Of the Birthday Jan 4

Crystal

Chrysoprase

Apple Green, Lemon

Opaque, flecked

Common

US, Russia, Brazil, Australia, Poland, Tanzania

Imparts a sense of being a part of the divine whole, it induces deep meditative states. Said by the ancients to promote love of truth, Chrysoprase also promotes hope and gives personal insights. 

Herb

Bouncing Bet (AKA Soapwort)

Parts Used: Rhizomes and roots, aerial parts to a lesser extent. 

Collection: The root and rhizome is best dug up and dried between September and October. The leaves are collected between July and August.

Medicinally, Bouncing Bet can be used as an effective expectorant for use in bronchitis and dry coughs. 

Decoction: the best way to make a decoction of this root is to soak 4 tablespoonfulls of the dried root (or two finely cut fresh root) in 2 pints of cold water for five hours. Bring this to boil and simmer for 10 minutes. This should be drunk 3 to 4 times a day. 

Rune

Hagall

The meaning of Hagall in magic is very different from its meaning in divination. In divinations, Hagall indicates frustrating delays but not stagnation. In magic, this rune is a rune of evolution, but it is evolution of teh slow but sure type with in a fixed framework. Its fixed nature promotes security and keeps negative energies from entering your space. 

USES: 

1. Protection. 
2. Use where luck is needed.
3. To encourage a positive result within a fixed framework.

Birthday

Capricorn (December 22 - January 19)

Element: Earth

Ruling Planet: Saturn, the teacher

Symbol: The Goat

Tarot Card: The Devil (Materialism)

Number: 8

Favorable colors: Green, Brown, Black

Key phrase: I am ambitious, but responsible.

Love matches: Taurus, Virgo, Pisces

January 4

"Today I will stick to my guns"

The birthday of the eclectic.

Your greatest challenge is coping with not feeling understood.

On the Dark Side: Cold, controlling, intolerant

At Your Best: Independent, imaginative, methodical

Birthstone

Of the Birthday Jan 3

Crystal

Chrysocolla

Green, Blue, Turquoise

Opaque, often bands or inclusions

Common

US, Britain, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Zaire, Russia

Chrysocolla is a traquil and sustaining stone. It helps meditation and communication. Helps to accept with serenity situations that are constantly changing, invoking great inner strength. 

Drusy Chrsocolla combines the properties of Chrysocolla with those of Quartz. This stone has great clarity and works extremely fast. 

Herb

Broom Tops

Parts Used: Flowering tops

Collection: May be gathered throughout the spring, summer, and fall. The tops may be dried in the sun or by heat. 

Broom is a valuable remedy where there is a weak heart and low blood pressure. Since it is also a diuretic- It can be used where water retention occurs due to heart weakness. 

DO NOT USE BROOM IN PREGNANCY OR HYPERTENSION

Infusion: Pour a cup of boiling water onto 1 teaspoonful of the dried herb and let infuse for 10-15 minutes. This should be drunk 3 times a day. 

Rune

Wunjo

Wunjo is the rune of "happily ever after." It is generally used in the final position as a significator of success and happiness 

USES: 

1. Fulfillment in any area, especially love or career
2. Success in travel. 

Birthday

Capricorn (December 22 - January 19)

Element: Earth

Ruling Planet: Saturn, the teacher

Symbol: The Goat

Tarot Card: The Devil (Materialism)

Number: 8

Favorable colors: Green, Brown, Black

Key phrase: I am ambitious, but responsible.

Love matches: Taurus, Virgo, Pisces

January 3 

"The darkest hour is before the dawn and I will come shining through."

The birthday of determination

Your greatest challenge is resisting boredom

On the Dark Side: Stubborn, erratic, controlling

At Your Best: Charming, controlled, determined

Birthstone

Superstitions- The Bad Luck of the Irish.

