Once I started working with crystals and began to learn more, I started reading about people charging crystals under the full moon. But why? That was my question.

First, I'm not in the camp that believes that you have to charge a crystal. It's not a cellphone that needs its battery charged. I never charge crystals because I don't even get what people are talking about when they use this terminology.

But I do want to talk about a crystal absorbing the energy of a full moon, which I like the idea of but do not consider it to be "charging" any crystals up. So let's talk about Full Moon Crystal Bathing.

Full Moons Make People Crazy

First, let's talk about that moon of ours.

Think about this... the words' lunatic' and 'lunacy' come from the Latin word "luna," which means moon. If people back then knew that the moon was a powerful force to make us act a bit crazy, I think we can agree there has to be something to it.

Some people in 1978 did some research and found that there was something to the influence of the moon on people. There's more research that has been done that shows the rate of violent crimes rises during the full moon, too.

However, you do have the skeptics on the other side that point to all of the reports that say the Full Moon doesn't affect people in weird ways and that, of course, killers don't go crazy when it's a Full Moon. Side note, wouldn't that be amazing if someone studied how many times a serial killer killed during a Full Moon? I'd like to read that report because people act straight up cray-cray during a full moon.

What is happening during a Full Moon, Anyway?

According to EarthSky, "Around each new moon and full moon, the sun, Earth, and moon arrange themselves more or less along a line in space. Then the pull on the tides increases because the gravity of the sun reinforces the moon's gravity. In fact, the height of the average solar tide is about 50 percent of the average lunar tide. Thus, a new moon or full moon, the tide's range is at its maximum."

So we've got an enhanced amount of gravity affecting our planet, that we can only visibly see in the ocean tides. And I'd speculate that the reason we people notice the Full Moon has to be because we're about 70% water. I'd buy that conclusion.

Moon Phases + Spiritually

Most of this talk of the full moon crystal rituals are tied to ancient spiritual practices dating as far back as the Egyptians and other peoples when they were recording the happenings of the moon.

Documenting the moon phases helped ancients to plant their crops or plan ceremonies. 

Depending on what crowd you hang with, they will all have their thoughts, theories, and beliefs on moon rituals. Without further ado, here's what I know about moon phases.

• New Moon - new beginnings, time to set intentions

• Waxing Crescent Moon - work on new intentions

• First Quarter Moon - time to make decisions or re-evaluate

• Waxing Gibbous Moon - fine-tuning in pursuit of reaching a goal set earlier in the month

• Full moon - release, and completion

• Waning Gibbous Moon - time to look within

• Third Quarter Moon - let go of bad habits

• Waning Crescent Moon - time to rest and recuperate

Some people work with these various phases of the moon, some don't. Usually, I only notice when it's a full moon because I can feel it.

What's the truth about charging your crystals using under a full moon?

From the research I've done, I have to say that I don't know why this is a popular method for charging or even cleansing crystals. I tend to be a bit skeptical when it comes to things that I can't understand easily.

Does the gravitational pull from the moon charge and cleanse a crystal? I don't know because it doesn't make any type of sense to me to make it a regular practice for myself. If you want to cleanse your crystals you can try these methods any time.

We can agree that there's definitely some full moon energy that affects us and I can give the benefit of the doubt that the energy could be a benefit to the crystals bathing in the moonlight.

BUT I will also say that I can feel the energy of a full moon inside my house, so I surmise that my crystals would feel it, too. Right?

I also find that it isn't a practical thing for me to do because I have way too many gems to haul out to the backyard. I tried it once before and then I forgot them in the backyard the next day. This is so no bueno, because sunlight can bleach certain crystals.

My advice? Take the crystals out if you like or keep them inside. This practice is one you can choose to do or not. You will not be put into some metaphysical jail.

If you decide to take them out for a moonlit bath, you also are allowed to intuitively select which ones you want to go out if you have an extensive collection that you're not interested in hauling out.

Full Moon Crystal Charging FAQs

There are some common questions that come when people want to put their crystals out in the full moon.

Can you put your crystals out even if it's cloudy?

Yep, the energy is still there whether you can see the Full Moon or not.

Can you put crystals out during a Full Moon if it's raining?

You can put some crystals out, but not all without protection. There are certain crystals that shouldn't be exposed to water, like Selenite, because depending on the length and amount of water it will damage the surface of the stone, but not the energy of the crystal.

And trying to use the MOHs scale of hardness isn't a good indicator if a crystal will be unscathed after being exposed to water. There's some thought out there that if the stone is at least a five on the Mohs Hardness Scale, but then if Hematite gets wet, it will rust. So the best advice is not to expose your crystals to water ever, only a slightly damp rag if necessary.

The Full Moon was yesterday? Do I have to wait until the next Full Moon?

Full Moon energy lasts approximately three days, so you're good to get in that moon bath the next day after the official start of a Full Moon.

How long do you charge crystals in the moonlight?

You can set them out overnight or for a few hours. Just remember to bring them back in.