Charging crystals, and cleansing

[WiccanWitch]

So being the full moon I'm putting my crystals out to charge. My newest is my rose wand with Quartz and also a tiger eye necklace and a super 7.

Turns out I don't know where to charge. My house is situated in such a way that no window will give a good exposure to the moon for more than a few hours and I just woke up so they will probably get 1 hour from that at best. The rest of the house has very little "glass" pointing in the direction of the setting moon.

Will I still be able to amply charge my crystals? Only way to get full benefit would be outside and I fear loss or damage to my wand etc.

Also someone mentioned to me the crystals get "dirty" not so much literally but collecting bad energy as it protects me. In Particular the super 7 worn near my heart chakra.

What are crystal friendly safe methods of cleansing this?

[Ethereal Moon Rose]

I put my crystals in a dish and put them outside in the open and they don't get damaged (still warm here and no rain) I reckon you should let yours charge even if only for an hour.

You could put your super 7 in salt overnight. But you will need to wash it with water afterwards and discard the used salt. I'm not familiar with a super 7 so make sure it will be ok in salt before you do it

[Ivy]

Oh please don't use salt to cleanse any crystals you will most probably damage it and lose the machined sheen and polish. Salt is hygroscopic and will eat its way into any tiny speck of a fissure or crack and cause problems.

Crystals don't need 'charging' but if you want to then put them in the moonlight for a while, I understand putting htem outside is too much of a risk, so don't, keep them inside with you, draw down the Moon's energy and use that

[evil ed]

I have never had any trouble using salt (rock or table) for cleansing. My favorite method is to use a dish of salt, with the tip of the stone just poking above the salt, then leaving out under the full moon. this can be a problem for some minerals/crystals (pyrite, native copper, native silver are good examples), this is not a problem for most quartz and agates (silicates).
One example of a quartz where this might be a problem is super 7. check your crystal, as long as the cacoxenite (the golden inclusions are not in contact with the surface, you will be OK. If they are on the surface, the salt may react with it. This also goes for rutile in rutilated quartz.

[Ethereal Moon Rose]

I've never had any trouble with salt either. *shrugs*

Just googled super 7, wow, very pretty!

[WiccanWitch]

Super 7 is awesome. Multiple stones in one with all kinds of healing vibrations and energy hence why it's my preferred stone to wear.

[WiccanWitch]

Each super 7 is very unique because of the blend of stones. This is mine.

[Becks]

That's lovely. So, it's a natural not man-made stone?

[Ethereal Moon Rose]

Beautiful.

[WiccanWitch]

Yes I believe so. It is mostly various types of Quartz. Amethyst, smokey Quartz, and others I can't remember the name of. The ones I've seen look kind of like amethyst and that's what I thought it was at first. It is said to vibrate with the energy of all 7 stones even if they're not all 7 present in a given piece. However that works.

[WiccanWitch]

http://www.crystalsrocksandgems.com/Hea ... tones.html

[evil ed]

That's lovely. So, it's a natural not man-made stone?

Oh yeah it's natural!
IIRC (gets harder as I get older......) the others are cacoxenite, rutile. citrine, and lepidochrosite. Another crystal that may be present are small tabular red crystal inclusions of red hematite. A second cousin to Super 7 came on the market 15 - 20 years ago. It had amethyst (sometimes), lepidochrosite, and tabular hematite in clear quartz, It went under the trade name "beetle leg quartz" because of the appearance the lepidochrosite crystals gave it!

I have heard the story about having the energy of all seven crystals/minerals. This is a matter of opinion and may be used to sell stones that do not show all seven. As with all stones, the best scenario is to be able to hold and interact with the stone before having to part with your money. It may show all seven, and not be the one for you, or it may only show 3 or 4, and have so much energy for you that you can't help but feel it!

However you feel about the metaphysical abilities of Super 7, one fact remains.
It's beautiful stuff!

E.E.

[Becks]

Oh that's so great! Thanks for the explanation Resident Rock Hound! You're the best! I'll have to google the beetle leg Quartz.

[SirisDerp]

From my understanding, you can charge crystals beneath the sun AND moon. Both energies have different benefits.

As for cleansing, salt is the go to but I don't recommend it. It may not present immediate problems but if your crystal's hardness is on the lower scale, over time it can erode. It's very stone dependent so it's up to you. If you wish to cleanse, the safest way to go about it is to stick it with some selenite. Selenite is a self cleansing stone that also cleanses those around it.

As for charging beneath the sun, some may not be a good idea to leave out there. For example, amethyst can lose its colour over time. It's best to look up each individual stone to find different methods for each one. Their hardness level can affect their needs.

[evil ed]

Salt (halite, NaCl) has a hardness of 2-2.5. Scratching/abrading for most stones should not be an issue. Quartz and agate have a hardness of 7, topaz and beryl (aquamarine and emerald) have a hardness of 8. Malachite and azurite, which is fairly soft, have a hardness of 4. One that should avoid the salt bath is selenite (it's self cleansing anyway), which has a hardness of 2.
The use of sunlight to cleanse/charge is a point well taken. Amethyst WILL fade with prolonged UV exposure. Topaz is even worse! There is a collection site in Utah called Topaz Mountain. It is known for beautiful sherry colored crystals. but they have to be dug out! The ground is littered with water clear crystals that have weathered out and been exposed to the sun too long.
The best way to protect your crystal is to know all you can about your crystal.

E.E.