Rain-date Sun-date

Due to popular demand...we are offering a RAIN date for our Venus inspired Goddess event! Please join us on Saturday, March 11th...for all those who were flooded, powered, or burned out from the rains!! We hope to see you on our SUN date at perfumery, everyone is welcome.

Below are the details from the original post from February along with a few additions, like chair massage! Read the re-cap of the first one we did during that crazy storm we had here in Los Angeles.

I’ve brought together some local sisters with like minds and hearts for a day of self love and nurturing! Just what you’ve been craving, an event devoted to Venus and inspiring the Goddess within each of us. 

Join a dynamic collective of women offering their wisdom and unique gifts.

Monika Peters, Goddess of Skin Care: Crafting a Seasonal Face Serum
Donna Malberger, Goddess of Wardrobe: Dressing From the Inside Out
Draza Jansky, Goddess of Insight: Practical Magic: Refining Your Intuition
Roxana Villa, Goddess of Fragrance: Scent as a Conduit

Saturday, March 11th - 10 am to 5pm

Presentation & Guava Mimosas* 11 am - 12 pm (limited seating)

FOR EXTRA SPECIAL NURTURING 

From 10am to 1pm Draža Jansky is offering 15 minute sessions starting at $25.
Read more about Draza below.

~ AND ~

Alison Savior, owner and practitioner of Transformational Bodyworks, will be offering 10 minutes of chair massage work for $15. Her customized session will take place within the lab area from 1-4 PM.
Alison's a private massage therapy and healing sessions are grounded in detailed anatomy and medical massage studies, informed by Eastern energy medicine practices, backed by 30 years of professional experience and offered with compassion, precision and reliability.
She is credentialed in ten different massage and healing techniques.
Give a gift to your self and experience her healing hands.

Book in advance to guarantee your spots
Alison Savior: tfbodyworks@gmail.com & Draža Jansky: drazadance@gmail.com

Roxana Illuminated Perfume

Whizin Market Hall

28914 Roadside Dr., Suite 219 

Agoura Hills, CA 91301

This event is FREE and open to everyone, both men and women. Keep in mind there is limited seating at the perfumery for the presentations and mimosas. If you would like to secure
a seat we recommend making a donation of $10 to reserve your spot!

ITINERARY

10 am - 11am
Meet and Greet / Shopping

10am to 1pm
Draža Jansky is offering 15 minute sessions starting at $25.

11 am - 12 noon
Presentations (no shopping)

12 noon - 5pm Shopping

 1-4 PM
Chair massage with Alison $15 for 10 minutes of customized work within the lab area.

PRESENTATIONS

"Crafting a Seasonal Face Serum"

Monika Peters is a licensed holistic esthetician and beauty nutritionist. Specializing in skin health, one on one consultancy & custom organic hand crafted products. She will do a Pre- Primavera Vitamin C Serum making demo, showcasing the maceration process while sharing his wisdom on skin health, age regeneration and seasonal skin care.

Mala Apothecary

†

"Dressing From the Inside Out"

Donna Malberger domestically designs and produces beautiful knitted, garment dyed fabrics for her gorgeous ready to wear line of clothing. Donna will share knowledge she has learned through intimately working with master stylist and color expert Jennifer Butler on how to choose clothing that works for your coloring and body type.

b By Donna M

†

"Practical Magic: Refining Your Intuition"

Draza Jansky is an Intuitive Life Coach and Meditation Teacher based in Malibu Lake.
Draza will share simple meditations, rituals, and coaching techniques to help you access and refine your powers of intuition, insight, and awareness.
Learn to use your intuition to create a beautiful life experience, inside and out.
Draza Jansky

†

"Scent as a Conduit"

Roxana will share a few insights into working with flowers as medicine as we experience the ethereal yet powerful message of Jasmine sambac hydrosol. Collectively we will sip this extra-ordinary floral water enhancing mind and body but also facilitating a connection to the ever present Goddess
within us.

Illuminated Perfume

Mimosas and snacks provided by Agoura Hills Blue Table

The Birth of Venus artwork was created for us by Greg Spalenka. If you would like to have an image created of yourself please contact him directly Greg at Spalenka.com. The model is DirtFairy Morley.

Seven Years Ago

Greg and I were married on this day in Topanga Canyon surrounded by California oaks, the vast blue sky and the pacific ocean in the distance.

We created an intimate ceremony weaved with elements of the alchemical marriage, read more at this post here at the journal.

