Happy New Year from the oak woodland in Topanga State Park!

Time is perceived linearly, associated with duality, such as beginning and ending, day to night, birth to death, etc. The truth beneath this concept is quite different, instead of a line with a beginning and an end, time is complex, like an old growth oak forest.

I’m visualizing us at this new threshold, holding hands, walking together with open hearts and the power of the wild magick by our sides.

The Celtic word for oak is 'duir' meaning door. The archetype of the OAK is related to strength in all three realms -> the physical, the spiritual and the mind.

Longevity and fortitude of the physical body, and elevating our perception out of duality, to the spiritual realm.This concept stems from the wood being hard and dense, without rotting, along with the oaks vast root system. Adding to the idea of power and steadfastness is the oaks ability to withstand the strikes of lightning, amongst other severe conditions.

Tolkien referred to the ancient oaks as Ents, “shepherd trees”, in his epic and rather foretelling tale of a dark lord attempting to control Earth and her sentient beings.

Here are a list of symbols relating to the oak

• Divine and inner strength
• Wisdom
• Knowledge
• Courage
• Overcoming any problem, especially in terms of physical health
• Protection at all levels
• The recovery of self-confidence
• Strengthening the auric field
• Renewing vital forces
• Balancing the energetic realms of the entire being

Anoint yourself with Q while intending these qualities, breath deep, connect with your inner oak, especially when you feel yourself being pulled off center by chaos. Now, focus on what you want to create!!

The alchemical trinity of Chaparral

The perfume Chaparral is not a reference to the creosote bush, Larrea tridentata, which sometimes goes by many name chaparral, as well as greasewood and la gobernadora. I named the fragrance after the California biome distinguished by wet winters, hot summers and drought-tolerant shrub land. This biome is also found in the Mediterranean, South America, Australia and South Africa. The word chaparral comes from the Portuguese and Spanish word “chaparro" meaning evergreen oak shrub land.

Back in 2006, when Chaparral was conceived and launched, my intention was to bring awareness to this community of plants which are very undervalued in Los Angeles where residents opt for pesticide and water hungry lawns and non native palm trees, rather than the local sages, artemisias, oaks, etc. 

In creating the perfume Chaparral®, I weaved together my love and commitment to the indigenous plants of California with skills in aromatic plant preparation and the artistry of perfume formulation.

“Art arises when the secret vision of the artist

and the manifestation of nature

agree to find new shapes.”

~ Kahlil Gibran

My husband, Greg Spalenka states that there are three main components of great art which applies to the full spectrum of the sensory realm including visual, auditory, culinary and olfactory orchestrations.

He adheres to these three components as a trinity of "Mind, Body and Spirit":

Mind; the idea and/or concept

Body; representing the materials

Spirit; the love, passion, integrity and/or soul nature

In alchemy the trinity is Sulfur, Mercury, and Salt, code words for what is also referred to as "Soul, Spirit, and Body"

Sulfur = Soul = Consciousness 

Mercury = Spirit  = Mind

Salt = Body  = Mineral

So if we go back to Greg's trinity, I have overlayed Greg's trinity with that of alchemy in this way, substituting Greg's word Spirit for Soul/Love.

Mind; the idea and/or concept / Mercury = Spirit

Body; representing the materials / Salt = Body

Soul/Love, passion, integrity and/or soul nature / Sulfur = Soul, Consciousness

All these components, working together at a high level of sophistication and awareness, create a synergy, where each component becomes more than the sum of its parts.

In perfume the mind aspect (Mercury) is the concept that the fragrance is built on, encompassing much more than a scent based on a fragrance family or type. The body aspect (Salt) is made of the materials contained within the perfume, the artist’s palette. Soul (Sulphur) is the burning passion of your creation, this is where the true artist weaves their own authenticity into the constructed artwork using their consciousness. Each is important and is required for the finished art to transcend the ordinary, to reach the heights of the sublime.

Over the last twenty years I have come to keen realizations regarding California natives and their value. The journey beginning with guided instructional walks led by herbalist David Crow back in the 90's when he would lead nature walks in the Santa Monica Mountains. Davids introduction than deepened with lessons from communicating with the mighty Oaks on my property and its surroundings, when we lived in the Santa Monica Mountains.

The California native Coastal live oak was the one who spoke to me and revealed the value of native plants just as I began organizing my community to protect four large trees on an lot next to us. In an attempt to secure the safety of the trees I created a perfume devoted to them. The perfume is called “Q” for Quercus agrifolia and was the first in a series titled Californica.

