The Golden Cloak of Autumn Arrives to Santa Fe

A few of the sign posts signaling the arrival of Autumn here in Santa Fe, New Mexico have been sighted. We begin with a flowering native commonly referred to as Rabbitbrush, Chamisa, and Rubber Rabbitbrush,  the latin is Ericameria nauseous and/or Chrysothamnus nauseous.

Chamisa

Above: Chamisa in June

I find Chamisa particularly interesting to watch through the seasons. In early Spring the little, elongated leaves begin to emerge with a gorgeous sage/teal color which stays through Monsoon season until late Summer when you start to see the golden yellow flower pods. In late August early September the flowers begin to open with the landscape around Santa Fe turning gold.

Above: Chamisa in August 2019

Above: Chamisa at the end of her bloom cycle September 2017

Chamisa is a drought tolerant, perennial with great value to the pollinators and animals that browse and forage. The leaves, flowers and seeds are all food sources as well as a source of shelter for small animals, hence the name rabbitbrush.

I've witnessed chamisa to be quite tolerant in the harsh desert climate where water can be scarce while the heat and wind intense. Another lovely feature of chamisa is that it provides us with a hydrosol and essential oil.

Cholla

Above: Cholla, April 2019

Above: Cholla, September 2019

The cholla (pronounced "choy-ah") cactus, also called cane, jumping and walkingstick cactus (Cylindropuntia imbricata), is another one with variety through the seasons. From my observation, in general, the fruits begin to turn yellow gold in late Summer/early Autumn and maintain this hue almost right up until May when the cholla seems to awaken with a very short window of spectacular magenta flowers. There is some variation from plant to plant, as I have seen some of the stalks go to seed and some of the fruits dry up. This is one that I am still getting to know, and as you may recall helped in bringin forward the Perfumed Bestiary series.

I've been told that The Shed in downtown Santa Fe, cooks with the fruits of cholla.

Above: Cholla, May 2019

Above: Cholla, Late June 2019

Opuntia

Our other local cactus is the Opuntia, commonly known as Prickly Pear. The fruit is the part called the prickly pear as well as tuna, sabra, nopal (paddle, plural nopales) from the Nahuatl word nōpalli for the pads, or nostle, from the Nahuatl word nōchtli for the fruit; or paddle cactus.1

Above: Opuntia, June 2019

The fruit of the opuntia is edible, another feature of the plant is that the insect is extremely valuable in the plant dye industry. Although cactus plants exist in many parts of our Earth they native to the Americas.

This beauty comes in many colors and has a cycle which is not quite as striking through the four points of the season wheel. Below is the peach colored blossom from June with of photo of how it looks now in September.

Above: Peach Opuntia, September 2019

I've heard that besides the cochineal that live on the plant, the fruits can also be used for plant dye, thus I will be mindfully gather them and doing some tests.

Above: Juniper berries, September 2019

There are many other plants that thrive in this high desert landscape, like the pinon, juniper, asters, etc. which I will share as I continue to learn, study and communicate with them.

1 Wikipedia

Trees, a re-occuring theme

As a freshman in high school I was encouraged to join the Speech club, so I did. I chose to memorize and tell the Shel Silverstein story the Giving Tree. Fast forward, approximately forty years later I presented the Tree of Life at the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy conference at Bastyr University.

Gosh, I realized I've bee telling the same story since high school not only speaking to groups but also with the fragrances I make. Perhaps you've come to the same realization at one of those rare moments when we see ourselves beyond the veils of this illusionary world we live in.

We have just entered the Celtic Tree Ogham of the Ivy which makes it an auspicious time to anoint ourselves with the green, mossy, forest fragrance Hedera helix, now back in stock as both a liquid and a solid.

Here is a YouTube video with Shel Silverstein reading the story:

The video Greg created of The Tree of Life presentation delivered at the Beyond Aromatics conference at Bastyr can be found here. I'm presenting "Scent and the Honey Bee" at this years conference, please join me on Sunday, October 23rd. My presentation will be soul enriching and you will have the opportunity to surround yourself with an inspiring community. Find details here.

What are your favorite FALL Colors in 2015?

FALL officially arrived to Northern hemis-peeps* the day of the Autumnal Equinox,  but to us here in parched Los Angeles the sign posts became obvious this week. Ginkgo biloba, Liquidambar, Lagerstroemia indica (aka crepe/crape myrtle) and the two natives Platanus racemosa (California sycamore) and Vitis californica have been displaying their beautiful cloaks.

