CHOOSING STONES

Stones come in many different shapes and varieties. You can purchase tumbled stones, jewelry made of stones, gemstone eggs, stone pyramids, spheres, etc. You may wish to purchase a gemstone ring to wear for protection, a rose quartz heart-shaped pendant to draw love, a pyramid to place on your altar to draw energy, a large "chunk" of stone to use as a magickal decoration in your home, or a handful of tumbled stones to place around a candle to increase the power of a magickal spell. We here at the Crimson Rose each have many different shapes and varieties of stones for all purposes. We have a HUGE collection of tumbled stones which we use for various magickal spells. Some of us also have larger pieces of any number of stones at any given time strategically and decoratively placed in various parts of our home for protection or other magickal needs.

CLEANSING STONES

When you first obtain a stone, it is necessary to cleanse it to clear it of any extraneous energy from others that it may be holding. There are many ways to cleanse a stone:

Run under cold tap water for several minutes (this is not as effective as other methods).

Place in bright sunlight for an hour or so (be careful not to do this to certain stones, such as amethyst, rose quartz, ametrine, kunzite, celestite, aquamarine, smoky quartz, and flourite, as the colors of these stones fade quickly in the sun).

Place overnight under the light of the Full Moon.

Bury in the earth for several days.

Place in salt-water (from the sea, or your own mixture made with a tablespoonful of sea salt in a cup of water and placed in a ceramic or glass cup or bowl -- do not use metal or plastic). Allow the stone to soak in the salt-water for several hours or overnight. This is my favorite method and the one I feel is the most effective.

Place in a jar and cover with herbs, such as dry sage, cedar, or rose petals. This may take a little longer than some of the other methods.

Smudge the stone with sage or cedar.

After using the stone for your magickal purpose, you may again wish to cleanse/clear it. This is not necessary if you will be using the stone again for the same purpose (for example, using green aventurine for all your money-drawing spells), but if you have used the stone, say, for healing or drawing out illness, you should cleanse it after each use.

PROGRAMMING THE STONE

Programming or charging a stone is necessary before it is used in magick. To do this, simply hold the stone in your projective hand (right hand if right-handed, left hand if left-handed), visualize your magickal need, and pour energy out from your body and into the stone. See the power flowing out from your body, through your hand, and into the stone. You know you are finished when you can feel or sense the stone vibrating with your personal power. It is now ready for your magickal use.