I heart you

Happy Valentines Day everyone! Intending you are all practicing random acts of love today, most especially on your self. Self love, in my opinion is the key to happiness and attracting more love into your sphere.

"Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I've written quite a bit over the years regarding essences related to love, love potions, love stories etc. Here are a few links some good reads:

2010 Arcadia
2010 Perfume Illuminated: Chocolate, Wine and Roses
2009 A Rose will Bloom
2009 Love Notes
2008: A Red, Red Rose

Red Star illustration by Greg Spalenka

Makes Me Happy

Tea every morning....and just about all the time, rain or shine, night or day. Preferably Earl Grey with some artisan honey and milk please.

Botanical perfume, natural perfume and plant smells...like sage, plumeria, the native California rose, jasmine sambac and more. Lately I've been really getting into bee related smells. Their hive, honey, beeswax, etc. Love their natural musk perfume...pure fume.

Speaking of bees....gosh, I am totally smitten and honored to be assisting in their survival here on planet Earth. I heard recently that Rudolf Steiner called them "Love Incarnate" and that they are the facilitators of Paradise on Earth.



A great story...whether a book, a film or told by a great bard. Some of my favs are Great Expectations the 1998 film version by Alfonso Cuarón, Phillip Pullmans His Dark Materials (the book), The Hours (film and book), Perfume: A story of a Murderer (the book), and Love in the Garden (book). I'm sure there are more but I am anxious to get to work so I'll stop with these.

California oaks, specifically the natives from the chaparral that go by Quercus agrifolia and Quercus lobata. What splendid trees, another endangered species like the honey bee.

Travel. I've had the fortune to travel since the age of three. Lately, due to this ridiculous economic crisis, my travel adventures are not as abundant as usual. The last one was Ecuador, I am intending more...like Paris and London, Hawaii, Egypt, Argentina and the list goes on.


PreRaphaelite art, I think my favorite artist of that brotherhood is Waterhouse, I think.

Thanks to Jess at Epheriell Designs who nudged me to do this. Now I am off to work on wonderful smelly things for you. Are you following your bliss today? What Makes you Happy? Do a post like this, leave a comment with a link and make sure to link it up at the Epheriell Designs blog.

Arcadia

In Arcadia as children we played, unaware that the other was close by. Later we both attended art school in LA, you in Pasadena at Art Center while I in downtown Otis. Heeding the sirens call of illustration off to New York City we both fled. Although Manhattan was no island in a flowery meadow, a plethora of work we both did find.

I made my home across the river in Brooklyn while you dwelled on the island. With the same clients and companions we painted our dreams and wove our lives, still unconscious of the other. In the same magazines our illustrations did appear, in the same shows our paintings were displayed.

The letterpress was moved from Soho to the Village within a few streets from you, yet, still we did not meet. Cupids laugh echoed with the tinkling of bells but his arrow he did not sling.


With clients cultivated and names created we bade farewell to New York and once again said hello to LA. Onward our lives did evolve, I with newly acquired aromatic wisdom and daughter Eve, you with auric accolades of Gold.

Tis then that Cupid choose to take an arrow from his quiver and aim it at our hearts. No mind that we had lived and loved for many years since Arcadia, the journey from the mind to the heart can sometimes be the longest.


My sweetheart proposed on Valentines night after having cooked a splendid meal. On bended knee he asked me to marry him handing me a beautiful little handmade book. In December 2008 we were married in the Santa Monica Mountains above the wide open sky and in a grove of ancient Oaks.


Images from ArtMagick:
Cupid's Hunting Fields by Sir Edward Burne-Jones
Eros Jacques by Clément Wagrez
Cupid and Psyche by Annie Louisa Swynnerton
Photo of Roxana and Greg by Peleg Top

Gratitude

At this past Saturn day and night events I was once again reminded about how much we have to be grateful for, especially those of us that have the opportunity to live in America. Yes, I know, things are rather challenging in the "land of the free" at the moment. However, there are still many things to be grateful for...like the gleeful chirping of the birds, the camphoraceous, earthy aroma of the white sage in the garden or out on the hillside. Even the ever present nemesis, for they keep us alert and on our toes.

Greg and I have been organizing all the papers for the hearing on Thursday evening in Van Nuys, California. We along with a fair amount of the neighbors will "speak for the trees" and for the earth. When one assesses how small the lot that this developer wants to build his monstrosity on and the beauty of the large oak trees the situation looks so clear. Yet, the developer and the City of LA will be seeing a different scenario. The silver strand here is meeting the neighbors and aligning for a cause.

