One  of three steps  in creating my  collages -
​papers painted and ready to  be combined for the backgrounds. 

The ivory rose sends a message of care and thoughtfulness, pure, with no romantic intentions. 
The pale pink rose symbolizes gratitude and appreciation, the perfect rose to send as a thank you. 

Rosa spp.Rosa is the Latin meaning for “a flower”.

Gender: Feminine 
Element: Water
Planet: Venus

The rose, cherished internationally, ia a native of the United States. The  oldest  known fossil was  found on a slate  deposit  in Florissant, Colorado, and is estimated to be thirty-five million years old. In 1987, legislation was passed to make the rose the National Floral Emblem of the United States. It is also the state flower of the District of Columbia, Georgia, Iowa, North Dakota and New York. 
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Through  out history, the rose has been associated  with  psychic powers, healing and protection.  At one time it  was used extensively in cooking, and our own Baltimore Coffee and Tea Company features a divine  Eastern Shore Victorian Rose Tea. 

But with all  its  powers and virtues, it is best know for its association with love.

“The rose is the emblem of all  ages, the interpreter of all our feelings, the rose mingles with our festivities, our joy, our grief. Modesty borrows the delicate blush; it is given as the  prize  of virtue, the image of youth, innocence, and  pleasure.  It  is consecrated  to Venus, the  goddess of beauty, and like her, possesses a grace more exquisite than beauty  itself.” 

                                 ~  From the  Language of Flowers -  1846, Illustrated by  Kate Greenaway

Flowers took on a new role in the Vitorian era. The Victorians attributed meaning to flowers, creating an elegant and silent language. Roses were a favorite.  Over the years, meanings have been expanded and altered. (Yellow roses once symbolized jealousy but the modern interpretation is friendship, for example). 

As we approach Valentine’s Day, when an estimated  250 million roses are sold in the  United States, it seems the perfect time  to honor the rose.  The next few weeks will feature roses of different colors, their messages, stories and legends. 

Over the next few weeks, as we approach Valentine's Day, I'll be revisiting some of the herbs associated with love and romance.. When it comes to matters of the heart, there are no limits to the human imagination in pursuing, wooing and attempting to ensure their love will be returned. Some of the uses are romantic and beautiful, elegant and sublime. Some are tender and heart warming.
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Herbs can add a sensuous dimension to all aspects of life. Their beauty, aroma, flavors and touch delight. Some are showy and enticing with an distinctive and noticeable fragrance. Others you might walk by, or even step on, and not even notice! Often the greatest gifts are found in herbs you might not immediately notice. Hopefully these little snippets will entice you to learn more about the endless history and legacy of these treasures. 

Our  herb series continues with the Rose, the Queen of Flowers and the undisputed floral symbol of love. The Society of American Florists predicts that nearly 250 million roses will be sold for Valentine’s Day. 

The rose is a perfect example of beauty, romance and sensuous living. She is a vision of delight, her petals are velvet, her fragrance is divine and her delicate flavor is sublime.  i wish you all the gifts the rose offers - love, friendship, beauty, romance and sensuous pleasures. 

Olea europaea means European Olive, and is associated with peace. 

Gender: Masculine
Element: Fire
Planet: Sun
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​The olive, the fourth in our series, is an evergreen, like the other three. It is the genus of about 40 species, native to the Mediterranean. 

Olives and olive oil are associated with Mediterranean cuisine. Greeks use the most olive oil per capita followed by Spain, Italy, Tunisia, Portugal, Syria, Joran and Lebanon. I’m fairly confident my  annual  consumption is equivalent to the Greeks per capita at 24 liters (6.3 U.S. gallons). 

In addition to its culinary contributions,  the olive has powers to protect, heal, increase fertility, hope and peace. 

Hanging an olive branch over your doorway will prevent evil  spirits from entering and provide protection. Volumes have been written about the health benefits of olive oil. Brides in Greece wore wreaths of olive leaves to ensure fertility and eating the olives was also  said to be helpful.  

Noah  released a dove  after the flood  and  it returned to the ark, carrying a freshly plucked olive branch, which  symbolized hope, an indication of dry land after a flood. 
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​Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations used the olive branch to represent peace following battles. When the losing side admitted defeat, they presented the olive branch to indicate their readiness to surrender. Eirene (Irene), the goddess of peace in Ancient Greece, was fond of the olive.

In 1949, Picasso created a dove carrying an olive branch for the World  Peace Congress, and the combination of the  dove and the olive branch strengthened their associations with  peace. 

The olive reminds us to have  hope, healing and to embrace peace.
May 2021 be abundant with these blessings. 

Gender: Masculine
Element:  Fire
Planet: Sun

“Smelling  rosemary  prevents aging,” I explained to my class of 25 students, as I handed each of  them an eight to 10 inch sprigs from my garden. All were over 50 in the Renaissance Institute lifelong learning program.  “It will  also  keep  you alert  and help  you  remember the information you learn  in class.” It was my first session in a series, over a period of 6  weeks, of my Enhancing Your Life with  Herbs, and rosemary was the ideal herb to  introduce  the course. 
Rosemary’s well  documented and legendary gift of preventing aging is one  of the virtues I wish  I had found out years ago - maybe when I was eighteen. Since I’ve learned of this magical power, I breathe in deeply  when the plant is nearby.  
Many virtues have been  associated with rosemary throughout the centuries. He  is one of 500 herbs featured  in Eber’s Papyrus found in the  Valley of Tombs near Luxor. The 20 meter long scroll,  about the  size  of  a bowling alley, was written in 1500  B.C., though believed to have been copied from an earlier document. It documents its use as an herbal  remedy. Sprigs have been found in Egyptian tombs dated from 3,000 B.C. 
Its medicinal uses have been  documented  in Greece and Rome since 500  B.C.   The “herb of  crowns”  is also reputed  to  improve memory and mental powers. 
Priests burned it as incense and it has been used as a disinfectant and strewing herb. The pungent fragrances covers up unpleasant odors and purifies the air. It has been  credited with  protecting  people from  the plague and having a clean fragrance that is purifying in a sick person’s  room. Once valued for medicinal uses, it  is now mostly  used in cosmetics and cooking. 
Friendship and love have long  been associated with rosemary. It has been used in love spells and is credited with encouraging faithfulness, so it is often used in friendship and wedding  bouquets.  Both Thomas More  and Shakespeare have commemorated rosemary’s association with friendship and remembrance in well known quotes.  
Rosemary  is often found at with funerals. My rosemary sympathy cards and comfort journals for people who have lost loved ones encourage people to find easement in sacred memories.

Rosemary is often used  in wreaths, bouquets and arrangements at Christmas time.
This legend describes how the rosemary flowers got their gorgeous color. 

The Legend of Rosemary
When  Joseph, Mary, and  the baby Jesus fled through the Egyptian desert from  King Herod’s soldiers, they found shelter in a rosemary grove. Mary draped her blue cloak over one of the white flowered bushes before she retired for the night. The next morning when Joseph removed her cloak, the white flowers on the bush had turned to the same  shade  of blue as Mary’s cloak.