The Liquidambars being the most stunning of all. We have a essential oil that comes from the resin of this tree used to create Amber chords for Oriental family perfumes. The scent is warm and deep.

The Pantone Corporation, the supposed authority on color trends, unveiled "The Color of the Year" along with these other hues for the FALL 2015 line up which includes lots of natural, haute-hip hues...

1.) PANTONE 17-0627 Dried Herb
2.) PANTONE 16-0110 Desert Sage
3.) PANTONE 18-4214 Stormy Weather
4.) PANTONE 16-1144 Oak Buff
5.) PANTONE 18-1438 Marsala
6.) PANTONE 18-4726 Biscay Bay
7.) PANTONE 19-4326 Reflecting Pond
8.) PANTONE 15-1340 Cadmium Orange
9.) PANTONE 16-2215 Cashmere Rose
10.) PANTONE 17-3628 Amethyst Orchid

As you all know I have a specific color palette I use for my brand which shows up in the wax seals for my perfumes. I've matched up some of the wax seals on the little pots with some of the Fall 2015 colors in the chart above.

* Yes, I made up a word hemisphere + people + hemis-peeps.

Equinox 2015: Discount Code

This transitional day has many names including Autumn or Spring Equinox (depending on where you are located in the world), Mabon or Meán Fómhair. No matter the actual name it is a time to deeply breath in this sacred moment as we begin our preparations for the impending shift in the seasonal year when the sun is aligned precisely over the equator.

Early recorded and non-recorded beings on Earth perceived this day as very special and built monolithic sites specifically for it. Our "his" stories tell us tales that these ancient beings were primitive, human and nothing better to do. Well, as usual, I disagree with these histories and prefer alternative her stories with points of view referring to heightened fields of energy, portals to other dimensions and elevated consciousness.

To assist in the transition I am offering a 10% discount on round tins of solid perfume. Use the word Mabon at checkout on the website only. All perfume tins, including the brand new Mellifera & Fleurish are part of this celebratory passage.

If you are in the part of the world, like me, that is moving into darkness and cold, than I suggest the warmer, heavier scents like:

Chaparral

Aumbre

Cimbalom

Q

Figure 5: Bois

Figure 1: Noir

Those of you in the southern hemisphere moving toward the light might want more floral and fresh fragrances like:

Fleurish

Lyra

Gracing the Dawn

Hedera helix

If you are looking for something in between, than Mellifera is a good choice. Personally I don't pay much attention to the season, I prefer to go with my nose and what I desire in the moment. Lately I'm all about Fleurish, I can't get enough.

Take advantage of the special 10% off for 24 hours only. Happy Equinox!

Meanwhile...

While most places in the northern hemisphere have been experiencing some form of Autumn weather and signs of the impending season, we continue to have heat and very few visible harbingers except for acorns and pumpkin vendors.

Meanwhile, the jasmine sambac is happily blooming in yet another flowering cycle. I now have two big bottles of tincture, a glass jar of an infusion and an enfleurage all happening at once!

Summer 2014

Officially Summer is over, although one would never guess by the warm weather we've been having here. For me, it "feels" done when Eve heads off back to college in Vermont, which she did the Sunday before Labor Day.

The weather folks have been deliberating whether this part of the earth is going to be hit with an El Nino this year. First they said yes, then they said no and now it appears they are saying yes again. The rain would sure be helpful for our parched earth, despite mudslides that will most likely occur here within the woodland.

A few of the sign posts indicating the approach of Autumn have become evident by shifting coloration in the oak leaves and the presence of abundant acorns.

Chiaroscuro Perfume

The Autumnal Equinox Meán Fómhair is upon us, a time to deeply breath in this sacred moment as we begin our preparations for the impending darkness of the seasonal year. On this blessed day I would like to introduce you to my new fragrance Chiaroscuro, first introduced as a sketch last September titled Jasmine Noir.

"Return often and take me at night, when the lips and skin remember."
~ A snippet from a poem by Constantine P. Cavafy

This fragrance is based on a formula created in 1997 during a perfume class with John Steele in Malibu. That particular perfume contained jasmine, patchouli, spikenard, vanilla, sandalwood, nutmeg, blood orange, mandarin and gingergrass. These basic building blocks were the meager beginnings of Chiaroscuro, which now in the liquid form contains more than thirty different botanical essences, including my precious Mysore sandalwood obtained over ten years ago.

