Okay, so you know how I like to think of offbeat ways to honor people in my family? I stumbled upon this site - http://www.squidoo.com/birth-symbols - and I’m kind of obsessed with it right now. I don’t know how much of it is accurate, so if anyone has verification, that would be fabulous, but here’s what I got from it:
[name]March[/name] - My brother was born in [name]March[/name]. [name]March[/name] is a cool name in and of itself, but Aquamarine and [name]Daffodil[/name] aren’t really my style. [name]Jonquil[/name]? Eh, maybe. [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Jonquil[/name] actually works, and my mom’s first name begins with [name]Jo[/name]-, so it’s a possibility. The trees are what really caught my eye. I didn’t know months had trees as symbols! The weeping willow is nice because it also honors my grandpa [name]Bill[/name] ([name]William[/name]), but after [name]Eliza[/name] [name]Wren[/name], I don’t know that I’d want to do [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Willow[/name] or [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Willa[/name] - I’d probably choose [name]Willa[/name] over [name]Willow[/name] because [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Willow[/name] is way too TV witch-y (Charmed and [name]Buffy[/name]). Then there’s hazelnut and the hazel tree, and apparently the hazel tree stands for hidden wisdom? Hm. I’ve played with [name]Hazel[/name] as a first name - my dad hates it - but [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Hazel[/name] has a certain appeal. No more energy than [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Iris[/name], though it is slightly easier to say.
[name]April[/name] - Two of my grandparents were born in [name]April[/name] (I knew my grandma [name]Irene[/name] was, but apparently my grandpa was as well!). [name]April[/name] is a quirky name, but it’s not really my favorite. Plus, [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]April[/name] just looks weird to me. I hate to say it, but [name]Diamond[/name] feels a little cheap as a name, at least to me. Sweet Pea is unusable - but could be a darn cute nickname for [name]Phoebe[/name] - and [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Daisy[/name] is all kinds of cutesy ridiculousness. [name]Gwendolen[/name] [name]Daisy[/name] has too much D, too, right? [name]Gwendolen[/name] [name]Iris[/name] sounds better. Now, this write-up mentions [name]Venus[/name], which is too [name]Williams[/name] for me, and [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name], from whose tears the daisy was said to have sprung (wow). [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Mary[/name] is a no, and [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name] or [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Magda[/name] just feel a little hard to say with the B’s and D’s, right? So, again, I turned to the trees - Walnut, [name]Rowan[/name], and [name]Maple[/name]. Walnut is too tree-y, [name]Rowan[/name] is a little boyish and sounds too much like [name]Wren[/name], but [name]Maple[/name]? The symbol of balance, promise, and practicality? That happens to start with an Ma-, and therefore pays subtle tribute to [name]Marie[/name] and [name]Marion[/name]? [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Maple[/name]. Is that a winner?!
[name]May[/name] - My mother was born in [name]May[/name], and while I think [name]May[/name] is rather glamorous, and [name]Gwendolen[/name] [name]May[/name] is quite pretty, it’s a little light. [name]Emerald[/name], like [name]Diamond[/name], seems tacky to me, which is why I turned to [name]Esme[/name] once before. It just doesn’t sound good with any of the first names I like! [name]Lily[/name] of the [name]Valley[/name] is a naturally lead-in to [name]Lily[/name], but not only does [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Lily[/name] sound goofy, it’s totally overdone. I would, however, consider [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Lilias[/name], [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Liliane[/name], or [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Lila[/name], [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Lilla[/name], [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Lilith[/name], or [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Lilia[/name], whichever sounds best and is actually related to [name]Lily[/name]. Now, my goodness, [name]May[/name] has a bird! The nightingale! Not going to be using that one, or it’s natural short form, [name]Gale[/name]. [name]Galen[/name] for a boy, maybe, but not really. [name]Night[/name]? A little too harsh. I could even spin [name]Florence[/name], from [name]Florence[/name] Nightingale, but that’s a serious stretch and not really my style. Lots of the [name]May[/name] names are better for boys, like [name]Hawthorn[/name] and [name]Ash[/name].
