Monday, 20 April 2026

**LOVE TO COLOUR?** Colouring with Cats #121 ~ Getting Your OM’s on with Mandalas on Mondays ~ Crystal of the Week PLUS **Your Crystal Questions Answered** What Is Garnet Good For?

A vibrant mandala banner in pink, yellow, and white featuring a large ornate central mandala with radiating lines and dotted accents. The background shifts from soft yellow to bright pink in a smooth gradient. Decorative vertical borders with circular motifs frame the sides. Stylised text reads ‘Getting Your OM’s On!’, ‘And Unleash Your Zen Harmonies’, and ‘Mandalas on Monday’. Two Om symbols sit in the lower corners, and the ©BionicBasil® mark appears at the bottom.

Mindful Monday Magic with Melvyn: Colouring Mandalas, Finding Your OM, and Unleashing Zen Harmonies at BionicBasil.com


Supurr Monday greetings meautiful furiends

Welcome to another fun week at BBHQ, and we're continuing our crystal journey today. This time, we've got a lovely gemstone to share, as we were asked, "What is Garnet good for?" 

Crystal of The Week

&

What is Garnet good for?

Red Garnets are delicious, deep red stones, like rubies but not rubies or with the ruby price either! MOL  

These stones have a vibrance and essence that is simply divine. They have richness and verve which makes them so special, no wonder they are used so much in jewellery; so they are readily available if mew want to wear rather than have one as a tumble stone. 

They also come in pink, orange, yellow, green, brown and blacks too, so not just the red variety, and the different colours will have added attributes.
A collage showing different forms of garnet gemstones. The top left features rough, deep‑red unpolished stones. The top right shows glossy polished garnet chips. The middle left displays a single raw garnet crystal with natural facets. The bottom left shows a smooth, tumbled garnet with reflective highlights. The bottom right presents several faceted garnet gems arranged in a circle. The word “Garnet” appears below in script, with “www.bionicbasil.com” at the bottom.

We have one large red garnet at BBHQ, which sits under the left monitor on the computer. 

A polished, dark reddish‑brown garnet crystal with geometric facets sits on a clear, faceted display stand. The crystal reflects light across its smooth surfaces, showing subtle variations in colour and texture. The background is a warm wooden surface, and “www.bionicbasil.com” appears at the bottom of the image.

Now it may not look very exciting in the picture, but we can assure mew it is. In sunlight, it's got a deep red inner glow with little flashes of ruby reds. It's amazing, sadly, the camera just can't do it justice today.

Melvyn, a white‑and‑brown cat, rests on a quilted grey surface with his nose close to a polished dark reddish‑brown garnet crystal. The faceted stone sits in front of him, catching the light. “www.bionicbasil.com” appears at the bottom of the image.

Melvyn loves the crystals at BBHQ. Every time, he's the one who wants to get his picture taken with a crystal! MOL

 So let's hop right in and tell mew a little about the gem lore surrounding these beautiful crystals. Garnets are purportedly excellent for re-energising and cleansing, and are superb for chakra wurk and would be placed on either the root chakra or sacral chakra. It is a stone of serenity and balance, not only for yourself but also for harmonising the immediate surroundings. It is said to be a protective stone, so purrfect to wear as a talisman.

Appurrently, it is also the crystal of love and devotion, so if that's an area mew're interested in, this could be for mew.

Melvyn, a brown-black‑and‑white tabby cat with yellow‑green eyes, sits upright on a textured grey bedspread with his front paws tucked neatly beneath him. A small polished dark garnet crystal rests in front of him. The background shows a softly blurred bedroom scene, and “www.bionicbasil.com” appears at the bottom of the image.

It is also suggested that garnet amplifies the energy and effect of other crystals too, so if mew're looking to increase the energetic output of another crystal, add this to the mix. It is also said to be the stone of wealth and success in business interests, though we're always sceptical of those kinds of claims; if mew want success mew have to work for it.   

Other supposed attributes linked to this stone are: courage and strength, expanded consciousness, a heart chakra opener, increases self-confidence, shifting fearful patterns of thought, dissolving self-sabotaging patterns, great for grounding, fuels passion - either the sensual kind or the creative kind. 