The sweet little felt heart above was created for me by My, one of the winners of the Handmade Tag on this blog. A beautiful, simple gesture of the heart. Thank you so very much to each of you.

Alchemical Wedding

" The alchemical operation consisted essentially in separating the prima materia,
the so-called chaos, into the active principle, the soul, and the passive
principle, the body, which were then reunited in personified form in the
coniunctio or 'chymical marriage'... the ritual cohabitation of Sol and Luna."
- C.G. Jung Mysterium Coniunctionis

Although we may have crossed paths as children in Arcadia, California or professional illustrators in NYC, we did not consciously meet until the Autumn of 1999. It was at a Society of Illustrators Portfolio Review here in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles where we finally collided, live and in person.

In January of 2000 we began getting to know each other more intimately, becoming aware that there was more to the relationship than art. On a very romantic evening of February 14th, in the year 2001, Greg romantically proposed to me on bended knee.

Several years later, under a groove of oak trees and an expansive view of the Santa Monica Mountains all the way to the ocean, we were married.

We had planned something more along the lines of the painting “Spring” by Sir Laurence Alma Tadema. We still hold an intention to manifest that vision.

Our secret ceremony began with our entourage meeting at our little woodland cottage. We all cheered with a hydrosol cocktail of Frankincense, Rose and Jasmine, then drove into Topanga State Park. We had selected two sites for our conceptual Heaven and Earth ceremony. First under a groove of ancient Oak trees where I read a poem, followed by all of us jumping through the duirway and then aromatic anointing. From there we walked up the hill to an expansive view of the Santa Monica Mountains all the way to the Pacific Ocean. There had been a rain storm the day before, so the day was gloriously clear and fresh. Here, in Heaven, Greg read a second poem, we proclaimed our vows and sealed the union with a kiss.

It was a very special, magical day that will live in our hearts, brightly illuminated.

Greg and I walking into Topanga State Park, hand in hand.


Continuing along the path, far in the distance is the entourage.


The Sacred Oak


The Duirway


I anointed everyone with an Amber perfume followed by Q, the oak perfume.
Yes, the Amber perfume will be released soon and I am working on a scent emblematic
of Heaven & Earth, with wood, amber, rose and the expansiveness of the sky.


A kiss from the Lord to his Lady


Eve

With our Muse, Craig on the left, whom we adore


The minister, Ricky, and his husband Peleg.

Afterward we all returned to the little cottage in the woods for a homemade meal:
Cheese and Onion Quiche
Carrot Ginger Soup
Green Salad
Fresh Bread
and
Lemon Drop Cake

Delightful & Delicious!

Alchemical Wedding image ©Greg Spalenka, using an old alchemical image as the base for the painting.
Alma Tadema painting Spring, on display at the Getty in Los Angeles.
Most photographs were taken by Peleg Top, with a few by Craig Marshall.

See more of Greg's work at his website.

A Rose will Bloom

Wishing you all a very happy day with your beloved, whether that is another individual, your self or the divine. I was planning to write about the wedding today...but...activities have spontaneously interceded with my blogging plans.

Love asks me no questions,
And gives me endless support...
~ William Shakespeare

I created and sent out some handmade valentines to fans, friends and patrons who I am so grateful to. In a few days I will post pictures and details here.

And think not you can
Direct the course of love,
For love,
If it finds you worthy,
Directs your course.
~ Gibran Kahlil Gibran

What I will share is that exactly nine years ago this evening Maestro Gregorio made me a delicious homemade dinner and then on bended knee proposed to me. It was all very romantic. My fragrance that evening was probably either Jasmine or Ylang Ylang.

"Soul meets soul on lover's lips."
~ Percy Bysshe Shelly

Here is a clip from Franco Zeffrelli's 1968 Romeo and Juliet, I used it on an Etsy treasury I created last night titled the BELOVED.



Rather synchronistically Helg over at Perfume Shrine posted a clip of one of my all time favorite films, the 1998 version of Great Expectations directed by Alfonso Cuaron. Here is one of the beautiful scenes from that film. The art direction in this version of the Charles Dickens book of the same name is so stunning, with superb use of color script. It's eye candy.

A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature
To stop speech when words become superfluous.
~ by Ingrid Bergman

Image ©Greg Spalenka titled Ignite Thy Passion, posters avaialble at his website: www.spalenka.com in the "psoter" catagory.