[name]June[/name] - My sister and I were born in [name]June[/name]. [name]June[/name] is great, and it’s the reason for this whole thread, through [name]Junia[/name] (which has been nixed). [name]June[/name] just isn’t doing much for me in terms of oomph, hence my liking of [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Juniper[/name] or, maybe, [name]Gwendolen[/name] [name]Juno[/name]. I still really adore [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Juniper[/name] and it’s very much on the list. Now, [name]Pearl[/name] is [name]June[/name]'s birthstone and it’s just a little too old-lady for me, even though [name]Gwendolen[/name] [name]Pearl[/name] is quite nice. It’s just not me. Alexandrite works because it also tributes my brother’s middle name, but it sounds like a type of jewel, not a name, and no [name]Alex[/name] forms appeal to me for a girl. That brings us to [name]Rose[/name], the natural choice. [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Rose[/name], or my favorites, [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Rosanna[/name] and [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Rosaline[/name]. I just don’t think they stack up to [name]Eliza[/name] [name]Wren[/name], though! Right? Apparently, the rose is queen of flowers, so something meaning queen could work, yet that seems rather contrived. Then there are [name]June[/name]'s trees, namely the apple tree. [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Apple[/name]?! I’d never live it down. I’d always think of [name]Fiona[/name] [name]Apple[/name] and [name]Apple[/name] [name]Martin[/name]. Thanks, [name]Gwyneth[/name]…
[name]October[/name] - My other grandmother was born in [name]October[/name]. I’ve tried to stretch [name]Toby[/name] from that, but it’s a far cry from a true honoring. [name]Opal[/name] seems natural, but like [name]Pearl[/name], it isn’t me. [name]Jewel[/name] names in general aren’t me, in case you haven’t noticed. The opal is the stone of hope, but [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Hope[/name] is rather blah compared to some names we’ve thrown about, right Berries? Birth flowers are the calendula and cosmos flowers, neither of which are natural name choices, right? Now, the calendula is a pot marigold, which brings me back to [name]Marigold[/name] (see my other thread in Talk About Names for that discussion), a perfect fit for honoring a [name]Marion[/name]. [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Marigold[/name] has great energy, too! It just doesn’t feel right to me, though, and I can’t pin down why. Hm. I could split the name and use [name]Calla[/name], which relates more to [name]Lily[/name], for [name]May[/name], and [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Calla[/name] is actually nice to say out loud, but it feels contrived. So, there’s that. But, look at [name]October[/name]'s trees! We’ve seen these in [name]April[/name], huh? [name]Rowan[/name], Walnut, and [name]Maple[/name]? [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Rowan[/name] is acceptable but still rather boyish and [name]Wren[/name]-like, but there’s still [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Maple[/name] to consider. I love a good maple tree - seriously, I did not just make that up - and isn’t there something that will always make you think of maple syrup and sugary goodness when you hear [name]Maple[/name]?
[name]November[/name] - My other grandpa was born in [name]November[/name]. The birth stones are Citrine and Yellow [name]Topaz[/name]. So, yellow stuff. Are you getting anything from those, name-wise, because I’m sure not! The chrysanthemum isn’t really name worthy, either, so that leaves me with the trees: Chestnut and [name]Ash[/name]. I believe we saw [name]Ash[/name] in [name]May[/name], but it’s much more appropriate for a boy as either [name]Ash[/name], [name]Asher[/name], or [name]Ashlan[/name], right? [name]Ashlan[/name] is girly, though. [name]Phoebe[/name] [name]Ashlan[/name]? Icky. No, [name]November[/name] will not do!
[name]December[/name] - My dad’s birthday is in [name]December[/name]! [name]Turquoise[/name], [name]Lapis[/name] Lazuli, [name]Blue[/name] [name]Topaz[/name]. Eh. Nothing’s striking me, except for a sea of blue. I have considered [name]Blue[/name] as a middle name for [name]Gwendolen[/name], as in [name]Gwendolen[/name] [name]Blue[/name], but I nixed it for some reason or another awhile back. [name]Narcissus[/name] and [name]Holly[/name] aren’t really working for me, either, but we’ve got a plethora of tree options, namely Hornbeam, [name]Fig[/name], [name]Beech[/name], and, yes, [name]Apple[/name]. These so aren’t working! Should I look into [name]Apple[/name] variants? Apparently the apple is a symbol of masculinity, so maybe it should go on the boy list - ha. Macintosh could work! Again, ha. Sorry, dad, [name]December[/name] isn’t working so well. Good thing your zodiac did you a favor with [name]Archer[/name]! [name]Love[/name] that.
I reward you if you got through this whole long reply. Did anybody get anything out of this, and do we have proof that months have symbolic trees? Tell me what you think if you get a chance, Berries.
[name]Happy[/name] [name]Easter[/name] and Passover to those who celebrate. For others, happy [name]Sunday[/name]!
[name]Lemon[/name]