Oakmoss

"A rolling stone gathers no moss."

In my palette as an authentic nature perfumer, oakmoss is one of my most cherished base notes. The damp, forest floor quality of this lichen lends a rich, full bodied, earthiness that reminds me of Demeter. As you may recall, she is the ancient Greek Goddess of the harvest and agriculture who governs over the fertility of the Earth and the mother of Persephone.

Oakmoss is also known as tree moss or Mousse de Chene, and goes by the latin Evernia prunastri. Although the name can be deceiving, it is a species of lichen from temperate forests in Northern Hemispheres. The fragrance note is a key component in the composition of historical Chypre and Fougère type of perfumes. I tend to use it in small amounts paired with complimentary resins and woods in chords which are then added to the final orchestration of the fragrance. 

Oakmoss has been used to construct many of my perfumes but is most obvious in Hedera helix, Q, Figure 1: Noir, Terrestre, Figure 5: Bois and GreenWitch. She is quite robust and requires a delicate hand, but, rewards those who can cultivate patience. 

I consider this very dark and viscous material a scent ally for me, especially since moving to the desert. The scent profile has agrestic notes of decaying earth but also a lyrical component which harkens the dwelling where you find the elves of Middle Earth from the Tolkien series. It's no wonder Wendy Froud wrote this after receiving her compact at the San Diego Comic Con.

"I love fragrances and everything that my favorite ones evoke but I was truly captivated by Roxana's Q perfume the first time I experienced it. It evokes something ancient and at the same time very intimate and personal. To me it's a "remembered" fragrance that taps into the green world of Faerie in the same way that a painting or sculpted image can. When I wear it, which is often, I feel closer to that elusive and magical world."

Photos ©Roxana Villa

Elves image from Movie Magic

The Ouroboros

This day marks the beginning of Spring in the northern hemisphere with an equal balance of day and night. In ancient times, when our ancestors paid close attention to nature and the heavens, Mean Earraigh also termed the Spring Equinox was celebrated with festivals and ritual.

In several texts the symbol of the Ouroboros is said to go back to 1690BC Egypt, the birth place of alchemy as well as perfumes used for medicine and consciousness. The serpentine later appears in Greece where we get the origins of the word “oura” meaning “tail” and “bόros” meaning “eating”.

The alchemical image depicts a serpent or dragon, or both, eating its own tail. I used it in my online course at both the beginning and end to represent “Circular Thinking”, since the symbol is the re creation of the self. The circular image reminds us of the cyclical nature, the "eternal return” and primordial unity.

The Ouroboros feels like a perfect symbol for todays Spring Equinox as it relates to the aspect of balancing duality and the union of opposites. Out of the chaos of formless disorder we are born into this infinite, repeating cycle of natures constant creation and destruction. In the great wheel of the earth, the Spring Equinox is the transition point as we move from the darker half of the year into the light here in the North. In the Southern hemisphere its the opposite, transitioning from the light to the dark.

The dualistic principle of this symbol is like two sides of the same coin the aspect of the chaotic state, where everything exists at one time. There is a perpetual motion, like that of consciousness and the cyclical, repeating nature in life. Depending on where we stand in our perception I have observed this state as the void. On one hand I am able to grasp the awarenesss of observing the duality, while on the other, not being a very "mental" body individual, I get confused and desire more concrete answers. In some ways this reminds me of the four processes. More on that in another post. In the meantime, if you are new to my work, check out my presentation at Bastyr University titled The Tree of Life.

New Mexico Plant Feature: Osha Root

Keeping in the vein of last weeks post, I thought I'd share a bit about a local root that I have been cultivating a relationship with. It's called oshá root, Ligusticum porteri, a perennial herb that grows at high elevations in rich, moist soils. Common names include: Porter's Lovage, Wild Lovage, Indian Parsley, Mountain Carrot, Empress of the Dark Forest, Colorado Cough Root, Chuchupate, "Indian Parsley", mountain ginseng, and Bear Medicine. 1.

I had avoided it for years because it is threatened due to over harvesting. Here in northern New Mexico osha is native and is fairly easy to find at the Santa Fe farmers market by growers who are respectful of the plant. Osha has a co-dependent relationship with the mycorrhizal fungi, which is the main reason the plant won't grow outside of its native habitat.

