A Perfumed Bestiary, I for Iridogorgia, Part I

The letter I in the Perfumed Bestiary has us embark on a journey to the inky depths of the Pacific and Atlantic ocean for what appears to be fireworks frozen in time. Our creature is Iridogorgia, a "soft" coral referred to as an Octocorallia, or octocoral, which according to UC Berkeley is not a true coral, the main difference being that this deep water octocoral does not possess the symbiotic relationship with algae (zooxanthellae). Iridogorgia is a genus in the Cnidaria phylum containing over 11,000 species of aquatic animals.

Octocorals have an eightfold radial symmetry. Each polyp has eight hollow tentacles fringed with little branches called pinnules, which distinguishes them hard corals.

The strange name, Iridogorgia, is derived from the Greek iridos or iris. For us, the word iris is most often related to are the flower or colorful parts of the eye. For the Greeks the word meant "rainbow".  The second part of the name, gorgia, is Latin for splendid or showy.

Like the coral reefs, these beautiful DNA-like structures are being destroyed at an alarming pace due to human activities such as overfishing, pollution, climate change and invasive species.

IRIDOGORGIA as an ANIMAL TOTEM

Iridogorgia shares similar themes with the perfume in this series titled C for Coral such as living in fluidity and a symbiotic relationship with others in your shared community. These slow moving, spiraling skeletons show us how to anchor ourselves and move in a naturally spiraling round and round in an upward movement from the deep, dark ocean floor.

As a water element being, Iridogorgia embodies a beautiful geometrical structure which is fluid, even when the currents change direction. Allow yourself to be loose, to flow in the constantly changing stream of Universal flow. Find a firm place to anchor yourself in, despite of the dark watery depths, and radiate out your magnificence, whirling, twirly, as lite as a feather, slow and steady.

Some of the questions that Iridogogia may be asking you are:

Are you anchored, happy and content? If not, is there any fear behind your resistance to change? Remember elemental water supports us to be fluid, allow this embryotic environment to face your fear, heal and move forward slowly, with grace and awareness

Iridogorgia move slowly in a graceful manner. Are you rushing through your life? Do you allow the crazy turbulent waters of life to sway and push you along with know anchor? Moving in flow with awareness while remaining open and anchored is the path that is being suggested to you at this time. 

Crystals associated with the medicine of the Iridogorgia:

Chiastolite  

Amazonite  

Tangerine Quartz   

Snowflake Obsidian  

Hematite

Letter I for Iridogorgia, Part 2 will be linked here shortly

Images:

NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research

References

1 Ocean Service, NOAA

2 RealMonstrosities

3 UC Berkeley

4 Ocean Explorer, NOAA

5 WORMS, Marine Species

6 Cambridge, Journal of the marine biological association of the United Kingdom

A Perfumes Bestiary: H for Human, Part 2

H for Human is the eighth fragrance in our compendium of scents for A Perfumed Bestiary, documenting the combined scent of extinction. The main theme for Human was the concept of greed and the note of musk. The initial attributes I had assigned to Human were pretty dark, full of shadow. Then I recalled how Carl Jung mentioned that the recognition of the shadow in others is a recognition of ourself....gulp.

“The shadow is a moral problem that challenges the whole ego-personality, for no one can become conscious of the shadow without considerable moral effort. To become conscious of it involves recognizing the dark aspects of the personality as present and real. This act is the essential condition for any kind of self-knowledge.”
— Carl Jung, Aion (1951)

Not sure how to work with that concept in scent, I moved on to musk. The scent of musk was originally connected to the rather strong fragrance of a gland belong to the musk deer from Asia. Beginning with ancient perfumes and continuing today in some small sectors of indie perfumery who use animal ingredients, as well as the large and small perfumer house using a synthetic musk.

Artificial materials to produce a synthetic musk, "white musk", are created in labs from three types of compounds: nitro, polycyclic and macrocyclic. Nitro and polycyclic musk compounds have now been determined to contain carcinogenic properties and thankfully their use has become more limited, where macrocyclic musk compounds are now on the rise.

In the animal world the scent of musk is used for attraction, usually related to reproduction. I always thought it odd that humans preferred to use the musky scent of another animal or a synthetic perfume to attract a mate instead of their own scent.

Did you ever see the 1981 film Quest for Fire with Ron Perlman and Rae Dawn Chong? There is a specific scene that comes to mind with Rae Dawn Chong's character Ika, unfortunately I was not able to find a clip of it.

Plant based aromatics that convey the slightly sweet, pungent, animalistic, earthy, wood scent of musk that I chose to use are Ambrette seeds, Abelmoschus moschatus, and Africa stone, the latter is  the petrified and sunbaked rock-like excrement of the Cape hyrax (Procavia capensis).  Africa stone is a bit of an oddity in the plant perfumers palette, it is not technically an animal ingredient and since the hyrax is not caged, tortured, hunted, for this sun baked, petrified rock, it is generally considered acceptable in our plant palette. I rarely use it, but for H for Human is was a perfect addition.

I chose Ambrette seed as the scent ally for Human. The scent notes are sweet with a nutty/seed-like musky aroma.

AMBRETTE: Abelmoschus moschatus
Common name: Ambrette seed, other common names: Musk seed, musk mallow, Abelmosk.
The plant is native to Asia and Australia, and grows well in India.

Other notes I selected were Cognac for the concept of "addiction", Frankincense and Palo santo for "higher consciousness", a co-distillation of Vetiver & Rose for mans the dualistic nature, essential oil of Gold for "greed", Dragons Blood for our "lower, animalistic nature" and Cepes (mushroom) for "hope". Cepes was chosen after having gone to the theater to see Fantastic Fungi.

Then it was a matter of selecting other notes to build the fragrance upon the skeleton of Frankincense, Palo santo, Ambrette seed, Cepes, Vetiver+Rose, Cognac and Gold.