This is a gorgeous stone, whether in jewellery or as a polished crystal and if mew love reds or hot colours this is one is for mew. The P.A. loves the piece she has and says she wouldn't swap it for anything!  


Many thanks for this week's question.

 If mew have any crystal questions, email us, DM us or ask us in the comments below.

To check out another Crystal of the Week, click the link: Clear Quartz.

(disclaimer: we are not health or medical practitioners, all crystal info is purely for entertainment purposes only.) 


We hope that mew're ready for the week ahead, so let's jump right in and start as always with our little breathing exercise, which we're sure mew all have down paw by now...  but if mew've forgotten, stop what mew're doing for a moment and take deep fulfilling breaths; counting to five on the inhale and five on the exhale:

Breathe in
Breathe out

Breathe in
Breathe out

Breathe in
Breathe out

Smooch is here again to offer mew assistance in getting your OM's on and Zen Harmonies happening, so just press play, close your eyes and follow his instructions.



Don't mew feel better already?  I know we do!


All the mandalas featured are created & designed by us, aka The B Team.


Here's this week's mandala.
A detailed black‑and‑white mandala design titled “Mandala 121,” featuring intricate symmetrical floral and geometric patterns radiating from the centre. The artwork is presented with a white border and includes the text “www.bionicbasil.com” at the bottom.

Right-click the image to save and/or print the mandala.

And here's our finished version... this week we chose a lovely palette of blues with a splash of lemon, we think it turned out purretty good.

Just think bluebells and daffodils!

A brightly coloured mandala titled “Mandala 121,” featuring intricate symmetrical floral and geometric patterns in shades of blue and yellow. The design radiates from the centre with detailed repeating shapes. The artwork is coloured by Cathrine Garnell and includes “www.bionicbasil.com” at the bottom.

Coloured on the iPad and then transformed in Prisma, this time we chose the effect 'surf'. 


A horizontal page divider featuring bright vertical light‑spectrum lines in vivid colours against a dark background, creating a sleek, modern visual break between sections.

Don't forget mew can download** our **FREE** Colouring with Cats here: Books One, Two, Three and Four.

A bright pink book cover titled “Colouring With Cats – Getting Your Om On and Unleashing Your Zen Harmonies” features a central mandala with the text “Mandalas on Monday.” The design includes decorative borders, Om symbols, and the note “Book One – featuring 10 beautiful mandalas for you to colour.” The book is by Cathrine Garnell and reflects a relaxing, mindfulness‑themed colouring series from BionicBasil®A light‑blue book cover titled “Colouring With Cats – Getting Your OM On and Unleashing Your Zen Harmonies” features a colourful circular mandala at the centre with the text “Mandalas on Monday.” Pink and white decorative borders frame the design. The cover reads “Book Two – Featuring 30 easy mandalas for you to colour” and credits the author, Cathrine Garnell. The overall style is bright, calming, and mindfulness‑focused.A bright green book cover titled “Colouring With Cats – Getting Your OM On and Unleashing Your Zen Harmonies” features a pink‑and‑purple mandala at the centre with the text “Mandalas on Monday.” Decorative borders frame the design. The cover reads “Book Three – featuring 20 gorgeous mandalas for you to colour” and credits the author, Cathrine Garnell. The overall style is vibrant, calming, and mindfulness‑focused.
A purple book cover titled “Colouring With Cats – Getting Your OM’s On and Unleashing Your Zen Harmonics” features a radiant circular mandala at the centre with the text “Mandalas on Monday.” Decorative borders and Om symbols frame the design. The cover reads “Book Four – Featuring 16 of our favourite mandalas for you to colour” and credits the author, Cathrine Garnell. The overall look is vibrant, calming, and mindfulness‑focused.
Colouring With Cats Book IV

[**see our download policy here]


So on that note, we'll say bye for now and hope to see mew on Wednesday when we're back with our Midweek News Round-Up. And if mew missed any posts since Friday, here are the links:


Sunday Selfies with Fudge

Until then

Keep Calm and Colour OM!


Supurr zen purrs

Wing Commander Basil & The B Team










Don't forget to subscribe and never miss another mandala! 

