Forget-Me-Not Salve
Have Visions on August 27th with the Vision Salve

by Jeanne Rose


Forget-Me-Not -- Jeanne’s flowers©

The Salve by Jeanne Rose:

(general Salve formulas are listed in depth in the Herbal Studies Course and flower salves in the AROMAtherapy Studies Course)

A March event. Using only what I had available and choosing the smallest pan I had, a 1-cup stainless steel pot, I packed it with Forget-Me-Not flowers, as well as a few Meyer Lemon flowers and four Comfrey flowers. Then I added Camellia oil (any oil would do) to just cover the flowers. I put this on the stove at the lowest heat and heated until small bubbles were coming up. Then it was cooled, reheated, cooled, reheated and cooled. I put a strainer over 1-cup size glass jar, lined the strainer with tightly woven muslin (silk or tight mosquito cloth), and poured the pot contents into the strainer. The clear golden, fragrant oil came through. Then I grated flower wax from a bar of Mimosa flower wax (any floral wax will do or beeswax). I used about 4 cup floral wax, placed that in the small pot, added half of the strained oil, and heated it gently until the floral wax was melted. Finally, I added the two together, stirred it and let it sit.

This is just as easy as it can be. I now have a cup of softly fragrant, flower salve. I can use this as an application to dry hands or for magic such as in August, I can use it as an eye salve on August 27 after a walk through the garden to see if I can have any visions.

We make and talk about Salves and Bruise Juice and Calendula oil in the Herbal Classes of June.

Salve #2
On Midsummer’s Eve day at 10 am on 6/20/05 [Solstice is at 11:45 pm tonight); I gathered flowers of Forget-me-Not and flowers of Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) and one juicy leaf of Comfrey as well as a Blue Malva flower. These were all put into the one-cup size stainless steel pot and 3/4 cup Camellia oil added to soak. IT was heated, cooled, heated, cooled, until all the liquid of the plants was gone. The herbs were strained out and 1/4 cup grated Blue Lotus wax added. Then the salve was heated gently, cooled slightly, added 8 drops of old Frankincense, stirred and poured into 16 1/2 ounce tins. Cool. This pale blue salve can be used on August 27 or any holy day for awareness and to expand consciousness.

Many Salve recipes are listed in Jeanne Rose Books and the products including Special Salves on the product page of the website.

Visions & Mystery. August 27 is St. Monica’s Day. It is also a day of visions using the Forget-Me-Not. In Kull’s book, The Secret of Flowers, he says “…If one takes a sojourn in Egypt near the 27th day of their month Thoth (which is near to our month of august), and he anoints his eyes with the flower Forget-Me-Not, he will be made to see visions…” This is interesting because the Forget-Me-Not is not native to Egypt. However, in the hopes that I would see visions, on May 28, 2005 just at the end of the Forget-Me-Not season here in San Francisco, I made a salve of the flowers.

Magic is just science not yet known and magic can be studied in the Ritual is a Magical Experience and the Ritual class on June 21

Research on the Forget-Me-Not

Background and Botany:
True Forget-me-not is Myosotis scorpioides (Myosotis palustris). The Family is Borage, the Boraginaceae. The habitat is wet places and along streamsides.
• Height: 6-24 inches • Flower size: 1/4 inch across
• Flower color: blue with a yellow center
• Flowering time: March to October. The origin of this wonderful flower is Europe and Asia.

The forget-me-not, Myosotis sylvatica, bears tiny, delicate blossoms on thin stalks. It grows abundantly along shady streams and is cultivated as a border plant and under trees in gardens. This flower is also Alaska’s state flower. Forget Me Not Myosotis alpestris is the alpine forget-me-not. It was chosen in 1949. The alpine forget-me-not is a perennial that grows 5 to 12 inches high in alpine meadows. The flowers have five connected salviform petals, colored sky blue, that is a quarter to a third of an inch wide. They have a white inner ring and a yellow center. The best time to see the alpine forget-me-not in Alaska is midsummer, from late June to late July. In addition to finding the Myosotis alpestris, botanists in Denali National Park might also come across the mountain forget-me-not (Eritrichium aretiodes) and the splendid forget-me-not (Eritrichium splendens). http://www.50states.com/flower/alaska.htm

General Characteristics: The Forget-me-not flower has five, bright blue, regular petals that surround a yellow center. The flower is 1/2" wide. The flowers grow near the end of the stem, each having its own short stalk off the main stem. When the plant first emerges, the stem is curled at the end; when the flowers begin to bloom the stem uncurls. The stem grows 6"-12" high. The simple leaves grow in an alternate pattern along the stem. Leaves are lance-shaped and are 1-2" long. Both the leaves and stem are covered in fine hair. Forget-me-nots grow in mats with a widespread root system.