The final formula for H for Human includes:

Frankincense
Palo santo
Ambrette seed
Cepes
Vetiver+Rose
Patchouli
Cypress
Gold
Cedar
Juniper
Geranium
Sage
Owyhee
Dragons Blood Resin
and a very earthy base chord I made in 2008 titled "KR"

Here is an impression from one of the recipients.

"Roxana, I had to sit with this one for a couple or more days as I couldn't quite get it. It did immediately bring me to lavender, green herbs, something slightly pungent, black tea, old cloth... I thought of an old woman, a grandmother, but more than that, someone wise, someone in her garden, someone who knew many things... this morning it struck me, Hildegard von Bingen... so these are my thoughts.
H is for Hildegard"
~ ML Leidl

A Perfumed Bestiary: H for Human

“If I were a tree, I would have no reason to love a human.”

― Maggie Stiefvater, The Raven Boys

H for Human, for Hysteria and for Hoarding toilet paper and deepening into our collective Heart.

This has been the most difficult perfume of the series to both make and write about. I had a really, really tough time conjuring love for Human as I was cultivating a theme for the fragrance. After all if it wasn't for Human the beasties in this series would not be on a path of extinction. My first thought was that it should just be the scent of greed—delving deeper I thought well, maybe greed, power and musk (not Elon Musk, although greed, power and destruction via 5G are certainly tangible) but musk as in the organic compound containing muscone.

The scent of musk was originally connected to the rather strong fragrance of a gland belong to the musk deer from Asia. Beginning in the ancient use of perfume and continuing today in small sectors, the aromatic substance is is prized for its ability to "fix" a fragrance on the skin, known as a fixative. In the late 19th century the use of natural musk began to dwindle as obtaining it was not economical, particularly for the large perfume conglomerates who eventually substituted it for synthetic musk. Another reason the material lost popularity was due to ethical issues.

“The Folk doubtlessly learned this lesson long ago.

They do not need to deceive humans.

Humans will deceive themselves.”

― Holly Black, The Wicked King

This "extinction" chapter of Human is so very poignant, after all we were warned over and over, specifically through the tale of Atlantis. Since Humans have decided to empower their left brains, instead of a whole mind thinking process that includes intuition and the heart, where magic is part of fundamental being.

Below is a message from the the Arhuaco Mamos in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia, the full written message here.

Alright, enough whining, lets get to some of the basics. The human being is classified in the genus Homo, species sapiens, thus Homo sapiens. Human beings are what is called culture-bearing primates, with the capacity to articulate speech and abstract reasoning.

I've been working on this post for weeks, today is Tuesday, April 7th, a virus named the coronavirus is supposedly creating havoc amongst elderly humans and those with compromised immune systems. Amidst the chaos the World Health Organization has risen to power with some alarming alignments, read more about that in post from a few days ago titled "Question Reality".

In the midst of my confusion with creating the fragrance, I watched the documentary titled The Salt of the Earth about the photographer Sebastião Salgado created by Wim Wenders. Here is a TedTalk given by Sebastião Salgado in Los Angeles, so that you can truly understand the shift I had.

HUMAN as an ANIMAL TOTEM

Hmmmm, this one is difficult, is human worthy of being a totem? What attributes do we grant Human that are considered worthy of totem-ship? Upon contemplation, I realize we already have human totems don't we, they are the sages, visionary artists, spiritual figures, rock stars we where on our t-shirts and other garb. We also have the main stream icons such at the Christ, Mother Mary, Jehovah, Mohammed, Buddha, which not only have their own iconography but, in some cases have enormous structures built in their honor.

Those don't quite do it for me, as I am a bit more pagan and am not so into organized religion. I prefer someone like the mystic Hildegarde von Bingen, or Mother Theresa, both women who are more tangible and embody selflessness & compassionate. H is Hildegarde von Bingen.

Main attributes of Human are creativity, social beings and aggressiveness, which relate to our early primate state, and the reptilian portion of the Human brain. By letting go of the reptilian mind, where the constantly distracting, chattering monkey resides, we feel into your body wisdom, the realm of Sophia, an idea from Hellenistic Greece referring to higher knowledge.

Image above, titled “The Rebis”,  depicts the end product of the great work, 

being the divine hermaphrodite, the reconciliation of opposites. 

Notice the shape is reminiscent of a skull and or egg.

Like monkey Human has an agile mind, capable of creativity and imagination, after all look what we have created since back in the Quest for Fire days. Besides creativity, imagination, selflessness, and compassion, relating to the right brain, Human also a hefty does of the shadow: greed, power, obsession, narcissism, etc. Thus, in Human, we witness duality, as in the image above with Sol and Luna. The higher aspect is to rise above the animal within, the dragon, and unify our opposites into a clear, upright channel. Human asks us you to bear witness to the polarity, dark and light, masculine and feminine. As Sol and Luna hold a right angle and compass, gain perspective and outcomes from many angles before choosing an avenue with composure and grace.

I challenge those who are in the Art of Botanical Perfume who have completed the module on Alchemy, to decipher the numbers and other imagery in the image of the Rebis above.

Crystals associated with attributes of Human include: Hematite, Sodalite, Amazonite, Moonstone and Rose Quartz.

Read H for Human Part 2 here.

Images:
Head on Parchment, Roxana Villa
Two Thibetian Musk Deer engraving

A Perfumed Bestiary, Letter G for Gryphon, Part 2

The seventh fragrance in A Perfumed Bestiary series was formulated by taking prompts from the mythologies and ancient texts that reference the mighty and loyal Gryphon.

Have you read A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness? In the novel, her leading character Diana Bishop, has a technique of problem solving where she visualizes everything in separate parts and starts moving them around, sensing for a pattern in the chaos. This is exactly what I do when creating a fragrance and goes back to when I would create illustrations for magazines and newspapers.

