Celtic Lunar Month: OAK

"With foot beat of the swift Oak,
Heaven and Earth rung,
Stout guardian of the door,
His name on every tongue."
~ Gwion

The circular door opens into the mighty realm of the Oak today, with the seventh moon cycle of the Celtic Tree Alphabet. From now until July 7th the steadfast OAK, the most sacred of all the Druidic trees, empowers us with strong roots as we become who we are meant to be. The Celtic word for oak Duir, derived from the sanskrit for door, is the Ogham in this new cyclic phase. This enduring ancient tree stands guardian to the door of self knowledge, tall and steadfast, the wise verdant entity provides courage as we overcome our trials.

Just as the Oaks of England are struck by lightening and born anew, so our native oaks display their resistance to our yearly California wild fires. New, fresh leaves sprout triumphantly from the blacken trunks. The oak teaches us to send our roots deep into the sustaining earth where stability reigns supreme. From that place of connection to this sacred moment we then reach out wide and far. The Oak is part of the central creation myth for the Celtic people. From the acorns, embedded in the Earth, the God Dagda and Goddess Brighid are born.


Today, on this blessed and auspicious occasion, I bring you the solid botanical version of Q, our perfume devoted to Quercus agrifolia the Coastal Live Oak of California. I have hand infused leaves from one of the mighty Oaks that encircles our property. The intention weaved with the infusion and throughout the formulation of the fragrance is for greater awareness of these splendid native trees.

"Every majestic oak tree was once a nut who stood his ground."

I have written quite a bit here on this journal about my history with the native oaks and much of the symbology of this Oak Celtic lunar phase. Instead of repeating myself, I invite you to travel to Greece. Helg, the authoress of Perfume Shrine, will enchant you with her new Mythology series launched today. Rich in philosophy and beauty, like her Greek ancestors, Helg weaves marvelous tales to delight all our senses, specifically focused on olfaction.

The Q solid is now available in the antique finished compact and as a solid mini at our boutique on Etsy. Eventually the entire solid perfume collection will be added to the Illuminated Perfume website. I'm working on manifesting this as you read these words.


Illuminated Perfume
Illuminated Perfume at Etsy
Perfume Shrine
California Oak Foundation

Links to reviews of the botanical perfume Q

Images: The opening painting is by John Millais titled The Proscribed Royalist, 1651 (1853), it is owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber and was utilized by Heather Ettlinger to illustrate her blog post her thoughts about the botanical perfume Sierra. Celtic Tree Wheel engraving has been modified in photoshop and placed on parchment. Other two images are photos I took of Q solid in the compact and as the mini solid.