GARNET: Your stone for Love, Protection, Energy, & More!

There are SO many different types of Garnet that some mineralogists argue that the various types should just be viewed as different stones altogether. However, despite how different garnets can look from each other physically - ranging from purpley red, to emerald green, to brownish black - their commonalities lay beneath the surface. They all form through the same metamorphic process, share a chemical structure, and all garnets are Island Silicates. But anyway, because there are so many different types of garnet (Andradite, Melanite, Tsavorite, African Green, Grossular, Spessartine, Rainbow, Rhodonite, Pyrope, Hessonite, Demantoid, and Uvavorite) I would be here all night if I lumped them all under one inaccurate category and tried to describe their personalities to you in depth one at a time. So, while blog posts about specific garnets are in the near future, today I really want to discuss ALMANDINE GARNET – this is the wine – red variety, the most common type that is usually simply sold as a tumbled stone under the name “Garnet” (sometimes, Almandine and Pyrope garnets are mixed together – they look incredibly similar, and also work similarly at the energetic level). But first, let me just give you a run – through of how garnet energy works.

The word “garnet” was derived from the Latin “granatum” which means pomegranate seed – which make sense when you look at a little tumbled Almandine specimen, as it closely resembles a pomegranate seed in both form and color. As I mentioned in my last blog post about crystals for the root chakra (for which garnet is excellent), garnet is the second strongest emitter of the red ray of the entire crystal kingdom, second only to ruby. This makes it a wonderful red – ray stone for those to work with who find ruby’s energy a bit too intense. If you stumbled across a garnet on a hike (as I have before) you wouldn’t know it – these little beauties are actually quite modest – looking when plucked straight from nature. It is only after cutting that the true beauty of these gems is revealed. For this reason, garnet has come to be associated with knights and others who need to undergo a series of tests before proving their worth – or their inner fire.

 Garnet was a favorite of the Ancients with the exception of Tsavorite, which was discovered a mere few decades ago – recent, of course, for a crystal discovery. Knights and warriors would decorate their equipment with garnets, presumably to benefit from their protective powers, and this firey stone was a particular favorite of German Emperor Otto, whose crown was adorned with garnets. This stone also makes an appearance in the bible – supposedly, the only guiding light of Noah’s Ark was provided by a large garnet specimen.

Garnets are wonderful love tokens, being probably the single most effective gem for inspiring FIDELITY, COMMITMENT, and PASSION – during the Victorian Age, these stones were worn by widows to denote their continued devotion to their deceased husbands. Garnet can also be used to ATTRACT LOVE – for this, pair it with a rose quartz or another love – attracting stone (like blue aragonite or rhodocrosite). Very sexual crystals, Garnets are used to treat various sexual dysfunctions, including impotency, and energize/regulate one’s sex life and sex drive. Despite its GROUNDING abilities, garnet is also efficient in working with the pituitary gland to induce ASTRAL TRAVEL and, most importantly, is a wonderful companion for attempting PAST – LIFE RECALL (pair with galena, which, while toxic, is the ideal past – life regression stone.) Garnets are highly PROTECTIVE, even said to warn of impending danger. Opening the root chakra, they fortify SURIVIVAL INSTINCTS, bring SELF  - CONFIDENCE, and can be used to work on DEPRESSION.

So this is generally what garnet energy is like, and tends to be applicable to pretty much ALL of the garnets (though some stray a bit.)

 The garnet that you are most likely to come across is Almandine – and thank the goddess! Typically, the red tumbled stones simply labeled “garnet” are the Almandine variety. As I mentioned in my last blog post, Almandine Garnet is AMAZING for the root chakra – it promotes strength, security, endurance, vitality, energy, and stamina. This is a wonderfully grounding stone if you are generally a little flighty and ungrounded, and also if you are usually tired and lack energy. This is also a good stone for dreamers, helping their plans become reality and manifest on the physical plane, increasing their drive and ability to take the necessary steps to achieve their goal. Almandine Garnet closely connects the physical body to the energy bodies, making it very difficult for entities or energies to attach. This is a great stone for restoring passion and attracting LOVE. Emotionally, there are few stones better than Almandine Garnet for calming ANGER. One of the most important attributes of this stone is that it helps to relieve anxieties regarding finances – so if you have an unhealthy relationship with money that causes regular stress in your life, carrying around an almandine garnet may help. Almandine Garnets are physically used to treat the liver, pancreas and eyes, and help with iron absorption. PYROPE GARNET  works very similarly, but is especially firey, and is often connected to the energies of the planet Mars (for those who work at all with astrology.) This is a great stone for bringing courage and physical vitality, energy, and zest for life, so it is wonderful for uplifting those who have lost interest in daily life. This is also a powerful stone for CHARISMA. I love to recommend Pyrope Garnet for CHILDREN, as it makes a wonderful protective guardian during lonely nights. Physically, Pyrope Garnet is used to treat digestion and heartburn, and stimulate circulation.

 So, that’s the basic gist of Garnet, though as I said, future posts are to come about some of the other, more interesting (and sadly, rare) varieties. But a simple tumbled almandine is definitely a must – have for any crystal collection!