How to Cleanse Chakra Stones

Co-authored by Emily Christensen and Dan Hickey

Last Updated: July 9, 2022 References

Chakra stones are great for balancing and removing negative energy from your body, but how do you remove it from your stone afterwards? It’s important to cleanse your stones after they become saturated with negative energy, and thankfully there are a lot of quick and easy options to get this done. Read on for a comprehensive list of ways to safely cleanse your chakra stones and get back to healing with a blank slate.

This article is based on an interview with our spiritual advisor and reiki master, Emily Christensen, founder of Rainbow Raaja. Check out the full interview here.

1

Hold your stones under running water.

Running water carries negative energy away from your stones. Hold your stone for about a minute underneath a stream of running water.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Emily Christensen
Spiritual Advisor & Founder of Rainbow Raaja
Expert Interview. 8 July 2020.} A natural source like a river or small waterfall is best, but your kitchen faucet will work too. Visualize the impurities flowing away with the stream.^{[2]
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- Place your stones outside during a heavy rain for a similar cleansing effect.
- Gently pat your stones dry afterwards.
- Avoid this method for stones that dissolve in water, like selenite, celestine, fluorite, black tourmaline, turquoise, pyrite, topaz, moonstone, or opal.^{[3]
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  Expert Source
  
  Emily Christensen
  Spiritual Advisor & Founder of Rainbow Raaja
  Expert Interview. 8 July 2020.}

2

Soak them in saltwater.

Saltwater heals your stones much like it heals a wound or cut. Place your stones in a large bowl and fill it with natural saltwater, like ocean water. If you’re landlocked, create your own saltwater at home with Himalayan or sea salt. Your stones can soak anywhere from 30 minutes to 48 hours, depending on the severity of the negative energy.^{[4]
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- Saltwater is a powerful cleansing method because it combines the energy of water and earth (salt).
- To avoid water damage and absorb pure earth energy, place your stones in a bowl full of coarse salt. If possible, place your bowl outdoors for 24 hours.
- Avoid this method for stones that dissolve in water (selenite, celestine, fluorite, black tourmaline, turquoise, pyrite, topaz, moonstone, or opal) or that corrode with salt (pyrite, black tourmaline, selenite, opal, moonstone, turquoise, amber, or topaz).

3

Cover your stones in brown rice.

Brown rice absorbs negative energy from your stones. Place your stones in a large bowl and cover them with uncooked brown rice grains for about 24 hours. Throw out the grains immediately afterward since they’re now full of negative energy.^{[5]
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- Don’t cook or eat the rice after cleansing since it’s now spiritually tainted.
- This method is safe for all crystals.

4

Set your stones on top of fresh snow.

Fresh snow is a blank canvas for reflection and stillness. Set your stones outside on top of new snowfall and let them soak and reflect until they feel renewed. The crisp, cold water energy and cleansing sunlight will leave the crystal sparkling clean and ready for healing.^{[6]
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- A bowl full of fresh snow indoors works the same if you don’t have a secure, secluded outdoor spot to place them.
- Use snow on crystals or stones associated with water, divination, or reflection.
- Skip this method for stones that dissolve in water (selenite, celestine, fluorite, black tourmaline, turquoise, pyrite, topaz, moonstone, or opal) or that are sensitive to direct sunlight (aquamarine, chlorargyrite, cinnabar, creedite, fluorite, topaz).

5

Bury the stones in the earth.

Earth encourages stability, soothes anxiety, and connects you with your body. Bury your stones in a shallow hole in the ground and leave them overnight. The raw earth will absorb any lingering negative energy and prepare your stones to soothe and calm your instabilities. Dig them up carefully in the morning and wipe away any dirt or mud still clinging to them.^{[7]
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- Stones like red jasper or black tourmaline resonate strongly with earth energy.
- Moisture in the ground might damage stones that are sensitive to water (selenite, celestine, fluorite, black tourmaline, turquoise, pyrite, topaz, moonstone, or opal).

6

Leave them outside to absorb natural light.

Sunlight and moonlight cleanse and recharge your stones. To harness their light energy, lay your stones in a safe spot outside or on a windowsill.^{[8]
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Expert Source

Emily Christensen
Spiritual Advisor & Founder of Rainbow Raaja
Expert Interview. 8 July 2020.} Leave them out all night to soak up moonlight (especially during a full moon) or for about 30 minutes on a bright sunny day to be cleansed by sunlight.^{[9]
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- Some stones begin to fade when they’re exposed to direct sunlight for too long, so keep your sun sessions short for stones like aquamarine, chlorargyrite, cinnabar, creedite, fluorite, or topaz.^{[10]
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  Expert Source
  
  Emily Christensen
  Spiritual Advisor & Founder of Rainbow Raaja
  Expert Interview. 8 July 2020.}
- To harness both light energies at once, leave your stones out during a solar or lunar eclipse. You can also try setting them out before nightfall and bringing them inside in the late morning so they have a chance to absorb the sun and the moon.
- This method works especially well for clear stones like quartz.

