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How To Charge Your Crystals – 15 Fantastic Tips

“Magick happens when you step into who you truly are and embrace that which fulfills your soul.”


― Dacha Avelin

Hi lovelies and welcome to Wicca Now. Recently I’ve been talking alot about crystals, like these posts on spells using rose quartz, how to cleanse your crystals, crystals for each zodiac sign and a post all about healing crystals. Today I thought I’d cover another important crystal related topic: how to charge your crystals.

How To Charge Your Crystals illustrated crystal graphic
“It is only by working the rituals, that any significant degree of understanding can develop. If you wait until you are positive you understand all aspects of the ceremony before beginning to work, you will never begin to work.”
― Lon Milo DuQuette,

Why Do You Charge Crystals?

Charging is a process through which the healing properties of crystals can be amplified. Thinking of charging as a sort of ‘waking up’ of the crystals intrinsic qualities. As well as activating or ‘waking up’ these qualities, by charging a crystal you are also raising the energetic frequency of said crystal to a higher state. This allows for more powerful healing effects to take place.

I like to think of charging crystals in the following way, imagine you are reading a text to a friend. If you read the text in an emotionally drained and lifeless tone, even though the text stays completely the same, the experience for the listener will be completely different compared to when you were reading the text with enthusiasm and joy. To put it simply, the energy you put into reading the text changes the way it is transmitted to the listener. 

In the same way, working with charged or none-charged crystals directly effects the results of that which we are wanting to achieve. By ‘awakening’ the crystal through charging it, we are able to benefit from its activated frequency, far more so than if we were to work with a non-charged crystal.

What Does It Mean To Charge Your Crystals?

Charging crystals is simply a method through which the energy or frequency of the crystal becomes ‘activated’ or ‘awakened’. It’s helpful to work with charged crystals as these will emit stronger energies than none-charged crystals. The charging of crystals actually has a long history within shamanism as well as within European alternative healing traditions. For example, Hildegard von Bingen provided instructions on how to charge crystals in her 12 century manuscript on crystal healing.

How To Activate Crystals

Crystals become activated through the process of charging. You can choose to activate your crystals in a number of different ways, the simplest of which would be to warm the crystal by holding it in your hands or wearing it close to your body. The contact between your body and the crystal will effectively ‘activate’ it.

How To Charge Your Crystals citrine graphic
“Witches do not need to fix problems.
Witches fix the energy AROUND problems.
Then the problems fix themselves.”
― Dacha Avelin

How To Charge Your Crystals

Charging your crystals can be done in a number of different ways and it’s up to you to decide which way of charging suits you the best. The charging of crystals actually has its roots in shamanism and traditional charging methods include blowing across the crystal in short intense bursts, passing the crystals through incense or smoke, singing or warming the crystals up in one’s hands. I’ve compiled a list of the different methods used to charge crystals for you below.  My suggestion would be to simply choose the charging method that you feel intuitively drawn to and to go from there.

How To Charge Your Crystals In The Sun

A beautiful method for activating and awakening your crystals is by charging them in the light of the early morning or late evening sun. Because many crystals are sensitive to sunlight, I prefer to err on the side of caution and avoid charging them with stong daytime sunlight. 

I’ve found the perfect time to charge my crystals with sunlight is half an hour after sunrise or half an hour before sunset.  

To charge your crystals with sunlight, simply place your crystals in such a way that they are in direct contact with the golden rays of the sun. Allow the crystals to absorb the suns rays for 30 minutes or so after which they should be brought back inside or returned to a shady spot. After the 30 minutes of contact with sunlight, your crystals will be fully activated and charged.

How to Charge your crystals clear quartz and blue crystal graphic
“The core practice of magic is: The execution of a willed intent to create change in the material world, which either defies, hastens or purifies the consequences of natural cause and effect.”
― Zeena Schreck

How To Charge Your Crystals On A Full Moon

A gentle and effective method for charging your crystals is with the light of a full moon. To charge your crystals on a full moon, simply lay them out in such a way that they will have direct contact with the moons silvery light. Charging crystals on a full moon is especially good for any crystals used for healing purposes.

Because moonlight is gentle in nature, you can leave your crystals to charge for the duration of the night before collecting them in the morning. Note, the different phases of the moon bring different benefits in terms of charging. Charging during a full moon will build up and strengthen the intrinsic qualities of a crystal whereas the light of the waning moon will have more of a ‘dissolving’ effect better used for cleaning your crystals of stored energies rather than charging and activating.

