Red Garnet
Crystal System – Cubic
Formation -Tertiary
Mineral Class -Island Silicate
Colours – Red, pink, orange, green, brown to dark brown
Chemical formula – Me2+ 3Me 2(SiO4) + Al, Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ti
Other names – Carbuncle Garamanticus, Anthrax, Almadine, Granaticus
Similar crystals – Red Spinel Ruby,
Astrology Connections
Garnet is known today as the birthstone of people born in January and associated with the sign Capricorn. As Saturn is the planetary steward of the sign and Mars the planetary exalted ruler, we have a Saturn-Mars connection in the sign of the water goat.
As garnet is a dull stone in raw form that transforms once polished to a shine, the idea of gaining benefits from trial through adversity speaks to the Saturn-Mars combination.
The connection of the Earth element and the Fire element conjures the idea of a clay tablet. The cold, claggy, clay dug out of the earth, is itself a physically demanding process by hand. The raw clay is then forced into shape, engraved and fire, once transformed, it becomes rigid and brittle pottery. In true Saturnian style, it is also interesting to consider that it is thanks to the long-lasting properties of this fired earth combination that has helped preserve the history of astrology through the Enuma Anu Enlil. These Babylonian 2nd millennium BCE tablets with astral omen engravings carved onto them hold information that would never have survived on paper!
Garnet has an association with warriors and steadfastness, another Saturn-Mars combination. I imagine a battle-hardened Sergeant, steady and sturdy with discipline and the inner determination to stay fit, work hard, succeed and lead others under adversity.
Garnet Ritual
If you would like to work with red garnet, especially in Capricorn season, or for those who resonate with either the stone or Saturn and Mars energy, then I wrote a ritual for my friends at Astrum Opus, which you can find HERE.
Healing Uses
Red garnet connects to the blood and wound healing, hastening the process of repair to cuts and abrasions.
High and low blood pressure issues can be balanced.
It can help with iron levels tackling anaemia.
As an immune system booster, this is an ideal stone to use during the winter months to stave off seasonal infections.
Helps with the reduction of inflammation, especially in the bones and joints.
As a stone of Mars, this connects to the repair of brain damage, or deterioration with conditions such as Alzheimers. Wearing the crystal in earrings is a great way to boost brain function.
As a dark stone that has its theoretical inner light, the lifting of depression and dark days are the benefits for the emotional and spiritual self, especially useful in those ‘dark nights of the soul’ times.
Garnet helps to broaden one’s inner landscape and honour the community, especially through times of trial and trauma.
This is a stone that when we need to be lifted, can slowly but surely help us gain confidence and self-awareness. Garnet gives us the courage and endurance to work through our troubles but with a sensible dose of reality and grounding so that we do not get dragged off on flights of fancy.
A crystal to connect oneself to the earth we live on. Ideal for those who need to be emotionally grounded or who live in their head, it can help to bring ideas into reality.
As a crystal that connects to the base chakra, it can help with any sexual issues or trauma and health issues around the groin area.
Thinking of running a marathon this year, a truly Saturnian-Mars type event, this is the stone to work with.
In History
Garnet comes in many colours but the red garnet was used in antiquity as a seal stone, which could be engraved with the owner’s mark to seal documents. As garnet was softer than some other crystals but also could withstand extreme heat it was a good choice for carving, even though it was hard and brittle.
In the Bible-“And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row.” Exodus 28.17
This is a description of the breastplate of Aaron the high priest. It is not certain, but it is believed the carbuncle in this description is garnet, especially as it was carved with one of the names of the tribes of Israel.
Aristotle stated that “the seal-stone called anthrax is the least (affected by fire) of all the stones.” Meaning it could withstand great temperatures.
Theophrastus said “But there is another kind of stone which seems to be of an exactly opposite nature, since it cannot be burnt. It is called anthrax, and seals are cut from it; it is red in colour, and when it is held towards the sun it has the colour of a burning coal.”
Pliny the Elder - In the first rank among these is carbunculus, so called from its resemblance to fire; though in reality, it is proof against the action of that element: hence it is that some persons call these stones "acaustoi." (non-flammable)
Granatus was used to describe this gem as it was believed to be connected to the seed of the pomegranate fruit.
Henry Agrippa Cornelius – “A Carbuncle shines in the dark;” (pg 65) and associates the carbuncle with the fixed star Aldebaran “The third is the star Aldeboran, which hath under it, amongst stones, the carbuncle and ruby” (pg 108) The idea that the garnet has an inner radiance is shown here in connection with the most brilliant of the stars in the sign of Taurus, the bright magnitude and red colour of the star match many descriptions of garnet.
The great treasure unearthed at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, England had a grand helmet whose eyebrows were encrusted with garnet, showing the connection to warriors and the ability to perceive danger and protect the wearer when carrying this crystal.
In Legend
The story The Great Carbuncle by Nigel Hawthorn (with the delightful character Master Pigsnort) Tells the story of a group of people looking to take this fabled gem for their uses.
“There shall it flame for ages, making a noonday of midnight, glittering on the suits of armour, the banners, and escutcheons, that hang around the wall, and keeping bright the memory of heroes.”
It is believed that Noah used garnet as a light source in the ark.
Further Reading
https://www.beachcombingmagazine.com/blogs/news/mudlarking-the-mystery-of-the-thames-garnets
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/death-and-memory/anglo-saxon-ship-burial-sutton-hoo
References
Holy Bible -King James Version
Pliny - Natural History, Books 36-37
Theophrastus On Stones By Earle R. Caley & John F. C. Richards
Three Books of Occult Philosophy or Magic – Henry Cornelius Agrippa
Website accessed 31st Dec 2023 - Pliny the Elder, The Natural History
John Bostock, M.D., F.R.S., H.T. Riley, Esq., B.A., Ed https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0137:book=37:chapter=25&highlight=garnet
Website accessed 1st January 2024 https://www.gemsociety.org/article/garnet-symbolism-legends/
The Natural History of Gems or Decorative Stones – C.W. King