Guide: How to Charge Crystals? 20 Ways to Do So

What do you do when your laptop is drained out of charge? And, what do you do when you are fatigued? Just as your electronic gadgets and your physical body need charging, crystals do too. For a laptop, this translates to plugging-in while for your body it could mean, drinking water, eating food, catching shut-eye, etcetera. In the same way, you can charge crystals in many different ways too.

💡Uncharged crystals fail to vibrate positivity, spread negativity, or simply don’t work as they should. After cleansing crystals, it’s best to charge them right away. This is just like a clean laptop won’t work without charge. And after charging healing stones, they need to be programmed so as to manifest your intentions.

While you can charge crystals in many ways, choosing a method that’s comfortable for you is vital for it to actually be in your favor. Just like cleansing, crystals can be charged by light, water, sound, touch, smell, and other mediums.

Let’s get started by analyzing the foundation of charging crystals using the topics below:

• Meaning of charging crystals.
• Benefits of charging crystals.
• Difference between charging and programming crystals.
• 20 ways to charge healing crystals
• How to choose the right charging method?
• Why charge crystal jewelry and how to do so?
• Frequently Asked Questions about charging crystals.

What is the meaning of charging crystals and why is it important?

Before getting pulled out of the earth, all crystals were once fully charged and remained so inside Mother Earth. It’s when we pulled them out of their natural condition that crystals begin to discharge by interfering with the energies around them.

So what does charging a crystal mean? Charging a crystal is the energetic process of inducing a positive charge from nature or your own chakra energies. If you imagine discharging is akin to sleeping, charging translates to awakening a dormant crystal. It can also be understood as giving crystals a boost!🚀

Benefits of charging crystals

Charging a crystal helps it to reconnect it with its own natural energies such as that of the earth and the cosmos. If you’re thinking what’s the point of charging crystals, just scroll away to find out the truth.

• When you charge a crystal, its own healing powers are amplified.
• Crystals can go back to their original state of power when you charge them after cleansing.
• If you’re trying to manifest intentions, a charged crystal can amplify them besides helping you to realize them.
• Using charged healing stones helps to strengthen your own chakras.
• Crystals that are drained from emitting positivity owing to their usage in energy rituals can be restored with charging.

Charging vs. Programming Crystals

If you’re thinking about how to set intentions with crystals, "programming" is the answer you’re looking for.

To understand it, let’s get back to the analogy of the laptop. A clean and charged laptop wouldn’t just open Netflix and play a movie you want to watch. To do so, you need to switch on the laptop, log in, open the browser, go to Netflix, and click on the show you want to watch.

Just like that, a clean and charged crystal won’t just do things for you as you desire. To make it happen, you need to program the energy of the crystal with your own intentions by setting it. You can charge crystals by setting intentions (programming). 📝However, not all charged crystals are programmed, but all programmed crystals are charged.

For programming crystals, all you need to do is specify your intention (called setting intention) before, during, or after charging.

How to charge crystals in 20 ways?

The following will teach you several ways to charge your crystals but keep in mind to program the crystal before, during, or after every charging session given below so as to set your intentions.

Sunlight

The energy of the sun is natural, life-giving, and strengthening for most crystals. All you need to charge a crystal with sunlight is to keep it directly under the sun for two hours or from sunrise until sunset (12 hours).☀️

Singing Bowl

The second way to charge crystals is using the power of sound. A Tibetan singing bowl is hammered or cast with five to seven metals, which helps it to create special acoustics.

Here’s how to use a Tibetan singing bowl for charging healing rocks:

• Keep the crystals inside the singing bowl or right outside the edges of the bowl.
• Take the mallet and gently touch the edges of the bowl in a clockwise direction.
• Continue to do so for a few minutes.

Chanting

When you’re using the energy of your own sound by chanting phrases or sentences you created, it may be referred to as chanting mantras, affirmations, or spells. You can say "charge" or "fill" loudly while holding the crystal in your dominant to charge it.

But when you’re programming a healing stone with a mantra or spell, you need affirmations that specify your intention. For example, if you want to manifest prosperity, an affirmation such as "Bring luck hither" or "Let luck concede" will work.

Tuning Fork

Another way to charge crystals with sonic vibrations is with the tuning fork. A tuner with a frequency of 4,096Hz is said to resonate at the frequency of earth and quartz. That’s why such a thing is known to connect you with the heavens.

All you need to do for charging crystals with it is by striking the fork and placing it immediately on the crystal. This will transfer the vibrations of the fork to the crystal.

Gong and bells

Gongs and bells are both excellent for charging crystals as they emanate healing energies when stricken. Whether it’s a bell or gong, all you need to charge crystals is to sit in the healing sounds of either for a few minutes to an hour.

Fire: Candlelight

Just as fire is the best cleanser, it can also charge a crystal. All you need to do is light a candle and pass a crystal to and fro through the fire for a few seconds.

Visualization/ Meditation

One of the ways of charging healing stones is by the power of your thoughts. Instead of chanting mantras aloud, you chant them in your mind while visualizing the crystal getting charged here. The length of the meditation or visualization ritual depends on your intuition and guts.

Reiki

The Japanese technique of energy healing using the palm of the hand is called reiki. To use this for charging your crystals, all you need to do is place the crystal on the table and hold your hands over it while visualizing or meditating about charging the stone. Continue the action as long as your gut tells you to.

Water

Crystals that comprise energy vibrations lower than that of water can be cleansed and charged using this method. All you need to do is hold the crystal (ensure it’s not toxic in water) under running water like a stream, tap, or rain for a few minutes after it’s cleansed to charge in this manner.

Aroma

Both herbal incenses and smoke can charge crystals with aromatherapy. What you need to do is let the crystal soak into the aroma of herbs for 10 minutes, an hour, or two. You can use incenses like sandalwood, jasmine, rose, peppermint, frankincense, lotus, myrrh, or nag champa to do the same.

Another way is to light up sage, palo santo, or cedarwood so that you can waft the smoke onto crystals for a few minutes in order to charge it.

Smudging

The art of smearing sacred herbs is called smudging. You can use any herb for this but sage, palo santo, sandalwood, and cedarwood works the best. The ritual is to rub the same (without lighting it up) on the crystal of choice. Make sure to visualize the healing powers of the crystal going up when you do so for charging the stone effectively.

Crystal Grid

Another brilliant way to charge a crystal and program it is by connecting it to the energy of multiple crystals. What you need to do is choose a geometrical shape and create a grid from it by drawing the design on a piece of paper.

Now, place different crystals on the intersecting points on the grid or as you like. Next, take a clear quartz or selenite wand and touch the crystals on the grid from the center to the outer rings to activate it.

Cluster 

Small crystals can absorb the energy of large crystal clusters. All you need to do is keep the small crystal next to the cleaned cluster for a day or two.

Crystal Wand

Another way to transfer the energy of a crystal onto another stone for charging is by using a crystal wand, preferably made of clear quartz or selenite. To get started, direct the pointed edge of the wand at the crystal you want to charge while visualizing or chanting the affirmation.

Crystals

Crystals that are self-cleansing can also charge other crystals. They can be used to charge different stones by circling over the stone to be charged in a clockwise direction or smudging while you visualize the crystal getting powerful with healing energies.

Salt

Just as salt is capable of removing negative ions from crystals during cleansing, it can also imbue positivity into the crystal while charging. All you need to do is fill a bowl with the Himalayan pink salt or sea salt and bury the crystals inside the earth for two days or more. You can also create a salt solution and soak the crystal for a few hours too.

Mudra and Yoga

Another way to charge crystals is by using sacred signs or hand gestures called mudras. To get started, keep the crystal beside you while directing the mudras onto them while maintaining your yoga posture.

Soil  

Crystals can also be charged if you bury them in the soil. This helps them connect to the energies of Earth. Do so for one day or a complete month to make sure your crystal is fully recharged.

Eclipse

Here’s what you need to do for charging crystals during a solar or lunar eclipse:

• Take your crystal to be charged in the open air.
• Light a white candle.
• Keep the crystal next to it.
• Let it soak into the energy of the eclipse for the whole day.

Moonlight

In this ritual, all you’ve to do is keep crystals under the moonlight to charge them.🌕

Here’s a video explaining how to use moonlight for charging crystals by Hibiscus Moon that also clears several confusions associated with this charging ritual.

Tips to choose the right crystal charging methods for yourself

Based on the crystal properties, your own chakra development, preferences, and things available at hand, not everyone can use every one of the twenty methods prescribed above for charging all crystals.

Find out the right method for charging crystals in the best-favorable way for you below.😊

1. Sunlight: If your stone has a history of fading under direct sunlight, then avoid using this method for charging. In short, don’t use stones like amethyst, selenite, celestite, rose quartz, yellow sapphire, kunzite, brown topaz, and zircon for charging under the sun.
2. Singing Bowl: It’s always better to keep soft crystals outside the singing bowl instead of inside as the strong acoustics of the singing bowl can break soft stones when kept inside. You can also raise the singing bowl and keep stones underneath it to charge them.
3. Chant: Affirmations and mantras are considered the best medium to charge crystals as they don’t need anything but your vocal energy. However, keep in mind to use this only when you’ve trained enough to direct these energies.
4. Tuning Fork: Use this only if your tuning fork vibrates to 4,096Hz, which is the frequency of the earth. Additionally, don’t use this on soft crystals or one with MOHS hardness of below 6.
5. Gongs and bells: This is another way to charge your crystals with the healing energy of sound. If you don’t have a huge gong at your house, get a small bell made of brass or iron to charge crystals with sound.
6. Fire: This manmade medium for charging crystals is best effective when you use a candle in the white color. Always wear a pair of fire retardant gloves to prevent burning yourself while doing so.
7. Visualization/ Meditation: Scholars and mystics often say the most powerful energy comes from your thoughts. So, if you’re ready to channel those thoughts or are an expert at meditation, try this medium for charging crystals.
8. Reiki: Yet another charging medium that requires years of practice, reiki can’t be performed easily if you’re a beginner. Try it only when you’ve learned and experienced enough.
9. Water: Avoid crystals such as alexandrite, amazonite, aragonite, azurite, aventurine, blue sapphire, beryllium, cinnabar, chalcopyrite, chrysocolla, dalmatian jasper, dioptase, emerald, feldspar, fluorite, gem silica, garnet, iolite, kunzite, lapis lazuli, pyrite, selenite, serpentine, tiger eye, and zircon as they are toxic in water.
10. Aroma: If you feel choked from smoke or despise the burning smell of herbs, it’s best to switch over to another charging medium as this method requires more than a few minutes to charge crystals.
11. Smudging: Use this method if you don’t want to burn herbs or are in a hurry as it takes less than a few minutes to charge healing stones.
12. Crystal Grid: This uses the power of other crystals. Also, you don’t always need a grid because you can even create your geometrical pattern if there isn’t a printed option readily available.
13. Cluster:  Make sure you select an energizer crystal such as amethyst, citrine, kyanite, clear quartz, and selenite for this ritual.
14. Crystal Wand: Any crystal with one or both terminated ends (called a wand0 can be used as a wand to focus and charge crystals.
15. Crystals: Self-cleansing crystals like selenite, clear quartz, and black tourmaline are capable of absorbing and emanating healing energies. That’s the same reason why they are best for charging other crystals.
16. Salt: Ensure that your crystal doesn’t degrade in salt by checking its chemical properties including Mohs (sea salt has a Mohs of 2.5)
17. Mudra and yoga: If you practice yoga, you can use mudras like Prithvi (earth), Varuna (water), and Shakti (power) to direct your energy into crystals and recharge them.
18. Soil: While gardens and fertile lands are the best places to bury crystals because growth is natural there, a pot with a plant will also do just fine for charging crystals in soil.
19. Eclipse: As solar and lunar eclipses come with huge bursts of energy, they are excellent for charging crystals too.
20. Moonlight: You can use the power of the moon even though crystals are born inside the earth because it’s a natural event with powerful energies. The best times are the new moon and the full moon. In addition, crystals under moonlight don’t fade as they do under sunlight.

