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

-->