Electric Light Crystal

A tumbled stone was singing to me. It was a deep red stone with an inner fire—a star. It was a Star Garnet.

I answered its call and picked it up. I carried it with me all day and took it up to my room at night. It fell out of my hands and disappeared, I thought under my nightstand. I took out a flash light searched for it under the nightstand and under my bed but it was no where to be found. I went to sleep, thinking I’d look for it in the morning. I forgot about it for a few days. And for each of those 3 nights I had a restless sleep. I tossed and turned so much that I woke up with my sheets in a ball.

Eventually it dawned on me that the Garnet could have been the reason for my interrupted sleep. I searched for it again and found it under my bed, at just about the spot which was right beneath where my heart centre was. I shined a light right at that spot when it first dropped down but I did not see it. Knowing the crystals as I do, it’s quite possible it was not there at the time.

Revealing its power

I took the crystal into another room and sure enough that night my sleep was calm and less frenzied. But then last night, after working on this post, I had another restless sleep, I woke up having kicked the sheets off without disturbing the blanket that was over them. It seems even focussing on the star garnet before bed had the same effect even if the stone was not physically present.

I don’t see this as a bad thing. It doesn’t mean that I should never keep this crystal near me at nighttime. It was simply showing me its power. Understanding this, I would have more more intentional experiences with this stone in the future.

Electric Light Orchestration

The energy of this garnet stone while I slept felt electric. It is interesting that garnet is known to have a flash of lightening contained within, which spurs us to act with speed in order to change our world. The change is orchestrated through an expanded awareness which is brought about by this electric light.

Illuminating Hidden Power

Just as this power stone hid beneath my bed, despite my flooding it with light, Garnet hides its inner glow with its deep, rich, saturated tone. The stone’s intense red colour led to the belief that it glowed with its own light. Garnet was known as the stone which was the source of illumination for Noah in the Ark.

Ancient

Garnet was known by the ancients. It is thought to be one of the four precious stones given to King Solomon by God. The oldest garnet that has been discovered so far was from the Bronze Age. It was found on a man who was buried in 3000 B.C—a testament to garnet’s strength and durability.

To the Egyptians red Garnet was the symbol of life. They made jewels and carvings with it. Pharaohs were entombed with this crystal as prized possessions for the afterlife. In ancient Rome, garnets were carved into signet rings to stamp important documents. Warriors carried garnet as a talisman of protection during battle and to ward off pestilence and plague. Garnets were placed on wounds by ancient healers. During the Middle Ages, garnet was used as a cure for the Black Plague. The stone was believed to prevent arguments, ensure faithfulness and warn the wearer of approaching danger by changing colors.

Seeds of Light

Garnet’s name comes from the Latin word “garanatus” which means “seed like”. This crystal is said to resemble the tiny red seeds of a pomegranate. If you look at the Anthill Garnet, you’ll no doubt agree.

Pomegranate has a connection to the Ancient Greek myth about the capture of Persephone by Hades, ruler of the underworld. Most retellings of the story say that Persephone was miserable as Hades’ captive. But I am partial to the version where Persephone grows to love Hades and finds purpose in being Queen of the Underworld. The grief her mother Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest, felt at her loss was so great that the earth grew cold and not one living thing would bloom until her daughter was returned to her.

Persephone did not eat or drink anything in the underworld because she knew that if she did she would have to stay there forever. But before she left him, Hades offered Persephone a ripe, blood red pomegranate. She ate six seeds and because of that, she was obligated to return to the underworld for 6 months of the year, one for each seed she ate.

Garnet’s connection to the pomegranate led people to believe that it holds the promise of a safe return. I see it as a stone of great love.