The Name of the Rose

"And I will make thee beds of roses And a thousand fragrant posies."
~ Christopher Marlowe

One of the quintessential symbols of Valentine's Day is the rose. A perennial within the Rosaceae family, this flower has been here on planet earth for 35 million years. That number is based on fossil records, thus, more than likely the rose has been here much longer. Prized and revered in Islam, the rose has been used by many civilizations from fragrant pomades, edible delicacies and elaborate gardens.

The natural botanical perfumer has quite a array of rose essences available to us, from many different parts of the globe, including Bulgaria, Turkey, China and India. We obtain the essential oil of Rose by distilling rose petals. It takes over 60,000 petals of roses to obtain 1 ounce of the essence, this is why the cost of this gem is so steep. There are also specific essential oils that can add a rosey quality without necessitating the real deal. These include: Rose Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens), HoWood or an ethically sourced Rosewood, and dilutions of Palmarosa (cymbopogon martini), Lemongrass and or Citonella.

"It is at the edge of the petal that love waits."
~ William Carlos Williams

Here are a few recipes that utilize Rose Petals:

CRYSTALLIZED ROSE PETALS
Rose Petals
Egg white
Extra fine granulated sugar

Gather fresh rose petals, preferably on a sunny, dry day.
Gently wash them with spring water and allow to air dry.
In a small ceramic bowl beat an egg white until it foams and add a tiny amount of water, 1/2 tbspn at most.
Gently place the rose petals into the egg mix so that they are well coated. Remove one at a time, allowing excess egg to drip off.
Dust the petal on each side with extra fine granulated sugar.
Place each rose petal on a piece of wax or parchment paper and allow to dry.

Use these to decorate a cake. This recipe can be used with any edible petal of leaf.

ROSE PETAL TEA
2 cups freshly picked petals of dark red roses, washed
1 liter water
Honey
Place the flower petals in a teapot. Pour in the boiling water, cover and leave the tea to brew for 10 minutes. Serve this tea hot or iced, with honey to enhance the delicate taste.

ENGLISH ROSE TEA
1/2 cup dried red rose petals
2 tablespoons dried lemon balm
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
Mix well. Use 1 teaspoon for each cup.

ROSE HONEY
Place clean, dry rose petals into honey, this is technically called a maceration. This will produce a heavenly treat that can be used on toast or to sweeten tea.

FLOWER PETAL BATH VINEGAR

Herbal vinegars are used in skin tonics, added to the bath, dabbed on sunburned face or pressed on to a throbbing headache.

1 cup of fresh petals or herbs of your choice
2 cups cider vinegar or white wine vinegar

Put flower petals or herbs into a large glass jar and pour in the warmed vinegar. Place on a windowsill in the sun or in some other warm place and leave there for 2 weeks, shaking the bottle well every day. Strain off the vinegar and store the sealed bottles. You can then increase the strength of the perfume by increasing the amount of herbs or flower petals used.

ROSE LOVE SACHET
Gather:
Dried rose petals
Lavender buds
Orris Root
and a small piece of Copal, ideally one that is heart shaped.
Put the following into some rose colored, breathable fabric and stitch together holding while holding your beloved and or thoughts of love in your minds eye.

ROSE PETAL COLOGNE

1 cup vodka
1 cup of dried mint
2 cups distilled water
2 cups of Rose petals

Combine mixture and leave covered for several days, gently shaking daily. Strain off liquid. If the fragrance is not as strong as you would like it to be, take the infused liquid and repeat the process until the fragrance is to you liking. Substitute lavender in place of rose petals for a nice variety.

Read about our Rosa Botanical Perfume dedicated to the California Native rose at this link here at the Journal.

Image at top is a detail of Greg Spalenka's painting Art Heart, the image is ©Greg Spalenka, to see more of his work go to www.spalenka.com or his shops on etsy.

A Red, Red Rose

"O my Luve's like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June; O my Luve's like the melodie
That's sweetly pla'd in tune.-"
~ A snippet from "A Red, Red Rose" by Robert Burns

As with just about every holiday the roots of Valentines day go very deep into the earth where you find a pagan festival at the core. It began with Lupercalia, an ancient Roman fertility celebration, in honor of the goddess Juno. This two day long feast included Roman ladies writing "billets" and placing them in large urns to be chosen by a man. He then would pursue the author of his note.

