Gemstones and Healing: Garnets

CATALOGING THE GEMS

I evaluate a gemstone in a number of ways. First, it falls into one of these categories: Heart Stone, Grounding Stone, Guard Dog Stone, High Energy Stone, Trauma Stone, Mental Stone, Stress Tone, Luck Stone, Psychic Stone, Money Stone, Arthritis Stone and Master Healer Stone. I created this system over the years because each stone has unique skills. Some, like the Master Stones, are diverse, multi-skilled and affect more than one chakra in our aura. With this blog, we’re going to look at Garnet. It is a “Heart” stone, “High Energy” stone and a “Strength” stone.

HEART STONE

This these gems that can help support you with problems of a heart and emotional nature. These gems are utilized in situations such as: Grief, breaking up a relationship, a divorce, loss of a loved one, loss of a pet, moving and leaving your friends or family, getting fired from a job, losing your house to a flood/earthquake, are but a few examples. People who, on a more spiritual level who are wanting to work in their heart chakra should consider a “heart stone” helper. These gemstones can open up an emotionally closed down person (repression/suppression). A heart stone can help them be more sensitive to themselves and to others. It moves narcissistic people toward concern and compassion for others, rather than just focused on their own needs. These heart gemstones help us “emote.” For those who have suppressed or repressed wounds that surround love, being loved, or not loved, also fall under this category. Anything to do with our heart; whether it is learning to love ourselves, love others, loving our enemies, learning the difference between pity, sympathy and compassion, these stone helpers can support you. Garnet can help in these areas.

STRENGTH STONE

These gemstones connect with our deeper core values of this personality in this lifetime BUT, they also connect with our SOUL who has far more strength built up in it as a result of hundreds of thousands of lifetimes. This is the phenomenal magic of Strength gemstones. They are able to ACCESS this vault of built-upon and earned spiritual strength so it can help us get through some present difficulty/test/initiation that we’re putting ourselves through in this lifetime at this moment. It ‘feeds’ us so that we don’t give up, despair or want to check out because the life lesson is “too hard” to deal with. Not all people are strong spiritually speaking. We have baby spirits to ancient spirits in human body on this Earth. No one is created equal. And we’re all working on collecting that very necessary soul strength so that we can take on tougher and tougher challenges–and work through them successfully instead of failing them.

This cache of strength is accrued by living thousands upon thousands of lifetimes. It is there, like a cosmic “IV”, much like a blood transfusion for a human body, it is a strength/energy transfusion into us in our present incarnation when we need it. Certain gemstones can access this cache and give us the necessary strength to continue forward and work through the gauntlet we’ve chosen. This gemstone is like the marathon runner at the 26th mile when it is the hardest mile of all–and the finish line is so close. Garnet take us the last mile of our own marathon in Life and help us pass over the finish line.

HIGH ENERGY STONE

There is a select few gemstones that can actually give us physical energy. We’re fortunate to have them around. Some of these gems hit you with a noticeable jolt of energy. Others are more subtle and you will find yourself realizing after many hours, that you still have the same level of energy that you started with. These gems give you endurance at a more subtle level, but it’s there and you will see it prove itself out over a day’s time.

People who should not wear one are ADD and ADHD individuals. Or people who are restless by nature. They don’t need a jolt from these stones. The same goes for animals that are ‘high strung’ by nature. Do not wear one of these gemstones. Garnet lends a slow but sure approach to keeping your energy moving forward in a stable way.

THE HISTORY OF GARNET

Garnet comes from “Garanatus,” a Latin word that means seed like and this is a reference to the many seeds contained in a pomegranate. If you’ve seen a pomegranate, you know it has hundreds of seed and the red/wine colored garnets do, indeed, reflect this fruit.

Garnets come in all colors except blue. Rhodolite garnets are a purple-red. Hessonite Garnets are orange, cinnamon and pink varieties. Tsavorite is a dark green grossularite. Uvarovite and demantoid garnets are also green varieties. There’s confusion about Garnets but that’s because each of the colors has another name, a local or regional name. Spessartine is the yellow to orange and even brown color and Andradite is the black garnet. Pyrope garnets are purplish red, orangy red, crimson, or dark red. Color change garnets exhibit a “alexandrite-like” effect when viewed in natural light or artificial lighting. And of course, depending upon where they are found, there are local names that may not be one of the gem names….hence, the confusion.

