Crystal questions

Does the type/size of crystal matter?

I've read that putting it in saltwater in the sun can cleanse it...but how do you charge it? I'm not very experienced with energy manipulation...I've only tried the most basic of things.

What can they help with? I've heard it can help with protection...I'm not very confident with my abilities with shielding but need something along those lines. This is why I'm interested.

Thanks!

Not an expert in any sense, but I'd think that crystals would work generally the same way my various talismans and amulets worked when I made them when I was a little younger. Basically, if your intent is clear in your mind when you charge it (I'll explain in a bit), then the crystal should work however you want it.

Charging always was simple for me, so explaining it may be a little difficult. The way I prefer to do it is to create a spirit and seal it into the talisman. That way, it recharges itself. Depending on the enchantment, I may then bind it to my own spirit.

To create a spirit...*exhales*...create a small orb of energy and have an encouragement in your mind for it to live. While holding that idea in your mind (it may dissapate otherwise), place the spirit inside the crystal/amulet/talisman/whatever and direct the thought "this is home" at it WITHOUT letting go of either of your other thoughts.

Once again, not an expert. Take it or leave it as your heart desires

Type of crystal matters earlier on, different materials will resonate with different people and different methods of use. I don't follow that crystals have an innate power of X to them. Charging can be relatively easy - hold it within your hand and flow your energy out to it. Meditation may be needed for this, focus on the flow of your energy through your body - with your pulse or your breathing, whichever is easier to visualize, the energy to flow through fingertips and then into the crystal, as if it were becoming one of your fingers. If you find this difficult, try other visualizations, for me "breathing" on whatever I'm charging works best as a visualization.

Thanks!

Deros, does this mean any item would work, or do only talismans, amulets, and crystals (and im sure a few other things) have this ability?

Just about anything should work. I actually once charged a baseball because I was bored during gym (not recommended, by the way; I was childish). But unique things like crystals & gems and things that you can carry around with you like jewelry work best simply for practical reasons.

The kind of crystal you use matters to what you're trying to accomplish. Google should probably yield results.

Be careful with how you cleanse something... saltwater is good for most kinds of stones and crystals, but will damage others. The safest way to cleanse a stone or crystal is to bury it out in the garden. If you're in an apartment or residence hall, get a small pot of soil and bury it there.

As for charging it, I like to simply set them out on my windowsill during a full moon... the light of the moon will get the job done. Otherwise, just sit with the crystal in hand, and push your energy into it. If you want the crystal to serve a specific purpose, put your energy into it while thinking of said purpose. Say, I want this this crystal to help heal my cat after an injury... I'd concentrate on the image of my energy entering her and healing her from the inside out, and fill the crystal with those thoughts. Then I'd drop the crystal in the water dish.

Palmer Wrote:The kind of crystal you use matters to what you're trying to accomplish. Google should probably yield results.

Be careful with how you cleanse something... saltwater is good for most kinds of stones and crystals, but will damage others. The safest way to cleanse a stone or crystal is to bury it out in the garden. If you're in an apartment or residence hall, get a small pot of soil and bury it there.

As for charging it, I like to simply set them out on my windowsill during a full moon... the light of the moon will get the job done. Otherwise, just sit with the crystal in hand, and push your energy into it. If you want the crystal to serve a specific purpose, put your energy into it while thinking of said purpose. Say, I want this this crystal to help heal my cat after an injury... I'd concentrate on the image of my energy entering her and healing her from the inside out, and fill the crystal with those thoughts. Then I'd drop the crystal in the water dish.

Moon and starlight in general are one of the best and safest ways to cleanse things as well. Unlike water, sunlight, or salt, they're gentle and won't harm or change the crystal. Earth is also good as well, but some soils, or minerals in your local soil, may damage a sensitive stone.

I'd advise moonlight for everything... But then, I'm biased <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_wink.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" /><!-- s -->

This all seems so superstitious to me. Light I understand has a type of energy, but it isn't the only kind of energy, and can cause considerable damage to certain kinds of energy if you happen to be leaning in that direction (my preference, but...meh).

Huh... instead of debunking this, I'm actually creating some kind of reasoning... interesting. On we go.

The main difference between the types of light used as examples is the amount of heat involved, which makes sense. Fire burns and destroys, and so can be dangerous to a weakly protected crystal. Salt is part of the denomination of earth, so both of those would solidify and protect any enchantments on the crystal, although some minerals have other properties that can either spiritually or physically harm the crystal. Pure water also has cleansing properties, so that part's a little obvious, as long as it's around room temperature.

But for charging, I still recommend my method. It allows more control over the properties of the enchantment, especially when you can never be entirely sure what a charging crystal is going to pick up.

Deros:

From my experience in the pagan community, I think you and Selcar are pretty much speaking of the same thing, just with different concepts. Of course, yours leans more toward the CM concept of servitors, whereas his is more traditional NA/Neopagan energy-charge. Still uses personal energy, hence my original comment

*has to reread Sel's post* Yeah, you're absolutely right.