The name for the fragrance was supplied by devoted fan and patron Princess Ellie. Chiaroscuro has its origins in the world of painting. The term comes from Italy, referring to the tonal contrasts suggesting volume and modelling of the subjects depicted. The literal translation of the word is light-dark.1 Pricess Ellie suggested this word because she, as well as other fans, noticed a light and dark aspect to the perfume.

The color harmony for Chiaroscuro is a deep violet. The pouch for the solid and liquid, created by Martha of TwoKnit, mimics the shape of jasmine flowers. 

Today marks the cross road when we transcend from the light and warmth of Summer into the cooler clime and darkness of the new cycle, Chiaroscuro represents the balance of the two seasons. The fragrance is imbued with a bouquet of tinctured jasmine sambac blossoms I have gently gathered and extracted all Summer long. As mentioned above the palette of botanical essences: essential oils, absolutes, c02 extracts and tinctures is vast.

This fragrance is depicted in two parts, the liquid perfume represents the dark/scuro aspect while the solid is the light/chiaro side. As a set Chiaroscuro is a voluptuous and sensual fragrance, sweet and dark, naughty and nice. The sweetness of the jasmine is amplified by lemon myrtle, citron, pepper, gingergrass and ginger contrasted against patchouli, jatamansi (spikenard) and oud. The liquid aspect Scuro, is very dark and dirty while the solid Chiaro is sweet and floral.

This is a fragrance for those who love oriental amber perfumes, jasmine and patchouli. If you pay attention to the evolution on your skin, you are in for a wonderous adventure. Chiaroscuro is a shape shifter, she is both the beauty and the beast from mythical heroic stories. She is the spell caster, anoint and envision what you want to manifest for the next season. Enjoy! A very blessed Autumn or Spring Equinox depending where you are on Mother Earth.

Chiaroscuro is available as both a liquid and solid fragrance.

Images:
Illumination by Greg Spalenka
Beauty and the Beast, by Anne Anderson
Photography Roxana Villa

Related posts:
Dancing with Mabon
Autumn
Jasmine
Topless
Moon Garden

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiaroscuro

The Spell

Aligned in the firelight energetics of this Autumn season a group of bloggers has joined their brooms together casting a wide circle of enchantment. It was my friend and writer Beth Shreibman Gehring who alerted me to this event and what a perfect fit it was for me. The circle is centered around the book and or film Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. Please visit the portal site Practical Magic Blog Party and follow the links to each of the participating blogs.

I have not read the book Practical Magic, but must say I am very intrigued. The film came my way years back and didn't really leave an indelible mark until seeing it again a few weeks ago. A tinge of knowing floated into my mind as I watched the first scene, images of the The Burning Times series with Loreena McKinnets song came flooding back into my consciousness. I felt tears well up and remembered my mother telling me as a little girl how some members of our family were called "Brujas" because of our psychic abilities.

As I continued to watch the film next I became completely enamored with the Victorian house and vintage neo-Victorian garb of the two aunts. Then I saw the Owens sister Book of Shadows that had been passed on from one generation of witches to another.


A Book of Shadows, also called a Grimoire, is a collection of rituals and formulas. I realized that the pages of perfume formulas and this blog, especially posts like this one about creating a prosperity accord, is in a way a type of Grimoire. As I pondered more I realized I wanted to create a Grimoire reflecting my work as a botanical perfume artist. From what I read Grimoires really should be done as much as possible by hand. I decided to enroll the art work of my husband Greg, since it embodies the exact feel of the Owens book that I love so much. The challenge here lies in that Greg isn't so much interested in making original artwork anymore. Thus, not quite sure how this idea will evolve, the original may end up being more of an assemblage. I'm still orchestrating how to set up the book and delving deep to access threads of my herstory as a bookbinder and letterpress printer to bring all my crafts together.


In the meantime, here is one of the images from his Vespertina book/CD and the opening page to a Tarot book proposal my husband put together in 1995 for a book publisher in Japan. The publisher in Japan never picked up the project, nor did my husband produce it. Instead it sits here in the dark, quiet corners of the studio for me to admire and drool over it. However, Vespertina was published and will soon appear as a graphic novel. Vespertina will surely have a Grimoire.


Images: Illuminaire by Greg Spalenka, Practical Magic Grimoire from the film, Spalenka Tarot Book by Greg Spalenka.

