I've spent the month immersed in herbs and roses - creating herb e-books for this fall's course, and the rose book for a give away on my website. The herb booklets features water color sketches and the roses photographs and I'm enjoying both mediums. Several other booklets are outlined and eagerly waiting my attention.

Having my energy and passion back has made me aware of how depleted I was after the flood. At one point I compared myself to a turtle, carrying my home in my heart and on my back for sixteen months, but it wasn't until recently that I realized the weight of the shell. Yet it served me well. It provided protection during the times of dormancy, as I reflected, processed and eventually outgrew its restrictions. My shell has cracked wide open and I've taken wing like a phoenix. If there isn't a mythological creature who turns from a turtle to a diaphanous winged wonder, there should be! How many of us have suffered life's blows, temporarily crawled into our shells, then emerged into something so much more than we would have been if our lives had remained staid and steady?

In the midst of the passionate, productive, creative frenzy, I'm also feeling more comfortable with being vulnerable. The shell has served its purpose. Like the covering of a seed that needs to soften and break open before the roots can emerge to take nutrients and grow, my shell has split, allowing me to reach out to give and receive information, resources and blessings.

Ode to the Rose
Legends, Lore and Language
 
June was National Rose month, so I used it as an excuse to immerse myself in the 'Queen of Flowers', the rose. The resulted in a gift to you. Ode to a Rose was free through out the month of July.

The book is filled with rose trivia - stories of the rose's creation, how her colors have been used to send secret messages, quotes and more. 

The red rose is one of Pisces herbs and it has always been one of my favorites. (If you'd like to find out more about herbs under your birth sign and creative ways to integrate them into your life, watch for my Astrological Herbs e-book due out in September). 

My invitation for you is to be more aware of roses and find a way to use them more often. Of course, all of the treasures will use them in their own special way, or possibly a combination!

Diamonds may have an heirloom vase that has been passed down through the family to display these treasures. It could be a crystal bud vase or a vase large enough to hold an entire dozen! We can be certain that the Diamond will display their roses with elegance and flair, and with a reverence and appreciation for the flower and the memories it holds.

Amethysts, always creating an over the top experience, are the treasure most likely to make a statement in excess! They may fill the room with roses! They may send seven bouquets, one every hour, to celebrate their seventh anniversary with special someone! The Amethyst may carpet an entire floor - or bed - with roses! They may decide to get a rose tattoo or have rose colored streaks in their hair!

Rubies are most interested in feelings, and love variety in types of flowers as well as colors, fragrances and textures.  They might gather a few roses from their garden and combine them with other flowers and herbs, writing a poem about the bouquet and the floral symbolism. They are the treasure most likely to sprinkle the unsprayed petals in a salad.They might also make a quilt honoring the rose!

The Emerald is the most succinct of the treasures. They use few words, yet can make a grand sweeping gesture in simplicity. They will take the time to research the most appropriate color for the statement they want to make and deliver one flower, abundant with symbolism and meaning.


One of my favorite ways to enjoy roses is to "Take the Rose Instead", a beautiful way to lose weight and begin to live a healthy, beautiful life style, one rose at a time!  Simply pick up a rose when you enter the grocery store and put it in your cart to remind you that you are beautiful and you deserve fresh, healthy foods, low in fat, salt and sugar. Remember, if you don't take it home with you, you won't eat it! And when you return home, the rose will continue to remind you to make choices that are best for you!

Find your own unique way to use roses! They may be June's  special flower but thankfully, we can enjoy them all year long!

Wishing you a summer filled with beauty and romance!
Mikell