Leprechauns are sprites or fairies found only in Ireland. They usually took the form of older men who were shoemakers by trade. And while they are considered mostly harmless to humans, they are notably taciturn and unsociable, so they usually live alone in remote areas. Until the twentieth century, leprechauns dressed in red, not green, which is the common belief today.

Leprechauns are reputed to be very rich, so there was aways the temptation to capture one and force him to reveal where his gold was hidden. A leprechaun is a wily foe, though, so there are many tales about how he can trick a captor into unwittingly setting him free. In one popular old story, a boy ties a ribbon around a plant that marks a leprechaun's buried treasure. The boy makes the leprechaun promise not to remove the ribbon while he gets a spade. When the boy returns, the leprechaun has kept his promise, but he has also tied every other plant with an identical ribbon.

If you see a leprechaun and want to keep him in view, you must hold your gaze steady. He cannot escape until you take your eye off him, when he will vanish in a blink

Clurichauns are less-known Irish fairies. They are always drunk and seen at night, which is why some folklorists think of them as leprechauns who have been out drinking after work. Clurichauns are bad-tempered and unfriendly, but it's worthwhile to always treat them well because they have a special interest in any wine you may own. If you're nice to a clurichaun, he'll look after it; treat him badly, and he'll ruin it and everything else in your house.

Leprechauns and clurichauns are believed to be so surly because they are the dscendants of the inhabitants of Ireland who were displaced and banished by the invasion of the Celts.

Spellwork- Today's theme is ...What ever the book falls to when I untie it..Shall we?

Work Blessing

You need:

• Tendrils of Ivy leaves
• Some ribbons of your favorite colors
• A symbol of your work
• A token offering
• Milk and Honey. 

This spell originates from Ireland and is traditionally performed in February at Imbolc, one of the eight festivals of the Celtic calendar. Birgit, the goddess of creativity, is transformed from her winter appearance of the withered hag into a radiant spring bride, symbolizing new life. Originally, this spell would have been performed near to the hearth, the center of the home, and would have included the whole family, with the women and children fashioning the garland of ivy and the men providing the token offering. If you have no hearth, you can use red candles placed in a small circle. 

Method

Gather the ivy and carefully fashion it into garland, taking the shape of a St. Briget's knot. Lay the garland by the hearth or candles, in the circle of light. With love and care, decorate the whole garland with the ribbons, which should be in all your favorite colors. Place the symbol of your work, for example a business card, in the center of the knot, then place a token offering next to it. The token could be a flower or a coin, for example. Mix a spoon of honey into a glass of warm milk, take a drink, and ask for help with your work for the coming year. 

Superstitions!- Be Wary of What You Carry

Many omens predicting future events for a home or its occupants involved people coming into the house, and this could be influenced by what they had with them. For example:

• Walking into a house with the left foot first is thought to bring evil on the occupants, although if you spot the error, you can undo it by walking out again and entering with the right foot. 
• Carrying a hoe into a house is bad luck; if you do, walking out backward with it averts the bad luck. 
• Never take eggs into a house after sunset or they will not hatch, and they could bring misfortune to the owners of the house. 
• Bringing an axe into a house foretells death and, unfortunately, there does not seem to be an antidote to most superstitions involving dying. 
  

Of the Birthday Jan 2

Crystal

Chrysanthemum Stone

Brown, Gray with White

Resembles the flower of a chrysanthemum

Readily available

China, Japan, Canada, US

Facilitates time travel. It exudes calm confidence and enhances any environment with its gentle presence. 

Herb

Borage

Parts Used: Dried leaves

Collection: The leaves should be gathered when the plant is coming into flower in the early summer. Strip each leaf off singly and reject any taht are marked in any way. Do not collect when wet or dew

Borage acts as a restorative agent on the adrenal cortex, which means that it will revive and renew the adrenal glands after a medical treatment with coritsone or steroids. 

Infusion: Pour a cup of boiling water onto 2 teaspoonfuls of the dried herb and leave to infuse for 10-15 minutes. This should be drunk 3 times a day. 