I began with the concept that the Gryphon is a large and powerful animal. Plant essences which evoke animalic notes came up as an option. I then delved into extensive research, making notations of the Gryphons attributes.

• Devotional loyalty
• Deity
• Strength
• Keen protective instincts
• Powerful
• Majesty
• Protectors of treasure
• Nests containing gold and other references to gold
• Divine guardian
• Dualism, hybrid of bird+mammal
• Ancient beast
• Eagle (king of birds)
• Lion (king of beasts)
• Landscape: Deserts of the east, Mountain nest guarding gold, treasure or sacred object

Looking over those attributes, I chose essences that related to a few

• Deity —› Essences considered sacred: Frankincense, Myrrh
• Keen protective instincts —› Frankincense
• Majesty —› Frankincense, Resins
• Protection / Divine guardian —› Tree balsams & Resins
• Gold —› Frankincense, Gold
• Ancient beast /Animalic  —› Labdanum
• Eagle (king of birds) + Lion (king of beasts): elemental air+earth —› Spice —› Saffron
• Sun: elemental fire —› Spice
• Landscape: Deserts of the east —› Resins

Since frankincense was a re-occurring theme in the list above, and contains an energetic component related to royalty and the Sun, I decided this golden resin was the perfect primary ingredient/scent ally to align with our deity. That led me to the idea using the infamous trio of frankincense, myrrh and gold.

FRANKINCENSE

Other common names: Pure incense, Olibanum, Oil of Lebanon

Botanical Family: Burseraceae

Planet: Sun / Element: Air and Fire

Keywords: Divinity, royalty, kingship, life, birth

For creating aromatherapy blends and the creation of plant fragrance, we five different species of Boswellia sacra currently available to us. I use the word "currently" because the precious resin, referred to as tears, are being over harvested, resulting in the decline of the shrubby trees.

Frankincense oil is one of those master healers that is great to have in all our tool kits, especially in times of great stress and anxiety by assisting with stilling the mind. These attributes relate well to our mighty Gryphon being a strong and loyal protector.

In the end I chose nine essences that I felt related to the Gryphon and most importantly, that the combination of notes evoked the scent of our majestic creature.

• Frankincense
• Myrrh
• Gold
• Wood
• Saffron
• Balsam
• Labdanum
• Olive Leaf
• Dragons Blood Resin

"Ooh-la-la! Roxana! Very sensuous this one! For me, opening with sweet spices and oranges, smoke, an open air market in Morocco in the heat of the day, the sweet smell of warm leather, a hint of horse sweat, she awaits her lover behind veils, in the cool shadows, sultry, sensuous, languid..."

~ ML

If you haven't already signed up for the next limited edition perfume, join us now with the letter K. I'm planning to ship Letter K in April, but it will depend on the current drama and hysteria.

Opening image: Roger délivrant Angélique by Louis Édouard Rioult, 1824
Graphics and photo ©RoxanaVilla

A Perfumed Bestiary, Letter G for Gryphon, Part 1

The letter G in the Perfumed Bestiary continues in the mythological realm, venturing once more into the realm of fantasy with the chimeric Gryphon.

I've chosen to use this spelling of Gryphon, despite that the most common is Griffin with others including Griffon. Creatures similar to our Gryphon are Hippogriffs, which you might remember from Harry Potter, and the Sphinx. The word Gryphon may stem from the Latin gryphus or the Greek grypos, both meaning curved.

A Gryphon is noted in texts to have devotional loyalty, strength, and keen protective instincts. Other archetypes associated with this powerful, majestic creature are protecting treasure, nests containing gold, and a divine guardian. There are also references to them being monogamous creatures, who mated for life and that one of their claws and feathers had medicinal properties.

The physical characteristics of the Gryphon tend to vary depending on different time periods and cultures. Animal themed artifacts from the nomadic Scyhtian culture of Central Asia, beginning in the 6th century BC. Ancient Iranian and Egyptian texts dating back 3300 BC contain references to creatures resembling a bird+mamal. Sumerian, Akkadian, Jewish, Phoenician, Crete and the Hindu mythologies also contain iconography pointing to variations on the hybrid, raptor theme.

According to the classical folklorist, Adrienne Mayor, the Gryphon may go as far back as the dinosaurs. He has proposed a theory that the ancient beast may have been influenced by fossilized remains of beaked dinosaurs. While others argue that the Gryphon is a composite of a variety of creatures such as the Assyrian Lamassu, a protective deity.

The most common traits combine the eagle (king of birds) with the lion (king of beasts) which is why the Gryphon is known as the most mighty of all creatures. The eagle head is often combined with the ears of a lion. In some imagery feathered wings spring from the shoulders of a the lion’s body.

The landscape where our loyal, fierce and noble beast resides is the deserts of the east, perhaps atop a mountain guarding gold, treasure or some other object of divinity.

GRYPHON as an ANIMAL TOTEM

Themes of gold, loyalty and vast sun drenched point toward fire as one of the primary elements, but we also the duality of air for the eagle and earth for the lion. The Gryphon embodies nobility and courage, teaching us to live from a place of power, melding the dualistic realms of this reality to reach beyond this earthly plane and into the gold within.

The Gryphon, as a protector of treasure can also be viewed as a guardian of the gold within us and the path toward achieving spiritual enlightenment. The re-occurring image of the Sun, with associations to Apollo points to the crown chakra, symbolizing attributes of power, courage, leadership, and freedom.

Call of Gryphon to facilitate unification, spiritual guidance and achieving a higher purpose. The crystals I am associating with our strong and loyal beastie include: Desert Rose, Tigers Eye and Yellow Topaz.

Continue Reading: Letter G for Gryphon, Part 2

Reference: Wikipedia
Images: Knossos fresco in throne palace and statue of a griffin on the Basilica di S. Marco

A Perfumed Bestiary Index

Here you will find all the posts for A Perfumed Bestiary indexed for ease of reference

with the original post to begin the adventure here, enjoy!

