PecanSpringsJournal

>>candle crafting with herbs

Hello, everyone--

Candlemas is coming up this week, and I (Ruby Wilcox here) always enjoy doing a candle ritual to celebrate it. You'll find detailed instructions for making my favorite-- Brighid's Candle--in China's BOOK OF DAYS, in the entry for February 1.

But in case you don't have the book handy (why not?), here's the scoop. Start with a pillar candle--light colors work best--and several votive candles. Melt the votives in an old pan over low heat (careful!). Use a small brush to brush some melted wax on the pillar candle in the place where you want to put a bit of herb or flower. Press the herb into the warm wax and cover with a brushed-on thin layer. When you've finished decorating your candle, brush it all over with another thin layer. If you want to add scent, use a hot ice pick to poke holes in the top of the pillar and drop a couple of drops of essential oil into each hole.

If you're making candles for a special occasion (a hand-fasting, a birth, a birthday, an anniversary), you could include herbs and scents that have special meanings. The Victorian "language of flowers" will help you decide. If it's a gift, make a card to include with your candle.

If you'd like to make your candles from scratch, here's a site that will help.

Candles are wonderful in every room of the house. I love to fill my bathroom with candles and spend the evening in the tub (luscious!). Or I'll put a mirror on the dining room table and set out my favorite candles: they cast a lovely glow over dinner. Candles--especially scented candles--are a delight in the bedroom. Outdoors on the patio, candles have a special magic.

And speaking of magic, remember what a joy your candle-lit birthday cakes were when you were a child? From ancient times, people have been wishing on a candle flame and then blowing it out to get that wish. Choose a candle that has a special meaning, light it with a clear intention, focus on what you want to achieve, and speak it out loud to yourself. To intensify your intention, choose a candle color that signifies what you want and need: white for protection and clarity; gold for achievement and power; pink or red for love and sexual passion; blue for healing.

And here's another candle idea, from a friend of China's. Meghan DeFrancesco makes wonderful soy candles, using her own special recipes and scents. Meghan's soy candles are special because they do not contain any animal fats and because they're so delightfully scented. Visit her website and see what new candles she's come up with!

A word of candle wisdom: At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.--Albert Schweitzer

>>bathing beauties

There’s nothing nicer on a cold winter’s night (especially if you’ve been on a stakeout with China Bayles) than a long, luxurious bubble bath. Hi! I'm Ruby Wilcox. Usually, you'll find me at my shop, The Crystal Cave, which is right next door to Thyme & Seasons, in Pecan Springs.

But don't look for me there today. It's National Bubble Bath Day, and I'm celebrating. I'd invite you to join me, but my bathtub is too small for everybody. And besides, maybe we don't want to get quite that personal.

If you'd like to have your own personal bubble bath, you can find my favorite recipe in the January 8 entry in China's Book of Days. But maybe you'd prefer a different kind of herbal bath. Try one of these ideas:

• Bath tea. For an invigorating bath, brew a strong rosemary tea (4 sprigs fresh rosemary steeped for 15 minutes in a quart of boiling water). Add to your bath water. Eucalpytus leaves, bay leaves, and mint are also waker-uppers.
• Bath salts. For a skin-softening bath, mix 1 1/2 cup sea salt, 1 cup Epsom salts, 1/2 cup baking soda, and 1/2 cup finely ground herbs (lavender, rose petals, and chamomile are nice). Add a few drops of fragrance oil to strengthen the scent. Mix in your blender and store in a lidded jar. Add 2 tablespoons to a warm bath.
• Cinnamon Oatmeal Milk Bath. Mix 1 cup finely ground oatmeal (not instant), 1 cup milk powder, 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup cornstarch, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon cloves, and 1 teaspoon ginger. Whirl in your blender until very well mixed. Store tightly covered. Add 2 tablespoons to a warm bath. (And remember, cinnamon is said to be an aphrodisiac!)

Happy Bubble Bath Day!

