Lodolite: The Crystal of Many Names

The first week on Lodolite is finally here! This crystal is kicking off our weekly themed spotlight series of blogs, videos, and crystal releases in our shop.

Lodolite is one of our specialties at Moonlit Wilds, so we’re breaking down this spotlight into a series:

Week One - Lodolite: The Crystal of Many Names (you are here)
Week Two - So, What's in Lodolite, Anyway?
Week Three - Lodolite's Cousin Crystals
Week Four - The Many Shapes of Lodolite
Week Five - Imposter! How to Spot Fake Lodolite

And if you’re not a fan of Lodolite, no problem! We’re not going to release this series back to back. We’re going to mix it up with other crystal spotlights between.

An important note: throughout the series, I’m going to refer to this crystal as Lodolite. Not because it’s the “right” name, but because it’s the first name I learned for it. I also don’t want to add to the confusion by switching names every few sentences!

What's in a Name?

Lodolite has a load of names. (I’ll see myself out).

Garden Quartz, Scenic Quartz, Landscape Quartz, Phantom Quartz, Ghost Quartz, Shamanic Stone, Shamanic Dreamstone…

So, which one is it? Why are there so many different names, and which is the most accurate?

From a mineralogical standpoint, it’s Included or Inclusion Quartz. Pretty straightforward and descriptive, right? Inclusions happen when other materials get caught inside a crystal as it grows, encasing them inside. These materials can be solids like Chlorite, to liquids such as water, and even gas.

All the other terms are trade names. Trade names have two main purposes when it comes to crystals:

Perceived Value

Trade names can help market and sell crystals, often at a higher price. Some of them are misleading, and suggest a crystal is a different material. An example of this is African Turquoise. It’s not a Turquoise at all, but a type of (often dyed) Jasper.

Some trade names don’t mislabel the material, but make it sound nicer. Lavender Rose Quartz IS Rose Quartz. But the reason it’s a newer material on the market is because it’s actually a low grade version of this pink crystal. It wasn’t popular for that reason, until someone gave it a more flattering name.

Telling Crystals Apart

Geologists aren’t only concerned with the visual appearance of a rock when it comes to names. Scientific names for minerals are often descriptive of their composition. Two rocks can look very different from each other, and have the same name.

That’s where trade names shine. They help us identify and group crystals in a way that makes sense for the non-geologist.

For example, consider Fire Quartz and Golden Healer Quartz. They’re both Ferruginous Quartz. Ferruginous is just a word that means they contain iron oxides. So their shared geological name is describing the crystal’s chemical makeup.

But Fire Quartz and Golden Healer look really different. Not surprisingly, one’s red and the other is yellow. Having the trade names helps us distinguish the two in a quick and easy way. Also, the names are easier for non-geologists to remember.

We’re interested in the second reason right now.

Inclusion Quartz is a very broad term. And while you can specify you’re talking about Quartz with inclusions of *insert mineral here*, that’s not exactly pithy or easy for everyone to remember. So we wind up with the trade name Lodolite, among many others. Let’s take a closer look at them!

Lodolite

Lodolite sounds like such a scientific, fancy name. But surprise! It literally means muddy rock. “Lodo” is Spanish for “mud” or “sludge”. (The suffix -ite comes from a form of the Greek word “lithos” [ites], which means rock, or stone). This muddy description could refer to the crystal itself, or where it can be found, we’re not sure. Maybe both. Both is good.

Despite sounding scientific, Lodolite isn’t actually a mineralogical name. So depending on the crowd, you may get some weird looks when using it.

Garden, Scenic, & Landscape Quartz

I’m lumping these names together because they’re all basically the same. Of the three, Garden Quartz is the most used.

These names refer to the beautiful, sprawling formations inside Lodolite. The inclusions actually do resemble a scene, or landscape.

I’ve also seen it speculated that the name Garden Quartz refers to the energy of the crystal. It’s got a very peaceful, earthy vibe, kind of like sitting in a garden.

Shamanic Dreamstone

Some websites claim that shamans (of an unnamed culture) have used Lodolite “since ancient times” in their “vision quests”. This is problematic for more reasons than we have time to discuss today!

If you do decide to use this name or explore these claims further, I recommend doing so with lots of grains of salt. (And if you’re from a culture that does traditionally use Lodolite, please contact me! I’d love to give proper context and credit.)

I can offer my theory of where the name Shamanic Dreamstone may have come from, though. Lodolite is a very mesmerizing stone to look at. Its layers and swirls are very easy to get lost in. This kind of gaze can be very dream-like and meditative. Staring at the inclusions can be like staring at clouds. The more you stare, the more your brain starts to form images and landscapes to fall into.

In our current, western society, this trance-like state seems foreign and exotic. So it gets conflated with other things we see as foreign and exotic, such as indigenous cultures. Thus, shamanism.

So there you have it! Whether you prefer to call this unique crystal Lodolite or Garden Quartz, you’re right.

You may have noticed we didn’t cover Phantom or Ghost Quartz. That’s because they’ll be covered in the third installment of this series, Lodolite’s cousins.

Next time we’ll look into what, exactly, those inclusions in Lodolite are. Spoiler alert: they’re not actually gardens!

References

Remy is the co-owner and founder of Moonlit Wilds, a witchy crystal boutique committed to pairing perfectly lovely people with perfectly lovely crystals to help them experience the wonder and magic that surrounds us every day.

They are a neurodivergent, two-spirit member of the Cherokee Nation.

At Moonlit Wilds, we are working to bridge the gap between the geological and spiritual communities through education & unique crystal offerings you don’t see in your average metaphysical shop.

Moonlit Wilds is proudly owned by two queer people committed to creating a safe space for our LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC siblings. 🏳️‍🌈✊🏿

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