The second perfume in the series, Chaparral® was birthed in October 2006 when I was researching incense. Incense was used by a variety of cultures depending on the plant material in their particular region. The indigenous people of California use the sacred white sage, Salvia apiana, to clear a space or fumigate an individual. I chose to create an incense themed perfume devoted to the California indigenous people based on the plants of the area.

The trinity mentioned above works in Chaparral like this:

Mind/Concept | Mercury/Spirit: The native plants of California, the chaparral.

Soul/Love: The soul nature of this perfume is expressed through the mindful harvesting and preparation of the plant material. The fragrance is created by hand with an intention to expand awareness of native plants.

Body/Material: actual, vital plant material used in tinctures and essential oils to represent an “authentic” fragrance of the regions native plants.

California native plants add tremendous value to a California garden including: authenticity to a landscape design, low water needs, benefits to wildlife habitat, increased biodiversity, and the ability of these plants, particularly the Coastal Live oak, to sequester carbon. Learn more about the chaparral at the website for the California Chaparral Institute.

Related links here at the journal:

Restoring the Woodland

California Dreaming

The Shadow

Medicine Wheel

Oakmoss

"A rolling stone gathers no moss."

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

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

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

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

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

Photos ©Roxana Villa

Elves image from Movie Magic

Oak Tree Circle

Yesterday, just as I was about to head off to the perfumery a gardener with a chain saw almost starting going at the oaks on the neighboring lot. We were able to fend off the fellow by taking photos and calling the police. Since I'm not sure if this method of protection will be sustainable I am asking each of you to encircle the seven trees in love and protection. If you have some Q Perfume than please anoint yourselves with this elixir devoted to the California oak.

Q
Fragrance family: WOOD, CHYPRE
Main notes: Resin, wood chord/accord, Italian bergamot, tinctured Coastal Live Oak leaves

Return of the Light
A New Green Cloak
Q Queurcus agrifolia - Reviews
+Q Perfume - Review
Celtic Lunar Month Oak - Reviews & Links
Ode to Trees
Celtic Lunar Month: Oak
Q Review - Review
The Green Man
A Secret in the Forest
The Duir Way
Save the Oaks
Scent of the Day: Oak
Spirit of Nature
Medicine Wheel

Celtic Tree Month of Oak

I've been diligently finalizing my paper for the proceedings of my presentation titled "The Tree of Life: A mystical approach to the art of botanical perfumery" for the Beyond Aromatics conference up in Seattle this Autumn.

The paper is due today which happens to be the first day of the Celtic Tree Month of Oak. Thus, the scent of this auspicious Tuesday is Q for Quercus agrifolia, the California native oak.

Read more about the Celtic Tree Ogham, the oak and Q at these posts here at the journal:
Celtic Lunar Month: Oak
Tree Ogham
Q Review
Q, Queurcus agrifolia
The Duir Way

Find Q liquid and solid at the site here.

Agnes Obel

A customer sent me the following note and the link of this video. Wow, love this music!

"Just wanted to tell you I wore Q to a concert on Saturday (wonderful Danish singer/songwriter/piano player Agnes Obel). It was a gorgeous heart-thumping, chakra-dancing and soul-caressing concert... and as I felt all that, I could smell Q reacting to the heat and emotions: it was a luminous experience!"

The Return of the Light!

The Winter Solstice has arrived to the Northern hemisphere, marking the return of the SUN. The days will slowly start getting longer, inching toward more and more light and warmth.

Here in the woodland Spring normally begins in January with the blooming of the rosemary, oaks and ceanothus. (Although this year the rosemary began earlier than usual.) Having lived in these woods for over ten years I've noticed December is our coldest month. I'm so happy to soon be done with the cold. As much as I adore our little 1950's cottage, no insulation and lots of glass is a bit challenging during the colder months.

Joey of the blog Beauty, Bacon, Bunnies wrote a lovely little paragraph about Q solid in reference to woody scents. I'm including it here since Q smells very Winter Solstice to me:

"Roxana Illuminated Perfume’s Q: Nobody does dreamy quite like Roxana: her fragrances are a call to an idealized, fairytale version of nature that is not unlike that of my childhood fantasies. Woodland creatures, fairy sprites, and the souls of the ancients live and dance together in the scented scenes that her perfumes create. To try her perfumes (I adore her solids, with their beautiful color-coded seals) is to find one’s ‘happy place’, to reacquaint oneself with the simplicity of the surrounding world. Her gift is to make art out of that which one usually does pay attention to: Q is a perfect example of this - who knew that the oak tree could serve as muse for such a beautiful fragrance? Q is a deep and twirling sort of woody scent, and while smelling it, it is easy to imagine oneself standing amongst the sturdy, tall trees. You pick up a fallen leaf and hold it to your face, feel the trace amount of dew which it has collected, and smell the sunshine and greenness. There is a beautiful hint of citrusy snap to Q that marries well to the fresh green powderiness of the wood accords; I wear it and I feel a deeper sensuality. There is an unmistakeable spice to the fragrance, and as it wears, Q reveals an animalic ambered base, an accord which smells to me of benzoin and labdanum. Bark, leaf, twig, sun: the oak is encapsulated, revered, and made magic. It shares the magic with me, and I revel in it."