In January I contacted the respiratory infection that was going around, besides my usual regime of eating lots of garlic & ginger, taking baths with essential oils and salts, fasting, consuming specific herbs and tinctures, I picked up some osha cough syrup—that's when the love (lovage) affair began and has been building ever since. I've heard osha referred to as the ginseng of New Mexico.

"Osha root contains anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties and therefore supports health or healing for respiratory conditions (coughs, colds, tonsillitis, flu, and other types of viral infections). Its antiviral properties are well recognized today, and as an alternative medicine, it's often prescribed at the first signals of the common cold or flu. Osha can also be taken when traveling to higher altitudes or for long-distance hiking to promote easy breathing.

A decoction (essentially a long, slow simmer) will extract the medicinal properties of the root into a flavorful, dark tea, which can be sipped purely, or mixed into any variety of tea-lattes or broths.

To make a decoction, simply add a handful of dried root to several cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and allow to reduce for at least thirty minutes - though five to six hours is preferable as the longer the roots simmer, the stronger, and more beneficial the decoction.

When finished, the water will be a translucent, grey-brown tint, reflective of the root's color, and rich in beneficial plant-properties."2.

Osha tastes and smells warm, earthy and wonderful—the rather strong fragrance contains creamy, syrup-like anise, tonka and pepper notes. I have an essential oil of lovage that I plan to revisit, especially for my New Mexico pure fume series.

The indigenous people consider the root sacred and used it for respiratory conditions and as an incense or strung for purifying the air.

1. Taos Herb
2. The Alchemists Kitchen

Rooted

"Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light."

~ Theodore Roethke

It's root vegetable season, very evident at the Santa Fe farmers market. In California, where the growing season is all year long for the most part, you don't witness the shift that occurs in the plants as much, a shift which humans also experience on a much more subtle level.

Roots are very dense in nutrients since they absorb lots of beneficial earth based components as they grow underground. These nutrients are then turned into antioxidants, vitamins and iron that help support and cleanse our systems. Other benefits include slow-burning carbohydrates and fiber, good for nourishing our interior life during the cold winter months.

It's as if roots are fuel to keep our inner light flickering. This idea reminds me of other concepts, related to the opening quote by Theodore Roethke, a perfect illustration of how plants are great symbols for us of how to live and thrive in the world.

We begin our lives as tiny seedlings, nestled in a dark, watery womb where we are nourished via a root-like cord. After emerging into the world, we first receive nutrients from our mother milk and eventually get teeth so that we can chew our own food and begin to embody/in body our own self as an independent being.

The light from the sun (Fire) helps us to blossom, to push through the earthly (Earth) mantel, into the open expanse (Air) and receive those drops of life force from the heaven above (Water). Through this constant, repeating pattern, we grow and hopefully learn, keeping that inner light—the spark of life, alive and constantly tended.

As you may have noticed, at this journal I highlight our connection to the plants, how we are like the different representatives whether the flowers, the trees, the elementals and how by getting back to those roots we can perceive the light.

Mercury Day

Wednesday is attributed to the heavenly body, closest to the sun. Although small in size, it is dense and heavily cratered like the Moon. The astrological of signs Gemini and Venus are ruled by this messenger of the God and Goddess. There is dualistic, curious, versatile component. In a conversation with my local buddy Avery he mentioned that there is a  "fluidity of the subconscious, a bridge that connects the waking and sleeping states, or the mortal and immortal nature of the soul.”

Although in Rome he was called Mercury, in the Greek Odyssey his name is Hermes, the father of "hermetic" knowledge who carried a golden herald, called a kerykeion, a caduceus by the Romans. Ancient texts associate Hermes with his lover Aphrodite, whose child was Hermaphroditus. According to Greek mythology he was merged into an androgynous form with the water nymph Salmacis. 

The color harmony of the planet is blue, relating to the throat chakra, home of our center of expression and communication. The stones attributed to both this planet and chakra tend to be blue in color to aid in our expression and communication.

Although tansy, yarrow and both blue chamomile and cypress contain the appropriate hue, in aromatherapy we use thyme and elemi to assist in self expression. Fragrances that contain an airy quality with notes containing some motion, like the air have more mercurial attributes. Pay attention to scents that encourage a feeling of fluidity in your communication, as if you have wings.

Stay tuned for more related posts as I dive deeper into the ancient mysterious of alchemy and astrology.

Planet Mercury gif via NASA
Painting by Adolf Hiremy-Hirsch
Photos and text ©RoxanaVilla