Birthstone: January
Meaning: truth, manifestation
Chakras: Root (red), Third Eye (green), Heart
Zodiac: Capricorn, Leo, Aquarius, Aries
Planet: Saturn, mars
MOH’s Scale: 6.5- 7.5
Element: Fire, Earth
God/Goddess: All Garnets honor Sekhmet, the Egyptian Goddess of War. She is the most powerful goddess of Lower Egypt, Mars, Aries, Lugh, Arianrhod, Hekate, Hera, Circe, Horus, Set, Ishtar, Apollo
Anniversary Gift: 2 year
Garnets are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. All species of garnets possess similar physical properties and crystal forms, but differ in chemical composition. The different species are pyrope, almandine, spessartine, grossular (varieties of which are hessonite or cinnamon-stone and tsavorite), uvarovite and andradite. This stone comes in multiple colors including the common almandine (reddish purple) and the rare teavorite (vivd green). Garnet species are can be red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, brown, black and colorless, with reddish shades most common. Garnet is an isometric crystal with variable mineral content. The red color specifically is caused by iron ions replacing magnesium ions in the structure. There are more than 20 varieties of garnet with six main types being used as gemstones. To check if garnets are genuine you can use neodymium magnets. Because the stones contain high amounts of both manganese and iron they will stick to the magnets. The mineral’s luster is categorized as vitreous (glass-like) or resinous (amber-like).
Garnets are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the bronze age as gemstones and abrasives. Garnet granules are crushed and size graded for use as abrasive, cutting, and filter media. They are used in water cutting, sand blasting, sandpaper, water filtration, and a number of other uses. Almandine is the hardest garnet and also the most abundant. Today, the most important sources for garnet are Africa, Sri Lanka, and India.
The word garnet comes from the 14th‑century Middle English word gernet, meaning ‘dark red’. It is derived from Latin granatus, from granum (‘grain, seed’), referring to its similarity to the pomegranate seed. Garnet is a stone of healing and illumination featuring in mythology ranging from far eastern traditions to early biblical sources.
In the past, garnet was commonly referred to as carbuncle, and there were all sorts of myths attached to the stone. Garnet was formally called carbuncle which means “from fire coals”, because of having the color of fire. Garnets the color of fire were also called Carbuncles (from fire-coals), and the Hebrew name for the carbuncle was Bareketh (flashing stone) or Barak (lightning).
Garnet jewelry has been found in prehistoric graves and it was a very popular stone used during Ancient Egypt as early as 3100 B.C. when the ancient Egyptians used garnets as inlays for jewelry. Cultures such as Sumeria, Bronze Age Czechoslovakia, and Sweden also worked with garnet. Ancient Egyptians used this as a protective gem and a symbol of loyalty, passion, and love. Early Romans would use it to engrave portraits while it was a sacred stone to the Aztec, Mayan, Native American Indians, South American Indians, and African tribal elders.
There are many legends surrounding garnet. In Islam, the Koran holds that garnet illuminates the Fourth Heaven. It has been said that a garnet engraved with the figure of a lion is an effective charm that preserves health, cures all disease, brings honor to the wearer, and guards from all perils in travelling. Ancient warriors believed that garnets brought victory while Hebrew texts include garnet as one of the gems found in Aaron’s breastplate.
In Christian traditions, this stone represented the passion of Christ and crucifixes were sometimes decorated with five garnets to symbolize the five wounds Christ received on the cross. Earlier biblical sources also wrote that a large garnet carbuncle was placed on a pedestal on the center of Noah’s Ark for illumination, as the stone was thought to be capable of shining throughout the night. As a Warrior’s Stone, Garnet served as a talisman in the Crusades for both the Christians and their Muslim enemies.
Garnets have been used since Ancient Greece to protective travellers. The Greeks called the carbuncle the Lamp Stone and it was said, if hung around the neck, to give the power of seeing in the dark. Greek mythology speaks of Garnet as a stone that can, through divine influence, heal emotional rifts between lovers. A garnet amulet was believed to protect the bearer from all perils while travelling- making it an ideal stone for modern day commuters. Charge your garnet with positive energies before you travel.
Witch Tip: Bless garnet jewelry with the four elements to use as a protective travel charm.
Studying legends and folklore literature, you will find garnet among the most ancient talismans, especially by warriors on battlefields. In Europe, during the middle ages, garnet was used to enhance truth, constancy, and dispel melancholy. It is believed that Garnet will help brighten dark souls and bring hope to people who need it. One of the most impressive myths was a medieval belief that dragon’s eyes were made of garnet. They were especially used inlaid in gold cells in the cloisonné technique, a style often just called garnet cloisonné, found from Anglo-Saxon England, as at Sutton Hoo, to the Black Sea. In its polished form, garnet is a popular stone to inlay jewelry.
Some Asiatic tribes used red garnets as bullets for sling bows because they pierced their victims quickly and were well hidden when they mingled with the blood. At other times they were placed in wounds to encourage clotting of the blood. The tribes continued to use them later as bullets in firearms, assuming the blood-colored stone would inflict a more deadly wound than a leaden bullet. A garnet losing its luster was considered an inauspicious event that presaged imminent danger or disaster.
