by Wolfsong

One of the questions I get asked most frequently is how to cleanse minerals. My first response is that I prefer the term “grounding stones” instead of cleansing. I say this because all we are trying to achieve is to return the stone’s energies to their original state and the best way to do that, in my opinion, is to ground the stone within its original energies thereby eliminating all unwanted residue which the stone will naturally do once allowed to regenerate. I realize both terms achieve the same goals but I prefer the term grounding in this case. I also realize however that the vast majority prefer the term cleansing. When discussing cleansing/grounding stones I prefer to break the methods down to the four elements and will do so below. Let me say at the outset however that there are many ways to cleanse/ground stones and below you will find the basics. Feel free to expand on them or change them as you will. After all the most important thing is that it works for you and the stone.

Water: One of the most common ways to cleanse/ground stones is to do so in water. This can be done in several ways. If you live near a lake, river or the ocean you could place the stone in any of the above for whatever period of time you feel comfortable with. Some people feel a few hours work. Others feel it should be over night and still others feel it should be done over three days. Some will even suggest a full lunar cycle. Depending on the stone I usually find that one night is plenty. If you do not have access to a natural water source a bowl of cleansed water works fine. Some prefer to place them on the window ledge to let the moon’s or sun’s energies help in the process but I tend to shy away from this. Scientifically it is known that windows do not allow some spectrums of light to pass through. With this being the case I feel strongly that some of the energies are also blocked. In my opinion, if you prefer to have the sun or moon help in the process you should place the bowl outside where the energies are unhindered.

Earth: Just as water is a natural purifier so is the earth. By burying the stone in the earth outside for a period of time you can achieve the same results. If you live in an Apartment you can also bury the stone in a pot of soil. Some prefer to bury the stones within the root system of a tree for best results. One other way to cleanse/ground stones using the earth is to use a geode of some form, preferably quartz or amethyst. Amethyst geodes are capable of cleansing/grounding the most difficult of stones.

Air: This is one of the easiest ways to cleanse/ground your stones. Buy letting them sit outside in the open air under the moon or sun stones will get cleansed. This is preferably done in the country away from pollution.

Fire: I use this element for all final cleansings/groundings. After I have used one of the above methods I always pass my stone through some Dragon’s Blood (or your incense of choice). Some may prefer to refer to this method as smudging. When in a bind and one needs to cleanse/ground a stone rapidly this is the quickest method although not the most thorough. When working with stones and crystals you will find that sometimes it’s just nice to cleanse/ground your stones not necessarily because they need it but because they like it. One of my favorite methods and times for this is the summer solstice. All of my sun-liking stones and crystals get a yearly grounding at this time and it does wonders. I do the same with the rest of the stones on Yule and leave them out the entire night.

One final thing to keep in mind for everyone living in area where there is snow. If your most successful method is to bury the stones in the ground then in the winter it is as simple as burying them in the snow. The results are the same and many think they are better.

Let me close with saying that no matter which way you choose make sure it suites your needs. Working with stones and minerals, on any level, is a very intimate experience. The deepest secrets you will discover will not come from any book or from what anyone tells you. It will come from within you and from the relationship you have developed with the stone and when this happens you will have gained a piece of true wisdom.