>>Ruby's post: Sagittarius herbs

This week (November 22), the Sun enters the sign of Sagittarius--your month, all you Sagittarians out there! Jupiter is your ruler, the planet of good fortune, plenty, and joy. And with six planets in Sagittarius next month, you should have just about all you can handle, and then some!

Herbs of Sagittarius (If you're not familiar with the traditional concepts relating herbs and astrology, you might want to read my earlier post about this.)

The planet Jupiter, named for the Roman god of the sky, is said to rule the hips, thighs, lower spine, and the autonomic nervous system, as well as the process of growth and self-preservation. It also governs the body’s largest glandular organ, the liver. Herbs related to Jupiter have traditionally been used to treat lower back problems, arthritis, and rheumatism, and to deal with liver ailments. Because Jupiter is the largest planet, it was thought to rule large plants, such as trees and plants with long and deep taproots. Herbs of Sagittarius include:

• Willow (Salix sp). A tea made of the bark of the willow reduces the pain and inflammation of rheumatism and arthritis. Its chief constituent, methyl salicylate, is the primary ingredient in aspirin.
• Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). A useful herb, dandelion has been shown to stimulate the flow of liver bile. The seventeenth-century herbalist Nicholas Culpeper (who assigned this plant to Jupiter) says it is “very effectual for removing obstructions of the liver, gall bladder, and spleen.”
• Sage (Salvia officinalis). Sage has been used for centuries as a powerful preservative; research indicates that it contains antioxidants, which slow spoilage. Sage is used to treat wounds, ease gastrointestinal complaints, and heal sore throat and bleeding gums.
• Other Sagittarius herbs include dock (another traditional liver herb); lime blossom, meadowsweet (also contains methyl salicylate and can be used to treat rheumatism); costmary; chicory.

Whether or not you accept the ancient belief in a connection between the plants and the planets, it's interesting to know how people thought. And these medicinal uses of herbs are still with us today. You don't have to be a Sagittarian to benefit from willow, dandelion, and sage!

O! Mickle is the powerful grace that lies
In herbs, plants, stones and their true qualities;
For nought so vile that on the earth doth live
But to the earth some special good doth give.
—William Shakespeare

>>Ruby's post: Scorpio herbs

Today, the Sun enters the sign of Scorpio. In early times, Scorpio was ruled by the planet Mars; now, it is considered to be ruled by Pluto. (If you're worried that Pluto's recent demotion from planet status to "dwarf planet" will change your astrological signature, read this explanation of why it won't.)

In China's Book of Days, you'll find an interesting entry for October 23, about Scorpio herbs. (Don't tell anybody, but China didn't write that entry--I did! In fact, I wrote all the pieces about herbs and astrology that appear in China's book. It's one of my special interests, along with Tarot and the I Ching, things like that. If you've ever visited my shop, The Crystal Cave, you'll understand.)

Until a few hundred years ago, the idea of writing about astrology and herbs together would have seemed perfectly natural. In earlier times, people saw all things as parts of one coherent whole. They applied their understanding of one aspect of the cosmos—the planets, say—to all other parts: the plants and animals, as well as the human body. In this scheme of things, certain herbs were classified as “belonging” to certain planets. So if you were born under that planet’s influence, or if you had some sort of ailment related to that planet, you would have a special interest in those herbs.

Scorpio is said to rule the process of catabolism and anabolism, the continuous death and regeneration of body cells, and cleansing and the elimination of toxins. Pluto’s regenerative and transforming influence also manifests itself in the sexual union (Mars rules sexual desire). So Scorpio herbs are those that help to cleanse, rejuvenate, and restore. They include (among others):

• Ginseng. The Chinese value ginseng above most other herbal remedies, using it as a general tonic, restorative, and aphrodisiac. Research suggests that ginseng combats stress and fatigue and may counteract the effects of toxins.
• Wormwood, southernwood, and other artemisias have been used to cleanse the body of intestinal parasites.
• Black cohosh (Actaea racemosa) and blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) are traditional remedies for regularizing the menstrual cycles.
• Aloe vera has a laxative effect, cleaning the liver and kidneys. Used externally, the gel (which contains allantoin) helps to heal and regenerate tissue.
• Dong Quai root is a general tonic for menstrual cramps, irregular cycles, and menopause. It is also used as a blood purifier.

