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CRYSTAL CLEANSING

To cleanse with salt, fill a dish or bowl with an even layer of
salt, approximately one-quarter inch deep (or more).
...continued from page Place your crystal on top of the salt and let it sit for
16 twelve to twenty-four hours. You can tune in to the gem’s
energy or dowse with a pendulum to see if it has been
adequately cleansed. Although the salt can be reused,
remember to change your salt often, as it can become satu-
rated with the energies that it is releasing from your crystals.
CLEANSING WITH SALT

Perhaps the most popular method for cleans- CLEANSING WITH WATER
ing crystals is with salt or salt water. Salt is a natural
purifier, and it has been used for ritual cleansing for centuries, Water can be a quick way to cleanse gemstones, but great
if not millennia. Natural salt works best, such as sea salt or care must be taken so as not to damage soft or soluble miner-
rock salt; kosher salt also works well. If possible, use non- als. Many crystals, such as halite and selenite, will break
iodized salt, as it is more effective. down or dissolve in water, while softer stones, such as mala-
chite, azurite, calcite, fluorite, and many others, can have
One note of caution: salt damages many soft stones. On the their finishes dulled by water. Some crystal formations, such
Mohs’ scale, which measures the comparative hardness of min- as clusters and geodes, may be weakened by immersion in wa-
erals, salt (or halite) ranks around 2 to 2.5 out of 10. Although ter and eventually break apart. Reserve water-based cleansing
it is relatively soft, salt crystals have jagged edges, and they methods for stable, insoluble crystals and gemstones.
will scratch many stones, especially polished ones. I do not
recommend salt-based methods of cleansing for stones softer Water-based cleansing is effective is because water is the uni-
than quartz (6.5 to 7 on the Mohs’ scale), and I typically avoid versal solvent. This holds equally true for physical and spiritual
it for polished stones altogether. Porous rocks and minerals, impurities. Many people like to use natural running water to
no matter their hardness, may be damaged by salt as well. cleanse stones; be careful not to lose them in a stream or
ocean. For cleansing at home, holding the stone under running
water from the tap works best. I like to use alternating warm
and cool water, as this will cause the crystal lattice to gently
expand and contract, just like wringing out a sponge. Take
care not to use extremely hot or cold water, as rapid changes
YOGA SHAKTI in temperature can damage many crystals.
MISSION CLEANSING WITH BREATH,

VISUALIZATION, AND PRAYER
YOGA
First Saturday CLASSES By far, the most effective, safest, and fastest cleansing meth-
ods are those that require no props. For this reason, I prefer
at noon the consciousness-based styles that incorporate breath, prayer,
VEGETARIAN 7-8pm or visualization. In my first two books, The Seven Archetypal
LUNCHEON $7 Per Class or Stones and Crystals for Karmic Healing, I describe a method
$10 donation $25/month unlimited innovated by Marcel Vogel, an IBM scientist who, later in life,
(children free) Monday thru Thursday worked as a crystal healer. Other methods can work equally as

Ma Yoga Shakti well, as the mind is a powerful tool.
Sunshine Lectures Using consciousness-driven methods for cleansing means that
Sundays 9 - 10am you won’t be able to scratch, dissolve, dull, break, bleach, or
Talks on Spiritual T opics lose your beloved crystal treasures. In short, Vogel prescribed
holding your crystal with the base and point between the
thumb and index finger of one hand, with the thumb and index
YOGA SHAKTI MISSION finger of the other hand on any other opposite faces. As you
3895 Hield Rd NW Palm Bay 32907 breathe, imagine that you are breathing in a purifying energy,
such as white light. Once you are saturated with this white
yogashaktipalmbay@gmail.com light, release the breath as a short, sharp pulse through the
321-725-4024 nose. Repeat for as many pairs of faces as the crystal has. For
Visit www.yogashakti.org tumbled or otherwise irregular stones, one or two breaths is
sufficient.

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