being to timelessness as it’s to time love did no more begin than love will end; where nothing is to breathe to stroll to swim love is the air the ocean and the land ….
Aquamarine All that glitters lies beneath Deep blue, Shallow green I won't let it go ….
~ Heather Nova (Aquamarine)
The gorgeous blue-green gemstone called aquamarine is the modern birthstone for March (the month of my own birthday). Depending on your source, aquamarine either means “blue water” or “water of the sea.” Aquamarine is a member of the beryl family, which also includes emeralds, morganite, and heliodor. Aquamarine is found in Russia, Sri Lanka, Brazil, and in some locations in the United States.
Aquamarine is thought to have healing properties and to be useful in removing old negative emotional patterns, which brings me to the inevitable song lyrics.
Leave behind your fears Please believe You will not falter There's no danger here You can breathe In clear blue water …. ~ Oceanlab (Clear Blue Water)
According to wiki, ancient sailors traveled with aquamarine crystals, which were believed to ensure a safe voyage and return. One legend has it that a mermaid’s lower body is made of aquamarine, which is probably the genesis of the name of the movie AQUAMARINE (2006), in which teenagers discover a mermaid in the pool of their beach club.
Not completely coincidentally, as I’m writing this, I’m watching my favorite home shopping channel, where they happen to be selling aquamarine jewelry.
It reminded me that, for one reason or another, I’ve never owned any aquamarine. Perhaps I’ve just never had the right opportunity. But researching for this also reminded me how much I love the internet. Who knew there’s actually a YouTube video on the healing properties of aquamarine? I offer this merely as curiosity, so don’t shoot the messenger.
This, of course, begs a few pretty big questions. First, why does this video get made? Second, who posts this video on YouTube? Third, who ever watches it (besides me, I mean)? And finally, why am I sitting here watching a home shopping channel and writing about it? I'll leave you to ponder these questions on your own, and if you think know the answers, drop me a line. There will be a prize for whoever gets it right, but first we have to find a judge.
Treasures from the Garden -- The Fragrance of Roses
“And I will make thee beds of roses And a thousand fragrant posies." ~ Christopher Marlowe
Yesterday, I indulged myself by purchasing a “posy” of Blue Moon roses. This image, which is actually a wedding bouquet, contains some blue moon roses (the darker lavender ones) and a variety of others, but it gives you the general feeling. The roses opened beautifully and greeted me this morning with their sweet scent … sort of a soft raspberry fragrance with a tea rose base. Another rose with a raspberry-like scent is Fragrant Lace, which I posted about earlier --
This got me thinking about the importance of scent in the romance of roses. Earlier, I posted the image of the Sharifa Asma rose, one of the most beautiful and best-scented roses I know, but very different from the Blue Moon. The Sharifa Asma a great example of the true “damask” rose scent.
Other roses in my garden that are heavily scented, but different, are Scentimental, which has a strong raspberry tea rose fragrance ...
,,, and the Mr. Lincoln, which has a classic “hybrid tea” scent.
Fair Bianca (named for the sister of Kate in Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew) is a beautiful pure white, almost cloud-like rose that blooms prolifically on a relatively small bush. Its scent is very surprising to the uninitiated … it’s the fragrance of myrrh, well known from the Bible as one of the gifts of the Three Kings. The closest comparison I know to this spicy scent has to be anise.
One last heavily scented rose that I grow in my own garden is Evelyn (pronounced ee’-va-lin), named for Crabtree & Evelyn, manufacturer of skin care and fragrance products. Evelyn’s breeder, David Austin includes it with the Gertrude Jeckyll, which I posted about below, as the two best scented roses ever produced. Evelyn is used as the base for many perfumes.
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