Even if you don't believe in a connection between the planets and plants and think this is all silly superstition, perhaps you'll find the history of this belief interesting.

Wonderful tales had our fathers of old--
Wonderful tales of the herbs and stars--
The Sun was Lord of the Marigolds,
Basil and Rocket belonged to Mars.
Put as a sum in division it goes--
(Every planet had a star bespoke)--
Who but Venus should govern the Rose?
Who but Jupiter own the Oak?
--Rudyard Kipling, "Our Fathers of Old"

>>Ruby's post: Happy birthday, Miss Potter!

Beatrix Potter was born on July 28, 1866, which means that she's just had her 140th birthday--and she's still remembered with affection and admiration wherever her Little Books are read. (Hey, who among us will be remembered on our 140th?)

To celebrate this great occasion, we had a Peter Rabbit Block Party. It was Molly McGregor's idea. Molly, who owns the Hobbit House Bookstore next door to our shops on the east, is an equal-opportunity idea person. Which means that when she gets an idea, all of her friends get the opportunity to participate. She is also a huge Beatrix Potter fan. In her bookshop, she has a shelf of Miss Potter's books and figurines and toys and crafts. And she and China have made a Peter Rabbit garden in the back yard, complete with a scarecrow named Mr. McGregor (who reminds Molly of her ex-husband, Max), and a rabbit-sized wheelbarrow and a statue of Jemima Puddle-duck.

When Molly got her idea about the party, she invited all the shop-owners at the western end of our block to lend a hand. Of course, that means China and me, but also everybody at the Craft Emporium (in a rambling Victorian house owned by Constance Letterman), which houses nearly a dozen room-sized shops and boutiques. Everybody thought it was a great idea--not just fun, but a good attention-getter for all of our shops. So everybody pitched in.

China and I put tables out in the garden, and Molly decorated them with Miss Potter's books, baskets of rosemary and bunches of carrots and paper dolls of Miss Potter's famous characters. The food was easy and fun. Gretel, of Gretel's Candles, brought Peter Rabbit's Cucumber Sandwiches. Delia Murphy, from the Bead Boutique, brought Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle's Cheeseball, Constance Letterman baked several loaves of Flopsy's Favorite Chocolate Teabread, and Ruth Ann Gilman (Patchworks), brought Castle Cottage Carrot Cupcakes. I made gallons of Apply Dapply's Rosy Punch, which turned out to be a great hit, especially when a couple of teenagers who were kicking a soccer ball in the alley managed to score a goal in the punch bowl. Luckily, I had a reserve supply. We had to change the tablecloth, though.

There were lots of kids, of course, most of them too young to kick soccer balls into the punch bowl. Molly kept them busy with games and pictures to color. Her big white rabbit, Peter, was the guest of honor. Mrs. Tuttle, the librarian, brought her white duck, who looks just like Jemima (especially when she wears her bonnet and shawl), and the kids had fun acting out some of the stories.

While the kids were busy, China gave the grownups a tour of the garden, pointing out herbs that Miss Potter grew in her own garden at Hill Top Farm in the Lake District: St. John's wort, soapwort, houseleeks (here in the U.S., we call this hen-and-chicks), mullein, and tansy, and a lot more. To see some photos that Susan took in the garden at Hill Top Farm, go here and click on "Miss Potter's Garden."

When the afternoon got hot (this is Texas, after all), we climbed the stairs to the Hobbit Hole Story Room on the  second floor of the Hobbit House and listened while Molly (dressed up like Miss Potter, with Peter on a leash) read The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle. And then Susan read the first chapter of her new book, The Tale of Cuckoo Brow Wood. (You can read it too: go here, click on "Books in the Series," then on Cuckoo, and on the link to the first chapter.) 

The party turned out so well and attracted so much attention (Hark sent a photographer from the Enterprise, and China will be writing it up for her Garden Page) that we've decided to make it an annual event.