Rune

Gifu

Gifu is the rune of partnerships in all realms. It contains teh power to integrate the energies of two or more people in order to produce a force that is greater than the sum total of their individual parts. It is the primary rune of sex magic.

Uses: 

1. Love and sex magic.
2. Increase in magical powers.
3. Anything to do with partnerships.
4. Mental and physical equilibrium.

Birthday

    Capricorn (December 22 - January 19)

Element: Earth

Ruling Planet: Saturn, the teacher

Symbol: The Goat

Tarot Card: The Devil (Materialism)

Number: 8

Favorable colors: Green, Brown, Black

Key phrase: I am ambitious, but responsible.

Love matches: Taurus, Virgo, Pisces

January 2

"I deserve the best in life''

The birthday of the intuitive leader.

Your greatest challenge is overcoming feelings of isolation and loneliness.

On the Dark Side: Moody, antisocial, indecisive

At Your best: Sensitive, spiritual, intuitive. 

Birthstone

Of the Birthday Jan 1. Happy 2017

I just want to go ahead and list here again for any new readers the books that I am currently using to create this blog. This is definitely not every thing I have on any of the subjects, just a really solid starting poing and I prefer to give credit where it is due. All images are my favorite of the item from a google image search. Crystal of the Day is brought to you by Judy Hall and her book The Crystal Bible. The Complete Herb Sourcebook written by David Hoffman brings you Herb of the day. Rune of the day is from a book called A Practical Guide to THE RUNES, the author is Lisa Peschel. Finally the little birthday snippets are from The Element Encyclopedia of Birthdays. Theresa Cheung is the person who wrote it.  

Crystal

Chlorite

Green

Several forms, usually opaque, may be occluded in Quartz (generic name for a group) (the above picture is occluded in Quartz) 

Easily obtained

Russia, Germany, US

Powerful positive healing stone, beneficial for the environment or personal energy field. With Amethyst, it removes energy implants and wards off psychic attack. With Carnelian and Ruby, it protects against psychic attack and assists earthbound spirits to move on.  

Herb

Boneset

Parts Used: Dried aerial parts

Collection: Voneset should be collected as soon as teh flowers open in August or September.

Boneset is perhaps teh best rememdy for the relief of the associated symptoms that accompany influenza. It will speedily relieve the aches and pains as well as aid the body in dealing with any fever that is present. 

In the treatment of influenza, it may be compined with Yarrow, Elderberry Flowers, Cayenne, or Ginger

Infusion: Pour a cup of boiling water onto 1-2 teaspoonfuls of teh dried herb and leave to infuse for 0-15 minutes. Drink this as hot as possible. During fevers or the flu, it should be drunk every half hour. 

Rune

Kenaz

Kenaz is another rune of Fire, but unlike FEHU, it is a gentle, more controlled form of Fire which gives the ability and the will to create. It is teh rune of the artist and craftsman and is useful either when creativity is the issue or when artistic things are very important to the person for whom you are creating the runescript. It also governs the technical aspects of magic. It is the rune that governs passion, lust, and secual love as fiery, positive attributes. 

Uses:

1. Use to strengthen any runescript.
2. Healing, physical well-being.
3. Love, stability and passion in relationships.
4. Fresh starts
5. Protection of valuables.

Birthday

  Capricorn (December 22 - January 19)

Element: Earth

Ruling Planet: Saturn, the teacher

Symbol: The Goat

Tarot Card: The Devil (Materialism)

Number: 8

Favorable colors: Green, Brown, Black

Key phrase: I am ambitious, but responsible.

Love matches: Taurus, Virgo, Pisces

January 1

"When one door closes, another always opens for me."

The birthday of self-improvement

Your greatest challenge is to stop beating yourself up about making mistakes

On the Dark Side: Oversensitive, impatient, manipulative

At Your Best: Drive, dedication, honesty. 

Birthstone