A for Axolotl, Part I

A for Axolotl, Part II

B for Bison, Part I

B for Bison, Part II

C for Coral, Part I

C for Coral, Part II

D for Dolphin, Part I

D for Dolphin, Part II

E for Elephant, Part I

E for Elephant, Part II

F for Faerie, Part I

F for Faerie, Part II

G for Gryphon, Part I
G for Gryphon, Part II

H for Human, Part I
H for Human, Part II

I for Iridogorgia, Part I
I for Iridogorgia, Part II

J for Jaguar, Part I
J for Jaguar, Part II

A Perfumed Bestiary, Letter F for Faerie, Part 1

A Perfumed Bestiary heads into a completely new direction with the letter F. As you may recall from the first post, I mentioned that this new series of fragrances would stitch together many themes such as illuminated manuscripts, the cabinet of curiosity, magic, mythology, the environment, nature, animals, etc. Well, here we are at the doorway to magick and altered states with F for Faerie.

We have come to understand the word Faerie as a reference to both a type of dimensional traveler as well as an enchanted realm where they dwell. Other spellings of the word when referring to these beings are fairy, fay, fae and fair folk.

Myths and legends of these spirit-like entities are popular in the European folklore tradition with common recurring themes such as leading humans to "rings" in a forest where they were abducted or the stealing of babies. There is another sector that acknowledges that those magical stories evolved from actual beings that have existed as a life form on this planet as long as there have been humans, at some point moving to a different dimensional reality. These beings represent nature and living in the ever present now, where there are no constraints of time, and thus age.

"In the earliest times it seems that from legends and from what we can ascertain from history, such beings were plentiful, and gregarious – they were part and parcel of the land. Most people could see, hear and interact with them. It is only when humanity began to push ahead of its stated evolutionary pattern that we began to lose touch with them, because they stayed in their one-second-at-a-time, and we pushed on, we wanted to know that curse of curiosity, we want to know how to do this, we want to know how to go there, we don’t want to walk, we want to make something, what shall we make – we will make a wheel."1

This modern take on a bestiary has focused on animals that are "barely imagined", meaning they are slowly becoming extinct due to the blunders of humans. F for Faerie points to a spot in the human psyche that has shut down the territory of magic, the now...."...we have become so enamoured of what we can do, that we no longer look at what is around us and under our noses. We see only what is on a screen, or what is on a television, or what is in front of us as we drive in a motor car, or look out of the window of an aeroplane. We have forgotten to look where we should be looking; towards those beings who are the epitome of nature. They are nature’s signature on the planet, and we have forgotten how to see them to such an extent that we have almost lost entirely the ability to see beyond the veil, and now it is getting fairly rare for a full, a real, a true clairvoyant to be born. There were some of us who had a partial ability, in those talents, but nothing like what we should have. We have forgotten many things that we should have remembered. One of those things is the fair folk. We pride ourselves on being intelligent, and yet we have forgotten how to be wise. There is a difference between being intelligent and being wise."2

In this series we have looked at the varying terrains that have significantly impacted the well being of our beasties. Although the land of Faerie is out of time, the invisible threads stitching the various dimensions together may be threatened. Some speculate that these two spheres are symbols of the left and right brain, others that, like in the Mists of Avalon, these two dimensions have become permanently severed, while others urgently warn that the fabric of the universe is ripped and torn by our various unconscious experiments.

"One of the ways in which we can see them even if we are not clairvoyant is to look for them in the world around us; because particularly the plant life, the trees, the Faerie Folk of the growing things, they will tend to use anything and everything, mainly shadows, the way leaves and bark and flowers are put together. If you have young children, you will probably have heard them say, “Oh look mummy, look there’s a tree and there’s a face in that tree. Can you see that face mummy?” All to often mummy says “Don’t be silly dear”, unless she happens to be one of our kind. But that is the way they can show you that they are there. A simple acknowledgement “I see you”, “I know you’re there”, “Thank you for showing yourself”, is enough to start what sometimes is called a co-walker, and a co-walker is Faerie person who will be with you, becomes a companion. That Faerie walker will always be with you and they will attach themselves to you, rather in the same way that an elemental can attach themselves to a person if they are of the right kind. If you really want to catch a glimpse of them, go out with a camera and take photographs of landscapes, trees, forests, plants and everything and anything. The kind of landscape you’ll find around here. When they are developed go over them with a small looking glass and you will see in – at least one in every picture – you will be able to detect a face. That is the way they show themselves to you now, because they know you can’t see them in any other way, unless you are very, very lucky."3

FAERIE as an ANIMAL TOTEM

Faerie as the heartbeat of nature embodies all the elements: air, water, fire and earth or perhaps an elusive fifth. Faerie teaches us to live in the now, enjoying this sacred moment, letting go of our attachment to both the past and the future.

For the next thirty days lets focus on penetrating the wall that separates us from the alternate dimensional reality of the ever present now, a sphere of dwelling without time, where the pulse of nature plays wild rhythmic beats. Breathe in the dance of fluidity and an inherent lightness of being that reminds us of those imaginary realms from childhood.

The crystal that I am associating with Faerie is the extraordinarily beautiful and highly mystical Labradorite, a crystalline form of feldspar. Labradorite is said to heighten our psychic abilities and intuition, aiding in the opening of our third eye and thus the portal into the terroir of Faerie.