There is evidence that during the Bronze Age Garnets were not only used for decoration but also as an abrasive. The name “Garnet” may come from Middle English “garnet” which means “dark red” or from Latin, “granatus” which means ‘grain.’ Or, possible from “punica granatum” which means pomegranate.” The red garnet looks very much like the many seeds found within this fruit.

They are fairly common around the world. They are created out of igneous (fire) and metamorphic (pressure/stress). The largest garnet ever documented was found near Alice springs, Northern Territory of Australia. It is said to weigh thirty-seven tons. This is the area of Uluru, the great red rock that the Aboriginal people regard as sacred. The heart of the world. I’m not surprised the largest garnet was found nearby.

Almandine garnets take on a violet huge and come from Albanda, a town in Asia Minor. Pliny, the Roman historian saw this stone and described it as “Alabandicus.” During the Migration Period the ‘barbarian’ people who took over the Western Empire used a cloisonné’ method, a style that often called “garnet cloisonné’ were found in Anglo-Saxon England to the Black Sea.

The Uvarite or right green and sparkling garnet variety is found in the Ural mountains of Russia. Garnets are found in North America, Australia, Bohemia, Mexico and Brazil.

The ancients utilize Garnets in a number of ways. It was felt to cure melancholy/sadness. And that if you gazed at the red stone, it could lead to passion, anger and stroke. Barbara Walker believes that Garnet blood magic was left over from ancient ideas of the life-giving powers of this stone that symbolize women’s uterine/menstrual blood. And because of this ancient believe, it was felt Garnet was a feminine life force and that only women should wear it.

Writer Thelma Isaac’s wrote that Garnets were used for healing and usually it was the almandine and pyrope type of red to burgundy red qualities. And always to utilize a transparent Garnet only if one was going to utilize it for healing.

Garnets have been found as far back as 3000 B.C.L. In one grave a young man was found to be wearing a necklace of garnates.
The Greeks and Romans were well aware of garnet. The Romans liked the stone so much that they used them for engraving purposes. Many imperial portraits, including emperors, exist. In India and the East, Garnet was known as an amulet against poison, plague, lightning and was thought to attract good health and money. And, best of all, cheerfulness. The stone also created fidelity, constancy and was a keepsake between friends who had to part.

Greek myths held that the pomegranate was a gift of love and so the Garnet was considered associated with eternity. Hades, the god of the Underworld, was given a pomegranate to Persephone to ensure her return from his side after she visited her mother, Ceres. Garnet was then thought to be a gift given to the spouse before they embarked upon travel so that they would have a safe return to the family. Garnet was also seen as able to heal a broken heart and rebind broken lovers who had parted from one another.

Legend has it that Noah and his ark used a Garnet that glowed to illuminate the inside of the boat during the flood. Garnet is also one of the twelve gemstones’ Aaron’s breastplate. Christians in the early going saw Garnet as the blood red symbol of Christ’s spilled blood. The Koran considered the blood red Garnet as a symbol of Christ’s sacrifices. And that the Garnet illuminates the Fourth Heaven of the Moslems. Greeks thought it guarded children from drowning.

Garnet is a fairly common stone, but it has an uncommon history. A 465 carat garnet was owned by the King of Saxony. Plato had his portrait carved on a garnet. Bohemia (now a part of Czechoslovakia) was a garnet cutting center; a huge industry for many centuries. If you travel to Bohemia, you will find the garnet decorating many of the gorgeous Middle Ages churches there.

The Anglo-Saxons were also fond of garnets. Their jewelry was set with garnets mounted in many forms. And from the “hoard” found in England, here is garnet inlay on a gold bracelet that was found. Very beautiful.

Garnets were the ‘darlings’ of the eighteenth and nineteenth century, and huge during Victorian times. In Spain, the pomegranate color was most popular. And in Spanish astrology, garnet was considered the symbol for the Sun. In ancient eras it was called “carbuncle” which mirrors what a blister or boil looks like: red and swollen.