A Dance in the Woods

"First and foremost wood is matter and is in India the symbol of the universal substance, the prima materia. In Ancient Greece, hyle, which carries the meaning of primordial matter literally means "wood". This quote is from my Penguin Dictionary of Symbols book. I placed it here to announce that Chaparral® Botanical liquid perfume has now re-manifested, in it's third edition.


It seems particularly fitting that Chaparral® re-enter this earthly plane now in the Autumn. This is the best season to begin or add to your native California garden. The Theodore Payne Foundation has their once a year sale this month on natives and offers a host of classes to learn how to switch your water loving garden to wonderland of our very own native plants. Chaparral® botanical perfume was created to celebrate and bring attention the benefits of the wild and wonderous world of California natives.


Also the time of year when the trees transition from wearing their green cloaks to a colorful display before being put to rest. Chaparral® perfume is an aromatic song that takes one to the woods, the splendor of the trees and all it's woodland flora and fauna.


In the third edition I simplified and restructured the formula a bit. It took a few formulations to get it to my liking, which is why it has taken so long to release. In my opinion this is the best edition yet, I look forward to hearing what you all think and feel about the latest edition.


The fragrance family is wood, which I hear has become a trend. The main fragrance notes are: Bay, Sage, Frankincense and Wood. The evolution on my skin is particularly interesting as it moves from Citrus and Spice to Herb and dry vegetative Wood. A dance in the woods. I have utilized tinctures that I have made myself using sustainably, wild harvested and organic plant material including Bay and White Sage. There is also a unique Wood accord I created that is in this formula as well as the solid.



The solid and liquid formulas are almost identical, except for the tinctures and a few extra top notes. The solid layers well over the liquid and with other illuminated perfumes. Woods have a way of being somewhat neutral and work in harmony with other notes. Give the layering a try and let me know what your favorite combos are.

Images: All photos ©RoxanaVilla, The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke painting by Richard Dadd and cowboy image by Greg Spalenka. The college on parchment with old engravings is by me, Roxana Villa.

The Dragon's Breath

"We're our own dragons as well as our own heroes,
and we have to rescue ourselves from ourselves."
- Tom Robbins

Today marks the autumn festival of Michelmas, one of the ancient holy days that I have a fascination with. I first became conscious of the day when I attended the Michelmas play at my daughters Waldorf school. At the time Eve was only about four years old and having a challenging morning saying goodbye to me. The teacher suggested I stay and come along to see the Michelmas play up the hill put on by the second grade.

The play and festival centers on the brave night St. George who is assisted by the Archangel Michael to conquer the dragon. The story is a metaphor for taming that inner dragon within each of us.

Many of the holidays that begin now focus on light, often referred to as festivals of light. We enter the darker portion of the great seasonal wheel, as nature moves toward inward sleep, humankind is challenged to find the light within and courageously banish the dragon.

So, during these most challenging times of great Maya, we look inward for that most luminous light within which will carry us forward into uncharted waters.

Botanical perfume ingredients that have a dragon-like feel are those associated with fire. Here are a few possibilities: spice, some of the resins, tincture or infusion of dragons blood, amber bases, sulphuric aromas and something with a burnt quality like choya or cade. The spice will help add lift as well as pepper and some citrus.

Read last years post on Michelmas here.
Roxana Illuminated Perfume

Image: "Apocrypha" ©Greg Spalenka, an original painting and avialable as limited edition Giclee print. (I was the model.)

The Arrival

It has arrived, palatable to all the senses, but most to the physical body. The weekly adventure of rising at dawn, sometimes before any light is due to arrive for hours, has presented itself. Tic-toc, we have arrived at the rhythm of the school year. Soon the cool air of the autumn with golden leaves will become evident.

I look toward the new season with excitement, but, also dread the early mornings and the forced schedules. Gone are the languid mornings, the drives through Topanga Canyon toward the ocean and late night art soirees.

Time for sleeping beauty to awake. The firelight energies of the new season with the oncoming harvest are upon us.

Artwork: Enchantment ©Greg Spalenka. Greg created the illustration above for the book cover Enchantment by Orson Scott Card.

Roxana Illuminated Perfume™
Greg Spalenka
Orson Scott Card

East Coast Salutations

Greetings from Pennsylvania and New York, where the brilliant colors of Autumn are ablaze.