Read more about Miss Potter, in Beatrix Potter: Artist, Storyteller, and Countrywoman, by Judy Taylor.

Read more about Hill Top Farm, in At Home with Beatrix Potter, by Susan Denyer.

And don't forget Susan's Cottage Tale mysteries!

Your turn. What books did you read when you were a kid that still bring you joy as you remember them? Was Beatrix Potter among them? Other favorites?

>>henna for beautiful bodies

Remember this scene? China and I had this discussion in Mistletoe Man. It's about me and my henna. As usual, China is telling the story. (Don't I ever get to tell?)

     The hair that showed under Ruby’s hat was such a vibrant copper that it looked as if she had put on her hat to snuff out a blazing fire.
      I opened the door and got out, blinking. “What have you done to your hair?”
     She jammed her hat down on her head. “Why? Is something wrong with it?”
     “It's very red." At the look on her face, I repented. “But on you, very red is very good. Gives you a little extra whoomf.” As if she needed it.
     “I henna-ed it last night,” she said. “With paprika and cinnamon.”
     I stood up on tiptoes to sniff. “You're right. Definitely cinnamon. You smell like apple pie.”
     Ruby smiled modestly. “Next time I'm going to try nutmeg and allspice.”

I'm not the first gal in the world to go gaga over henna. (Remember Lucille Ball? "My God, I'm outliving my henna!")

That's because this herb really works to enhance the hair tones of brunettes and redheads. And because it coats and smooths each strand, it tames unruly frizz (boy, do I know about that!) and protects the hair from damage. It is also said that henna helps to relieve tension around the eyes and forehead, as well as condition the scalp and reduce dandruff and oiliness. And it really is true that spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, as well as cloves, tea, and coffee can all affect the coloring process.

Want to henna your hair? Check out some great techniques, get the straight scoop on mixes and colors, and learn from the experts on the Henna For Hair pages. (Reliable information, too, on how to buy henna products.)

Henna (Lawsonia inermis) is a tropical shrub with ordinary-looking green leaves that, dried and powdered, work all that wonderful color magic. But hair isn't the only thing you can color with henna. Fingernails and toenails take to henna, too, but don't try this unless you're the sort of person who can live with orange nails for months. In India, women paint their hands and feet in traditional patterns in the art of Mehndi. In many Eastern and Middle Eastern cultures, the whole body was ritually painted--an art that is practiced today, as you can see in this gorgeous free calendar. Or you can read about it in the last chapter of Mistletoe Man, where China and Smart Cookie and our friends had a fabulous evening doing henna body art.

Henna was a valuable medicinal herb. In Algeria, henna leaves were placed in shoes to cool and sweeten feet. In the East, henna has been used to treat wounds, ease mild burns and stings, and heal acne. In Malaysia, a henna-leaf tea is gargled for sore throat and drunk for dysentery. Bedouins painted the soles of their feet to protect them from the desert heat, and women in Egypt used henna paste to preserve a smooth skin.

And speaking spiritually, henna is said to provide strong protection against evil influences, blessing the body and soul and keeping the wearer safe from harm.

Hey, we could all use a little of that.

Read more about henna's magic: Henna, from Head to Toe: Body Decorating, Hair Coloring, Medicinal Uses, by Norma Pasekoff Weinbert (lots of good designs, great photos, how-to)

Your turn. Have you ever used henna on your hair? What do you like/not like about it? Who's done henna body painting? What's fun about it? What's scary?

In the works. China's been busy helping the Merryweathers with their Passalong Plant Sale, and she and Molly McGregor (maybe you met Molly in "Bloom Where You're Planted," in An Unthymely Death or in Bleeding Hearts) are cooking up a big garden party to celebrate Beatrix Potter's 140th birthday. Molly owns the Hobbit House, the children's bookstore on the other side of China's herb shop, so Beatrix's birthday is a Big Event for her. Maybe we can get Molly to post something about Beatrix.

That's it for now. See you next week! (Oh, and if you have suggestions for future posts, let us know!)