Since Ryan asked about cleaning stones, I thought I'd post my short article on this.
CHARGING AND CLEANSING STONES
Some you can clean in salt water and some will DISSOLVE in water! Not even salt water, just water! Selenite is one and Halite is another that do not like water. There are plenty of other cleansing methods though. The following four are *not* ones I have made up all by myself. They are ways that I have tried myself though.
Methods of Cleansing a Crystal
1. Sunlight: Place the tired or full crystal in a place where it can receive a full dose of sun for a few hours. If it still "feels" bad, then leave it there for a full three days thus allowing it to soak in the lunar and solar energies.
2. Moonlight: Place the crystal where it can receive the light of the full
moon for a night.
3. Smudging: Pass the crystal through the smoke of burning herbs. Some
popular herb combinations are A) sage, sweetgrass and cedar; B) frankincense and myrrh; C) sage alone. Again, go with your intuition.
4. Earth: Bury the crystal in the earth. Sometimes, when the crystal is
through with you, burying it in the earth is a way of releasing it.(NOTE: Mark where you buried it or you will be like me and that winter squirrel digging up holes everywhere trying to find that last darn rock!)
Methods of Charging a Crystal
Once your crystal is clean, then you may want to charge it for a specific purpose. You can also just allow the crystal to be and enjoy it as it is. It is up to you.
1. Holding the crystal in your power hand, ground and center yourself. Once you are settled, begin to pull energy up from the earth. Feel it pour into your body. Consciously channel this energy into your stone while thinking of your purpose. It is important to remain focused on your intent. For instance, if working a justice spell, you don't want to think about cleaning the cat's teeth. *smile*
2. Smudging the crystal while focusing on the smoke imbuing the crystal with energy for your work.
You can see that the whole point here is focusing yourself. Do remember that a crystal is no more than a tool just like your athame, bolline, wand, robe, etc. You do not need props to work magic. Personally I prefer props because I am a bit lazy at times and it helps me get into that right frame of mind.