A New Green Cloak for Spring

The last batch of the solid perfume synergy for Q ran out. As I pondered the formula and moved to make more I choose to reassemble the composition with an intention of creating a few subtle shifts. Sometimes when a fragrance formula gets translated from a liquid to a solid state the fragrance will shifts. Mind you, this doesn't always happen, only sometimes. For example Lyra and Aurora have the same ingredients in the solid and liquid synergy bases and the expression in aroma is almost exact. There is also the added element of the beeswax aroma in the solid embodiment.

Sierra Solid Gold is the only one that has a different formula from the liquid, not hugely different but the prosperity chord contained within really shifts the aroma into a much more gourmand space.


When I first made Q solid I was bothered by the difference between the liquid and the solid. I much preferred the liquid. The aroma in the solid was a little too smokey and heavy for my taste and didn't have some of the beauty and subtle qualities that the liquid possessed. Thus, in making more of the synergy I altered a few things and am super happy with the results!


The original Q solid natural perfume contained a complex wood chord that I first constructed in 2001 and fifteen other botanical essences. In the new synergy I decreased the amount of two of the heavy, smokier ingredients and added a sixteenth. Since the base is now lighter some of the beautiful heart notes have more space to breath and express themselves, this has also triggered more sillage of the fragrance.


As you can see I follow my nose with my product line, despite the fact that sales for Q solid were just fine I choose to shift it because of my own preference. This is the main difference that you will find with a uber niche perfumer who has no investors to answer, only a very lively art spirit with a zest for aromatic perfection. Although must say investor funding does sound appealing but not if it at the expense of authentic expression and integrity.

I am thrilled with the results and look forward to the feedback from the fan base. Enjoy the new green cloak of Q for Quercus agrifolia. How auspicious, the other native oak Quercus lobata, a deciduous tree, has lost all its leaves and is about to debut it's new cloak for the Spring.

For further reading about Q perfume and it's construction here is a list hosted on this blog with reviews and related features.

All photos ©Roxana Villa, Q illumination has been created by Greg Spalenka and is ©Greg Spalenka and Roxana Villa

O is for Oak

Q stands for Quercus agrifolia the botanical name for the coastal live oak of California. At this time of the year the oaks are very heavy with acorns, proving a very busy time for the local squirrels. I've been dutifully gathering both acorns and acorn caps daily from the Quercus agrifolia on my property. The caps are for a upcoming project while the acorns are for perfume packages and photo shoots. As of yet there are no acorns from the Quercus lobata, a deciduous native oak. Those acorns are much larger than the ones from the agrifolia, hope they manifest soon as I'd like to get a photo with lots of varieties of acorns and leaves.


Yesterday as I photographed a bottle of Q liquid organic perfume I saw the stack of wood type letters that Ben had brought over the weekend. It occurred to me that yes "Q is for Quercus" BUT "O is for Oak" and there were lots of O's in the pile. Perhaps they are zeros, in either case, they like like O's and will suffice. Here's one...more to come soon.


I just listed the honey pot tub of Q solid natural perfume in the E-shop. The actual amount by weight in these tubs is between 3.6 and 4.7 grams. The solid compact version contains about 5.3 grams. Each one varies slightly because I pour each and every solid perfume myself. There's no machine or robot making them with an exact measuring devise...at least not yet.


Photos: Q organic, botanical perfume, Acorn caps, Acorns on wood type and the new 5 gram Q natural perfume all ©RoxanaVilla

The Giving Tree

Once there were four large oak trees and three smaller ones in a grove and they loved a girl. And everyday the girl looked out at the trees but didn't really see them. Until one day, the girl learned about the value of native plants and old growth oak trees.

The girl learned that the trees grow very slowly from the fruit of the trees, acorns. Once a long, long time ago before man came to the wooded hills there was a vast forest of oaks in the village where the girl now lives.

As the girl learned about the trees they began to talk with her and share their secrets. The trees were happy that the girl would listen to them. The girl was happy that the trees spoke to her. She promised to create a beautiful native garden in their honor.

Then one day a contractor came and said he would cut down the trees and build a huge mansion in their place. The girl began to cry and didn't know what to do.