Most frequently sought in a bold red color, it is unearthed primarily in Europe, Russia, and South Africa. It was declared the official January birthstone by the American National Association of Jewelers in 1912. Garnet signifies eternal friendship and trust. It is the perfect gift for a friend.
Garnet is a stone of friendship and fidelity. On the social side, the stone supports long term relationships and helps ensure that your path will cross with those of your friends. Garnets increase imagination and raises ones internal fire to manifest creative powers. Mystical properties include devotion to others, prosperity, strength, perseverance, passion, increased energy, health, passion, grounding, purification, healing, love, grounding, abundance, determination, and manifestation. Dreams of garnet signify the solution of a mystery.
Embodying the element of fire, garnet empowers spells with energy and is strongly protective. Garnet is a stone of release. Magically, this stone can handle both protective and receptive energies. It is a revitalizing stone that brings serenity by extracting negative energy from the chakras. Garnet has a well-founded reputation as an energizing stone. Red garnet is used to heal problems such as physical depression, general weakness, and low productivity. It is beneficial for people who are at a low ebb and need an extra boost of energy. To gain from these benefits of the stone, you should use garnet to work the Root chakra. It ensures that energy is flowing smoothly throughout your body, dissolving your energy blockages.
Witch Tip: Hold a garnet to your Root chakra or that of your partner’s and feel the stone re-energizing. Meditate and activate the energies of the Root Chakra. Red garnet activates and strengthens the Root chakra. This happens because of the color of energy it produces. Feel the energy being passed down your arms, being focused through the garnet as red energy, stimulating the Root chakra and helping to clear any blockages. This stone is an energizer more gentle than ruby.
It is said to protect against bad dreams and is also useful for general protection. The power of garnet can be used to work in protective charms. Not only that, garnet brings dreams into reality and can reveal ones purpose in life.
Witch Tip: Meditate with garnet from the full to new moon when wishing for release.
Star garnet: for a flash of healing and deep protection, use star garnet. Star garnet is a gem of the Root chakra and offers grounding and shielding powers. It is also believed to be a physically healing gem. Healers have channeled all types of medicinal benefits through this stone, including regulation of the heartbeat and improved circulation, relief of inflammation in the skin, and even depression relief.
Garnets have served as enduring symbols of loyalty, honesty, hope, faith, passion, energy flow, success, prosperity, consistency, and passion. Use garnet in spells for invoking strength. The power of garnet can be used to work in talismans for good fortune and in rituals for healing and to give energy. Garnet is the stone of gentle grounding. It is said to help strengthen both courage and the sex drive and keeps you grounded, strong, and fully earthed, so nothing can easily shake you. By drawing negative energy away from the chakras, garnet is able to inspire and balance love and passion. It will help increase energy regeneration and vitality by balancing emotions and protecting against stress.
Witch Tip: Carry garnet to feel strong and grounded.
In terms of protection, garnet is an ideal stone for traveling. It bolsters health on the road and defends against theft.
Witch Tip: For discreet protection, get a plain tumbled garnet bead, fasten it to your purse, suitcase, or other travelling gear to ward off thieves and ensure good health on your trip.
Garnet is often known as the stone for a successful business. Garnets, especially green varieties, are often used as talismans to attract business success. If you are starting up a new project, or you have been waiting for a promotion, obtain a piece of garnet to help your work. Its color is believed to attract prosperity and abundance and is often prescribed to improve productivity and physical activity.
Witch Tip: Charge your garnet by the light of the sun, the power of solar fire bringing you the success you yearn for. Keep the garnet on you even when away from your workplace and on your desk when you are in the office. Try to be discreet so that the stone is not interfered with by someone else and have its positive energies dissipated.
Witch Tip: keep a small garnet in your wallet to attract abundance.
Garnet is a stone of health and healing with many medical properties. It was thought to be an antidote to poison and enhance your sensuality and sexuality. Garnets are believed to regulate the heart and blood flow and aid in curing depression. An exquisite stone said to be therapeutic in times of trauma, it is said to help those suffering from anemia, back pain, calcium deficiencies, paralysis, and cancer. It is also said to help with tissue regeneration. Make a devoted acquaintance of garnet and keep it close to the skin. If you suffer badly from PMS, especially if you find this time of the month very draining, try using a garnet to re-energize your body, heart, and mind.
Witch Tip: Hold the garnet close to your heart and meditate for balance and harmony. Relax your body as the energies balance. To reinforce the stone’s healing effects, make a cup of Mugwort tea with 1 tbsp of the herb in a cup of boiled water. Allow the tea to cool, strain it, and put the garnet in the tea for a few minutes. Then remove the stone, drink the tea, and relax.
Red garnet is also used as a cure for depression and self-esteem. It is also good for helping to boost a flagging libido if the sex drive is low in yourself or your partner. Garnet is a crystal for love. Wearing garnet is said to make you more attractive to the opposite sex.
Witch Tip: To bring in love, wear the stone by your heart of place on your heart chakra and meditate, thinking only of love. Write down your intentions and place the crystal on top of your written intention to bring unconditional love into your life. Open your heart with ease and trust to allow new love in your life.
Nothing on this website should be taken as medical or legal advice. Please use herbs responsibly. Always consult your doctor before using any kind of supplements.
From our altar to yours, with love from the sea,
