Flying Potion

"We dance around in a ring and suppose, but the secret sits in the middle and knows."

~ Robert Frost

The aroma of decaying leaves is upon us, with it the oaks bear their fruit and pumpkins abound. In the ol' Celtic tradition this was a time of harvest and closure as their year ended. Here in the west the yearly Halloween is now evident in suburban yards decorated with a plethora of surreal imagery married with traditional scenes of harvest.

The Witch, my favorite of the archetypes, is celebrated this time of year. Generally I get a little triggered by the one dimensional, incomplete manner which she is portrayed. Caroline Myss and Clarissa Pinkola Estes shed a much more dynamic perspective that is tied in with the Goddess.

It is the the aspect of the crone of the triple Goddess that we honor at this crossroads. She is wise and powerful and often challenges as a means to encourage our own growth and awareness. Hekate embodies this archtype as the Goddess of the Night and the Wild Places. She guards the gate between the worlds. During Samhein, All Hallows Eve, at twilight is when the veils between the worlds are at their thinnest and meeting Hekate is most auspicious.

To create a botanical perfume for this time of year consider an herbal flying potion. Flying is not meant literally but refers to astral travel or work in the dream time. Some essences to consider are:

• Mugwort, Artemesia vulgaris

Mugwort is an herb associated with both the dreamtime and the crone. In both aromatherapy and botanical perfume essential oil of mugwort needs to be used with mindfulness and a light hand. Consider making an infusion with the dried herb into oil. The oil can then be utilized as the base for a perfume oil or for solid perfume.

• Clary Sage, Salvia sclarea

Clary sage is known as clear eye based on the usage of the seeds to clear eye sight. The essential oil has properties associated with facilitating a vivid dream state and providing clarity. Some use clary sage in composing Ambergris accords for botanical perfumery.

Other associated herbs according to The Wicca Garden by Gerina Dunwich are Dittany in equal parts to Benzoin, Sandalwood, Vanilla. Harry at Alchemy Works has a ready made potion titled Herbal Flying Oil available.

I'll leave you with a featurette from the Golden Compass titled Flying Witches with my favorite character Serrafina Pekkala.



Image: The Magic Circle by John Waterhouse.

Storytelling

Story telling is at the heart of brilliant works of art. One of my favorite storytellers is Phillip Pullman. In Pullmans trilogy, His Dark Materials, he weaves an extremely complex story set in alternative worlds. