Smudging Crystals with Sage
Open a window or door to ventilate the room. Breathing in smoke can be bad for your lungs, so it's always a good idea to make sure you're working in a well-ventilated space. However, this can serve another purpose—having an open window or door will allow any negative energy to escape the room after you cleanse the crystal. If you're especially sensitive to smoke, you can also work outside.
Place the crystal in a heatproof container. Falling embers or ash from the sage can create a fire hazard. If you have a ceremonial bowl, you can use that as long as it's fire-proof, but if you don't, any glass, ceramic, or metal bowl will work. Abalone shells are a common vessel for smudging rituals. Many practitioners like them because they add a water element, and the ceremony already includes the elements fire, earth (sage), and air.
Light the sage, then blow out the flame. You can use either loose-leaf sage or a dried sage bundle for this. Hold one end of the sage in your hand and light the other end with a match or lighter. Once the sage catches on fire, blow or fan out the flame so it's just left smoldering. If you're using loose-leaf sage, consider using tongs to hold leaves so you don't singe your fingers.
Pass the crystal through the smoke for about 30 seconds. The smoke will purify the crystal by driving out any lingering energy. You may find it easiest to do this by moving the bowl through the smoke, rather than trying to wave the sage across the crystal. You can also use your hand or a feather to wave the smoke over the crystal if you prefer. As you do this, keep your attention on the cleansing process. Your intention is what makes this ritual effective.
Consider smudging the rest of the room to clear out negative energy. Once you drive the energy out of the crystal, it could linger in your space. Wave the sage in the 4 corners of the room, speaking your intention to cleanse the space as you do so. For instance, you might say something like, "I command any negativity to leave this space, and I open this space to love and light." It's especially important to have an open door or window during this process so the energy can escape.
Keep the sage in a heatproof container until it's extinguished. Sage will smolder for a while, especially if it's a sage stick. Make sure you keep it away from anything flammable long after the smudging ceremony, even if it isn't smoking anymore. If you'd like, you can extinguish the sage in sand to make sure it's completely out.
Repeat the smudging process at least once a month. Even if you're not using them, your crystals can pick up vibrational energy from your home over time. Cleanse them once a month, or after any type of healing or energy ritual. If you feel like your crystal is dull or that it doesn't resonate the way it used to, it probably needs to be cleansed.
Smoke-Free Alternatives for Cleansing Crystals
Spritz your crystals with sage oil spray. If you love the energy-cleansing aspect of sage but you don't want to deal with the smoke, try making your own smudge spray. Just mix about 30 drops of white sage essential oil in 2 fl oz (59 ml) of 91% isopropyl alcohol. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle so you can easily apply it to your crystals. It's best to use rubbing alcohol because it will evaporate quickly, so you won't saturate the stones. However, it's still probably best to avoid spraying very soft crystals like calcite, coral, amber, pearl, and angelite. You can find white sage essential oil online or wherever essential oils are sold. You could also place the sage oil in a diffuser instead of making your own spray.
Bury the crystals in loose-leaf sage to cleanse them. Put a layer of dried sage leaves in a box or bowl, then place your crystal on top of that. Fill the rest of the container with sage leaves so the crystal is completely covered. Leave the crystal in the sage for several hours to drive out that lingering energy. For even more cleansing power, place the container on a windowsill to bathe in the moonlight overnight.
Sprinkle hard crystals with sage tea. Bring 1 cup (240 ml) of water to a boil, then add 1 tsp (0.7 g) of dried ground sage to the water. Let it steep for about 5 minutes, add a pinch of salt, then strain the liquid. You now have a sage tea that you can use to purify any crystals that are hard enough to get wet. Crystals need to be a 6 or higher on the Mohs Hardness scale to safely be treated with sage tea. This includes crystals like diamond, ruby, sapphire, topaz, amethyst, tigers eye, onyx, carnelian, jade, and tourmaline.
Place the crystal on the leaves of a sage plant. Get back to nature with this simple purification ritual. If you grow your own sage, simply leave a crystal on your sage plant for a few hours, ideally resting on a leaf. This will help get rid of any energy in the stone.
Use a sage bundle to sprinkle sanctified water onto the crystal. Salt is thought to drive out negative spirits, so make your own saltwater by mixing 1 tsp (5.9 g) of salt into 16 fl oz (470 ml) of water. Dip a sage bundle into the saltwater, then sprinkle that onto your crystals for extra cleansing power. If you have access to holy water or seawater, you can use that, instead. This should also only be used on stones that can safely get wet.
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