Our modern interpretation of this holiday might include handwritten love notes, fresh bulbs of tulips and daffodils or a botanically scented bath followed by a foot massage. These are all simple, yet, heart warming deeds apropos for this sweet day devoted to love.

The most widely used aromatic associated with love is the heart/base note of Rose. She comes to the botanical perfumer in many guises: Bulgarian, Turkish, Indian or French, Attar of Roses, Rose de Mai, Rose Maroc or Musk Rose or damascena, centifolia or alba. When in the form of a concrete the essence is solid, as an absolute it is thick, where as the distilled essential oil is thin when at room temperature. The essence of the Queen of the Flowers can be a deep red or a pale light yellow in color.

If you exchange tokens of affection with a beloved today, consider creating a botanically scented item such as a solid perfume, body oil, salt scrub or some chocolate lip balm!

Here are some links from my blog with recipes:

• Lip Balm
• Solid Perfume
• Infusion
  
• Rose Petal Beads

Find more by typing Recipe of the Day into the search box located in the top left corner of the blog. A red colored tincture or infusion can be made by utilizing alkanet root.

My sweet heart proposed to me on a bended knee on Valentines night, after he had prepared a home made dinner. He is my heart throb, my love, lover and beloved. I adore and cherish him!

The botanical print above is from the website www.botanical.com, a terrific resource for more recipes and info on all things botanical.

{{{ LOVE }}} Bliss

"When you follow your bliss... doors will open where you would not have thought there would be doors, and where there wouldn't be a door for anyone else."
~ Joseph Campbell

A few years ago Greg (my partner) and I were asked to be part of a creative team for Greg Mooers of LifeCamp. We had the opportunity to experience the scope of Mr. Mooers profound work.

What does your soul yearn for?

The answer to that question is what we learned from the time spent with Greg Mooers. It’s like going to a modern day Oracle at Delphi. I gained crystal clear clarity on my life purpose and highly recommend attending a live lecture or listening to the Heart Virtue CD set.

I am committed to authentic self expression. This manifests itself in a pursuit of beauty. Creating botanical perfume from a palette of organic and sustainable ingredients is an authentic expression of nature. Aromatherapists often refer to essential oils as the soul of the plant, thus, botanical perfume is the soul expression of Mother Earth.

Joseph Campbell encouraged us to follow our bliss, are you?

Greg Mooers - LifeCamp
The Oracle at Delphi

The image above was created from an original painting for "The Four Agreements" card deck published by Hay House. "Express Your Love" ©Roxana Villa

{{{ LOVE }}} Across the Universe

“The love you take is equal to the love you make.”
~ The Beatles

This month we celebrate LOVE, in all it's manifestations.

On February 14th, a name will be chosen from the database for a 1/4 oz perfume of your choice.
In order for you to be in the drawing you need to have joined the newsletter with your real name and a mailing address, or make sure I have it. Manage your subscription here

NASA beamed The Beatles' song "Across the Universe" into space today. What is most interesting is John's story of how the song came through.

John Lennon on 'Across The Universe' (1980):
The words stand, luckily, by themselves. They were purely inspirational and were given to me as boom! I don't own it, you know; it came through like that. I don't know where it came from, what meter it's in, and I've sat down and looked at it and said, "Can I write another one with this meter?" It's so interesting: (sings) "Words are flying out like endless rain into a paper cup, they slither while they pass, they slip away across the universe."
Such an extraordinary meter... and I can never repeat it!
It's not a matter of craftsmanship; it wrote itself. It drove me out of bed. I didn't want to write it, I was just slightly irritable and I went downstairs and I couldn't get to sleep until I put it on paper, and then I went to sleep. It's like being possessed; like a psychic or a medium.

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

Words are flying out like endless rain into a paper cup
They slither while they pass, they slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow waves of joy are drifting thorough my open mind
Possessing and caressing me

Jai guru deva om
Nothing's gonna change my world

Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes
That call me on and on across the universe
Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box
They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe

Jai guru deva om
Nothing's gonna change my world

Sounds of laughter shades of life are ringing through my open ears
Exciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on across the universe

Jai guru deva om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Jai guru deva

IMAGINEPEACE
Read the full story here.
NASA on Across the Universe

The image above is "Art Heart" © Greg Spalenka, you can see how the he created this award winning illustration at this link.

With Gratitude

"At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us."
~ Albert Schweitzer

I am in a deep state of gratitude today for all the luminous beings in my life. Thank You so much for your presence and illuminations!

The image above was created using multiple engravings. Sphere©RoxanaVilla