"If you want to know more about...(the)...social intercourse between humanity and Faeries, you want to get hold of Robert Kirk’s book “The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies”, Lewis Spence’s book “Fairy Tradition in Britain” and this one is one of the finest, it’s by Katherine Briggs and it’s called “An Encyclopaedia of Fairies”. She has written several books on the subject. This is particularly interesting simply because it gives you the many types of Faerie, and those that can be called Faeries, because not all of them are the Tinker Bell type or even Tolkien-like Elves. Another one, by Maureen Duffy, which is slightly more hectic is called “The Erotic World of Faery”. Don’t be mistaken, this is a serious, well written book. The author maintains and quite rightly, a lot of the way we look at Faeries in our time is derived from – shall we say – the censure on paintings, particularly of the female nude, and paintings that would otherwise be seen as ‘not quite nice’, but because they were of Faeries, this is allowed because it is – shall we say – Art, rather than anything else."4

Continue Reading: Letter F for Faerie, Part 2

Credits & References
Images: A portrait of a fairy, by Sophie Gengembre Anderson (1869), Luis Ricardo Falero (1888), others ©Greg Spalenka
1, 2, 3 & 4 The Faerie Tradition
Animal Totem by Susan Jolley

A Perfumed Bestiary, Letter E for Elephant, Part 2

The fifth fragrance in A Perfumed Bestiary series carries the ancient beat of the Elephant, strong yet gentle with the sweetness of community and harmony.

This perfume came together very easily. I began with Cypriol, also known as Nagamotha in Hindi, as the scent pairing/plant ally. Cypriol is a sedge from the Cyperaceae family that grows in moist areas like along riverbeds, ponds and in marshlands. The plant is native to India, like our beastie the Elephant.

The scent of Cypriol is rather intense and persistent, deeply rich and earthy with notes of wood, pepper and leather. The heaviness of the note is ideal for incense and meditative practices that help ground us to elemental earth.

I paired Cypriol with a total eleven other essences that are mostly base notes to evoke the earthy, grounded quality of the elephant as well as the leathery skin, these notes are derived mainly from from roots, woods, and resins.

If you haven't already signed up for the next limited edition perfume, this next one that begins with the letter F will take us into a completely different domain.

Choose Your Subscription

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Each month you will receive a small amount of perfume inspired by a specific
imagined or barely imagined being from the animal kingdom.

The next fragrance will be shipped at the end of this month, October 2019.

A Perfumed Bestiary, Letter E for Elephant, Part 1

The resilience of an ecosystem
relies on the delicate balance
of all species.

E for Elephant, the largest of all our land dwelling mammals here on planet Earth.

Elephant populations have been dwindling in numbers due to the ivory trade, animal abuse and declining habitats. These large nomadic creatures are considered a "keystone species", meaning that when they go other important aspects of the ecology will go with them, like trees that help hold the soil.

Elephants are part of a matriarchal society that roamed Asia in numbers of 26 million back in 1800, that population is now estimated at 50,000. Meanwhile in Africa they are doing a bit better, but still in decline.

Human greed for material possessions, entertainment and land has been at the epicenter of the dwindling elephant populations. The poaching of elephants for their ivory tusks became a problem when guns were introduced alongside the fashion of big game hunting. Tensions over land ownership with rising populations have further escalated the slaughter, producing a problem similar to the burning of the Amazon by ravenous conglomerates and voracious appetites of politicians.

Several other challenging pieces to this very complicated puzzle are present, firstly, like other mammals, elephants need to eat. If there food sources disappear then they will devour a crop intended for humans. In some cases, like Indonesian palm growers, they will purposely poison elephants to keep them away from crops. Secondly a panicked herd of elephants may result in killing humans, resulting in the retaliatory killing of elephants by humans.

What a complicated vicious cycle we have created! Elephants in their native habitats are a crucial component to the future of our world’s ecosystem. Slaughtering and endangering the elephant, like so many other beasties in this series, is ultimately the slaughter of our selves.

In 1989, thanks to the observation of British zoologist Ian Douglas Hamilton, a ban on the trade of ivory led to a recovery in elephant numbers up until 2008. Regrettably the rise of criminal gangs and corruption in Asia has increased the levels of poaching to catastrophic results.

Escaping and colonizing another planet, which is what the conglomerates funding much of the science at think tanks, like the MIT media lab, is not the answer. Closed loop thinking, like moving onto another planet instead of fixing our own, is very similar to reliance on big pharma medicine where instead of looking at the core challenge only symptoms are addressed. There is limited thinking in the idea that technology will save us, technology and a blindness to our connection to the natural world is what caused this. If we are to be saved it will come out of a realization that we are all connected and that the smallest thing we do creates enormous impact.

In big picture, wholistic, circular thinking, we observe how our actions have gotten us where we are and begin changing our steps, dancing to the tune of our heart beats, which is connected to the heart beat of mother earth and all those who dwell upon her.

As mentioned before, the intention of this series is to share what is currently taking place, bring light to the wound, and begin a healing process. I believe in magic, which occurs more frequently when there is an abundance of conscious humans focused together. Thus, this month we focus on sending love and longevity to Elephant, as well as tuning into the Elephant aspect within ourselves.

ELEPHANT as an ANIMAL TOTEM

Elephant, like Bison, is an element of earth, solid in mass, representing the largest of all our land dwelling mammals.

E is also for earth element, evoked by the stability, strength and mass of rock. The most used symbol to denote elemental earth is the quartered circle, while in alchemical texts the symbol is noted is a downward-pointing triangle, bisected by a horizontal line. Elemental earth is connected to the mineral kingdom and our sensory experience of this world through touch. Associated with the North, elemental EARTH, is home to our connection to the here & now. Located in the base chakra, this is the place of manifestation, control & restraint and grounded in experience. Home of the Male, strength and ability to create magic.

Elephant teaches us the importance of relationships, how living in a herd often requires us to let go of our individuality and freedom for the greater good. We are called upon to be patient and gentle with one another, to remember the importance and commitment to the tribe. Elephant medicine tastes of the sweetness derived from living in harmony.

The matriarch within the Elephant community has gained the insight of the triple Goddess; the child, the mother, and the crone. With this ancient wisdom, she moves forward with an open heart, cultivating strong relationships within the community.