Plant Lore and Old Uses: There are four species of Forget-me-nots. There are native and non-native species, but the Myosotis scorpioides is from Europe. It escaped from gardens and found suitable habitat. The plant's scientific name and common name have several interesting theories on their origin. The scientific name, Myosotis, means mouse ear, which describes the size and shape of the petal. Its species name, scorpioides, and the common name "Scorpion Weed", are from the coiled plant stem that resembles a scorpion tail. This appearance led people to believe this flower was a remedy for scorpion stings; however, this claim has never been validated. The common name may have originated from an unpleasant edible experience that was hard to forget (these plants taste bad), or may have a more heartfelt meaning.

It is said that whomever wore this flower would not be forgotten by his or her lover. There are two stories that illustrate the flower's significance among lovers and explain the common name, although both have tragic endings. In the first story, a suitor was picking this flower for his love and saw the perfect specimen. It was close to the cliff's edge but he reached for it anyway. Losing his balance, the man plummeted over the cliff, shouting, "Forget me not!" as he fell. The second story originates in Germany. A knight and his lovely lady were walking along a riverbank. He was picking this flower for her when he tripped and fell into the river. Before he went under he threw the small bouquet to her and shouted "vergiss mein nicht", the German name of the flower.

Modern Uses of this Plant: The Forget-me-not is used today in gardens and along walkways… http://www.laurentiancenter.com/plantkey/plants/forgetmenot.html. I love the flower and plant it extensively in my garden, everywhere. It blooms and blooms throughout March, April and May. Then it reseeds itself for another blooming and for the next year. I harvest the flower in March for the Equinox and to make a salve for visions in August. I have never had visions but the salve is very soothing and nice on the skin.

History & Freemasonry…In early 1934, soon after Hitler's rise to power, Freemasonry was in danger. In that same year, the "Grand Lodge of the Sun" (one of the pre-war German Grand Lodges, located in Bayreuth) realizing the grave dangers involved, adopted the little blue Forget-Me-Not flower as a substitute for the traditional square and compasses. It was felt the flower would provide brethren with an outward means of identification while lessening the risk of possible recognition in public by the Nazis, who were engaged in wholesale confiscation of all Masonic Lodge properties. Freemasonry went undercover, and this delicate flower assumed its role as a symbol of Masonry surviving throughout the reign of darkness. During the ensuing decade of Nazi power a little blue Forget-Me-Not flower worn in a Brother's lapel served as one method whereby brethren could identify each other in public, and in cities and concentration camps throughout Europe. The Forget-Me-Not distinguished the lapels of countless brethren who staunchly refused to allow the symbolic Light of Masonry to be completely extinguished.

When Past Grand Master Beyer reopened the ‘Grand Lodge of the Sun’ in Bayreuth in 1947, a little pin in the shape of a Forget-Me-Not was officially adopted as the emblem of that first annual convention of the brethren who had survived the bitter years of semi-darkness to rekindle the Masonic Light. It meant do not forget the poor and the destitute…
http://www.bessel.org/forgnot.htm

Thus did a simple flower blossom forth into a symbol of the fraternity, and become perhaps the most widely worn emblem among Freemasons in Germany; http://www.bessel.org/forgnot.htm

Bibliography:
Rose, Jeanne. Herbs & Things
Rose, Jeanne. Ritual is a Magical Experience.
http://www.bessel.org/forgnot.htm
http://www.laurentiancenter.com/plantkey/plants/forgetmenot.html http://www.50states.com/flower/alaska.htm
Rose, Jeanne. Aromatherapy & Herbal Studies Course
http://www.JeanneRose.net/

#   #   #

All rights reserved 2008. No part of this article may