Looking out at the trees the girl had an idea. On the high Celtic holiday known as Beltane she asked the trees permission and gathered some leaves. She cleaned each leaf by hand and put them into her organic grain alcohol with the intention that her new tree friends would be saved.

The girl asked her best friend to join her in the mission and together they asked more friends to form a circle around the trees to protect them. The high council listened to the concern and the petition from the villagers.

In the meantime, the girl, took her tinctured oak leaves and created a botanical perfume devoted to the California native oaks.

The high council has deemed that the trees add distinction to their location and the trees remain in tact. And the girl was happy.

The End

The above is a true story reconstructed in a similar manner to Shel Silverstein children's book The Giving Tree. As a student in high school I was a member of the Speech Club and told the story of The Giving Tree in competitions.

The perfume is titled "Q" for Quercus agrifolia, the botanical name of the oak. The girl shares profits from each 7 gram flacon and solid perfume compact that is sold with the California Oak Foundation.

Plant the seed of truth, and watch it grow
and when it spreads it's branches,
come with us, and sit under the blossoms.

There, your eyes will open to the secret of truth.

~ Rumi

Inch by Inch

The fruit of the California live oak, the acorn, matures between August and October. From there, if conditions are right, a little sprout will eventually emerge. That little sprout, inch by inch, over many years will develop into a gorgeous tree.

Like the California live oak, my perfume company continues to grow, inch by inch. I owe much gratitude to those who have supported me with patronage and the writers who have helped get the word out. One such writer is Beth Schreibman Gehring, who has written a piece for the Examiner about the botanical perfume "Q", devoted to the California live oak, Quercus agrifolia. Here is the link for your reading pleasure: The Examiner.

Much gratitude to the oaks, each of you and to Beth!

Celtic Lunar Month: OAK

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

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

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


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

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

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

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


Illuminated Perfume
Illuminated Perfume at Etsy
Perfume Shrine
California Oak Foundation

Links to reviews of the botanical perfume Q

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

Save the Oaks

The scent of the day is Q, Quercus agrifolia, devoted to the Coastal Live Oak. I started my fragrance line with this botanical perfume. The intention connected with Q is to bring awareness to the native Oaks of California. This path was revealed when a contractor bought the empty lot next to us to build a huge McMansion. We organized our neighborhood to protect the Oaks and the development of the lot.

To my regret, the contractor that we have been wrestling with has come back from the dead. Although the bank foreclosed on his other project, like a horror film, he has returned. We received the letter from the city informing us that another hearing has been set. Good grief, here we go yet again!

I'm feeling quite distraught at the moment. Intending that in the morrow the feisty self will be back, ready to once again organize the neighbors to defend oaks and land. I am calling forth Soverieignty, the Celtic Goddess of the land, to help us. According to the book The Celtic Way of Seeing: "Sovereignty holds the the axis mundi. She is the one who bestows "rulership" to those who are in right relationship with her."1 Thus, please anoint yourselves with Q and appeal to Sovereignty for her assistance.

I took the photo at top on Monday while hiking in Malibu State Park. It is a gigantic Quercus lobata we came across on our adventure through the woods.

1. The Celtic Way of Seeing by Frank MacEowen, page 52.

Q, Quercus agrifolia

Here on this page you will find of links to my writings relating to the perfume known as Q, which includes a few reviews, in no particular order. Enjoy.

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

~Wendy Froud

Heather Ettlinger of Perfume Tourist

Perfume Smellin' Things, Beth
Sprig: BEST Natural & Organic Perfumes
Perfume Shrine
Perfume Smellin' Things, Tom

The Non-Blonde

Posts here at this journal:
The Duirway
The Origins of Quercus, now Q
Beltane Perfume
The Heart Note

Q perfume at the the Illuminated Perfume website

Illuminated Image for our perfume has been created by Greg Spalenka, ©Splaenka

Q Review at Perfume Smellin' Things

A review of Q, our perfume devoted to the splendid California Coastal Live Oak, is up over at Perfume Smellin' Things. The magical mystery tour has been transcribed by Beth in the poetic language of a bard or a troubadour of the court.

Q Review at Perfume Smellin' Things

Prepare for an enchanting story, perfect before bed here on the west coast. Scent of the day for the morrow is Q.

Image titled Divinus ©Greg Spalenka www.spalenka.com

Ode to the TREES

On planet Earth today we celebrate the trees! Those beloved beings that give us oxygen, shade, fruit, wood, and provide homes to many creatures. Thus, the scent for today is the botanical perfume Q, devoted to the California native Oak, the Coastal Live Oak Quercus agrifolia.