A recent student at the perfumery told me stories of his experience with Elephants in Africa. One of the tales was that only recently Katy Payne discovered that Elephants have infrasound hearing capabilities and communicate over long distances. These subtle, infrasound level waves are not perceived by human ears. Learn more about elephants and the science of their hearing abilities here. Thus, elephant teaches us to use our ears in proportion to our mouth and listen to others.

Elephant is strong and confident, like the Hindu god Ganesha, known as the remover of obstacles and Airavata, the white elephant with seven trunks that produces rain. In India the elephant is a symbol for power, dignity, intelligence and peace.

Are you remembering to nurture yourself, to move forward with purpose and strength while keeping an open heart?

Crystals to help remind us of Elephant's teachings are:

Kunzite
Rose Quartz
Chrysocolla
Pink Calcite
Bloodstone
Mahogany Obsidian
Aquamarine
Howlite
Aqua Aura Quartz
Blue Lace Agate
Emerald

More about E for Elephant will be posted in Part 2 here shortly.

Images:
E for Elephant - a collaborative image between Greg Spalenka & Roxana Villa
Elephant photos by Sasin Tipchai and Kirsi Kataniemi

References:
Animal Totem by Susan Jolley

A Perfumed Bestiary, Letter D for Dolphin, Part 2

Playful Dolphin called forth Hawaiian sandalwood as its plant ally. As I smelled scent strips and jotted down notes I choose a few, similar watery essences that are in C for Coral such as Violet Leaf, Clary Sage and Cypress. I added Seaweed and Choya for the ocean and then let the synergy sit in the dark to meld labeled D1.

Meanwhile, the tragic news of the burning Amazon forest had me consider pivoting in a completely new direction to create D for Dragon but I couldn't get the idea to work conceptually so I abandoned it, for now.

When I returned to the marinating D for Dolphin I found the blend a bit to heavy, which was reflected back to me by my visiting friend Mona and Greg. We all felt the blend needed a lighter, playful quality, thus I began again and put the first synergy, D1, into the melding dungeon.

The bottle of C for Coral was on my workbench as well as synergies I am developing for a candle maker that required orange. It became obvious that the playful note for Dolphin would be in the citrus family, possibly paired with some flowers. Thus I labeled a new bottle D2 and began the structure by dissolving a thick Carnation absolute into fresh and vibrant Clementine then adding herbs, more flowers and water elements and Rosemary (rosmarinus officinalis) for its affinity to the sea. The word Rosemary, is derived from the Latin ros (meaning dew) and marinus (meaning sea), translating as the “dew of the sea”.  As a native to the Mediterranean region, the fragrant herb is mentioned in a Greek tale where as Aphrodite rises out of the sea foam, rosemary was draped around her neck.

To ground the fragrance and bring back the oceanic quality I added a few drops of D1 followed by a few more bright, herbaceous notes to create a fluid, watery opening. In total D for Dolphin contains sixteen essences along with the initial twelve in D1, although a few overlap.

Todays September full moon, with names like the Corn and Harvest Moon is in the astrological sign of Pisces, carrying a message self forgiveness. Working on this series brings me to my knees, my heart aches each time I explore another beastie that is on the extinct list, mainly because these extinctions are occurring due to humans complete lack of compassion and connection to the Earth and all the dwellers who share this planet with us. There is a repeating theme rooted in each of these animals that are about to be erased from our collective.

The intention of this series is to bring some awareness to the severity of the situation, which also requires forgiveness. Forgiveness for the human race and for our lack of preventing this magnificent mess that may be the end of all of us.

The next fragrance highlights a beastie that begins with the letter E and will ship this month, September 2019. We are headed out of the ocean into a completely different direction which will work well with the change of season.

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Photos, graphics & text ©RoxanaVilla

A Perfumed Bestiary, Letter D for Dolphin, Part 1

D for playful, intuitive and conscious Dolphin, an aquatic dweller with sonic hearing and many other attributes which humans have yet to fully understand. In general they prefer the warmer waters of the tropics, despite their thick layer of blubber. Dolphins communicate with each other through a series of parabolic sounds that to our human ears appear as clicks and whistles.

‘it is of interest to note that while some dolphins are reported to have learned English ....no human being has been reported to have learned dolphinese.’

~ Carl Sagan

Dolphins face several of the same challenges as our other beasties, such as habitat loss and pollution. In Japan there is a horrific dolphin hunt where the mammals are driven into a cove to be massacred for their meat. Besides this massive yearly slaughter, they face threats from being unintentionally caught by fisherman.

As a child I watched the American television series titled Flipper, about a pet bottlenose dolphin, at a fictional Marine Preserve. The successful children’s series was loosely based on a book with the same title based on an ancient Greek legend.

“In calm weather and deep water just off a remote mid-ocean island we spent a good part of an afternoon in a dinghy watching a large pod put on an amazing show of jumps, somersaults, twists and other capers. Every now and then, one or two came right alongside us and gently splashed two young children leaning over the gunwales. The children would squeal with delight, and the dolphins would power away and then stop to look back at the hilarity they had caused.”

~ Caspar Henderson, Chapter 4 Dolphin, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings

The children’s novel from the 1960’s, Island of the Blue Dolphins is based on the true story of a young Native American girl named Karana, who was left alone for 18 years on the Island of San Nicolas Island off the coast of California. The heroic and rather somber tale depicts how the young Nicoleño Native Californian survived before being discovered in 1853.

Greek myths are filled with stories of dolphins, such as the one of Odysseus’s son being saved by a dolphin, and perhaps even more relevant are several similar tales shared to me by friends in Hawaii who were either saved by dolphins or had potent mystical experiences with them.

Dolphins are gregarious, social creatures with a strong sense of community and family. Studies suggest that, like humans, they are sympathetic creatures. If we are to attribute only one super power to Dolphins it is their communication skills and their capacity to use of a highly sophisticated ‘echo-location’ when communicating and sensing their surroundings.

