Cleaning and cleansing stones and rocks?

[misty]

We went for a long weekend trip up to Mackinaw City and up to Whitefish Point in the U.P. of Michigan. I collected some beautiful rocks and would like to maybe use them in some of my spells or rituals. Can anyone give me some instructions for cleansing them? I was thinking I should boil them with some sea salt.....

[atropa]

I was always told that one good way is to set it in some salt water in an east window overnight. Love your avatar!

[CaitrionaMorgaine]

There are so many ways to cleanse stones. I rather like the way that my sister Frigga does it (I've started doing this way as well)-- Bury for earth, water in a cup w/salt for water, smudge for air and under the sun for fire.

Avalon's Blessings, ~Rhiannon

[zakzekezedd]

I actually had a lady who works extensively with crystals suggest to me that the best (and kindest way) to cleanse your stones and crystals was to either smudge them, or rinse them in spring water that has been blessed. She felt that salt was a bit too extreme for some stones and crystals..after all, we all know how much it stings to get salt in a cut! I like to sit mine out under the Full Moon to be cleansed and "recharged". They always have a nice, happy tingle when I bring them inside the next morning and dry them off with a soft flannel.

[Yasmine Galenorn]

We went for a long weekend trip up to Mackinaw City and up to Whitefish Point in the U.P. of Michigan. I collected some beautiful rocks and would like to maybe use them in some of my spells or rituals. Can anyone give me some instructions for cleansing them? I was thinking I should boil them with some sea salt.....

It depends on the type of rock. Putting some crystals in extreme temperatures can cause fractures and cracks, which isn't necessarily bad, but if you want to preserve them as found, you might not want to go boiling them.

I cleanse my crystals like quartz, and anything else that won't melt in the water, in several ways: I often fill the bathtub with TEPID water (lukewarm) and ecologically sound dishwashing soap, make sure the crystals are at room temperature, and then gently soak them for an hour or two, then use a toothbrush to scrub any places that need polishing. Rinse in lukewarm water and dry naturally or polish with a soft cotton cloth.

I also smudge stones that are more fragile--and you can also place stones in the sunlight for a few hours to cleanse. I also put tiny crystals on my bigger amethyst, which seems to cleanse them.

Salt--if it's not a fragile stone, you could immerse or bury them in salt for a day or so, but I'm cautious with that. I will sometimes add a cup of salt to the water in the tub when I clean them and that is gentler on the surfaces.

Yasmine