Precious Topaz and Citrine: November Birthstone

My birthdays are not as much fun as they were in earlier days. That is sad  - and just plain wrong thinking on my part.  As I get longer in the tooth, I need to realize that every day is a gift. Indeed, each birthday should be very happy and wildly fun! I should kick up my heels with joy! One thing about birthdays that seems more pleasing is my slowly-growing collection of birthstones...ha! (Emphasis on s-l-o-w-l-y)

Inspired by birthstones, I decided to create an entire calendar of soap dedicated to each month of the year. Pictured below is the Topaz/Citrine Gem Chunk, the birthstone soap for November.

This Topaz/Citrine Gem Chunk is a glycerin and goat's milk soap with many different micas for color and varying degrees of opacity/transparency/translucence. Included in the mix are layers of ground vanilla beans, cloves and sea salt.

The Topaz/Citrine soap is scented with a gorgeous fragrance of amber resin, spicy ginger, clove and the tiniest pinch of vanilla. This is one of my favorite soaps! It is visually beautiful. The fragrance is subtle, yet sensuous. Forget the birthstone part, this Topaz should be November's centerfold!!

Topaz comes in different colors, but yellow is the color typically associated with this magnificent gem.

Precious topaz is the symbol of friendship. It is November's gemstone, as well as the state gem of Utah. Who knew?
The gold and yellow of this sparkly soap makes me want to crank up REM's "Shiny Happy People" and dance....

Happy Hallowmas!

This day is traditionally a time of ancestral worship. In many places in Europe, people go to cemeteries with bouquets to honor the dead. So, in celebration of the nature of Hallowmas (or Halloween, as it is typically known in the United States), above is an image of a glycerin-rich, highly fragrant sandalwood soap, molded in a Celtic design. I gilded this soap a bit with a bronze mica, to give it an aged 'finish'.

Celtic designs are indigenous to my heritage. I find that they are surprisingly contemporary, although very ancient in origin. I was blessed with many Celtic traits - especially the love of fire, a sense of wild adventure,  a warrior-like attitude (at times) and an intrinsic understanding of the "old ways".

Please remember to honor your own heritage on this day. Feel gratitude for what has been bestowed upon you in this life, for those of have gone before you, for your inherited gifts.
Practice gratitude today and every day.

Peace.