the following weeks to learn more about charging and cleaning your crystals!