"I am the Lorax,
I speak for the trees,
for the trees have no tongues."
- Dr. Suess

Let's be crystal clear here, the Palm, more a grass than a tree, that has become emblematic with Los Angeles is not native to this region. Further south it is...but not in LA. Thousands, maybe more, native Oak trees have been removed for the sake of human housing and industry. To add insult to injury folk have been removing oaks and replacing them with palms to create an "exotic" feel to their homes. Hello? Even the City of LA does this! Oak trees give us shade, convert Co2 into oxygen, provide homes to beneficial insects and wildlife and aesthetically work beautifully with other native plants to bestow an authentic style to a Los Angeles home.

Kill your lawn, go native!

The word Oak in the Celtic language is Duir meaning door. My path to awareness of the California Oak and native plants began with this gracious tree. Read more about this at the links provided below.

Anoint yourself today with the the botanical perfume Q, connecting to the energetics of the Mighty Oak. Open the Duirwaigh. A percentage of the profits from every 1/4 oz flacon of Q sold is given to the California Oak Foundation.

I leave you with this clip from Lord of the Rings.




Get a sample of Q botanical perfume at our shop on Etsy
A few posts about Q and the Oak here at our journal
The California Oak Foundation
Arbor Day Foundation

Scent of the Day: OAK

For the scent of the next few days I'm choosing Q, the botanical perfume devoted to the Coastal Live Oak of California. The Celtic tree month of the Oak isn't until June, we are currently in the Alder phase. The oak, with it's association to strength feels like a good one.

Here is what the renown faerie artist Wendy Froud has to say about our Oak perfume, Q:

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

Wendy and Brain will be making an appearance at the Trolls and Legends Festival in Belgium. Here's this from the website:
"Around the theme of Faery, enter the world of Fantasy and live three days in the universe of fairies and elfs with, concerts, animations, a games convention, many entertainments for everyone, a fairy market and about fifty authors for an unforgettable moment!"

I wanna go! Here's a link.

Froud website
Image above is ©Brain Froud

Scent of the Day: Gold+Green

"Wherever you go and whatever you do, May the luck of the Irish be there with you”

Intending you all discover that pot of GOLD at the end of your rainbow today. Scent for today can wander into a few areas, but I am settling on Sierra Solid Gold. It's been woven with magic and intentions of prosperity and is a golden yellow in color. GreenWitch and Q are runners up. For me, the day will begin with Aurora since I will be making the solid today, followed by GreenWitch.

“Leprechauns, castles, good luck and laughter.Lullabies, dreams and love ever after.
Poems and songs with pipes and drums.
A thousand welcomes when anyone comes... That's the Irish for you!”

Although I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina my ancestry is one quarter Irish, one quarter Spanish and half Italian. I do have a thing for the pagan heritage of the Irish and look forward to one day visiting the land of Éire. Éire is one of the triple Celtic mythological figures that embody Sovereignty, the Goddess of the Land.

Wishing you all the luck of the Irish today and as mentioned above , that you may find that pot of Gold, the holy Grail in your endeavors on this feat.

Maewyn, who was later to become St. Patrick is responsible for converting large numbers of Irish pagans to Christianity. Somehow amidst the celebrations on this day I wonder if someone will mention how many pagans were burned by religious fanatics who had there own ideas of how to follow God. Today I will celebrate all things Green and humbly pay tribute to the all those that persished from following a way of life connected to Mother Earth.

+Q Perfume

I've been twice blessed with beautiful reviews in one week! The enchanting and lovely Simone over at +Q Perfume, meaning "mais-que" more than perfume, has done a little write up about Roxana Illuminated Perfume.

+Q Perfume

Here is how Simone transcribes "mais" (+) "que" (Q)

+Q Perfume means more than just perfume but it is also a game of words in portuguese: mais-que-perfeito a tense of verb in portuguese grammar. So it means that I give more than just perfume, because i talk about inspirations, perfumery, perfumer, books, scents, flavors, design and I interview people...

Once again, I am deeply humbled and grateful. It is especially delightful to receive accolades by a fellow South American. As a teen I had the opportunity to visit Rio de Janeiro with my mother. I adored the visit and the joyous nature of the people. Master Gregorio has been lucky enough to have gone on a visit to Brazil during carnival, which is also celebrated in Argentina. My experience of carnival in Argentina was getting pelted by water balloons in Mar del Plata. Very different from Brazil, where entire cities live for this celebration and are transformed by rhythmic beat.

Besos querida Simone!

Photo above ©RoxanaVilla, is of the Oak perfume Q, in honor of Simones blog with the letter Q in the title.

Roxana Illuminated Perfume™