And during the tumultuous Middle Ages, Garnet was felt to be a cure for Depression, protect against bad dreams and relieve liver disease as well as hemorrhages due to its red color. In India, the tribal belief was that if Garnet were carved as an arrow point, it would inflict wound and be very bloody. And, Garnet would lose its luster and shine was a signal that disaster was coming.

From a medical standpoint, Garnet was felt to regulate heartbeat and blood flow. And that it could relieve inflammation of a skin disease.

On the Mohs scale of hardness, the Garnets are from 7.0 to 7.5 on the scale. They are found in Arizona, South Africa, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Burma, Scotland, Switzerland and Tanzania. They are formed when high temperature (igneous types) or pressure (metamorphic types) are applied to this gemstone. Garnets, then can handle high temperature and high stress and pressure.

Garnet is rhombic dodecahedral or cubic in shape. Depending upon color, there is a specific mineral content. Here are some of them:

Pyrope Mg3Al2Si3O12
Almandine Fe3Al2Si3O12
Spessartine Mn3Al2Si3O12
Andradite Ca3Fe2Si3O12
Grossular Ca3Al2Si3O12
Uvarovite Ca3Cr2Si3O12

Garnets are considered brittle, but at 7.0 to 7.5, that’s only true up to a point. It’s a tough mineral which is why it has been found in jewelry throughout the ages. Garnet can be found in crystals but also in massive formations, too. It is usually found with gneiss and mica schist. For being so common, Garnet has literally carved out an amazing ancient use and history up to present day. It can be transparent to opaque. Uvarovite, the green garnet from the Urals of Russia, commands a high price precisely because it is the shining and glittering ‘bling’ of crystals in it. Kashgar Garnets from China, are completely opaque and are cheap in comparison, although highly colorful. Garnets are diverse, colorful and are common. But it has been one of the most utilized stones in the last five thousand years. For such a commoner, Garnet shines.

But Garnet has more skills to it! Besides being a gemstone, it was a common replacement for silica sand in sand blasting in the 19th century. Mixed with high pressure water, garnet is used to cut steel and other materials in water jets. Garnet sand paper was favored by cabinet makers when finishing off a beautiful piece, too. And, Garnet sand is also used for water filtration media. Garnet is then mined, collected and then crushed into finer grains for such demands and activities. Accordingly, the largest source of abrasive garnet today are beaches on the Indian continent and Australia.

And so, our very common Garnet has garnered not only those who love it as jewelry, but it is a workhorse in many industries as well. This speaks to its diversity and how we can utilize it in many areas of application.

THE ASTROLOGY OF GARNET

Garnet is ruled by Mars. The ENERGY of this stone is hard to replace. Oh Shinnah Fast Wolf, my gemstone teacher and medicine woman, held it in high esteem. She said that if you could not afford Ruby, then buy a Garnet because it is a powerful energizer, only second to Ruby.

Mars rules the color red. The historical information on Garnet is diverse, but through it all, it is a stone that ENERGIZES and CATALYZES things into moving once more. This is a powerful gemstone, easy to find and fairly cheap in comparison to Ruby. Oh Shinnah Fast Wolf utilized Garnet often and praises it for its powerful ability to shake things into action once again.

ASTROLOGY TRANSITS AND PROGRESSIONS WITH GARNET

When Mars goes retrograde (once every twenty-two months due to its orbit about the Sun), this is a good time to wear RED garnet. It will help compensate to a degree, the loss of vitality and energy and replace it.

THE SOUTH ENERGY

Garnet is a SOUTH gemstone. If there was a “Jupiter” or “Mars” position, it would be the South. At its finest, South energy is about the playful child who finds life curious, interesting, engaging and exciting. Risk takers are found in this direction too, because it is ruled by the fire element. Those who are South oriented will always be found in careers that involve risk of some sort. Or, their hobby will involve risk. People with a healthy South energy, even if adult or elderly, still have their child like fascination with life. They are optimistic people who are fully connected with and living their life to the fullest. They also have a wonderful sense of humor and can find laughter even in the darkest moments. Black humor resides here in this position. On the unhealthy side, there is extreme rage, rageoholics are found here, and angry people who are out of control. Children with ADD and ADHD are also found in this position. Anyone with extreme restlessness, inability to focus or complete a project have reverse South energy expression. And, they will be immature or stunted in emotional growth so that no matter what their age, they are still in the “teen years.”

HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF GARNET

Garnet is used as an energy revitalizer. Where one has to be careful is if you have the disease, Cancer, Oh Shinnah Fast Wolf warned that if you wear any red stone such as Ruby or Garnet, that it shouldn’t be worn long (maybe an hour) but then, to quickly wear EMERALD (green) to “cool” down the energy effects of these vitality gemstones. She felt it could cause multiplication and more production of cancer cells in someone who has this disease and gave us this information so that the Cancer would not increase. Emerald is the ‘brake’ on the energy of Garnet and Ruby.

Otherwise, anyone who is tired or exhausted, can wear Garnet and get a gentle, sustainable boost from it.

WHO SHOULD WEAR GARNET?

Anyone who needs more energy. If you are tired, exhausted, then Garnet can help rejuvenate you so that you have enough energy to finish your daily projects.

SPIRITUAL CONSIDERATIONS OF GARNET

This is a root chakra stone and very much concerned with a connection from that chakra, down through our legs, feet and diving deeply into Mother Earth. People who are spacy and out of their bodies can compensate this situation to a degree by wearing Garnet. And, interestingly enough, people who are hanging out of their body (known as spacy or ungrounded), tire far more easily than someone who is locked in (grounded) into their physical body.

It is androgynous, meaning it contains both male and female energy in a balance within it. Both genders will do well by this gemstone.

Consider Garnet like a race car. Oh Shinnah Fast Wolf considers Ruby “THE” energy boosting stone, but second, is Garnet. And since most people cannot afford rubies, then Garnet, one of the most common gemstones in the world, is a heck of a lot cheaper and easy to purchase, instead. One could consider Ruby the Formula 1 race care, and Garnet, the Sprint car in comparison. Still, Garnet is tough and has a constancy to it. Ruby can sometimes “jerk” the energy of a person’s aura so much that it traumatizes it instead of supporting it. Hence, Garnet is much gentler and not so fast off the blocks. It also has a steady, enduring step to it. One usually doesn’t feel the ‘surge’ of Garnet when worn, but over an hour, one will find their energy sustaining and slowly moving upward. Garnet is a real workhorse when it comes to increasing one’s vitality.

HOW TO WEAR GARNET

You don’t if you have the disease, Cancer. This is a stone you will not wear because it increases production of red blood cells and also cancer multiplication.

If you are tired, exhausted or need more energy, then wear Garnet. It will quietly and gently boost your vitality.

IN SUMMATION

Garnet is an unsung gemstone. It’s almost as common a quartz, but not quite. It comes in a wide range of colors (except blue). It can be transparent to opaque. And yet, the energy of it is always there. It’s not flashy like it’s counterpart, Ruby. It just quietly goes about its job to give you more energy.

Besides being one of the most colorful gemstones (akin to the Jasper and Agate family who are equal in this regard), Garnet provides us with a very important and unique skill: giving us more energy. What it does is stimulates the root chakra and the energy roots that traverse our legs, down through our feet and catalyzes or knocks on Mother Earth’s door. When Garnet triggers this chakra, a ‘message’ travels down through the human, into the Earth and the Earth responds by giving them more energy than before. This is a highly sustainable skill that Garnet has and is one of the few stones who can actually do this for us.

I use Garnet when I’ve got a need for more sustained energy over a longer period of time because of a job I must complete. Some people wear the necklace daily simply because it does give them more energy and they can certainly tell the difference if they aren’t wearing it. Those who are spacy and ungrounded may well find Garnet far more grounding. Although not a grounding stone, per se, it is a root chakra stimulator and some may find themselves at home in the body as a result.

This unsung hero of the gemstone world is truly heroic when it comes to opening up the energy valve in the root chakra and Mother Earth sends us more as we need it. An amazing feat.

IMAGES
Many of the garnet rough photos: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garnet

Copyright Eileen Nauman 2010. All Rights Reserved.