Edgar Cayce's Sacred Stones: The A-Z Guide to Working with Gems to Enhance Your Life and Health - Shelley Kaehr 2015
Garnet
Sacred Stones
Part Two
Found in: Brazil, Burma (Myanmar), China, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Russia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, USA
Named for: Garnet comes from the Latin word for grain because of rounded crystals that were considered to appear similar to pomegranate seeds. Carbuncle is from the Latin carbunculus for “coal or small, glowing ember.”
Birthstone: January
Vedic astrology: The gemstone of Rahu = hessonite
Other varieties of garnet include:
Pyrope is derived from the Greek for “fire and eye.”
Almandine originates from a town in Asia Minor. Almandine is also known as carbuncle. In early times, almost any red gem was called a carbuncle.
Spessartite was named after Spessart, a hilly, forested town in Bavaria, Germany.
Hessonite is a golden-orange variety, often called cinnamon stone.
✵ Bible ✵
And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be . . . a carbuncle: this shall be the first row. Exodus 28:17
. . . a carbuncle: this was the first row. Exodus 39:10
. . . thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. Isaiah 54:12
Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering . . . the carbuncle . . . Ezekiel 28:13
✵ Cayce Readings ✵
Garnet is mentioned one time, and carbuncle is mentioned eighty-five times in sixty documents.
Garnet is only mentioned once in the Life Readings in a letter the A.R.E. received on August 15, 1946, from a member who wrote to discuss what a profound impact Cayce’s reading had had on his life:
Do not remember how I came to be in possession of a small stone a few months after the reading, and far from being a genuine ruby with its wine and carmine colors or tints, to me it was a ’ruby’ though it could have been termed a garnet because of its leaning towards pomegranate tint . . .
531-9, Report #11
In terms of the Cayce readings, carbuncle is mentioned eighty-five times in sixty documents in the readings relating to the term when it is used to describe a boil in the skin caused by a bacterial infection. The readings repeatedly discuss the patients in question as having poor circulation and often pre-diabetic symptoms. Only once is carbuncle mentioned as it related to biblical gemstones:
. . . The entity was then of the sons of the Hittites who dealt with the sons of Aaron as they prepared the garments of the priest, and the entity supplied the various stones, especially the carbuncle . . .
5294-1
More on Garnet and Carbuncle
The biblical connection to garnets that were equated with the sacred pomegranate cannot be underestimated. Known as the fruit of God himself, the Latin word pomum means “apple or fruit,” and granatus means “having many seeds or grains.” In Exodus, God commanded Moses to wear a robe with embroidered pomegranates. It is easy to understand why the garnet has associations with biblical strength and endurance.
Throughout the ages, garnets, which were often called carbuncles, have been known to assist with circulation disorders, stimulating blood flow and helping with infections and ailments of the blood. Could it be the stones were used in ancient times to assist energetically to alleviate these symptoms? People in the Middle Ages believed that garnets warded off infections and helped to prevent the bubonic plague from taking hold.
Aside from its physical benefits, garnets have also been associated with passion and love. Giving a garnet as a gift has always signified dedication and commitment. Garnet also strengthens the will and helps you to fulfill your mission by increasing personal vitality and stamina, giving you the courage and energy necessary to complete even the most complex tasks.
In the past, I’ve reported my own experiences with the protective powers of the garnet as a tool for spiritual shielding and absorbing unwanted energies. Garnets will take on evil or malicious energies and when filled, will disperse, allowing the transmutation of dark into light. I attribute this quality to the sacred and protective nature of the stone, reminiscent of biblical times.
In other writings I have described hematite, which is the ore of iron. Incredibly, hematite absorbs negativity and will physically crack once finished with that task. Garnet is the only other stone I’ve seen that will do the same thing.
Once I was called to a home to do a spiritual clearing. When I do this kind of work, I usually go from room to room and then walk around the outside of the property, using Reiki and other modalities such as sage and salt to cleanse the area.
Before I left to go to the home that needed to be cleared, I was guided to wear a garnet bracelet. Once I was there, I proceeded to work from the inside out, going room to room and spending enough time in each space until I felt a physical shift in the energy.
Sure enough, I arrived at the master bathroom where I felt a thick, dense energy that was difficult to clear, so I spent some extra time there. Just when I was about to leave to go back to the living area and begin the work on the outside of the home, my garnet bracelet broke apart and fell to the floor. Strung on a thick cord, the stones were the chipped kind, so they did not disperse as I’ve seen happen with my hematite bracelet. In addition, the cord was strong. There was no reason for it to break other than for the same reason that hematite reacts similarly when filled with too much energy. I picked it up, put it in my pocket, and took it home. I placed it outside there, under a tree, and allowed the negative vibrations to ease off into the ground.
Had the piece been of sentimental value, I might have restrung it. Because it wasn’t, I allowed the stones to remain there. Even to this day, they’re buried somewhere outside of that house where they can do some good.
While you can use hematite for more mundane issues like an uncooperative co-worker or a temporary conflict with someone, garnet is a stone to use for spiritual protection.
In ancient times, people believed the garnet gave off a physical light. I agree that whether or not you can see the light emanating from the stone, garnet has a wonderful, protective energy. It will surround you with the light while protecting you against darker forces. Garnet has always been a personal favorite for me. I highly recommend that you keep a piece for use in your daily life.