Does healing crystal jewelry need charging? How to charge them?

Unless your crystal jewelry is made of clear quartz or selenite, they’re getting drained and do need charging once in a while. Moreover, your healing crystal jewelry might need daily charging if you’re wearing them every day to keep your chakras aligned throughout the day.

You can charge healing crystal jewelry just as you charge a loose stone. However, keep in mind to avoid corrosive substances like salt and moisture, or other channels like soil or heat that can damage the metallic elements used to frame the healing stone.

That being said, the best ways to charge crystal jewelry is by using crystal wands, grids, sunlight, moonlight, eclipse, reiki, gong, bells, tuning fork, yoga, smudging, aromatherapy, chanting, or singing bowl.

Frequently asked questions

How often do you need to charge your crystals?

The simple answer is you can charge your crystal whenever you think it needs charging too.

Here’s a rough idea of when you need to charge crystals:

• Charge your healing stone right after you cleanse them.
• Before, during, or after a major event in your life.
• Whenever you want to manifest an intention.
• When you want to energize chakras using crystal energy.
• You should charge crystals at least once a month.
• Lunar and solar cycles are the best time to charge healing stones.

What’s the best time to charge crystals?

Crystal users recommend charging crystals at night so that it soaks the energy of the moon. You should remove it after sunrise so that it also absorbs the energy of the sun.

Which crystals don’t need charging?

Crystals that are self-cleansing also don’t need charging. Other than selenite and clear quartz, kyanite and black tourmaline also don’t need regular charging. You can even use these crystals to charge other crystals.

What to say when charging crystals?

When you’re charging crystals, use affirmations like the following while holding the crystal in your dominant hand:

• Charge
• Power up
• Boost
• Amplify
• Fill up

Apart from the phrases above, you can also make up your own sentences to charge crystals using mantras.

How to know if a crystal has already been charged?

While it’s not physically visible, a charged crystal will vibrate at its natural frequency, emit healing energies, and work positively. Other than this, there’s no strict way to recognize if a crystal has completely charged.

How and where to store the charged crystals?

The best way to prevent charged crystals from losing their charge is by keeping them wrapped in a silk or leather bag. This way you can use a charged crystal for healing rituals right out of storage.

What to do after charging crystals?

When you’re done with charging crystals, you can proceed to program it with your intentions so that their healing energies work in favor of your manifestation. That being said, you can program crystals before charging as well. Hence, always specify your intentions aloud (affirmations) or imagine them (visualization) before, during or after doing charging rituals to empower them.

How long should you charge crystals?

Just as there’s no strict way to know how long crystals stay clean, there’s no hard and fast rule about the time you need to charge crystals.

That being said, it mainly depends on the charging medium that you’re using. You may need to point crystal wands at the crystal for five minutes to charge a crystal while it may take 12 hours to charge up under the moonlight.⏲️

Charging healing crystals on your own

Charging a crystal is the step that comes after cleansing and often before programming. But you can also program crystals after or during charging too.

Basically, you need to charge a drained crystal to refill it with positive energies and healing properties it originally had before it was discharged by healing processes, traumatic events, changes, and so on.

Charging amplifies the energy of crystals, manifests intentions, restores its natural state, and strengthens chakras. It’s different from programming, which is a way of setting intentions.

You can charge crystals using the natural energy of the sun, moon, eclipse, running water, and soil. It can also be powered-up using affirmations, visualizations, meditation, yoga, sea salt, crystal wand, clusters, other crystals, incense, herbs, reiki, candle, bells, gong, singing bowl, and gong.

Make sure to choose the right method based on your healing crystal, props at hand, time of the day, chemical properties, and other crucial factors. When charging healing crystal jewelry, use thoughts, affirmations, natural events, crystals, wands, clusters, aromatherapy, and reiki.

🥇Charging is the way to keep your crystals at their best. Try it today.