DOLPHIN as an ANIMAL TOTEM

Dolphin, like Coral, is an element of water, specifically salt water, salt being one of the three alchemical principals. Although Dolphins contain mass like the Bison & Coral, they also are very vocal and playful, which are associated with qualities of elemental air.

As we’ve learned with some of our other beasties who reside in the fluid realms, water element represents is associated with the dreamtime, feminine, emotions and intuition. The alchemical symbol for water is denoted as a downward pointing triangle and often associated with mercury. Within our physical body, the imprint finds its home in the belly, the place of emotion, desires and the ability to circulate. The archetype is the Feminine, the Mother and the Moon. The spirit medicine of Dolphin dwells the realm of the circular, in keen inner awareness and flowing in harmony. She also resides in the domain of elemental air, located at the throat, home of creativity, breath and new beginnings.

If we were to choose a geometric shape for Dolphin it would be the circle, relating to the form of a Dolphin, the rhythm of their breath and a strong sense of community. Dolphin moves swiftly within elemental water, with purpose and joy, they are dualistic in their capacity to jump from the realm of water to air. Dolphin teaches us to live within a circular, flowing field holding the force of strength in unity with grace. When we reside at the center, between two opposing forces, we find the strength of knowing. Breath your self into the rhythmic center, dance your power, sing your personal myth, re-member the playful qualities of the child: explore, create, play, be curious, marvel and laugh.

Keywords for Dolphin: Flow, rhythm, communication, community, breath, sound and play

Crystals to help remind us of Dolphin's teachings are:

Chrysocolla 
Larimar
Hiddenite
Blue Calcite 
Azurite 
Ocean Jasper 
Morganite 

Continue reading about D for Dolphin here, in Part 2.

Images:
Flotilla fresco’ at Akrotiri on the island of Santorini, 1,500 BC
D for Dolphin - a collaborative image between Greg Spalenka & Roxana Villa

References:
Book of Barely Imagined Beings by Caspar Henderson
Animal Totem by Susan Jolley

A Perfumed Bestiary, Letter C for Coral, Part 2

The full "Sturgeon" moon of August takes place Thursday, August 15th in the morning, thus Wednesday evening will be the best night to gaze upon its silvery splendor. The varying names of the moon come from the first peoples around the world and generally relate to an event taking place in the natural world, such as the catching of the sturgeons in the lakes or harvests like "Green Corn Moon", etc.

This August full moon is in the astrological sign of Aquarius. Each full moon carries a message, this one is about letting go what no longer serves and making room for those dreams and aspirations you've been carrying in your magical backpack.

During this full moon the yearly, natural phenomenon of coral reproduction takes place in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean, this broadcast spawning also occurs at the Great Barrier Reef during their summer.

In constructing C for Coral the first ingredient I chose was seaweed absolute, which I crowned as the aromatic plant ally. Seaweed absolute is a thick mass which can be a little intense and overbearing in perfume, especially to portray coral, which has a romantic quality despite its mass.

Seaweed absolute is a middle to base note with excellent fixative qualities for anchoring a fragrance. The aromatics are deeply oceanic, with green, herbaceous woody undertones along with a very subtle floral note that is related to Jasmine. Since the exotic qualities of Jasmine evoke tropical waters as well as a romantic character that I associated with coral, it was the second essence I choose and paired with Seaweed. From there I selected some of the same"watery" notes that I used for A for Axolotl, such as Violet Leaf and Cypress. As I added the drops of Cypress I became conscious of Aphrodite and her connection to the sea as well as the ancient thread of fragrance relating to the island of Cyprus.

“Therefore, when laughter-loving Aphrodite saw [Anchises], she loved him, and terribly desire seized her in her heart. She went to Cyprus, to Paphos, where her precinct is and fragrant altar, and passed into her sweet-smelling temple. There she went in and put to the glittering doors, and there the Graces bathed her with heavenly oil such as blooms upon the bodies of the eternal gods—oil divinely sweet, which she had by her, filled with fragrance.”
—Homeric hymn, tr. H.G. Evelyn-White

Continuing the watery theme I choose to add Clary Sage and then brought in a dilution of Oakmoss since it pairs so nicely with Seaweed. For the structural aspect of Coral and to add another story point I reached for smokey Choya, a destructive distillation of seashells from India.

As with most perfume construction, the process is challenging, especially with the creation of a fragrance that will be bottled and sent out quickly, rather then melding for a few months in a dark space.

I went back and forth, like the ocean tides, with adding more floral as it seemed to disappear into the blend, but I was also concerned that over time the floral might decide to make itself more apparent and overtake the watery theme. In the end I had to just let it go and topped the fragrance off with some citrus, knowing that it would enhance the floral note which adding a bit of sparkle.

In total, there are ten essences in the perfume with the watery, salty marine notes quite prominent in the opening sequence followed by what one customer called "The dry down returned me to shore, a pastoral of floral hay."

A close-up view of coral spawning this week. (Image Credit: Philip Mercurio)

Every year when the oceans waters are warm in combination with the full moon corals mate and produce a spectacular primordial scene. Read more about this beautiful event where you can see some footage at the Australian Geographic site. As I make this post live the moon is cresting into fullness just as the Corals begin their mating ritual.

The next fragrance highlights a beastie that begins with the letter D and will ship in August 2019.

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A Perfumed Bestiary, Letter C for Coral, Part 1

Here we are, continuing the adventure in The Perfumed Bestiary series with the letter C. I was planning on showcasing the Crown of Thorns Starfish for "C", but changed my mind on discovering they are quite destructive creatures, much like us human beings, although likely to outlive us. The Crown of Starfish enjoys feasting on Coral Reefs, in a rather monstrous way. Thus, instead, I decided to focus on Coral, a marine invertebrate, classified as a sessile animal.

Coral is a reef builder, their structures consist of tiny soft-bodied creatures referred to as polyps, which secrete limestone (calcium carbonate). The skeletal secretion attach to rock or the dead  skeletons of other polyps.