How to charge your crystals amethyst, tourmaline and clear quartz graphic
“…where your mind goes…energy flows”
― Penny Reilly

How To Charge Your Crystals With Salt

Charging your crystals with salt is a simple activating method and useful if it’s difficult for you to leave your crystals outside unattended. To activate and awaken your crystals with the help of salt, lay your crystals on a bed of natural salt (I prefer unrefined sea or rock salt) for at least 30 minutes but preferably over-night. The natural cleansing and activating frequency of the salt will ‘awaken’ your crystals and activate their energetic charge.

An added benefit of this method is that the salt will also cleanse your crystals of any stored energies so, by working with salt, you are effectively cleansing and charging your crystals simultaneously. Note: Some crystals are sensitive to direct contact with salt so ensure that your crystals are suited to salt cleansing/charging before proceeding with this method.

How To Charge Your Crystals With Reiki

To charge your crystals with Reiki you will first need to ensure that you are attuned to reiki energy.  To attune to the energy of reiki close your eyes and quieten your mind to a meditative state. Now imagine a stream of white light flowing through the top of your head and into all of the chakra points of your body. Once you can feel the energy flowing within your body simply direct this energy towards the crystal you would like to charge. You might like to hold the crystal in your non-dominant hand while doing so.

How to charge your crystals clear quartz and peridot graphic

“Visualization is the main ingredient of magic, inner peace: power.”
― Jessica Marie Baumgartner

How To Charge Your Crystals With Other Crystals

I love to charge my crystals with other rock crystals, especially quartz crystals such as amethyst or clear quartz clusters. Because rock crystals share the characteristic of releasing concentrated energy through their tips, this makes them wonderful for charging and activating other crystals. To charge your crystals with other crystals, simply place the crystal in need of charging directly onto a rock crystal group (make sure all of the crystals have been cleansed first). You can leave the crystal to charge for as long as you like but for no less than 30 minutes.

How To Charge Your Crystal Jewelery

Crystal jewelry can be charged using all the same charging methods as those used to charge regular crystals. If you are wearing crystal jewelry for specific healing purposes, the best method of charging and activating is through the light of a full moon. Please note that crystal jewelry should be cleansed of stored energy before charging.

How To Charge Your Crystals Quickly

The quickest way to charge and activate your crystals is simply by warming them in your hands. You might also like to rub the crystals between the palms of your hands to further activate and awaken them. To quickly charge your crystals, you might also like to blow on them (use short sharp bursts of breath) or to pass them through incense or smudge stick smoke.

How to charge your crystals clear quartz, ruby and pyrite illustration
“Sacred space is not just an external place. It is an internal place as well.”
― Mat Auryn,

How To Charge Crystals With Your Energy

To charge crystals with your energy simply warm the crystals in the palms of your hands. Additionally, you might light to rub or blow onto the crystals to further activate and awaken their intrinsic energy. You could also try the reiki method of charging which involves directing reiki energy to the crystal directly (see above).

What Is The Best Way To Charge Your Crystals?

The best way to charge your crystals is a personal choice as defined by you. You may find that activating and awakening your crystals through contact with your skin fits perfectly into your busy lifestyle or you might particularly enjoy leaving your crystals out to charge during the night of the full moon or on a bed of rock crystal clusters. There really is no right or wrong in regards to charging your crystals, so try out a few different charging methods and see which one works for you! Tip: for healing crystals charging with the light of the full moon is most effective.

garnet and clear quartz graphic for how to charge your crystals
“Questions have the power to inspire, illuminate, stimulate, create, or destroy. If we want to take on the great mysteries and grow as individuals, witches, and psychics—we must ask questions.”
― Mat Auryn

How Often Do You Need To Charge Your Crystals?

How often you charge your crystals depends on how you are using them. For crystals that you carry with you on a daily basis or wear in the form of jewely I recommend cleansing and charging on a weekly basis. For crystals you use less frequently, charge and cleanse every so often or whenever you intuitively feel like its time to do so.

How Long Do You Charge Your Crystals For?

The length of time needed to charge and activate your crystals depends on the method used. If you are charging with sunlight 30 minutes of contact with early morning or late evening sunlight is absolutely suffice. Crystals charged with moonlight can benefit from being in contact with the light of the moon for the duration of the night. If you are charging your crystals with energy or touch a few minutes is all it needs. For charging with other crystals I recommend at least 30 minutes of charge time.

Keep in mind that with practice and exposure to crystals your skills will grow. Use your crystals and your knowledge wisely, with love and compassion, in all ways, for the good of all. 

Until next time, 

Blessed Be,