Getting to Know Ana’s Crystals by Debra Kristi

n  Becoming:  The  Balance  Bringer  my  heroine  works  with  crystals,  cleaning  them,  wire wrapping them, creating jewelry for family or for sale. I may have had an interest in crystals at the start of this journey, but to better understand Ana I had to learn a lot more about the stones. I had to learn how she charged them for their various intentions. What I learned was vast and far too  extensive  to  bombard  you  with  in  one  guest  post,  but  let me  give  you  the  gist  of  how preparing a crystal works.  If you’re at all familiar with crystals and gemstones and want to get the most out of their energy, you need to cleanse and charge them. That’s what Ana would do before wiring any piece into a setting.  By cleansing your stone you’re washing away any prevailing negative vibes or clinging characteristics that may run contrary your motivations and goals. Cleanse your crystal: There are many options available to you. Here are three quick, easy ones to follow: Smudging: Smoke is commonly used in cleansing crystals. The burning of sage, sweet grass, cedar, frankincense, lotus, or myrrh can dissolve any ambient charge in a given environment. Avoid fanning the smoke with your hand. Use a feather, and if possible, burn your smoke from below your crystals so as to immerse the stones.  Flowing Water: Waterfalls, running streams, even kitchen faucets are marvelous sources to briskly cleanse your crystals’ energies. A mere ten minutes should be fine. Sea Salt: Popular because of its ease in method and ingredient acquisition, soak your crystal in salt water. Sea salt mixed with water is ideal. Weaker results will come from using Epsom Salt or Ionized Salt. Better yet, soak your crystals in real sea water. Activate your crystal: Introduce yourself. State your intentions and welcome the crystal into your home. This may sound silly to you. I assure you it’s not and this step is not to be skipped. Basically, you’re waking your stone up via spiritual connection. Do this by holding it, rolling it back and forth in your hands, sleeping with it, gazing at it, and focusing your thoughts onto it. Charging and programming your crystals: You’re now ready toappeal to the stone’s natural energy  inclination.  Anchoring  intentions  to  a  specific stone  is  called  ‘programming’  your crystal.  Ideally, you want to be as precise as possible in the programming. Generalizations may hinder or actually hurt your goal. Decide on the ‘charging purpose’ for each crystal, word for word, and program it as such.