Truth be told, a crystal doesn’t necessarily need to be “charged”, as they have their own properties and therefore can be used as they are bearing that property in mind.

But there may be a time that you want to use your crystal for specific reasons or to have it imbody a special magickal property. 

You can or could do a very complex ritual if you so choose, however if this is the case then you should already know what you are doing with crystals and don’t need the help.

Here I will give you a few simple methods if you would like to charge your crystals with a specific purpose.

I have a lot of crystals (I mean an insane amount; some may say certifiable lol).  So, I do need to charge some crystals for an applied use.  I keep a bowl of crystals dedicated to my healing practice and use them on specific chakras.  I also use charged crystals with an innate property, charged with a specific intention that may be needed during a healing of a specific area or client.  An example is Howlite.  One of its properties is to aid in the healing or strengthening of bones, I often give my clients with metastasized cancer a charged piece of Howlite, that I have charged especially for them to carry with them in their pocket.

Doing the above for whatever purpose you are looking to use your crystal(s) you can simply hold the crystal within your hands, focus on your intention and then visualize the purpose.  You can do this quickly or during meditation.  But know that you should always use your intuition to help guide you as to how long it takes.  And remember to give thanks for the highest good of its purpose.

It is best to use a crystal with its innate property so that you are not trying to get a crystal to do something that it is not intended to.  For instance, I would not try to charge rose quartz to bring luck with finances.  I would use green aventurine for that or another appropriate crystal and charge the rose quartz to maybe help someone with the realization of self-love.

Note:  A rose quartz tower with a point, charged with the intension of love and harmony is a great wedding gift for a couple to place under their bed.

In subsequent pages I will provide listings of crystals and their innate properties to help with better understanding of which crystals to use and for what.

Another way is to charge in moonlight or sunlight. 

The moon is always a favorite of mine to charge a crystal, especially for personal use.  The moon brings in a feminine quality to the charge. I like to include astrology in my charging so using the phases of the moon and what astrological sign the moon is in to add an additional layer of magickal energy to my crystals.  It needn’t be only the full moon, if you are wanting to bring something to you, put them under a waxing moon.  Want the energy to help repel something or someone?  Then charge your crystal under a waning moon.  Want to start something new or have new energy begin in your life?  Then use the new moon phase.  Use the full moon phase for all purposes.

You can place your crystal(s) directly in the moon light outdoors if you OR in a windowsill indoors.  And yes, they will be charged with the energy even when it’s cloudy or storming – the moon is still there.  All crystals are safe to charge in moonlight.

You can also use sunlight as it is a great way to bring in a masculine energy to your crystal especially if you are wanting quick action or a fiery energy from your crystal.  Just be careful on what crystal you use to charge in the sun as the UV rays can damage or discolor some crystals. 

Here is a list of some crystals that SHOULD NOT be charged in the sun:

• Amegreen – The color will fade when in sun too long. Made up of amethyst and prasiolite (green amethyst)
• Amethyst – A member of the quartz family. Color will fade in the sun since the color comes from the iron in it.
• Ametrine – The color will fade when in sun too long. Made up of amethyst and citrine.
• Apatite – The color will fade in the sun.
• Apophyllite – Can become brittle in the sun and color can fade.
• Aquamarine – Direct sunlight will fade the blue to white if kept too long.
• Auralite 23 – Primarily composed of amethyst, so it can fade.
• Aventurine – A member of the quartz family and can fade in color.
• Beryl – Can fade and get brittle in the sun.
• Calcite – Can fade and get brittle in the sun.
• Celestite – The blue will turn to white in the sun and get brittle and possibly break.
• Chrysoprase- A member of the quartz family, it’s a green chalcedony, and it can fade or get brittle and crack.
• Citrine – Since it’s a form of quartz, it will fade to a clear color within 4 hours in the sun
• Clear Quartz – Can only withstand about 2 hours in the sun. Can get brittle and crack or break.
• Fluorite – No more than 15 minutes in the sun. Gets very hot.
• Hiddenite – The color will fade.
• Kunzite – Will fade to white if kept in the sun too long.
• Opal – Will lose its color in the sun. But okay in water.
• Prasiolite – This is a green amethyst, and the color will fade.
• Rose Quartz – Will fade in color in the sun.
• Sapphire – Will lose whatever color sapphire it is.
• Spirit Quartz – Will fade in color and clusters could ignite if in the sun too long.
• Smoky Quartz – Loses its color to become grey or brown
• Super Seven – Will fade in color.
• Topaz – The color will fade when kept in sun for more than 8 hours. A yellow topaz will turn brown and a deeper color topaz will turn maroon.
• Turquoise – Color can fade in the sun and be careful with time in water.
• Unakite – Colors can fade in the sun.