Most corals contain plant-like organisms that live in a symbiotic relationship with each other, similar to our exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen between with the plants. Another example of a mutually beneficial partnership is the one shared between flowering plants and honey bees.

Coral reefs are the old-growth forests of the ocean, and also its nursery in providing shelter and protection to marine life. Regrettably, these vast and beautiful bio-structures are being destroyed at an alarming pace due to human activities such as overfishing, pollution, climate change and invasive species.

CORAL as an ANIMAL TOTEM

Coral is an element of the water, specifically salt water and like the Bison contains mass. As we learned with the Axolotl, water represents fluidity and is associated with the dreamtime, feminine, emotions and intuition. The alchemical symbol for water is denoted as a downward pointing triangle and often associated with mercury.

As a symbol of living in a beneficial symbiotic relationship, Corals lesson is to live in a state of fluidity and harmony with others. Each of us contains a piece of the grand puzzle where we can live in harmony and grace. Corals show us that with clever collaboration and mutual exchange we can build ecological communities from the ground up and endure for millions of years in harmony.

Coral shows us how to move with the natural flow and remain porous. When you allow yourself to trust in the rhythm of the Universe and trust that you are divinely loved, in mutually benefitting relationships, then well-being, contentment and balance can be achieved.

Crystals associated with the medicine of the Coral

• Aquamarine
• Moonstone
• Malachite
• Green Calcite

Please do not buy coral, here is an article that explains why.

Continuing reading Part 2 of C for Coral here.

Images: 
Coral photo by Roxana Villa
C for Coral - a collaboration between Greg Spalenka & Roxana Villa

References
1 Ocean Service, NOAA: Are Corals Animals or Plants
2 Inverse.com, Is Coral a Plant or Animal
3 Animal Totem by Susan Jolley

A Perfumed Bestiary, Letter B for Bison/Buffalo, Part 2

The second fragrance in A Perfumed Bestiary series was sent at the end of June to the subscribers. It is the intention to send out the perfume in the first half of the month, rather than the second, as occurred with the "B" fragrance.

I began B for Bison/Buffalo by researching the terrain where this wooly, prairie dweller forages, which includes both grasslands and conifer forests. This is what I jotted down when starting to ponder the fragrance:

Prairie, Great Plains, Grassland
Musk
Hay
Clover
Wallowing -> Soil-> Vetiver & Patchouli
Sage
Willows
Cottonwood
Sedges
Artemisia tridentata -> *Primary note*
Wood -> Pinon, Cedar, Juniper, Cypress

Since my friend Meghan Walla-Murphy has spent quite a bit of time in Yellowstone where the Buffalo roam, and I absolutely adore collaborating with a kindred spirit, I reached out to her via email. Meghan confirmed a few of my percolating ideas from the list above.

"Love the concept of your new perfume. For the bison I would suggest Artemisia tridentata. Not sure what the common name is- but it grows in the SB back country and many places inland.... Also bison rub up against lots of conifer trees, so that could be a good scent, they partake in lots of dust baths, and they are grazers, so warm grass smells would work as well."

Following Meghans lead I choose the aromatic Artemisia tridentata, commonly known as sagebrush, basin or big sage to be the specific plant aligned for Bison. Although the bison most likely do not eat this plant they likely get covered with its aromatic molecules while roaming through it.

Like many of the beasties featured in this series, the sage brush ecosystem is threatened due to conditions brought on by humans such as urban expansion, "conversion to agricultural land, livestock grazing, invasive plant species, wildfires, and climate change."1

"The indigenous people of North America used several plants for ceremonial purposes that are often confused. The basis for the confusion is the common name Sage, which refers to a variety of unrelated plants:

Sage - Salvia sp. is in the Mint Family (Labiatae) with square stems, opposite leaves and two lipped flowers. If you have a Salvia, the leaves will be in pairs on the stem, generally with wide leaves that are entire (no teeth, lobes, serrations, or grooves along the edges of the leaf, just oval shaped). This genus includes garden sage for cooking and white sage (ceremonial) and black sage, purple sage, hummingbird sage, and innumerable others.

Sagebrush (sage) - shrubby Artemisia sp. is in the Sunflower family. They have woody stems and are bushes (shrubs) with often irregularly shaped leaves. These plants have also been used ceremonially. The flowers are small and yellow centered, includes silver sage.

Mugwort (Sagewort) herbaceous Artemisia sp. is related to the Sagebrush, only it is not a woody shrub, it is an herb (botanically speaking, not a tree or shrub). This is the plant used for dreams."2

Basin sage which also goes by the name big sage is an evergreen with a strong pungent odor, it is an Artemisia, as noted above, not a Salvia. The Cahuilla tribe of California would gather the seed, and grind it to make flour.3

I decided to start sketch #1 with a beautiful Hay absolute I have from France to convey the scent of warm grass, to which I added Sage and Woods. After marinating the scent was in the gourmand family and not at all reminiscent of the warm grass of the dry land prairies. Thus, I began sketch #2 leaving out the Hay. 

In total, there are twelve essences in the perfume including a variety of sages, leaves, woods (including a distillation of local Pinon) and resins. The aromatic profile has sweet woody notes with hints of dusty conifer and incense.

Once Doomed, America's Recovering Bison are Saving the US EcoSystem

If you haven't already signed up for the next limited edition perfume, illuminating a beastie beginning with the letter C, you can do so here ->

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Each month you will receive a small amount of perfume inspired by a specific
imagined or barely imagined being from the animal kingdom.

The next fragrance will be shipped at some pint this month, July 2019, and will be a liquid perfume in 190 proof alcohol along with a special tincture relating to our featured beastie.

1. Wikipedia

2. Henriettes Herb

3. Clarke, Charlotte B. (1978). "Big Sagebrush". Edible and Useful Plants of California. University of California Press. p. 134. ISBN 9780520032675