Copyright Notice
© [2026] BionicBasil®. All Rights Reserved. No part of this post, characters, or lore may be reproduced, scraped, or rewritten in any form (including AI) without express written permission
Graphics created with paid licence www.canva.com  

22 comments:

  1. My nan gave me her garnet ring for my 10th birthday, and I wore it all the time. I think I even wore it to school. Sadly, one day I looked and the stone had gone, and I had no idea where it could have fallen out. My nan had died a year earlier so I didn't have to tell her, but I am sure she knew. I was heartbroken!
    The mandala is lovely and brings thoughts of spring.

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    1. Awww, that must have been so heartbreaking to lose your nan’s garnet ring 😿Garnets really do carry that deep, warm, ancestral energy, so it makes purrfect sense that her ring meant so much to mew.

      We’re so glad mew enjoyed the mandala this week, those spring vibes are flowing strong at BBHQ, and it warms our whiskers to know they reached mew too.

      Supurr gentle purrs and mandala‑coloured hugs from all of us at BBHQ 💗🌸✨

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  2. Love garnet. Beautiful.

    I did the breathing exercises and now I'm ready for the week.

    Thank you for joining the Awww Mondays Blog Hop.

    Have a fabulous Awww Monday and week. Scritches to the kitties and a big hug to mom. ♥

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Garnet really is a gorgeous stone, isn’t it! We’re so glad mew enjoyed this week’s crystal chat.

      And well done on the breathing exercises, Smooch will be thrilled mew’re starting the week all zen‑ified!

      Thanks so much for hosting Awww Mondays. Wishing mew a fabulous week too, with lots of kitty scritches and a big hug from the P.A. 💗🐾

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  3. Beautifully coloring on the mandala! Meows from our gang!

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    1. Thank mew so much, Leah! We’re thrilled mew liked the colouring this week. Big meows right back to your furbulous gang 💙💛🐾

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  4. dee mum hazza emerald cut garnet ring in an antique setting that she wearz eberry day

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    1. Oh wow, an emerald‑cut garnet in an antique setting sounds absolutely stunning! What a gorgeous piece for your mum to wear every day. Garnets really do have that timeless magic 💎❤️🐾

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  5. Inherited garnet earrings from my paternal grandmother; I need to have them fixed so I can wear them to give my energies a boost.

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    1. Oh wow, inherited garnet earrings sound absolutely gorgeous! Def‑purr‑nitely worth getting them fixed, a little garnet energy boost never goes amiss. We hope mew get to wear them again soon 💎❤️🐾

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  6. Garnets are gorgeous :-D My daughter has recently got into crystals and is interested in them :-D Melvyn is gorgeous :-D

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    1. Garnets really are gorgeous, aren’t they! How lovely that your daughter is getting into crystals too, such a fun and sparkly journey to explore, and so many to collect! MOL

      And Melvyn says thank mew kindly… he’s blushing under all that floof 😸💎💗

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  7. The garnet is one of my son's birthstone, I love them and have some beautiful jewelry set with them. Several rings, some earrings and one of the garnet rings is set with every color of garnet there is.

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    1. That sounds absolutely stunning, especially the ring with all the garnet colours! Garnet jewellery really does have such a rich, timeless sparkle ❤️💎🐾

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  8. Garnet sure is pretty!!! Melvyn, you look fab as always!

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    1. Garnet really is a meauty, isn’t it! And thank mew so much, Melvyn will be absolutely delighted to hear he’s looking fab today. He says thank mew with a very suave head tilt 😸💎🐾

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  9. Happy Monday to you, I do feel epic now, thanks.

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    1. Happy Monday, Mimi! We’re thrilled mew are feeling epic, that’s exactly the vibe we aim for to start the week. Sending mew lots of zen purrs for the days ahead 💗🐾

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  10. Beautiful garnet. Thank you for the coloring page. XO

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    1. Thank mew so much! Garnet really is a beauty. And mew’re very welcome, we hope mew have lots of fun with the colouring page. XO 🐾💗

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  11. Love reading about the crystals so beautiful thank you Smooch for my bit of relaxation I needed it.x😽

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    1. Thank mew so much, Christine! We’re delighted mew enjoyed the crystal chat, garnets really are meauties. And Smooch is over the moon that his little relaxation session helped; he says he’s always here for a calming OM moment 😽💗🐾

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