Hoping you are all safe and well. These times are unlike anything I could have imagined. I've been filling my time with morning journaling, meditating, taking walks, talking to family and friends and working on projects. This week's focus was mostly on finalizing my Taurus herbs, all under the influence of the planet Venus. All are feminine - of course - and most are the element water, with a few of the earth. 

 The first collage layer was made by ripping papers I painted and textured, and glueing them to the base. 

Next I chose 12 of the herbs associated with Taurus. I added the common name and Latin name, the gender, deity and element associated with each herb, and a painted image of the herb. The final step was the power or powers of each herb. 

This fall I'll be teaching my Enhancing Your Life with Herbs course, a six week session, for the Renaissance Institute at Notre Dame University of Maryland for the fourth time. I painted 200 herbs to  illustrate the course. I'm hoping to update it with these layered herbs for the zodiac session. 

In February a dear friend's mother died. I created a comfort journal to help her process her loss and give her comfort while remembering her loved one. Since then I have made several more but this is my favorite - probably because her mother's favorite flower was the rose.  The comfort journal provides quotes, writing prompts, and a list of ideas for self care. I asked her a few questions about her mother so I could customize it - her favorite color, flower, song, etc. If you have a loved one who has lost someone dear to them and likes to journal, you might want to make a comfort journal for them.