7

Breathe on your stones with intention.

With conviction, your own breath can cleanse small stones. Place the stone in your dominant hand and inhale deeply. Meditate on a cleansing thought like “I release you of negative energy” or “You are free to vibrate” while you move your hand toward your nose. Then exhale repeated, short breaths through your nose onto the stones.^{[12]
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- Repeat this breathing cycle for about 30 seconds or until you feel the stones have renewed energy.
- This method is safe for all stones. It’s best for small ones because your breath can easily cover them.

8

Use a cleansing crystal.

Some crystals have cleansing abilities and can be used on other stones. To cleanse a small stone, lay it on top of a cleansing crystal like a slab of selenite, a geode, or large clump of quartz crystals. By physically touching the stones together, the larger stone will gradually draw out the vibrational impurities from the smaller one.^{[13]
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- To cleanse a large stone this way, bury it under smaller cleansing crystals like carnelian or hematite in a large bowl for about 24 hours.

9

Envelop the stones in sound.

Sound waves are a beautiful way to restore a stone’s vibrational energy. Chant or use a singing bowl, tuning fork, or a bell to create a constant wash of sound. The exact pitch doesn’t matter as long as it’s loud enough to cover the stone and your intention to cleanse it and use it for good is strong.^{[14]
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- This method is safe for all stones and is an easy way to cleanse large quantities of stones all at once.
- Cleansing with sound waves usually takes about 5 to 10 minutes.

10

Waft sage smoke over the stones.

Burning sage is an ancient cleansing ritual. To begin, carefully light the end of some sage on fire until it is gently smoking. Grab your stones and move them in and out of the smoke until you feel their negative energy drift away.^{[15]
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Expert Source

Emily Christensen
Spiritual Advisor & Founder of Rainbow Raaja
Expert Interview. 8 July 2020.} The cleansing smoke will absorb any negative energy in the stones and disperse it into the air to be carried away.^{[16]
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- This method is safe for all stones and usually works in around 30 seconds, although it could take longer.
- If you don’t have actual sage, use palo santo, a sage stick, a candle, or incense as a substitute.
- Perform this ritual outdoors, or near an open window if you have to do it inside.
- As you fan the smoke, focus your intentions on cleaning and clearing the stones.^{[17]
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  Expert Source
  
  Emily Christensen
  Spiritual Advisor & Founder of Rainbow Raaja
  Expert Interview. 8 July 2020.}

11

Cleanse your stones with visualization.

Visualization is a powerful cleansing practice. Hold your stone in your dominant hand and imagine a bright, purifying white light shining from your palm. Visualize the stone glowing brighter and cleaner the longer it’s exposed to the light. When done correctly, this takes about 1 minute or so.^{[18]
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- Meditating before or during your visualization can help you enter the spiritual space to perform it effectively.

12

Declare your stones cleansed with intention.

A clear, powerful intention can connect with and cleanse your stones. All you need is the belief that you have the power to cleanse them yourself.^{[19]
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Expert Source

Emily Christensen
Spiritual Advisor & Founder of Rainbow Raaja
Expert Interview. 8 July 2020.} Declare your stone is clean by saying something like “This crystal is now clear” or “I dedicate this stone to healing, love, and light” out loud.^{[20]
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- It’s helpful to meditate on your intention before saying it out loud if you’re struggling to really believe in yourself.
- This method can be very powerful when it’s done from the heart with conviction.

Expert Q&A

Question

How can you cleanse chakra stones with salt?

Emily Christensen
Spiritual Advisor & Founder of Rainbow Raaja
Emily Christensen is a Shamanic Spiritual Advisor, Reiki Master, and the Founder of Rainbow Raaja based in Southern California and now King County, Washington. Emily has over six years of experience as a Massage Therapist and in using tarot cards, crystal therapy, light work (reiki, light codes, energy therapy), and shamanic healing. She received Reiki Master training from the Hands on Healing Institute. Emily is also a certified Bodywork Therapist by the California Massage Therapy Council and an Ordained Shamanic Minister with the Universal Life Church.

Emily Christensen

Spiritual Advisor & Founder of Rainbow Raaja

Expert Answer

Fill a small bowl or pan with sea salts or Himalayan salt (normal salt works too, but coarse salt is best). Place your crystals in the salt bath—you can even add herbs like rosemary or small clearing/grounding crystals like hematite.

Warnings

Do not cleanse these stones with water since they’re softer and might begin to dissolve: selenite, celestine, fluorite, black tourmaline, turquoise, pyrite, topaz, moonstone, or opal.^{[21]
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Do not cleanse these stones with salt since the chemical reaction might cause them to corrode: turquoise, malachite, calcite, amber, azurite, topaz, moonstone, opal, selenite, red coral.^{[22]
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Do not cleanse these stones with sunlight since they can fade, darken, or change color: aquamarine, chlorargyrite, cinnabar, creedite, fluorite, topaz.^{[23]
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