birthday wishes

it's not every year that the garden still lives at the end of october.

and it's not every day that a girl has a birthday.

today i had an idea that i'd like to create something beautiful for myself - as well as create something of my self.


so i headed out.

after perusing my books, and making my lists of things i wanted, i got my favorite scissors (that i save for just such purposes) and my gathering basket.


into the gardens, then.


a birthday seems like a good time to gather herbs for a bit of wishing, doesn't it?

i'm a potions and notions kind of girl, so it quite suits my heart and mind.


let's see, here... a little catnip for attaining beauty.
beauty is a good thing to shine, and share with the world, hmm?

oh, courage. we'll snip some yarrow and gather some sweet pea pods.

ground ivy for divination.

friendship - being a better friend is certainly something on my mind of late - we'll have a few extra bits of sweet pea for that.

happiness - catnip, lavender, st. john's wort, witch grass (aka couch grass. it comes in handy for some things!)

healing is always a good idea... we'll take some lemon balm, dock, ivy, peppermint, rose, rosemary, spearmint, and thyme.

love - well, now that's certainly an important one. lemonbalm, catnip, chamomile, columbine, peppermint, and witch grass.

luck - certainly if there is such a thing, i'll take it - rose.

for strengthening mental powers we'll add grape and rosemary and spearmint.

for money and riches we'll gather and add bergamot, blackberry, chamomile, cinquefoil, clover, dock, grape, honeysuckle, honesty, and sweet woodruff.

lavender for peace, of course.

tomato for prosperity.

i'm awfully fond of purefications (especially on new-beginning sort of days), so we'll add chamomile, lavender, peppermint, rosemary, and thyme for this one, too.

st. john's wort for strength.

lemonbalm for success.

sage for wisdom, of course.

since we're talking wishes, we'll have some sage and a sunflower.

rosemary for youth - seems like a good idea to maintain my youthful self.

i got out a special cloth that i only use every now and again, and set to work.

at the center of my first project is the sunflower - for my wishes.


sweet peas, tomato, st. john's, rosemary, lavender, blackberries, spearmint, catnip, and sage.

wishes for me, wishes for my world.

when the rain stops again i'll go out and gather long lengths of grapevine, and start making a wreath. many of my herbs will find their way drying in the wreath, and the rest of what i've gathered today (and my mandala bits) will be dried and then placed in a large jar.

who knows what it will be used for.... tossing a handful over a fire when thinking upon personal renewal or rejuvenation.
carrying a stuffed tiny sackfull with me for a day when i'm needing a little extra courage.
sprinkling over a candle's flame during a special meditation.

silly, i guess, to some.
no matter.

to me, it's a delicious medicine for the soul.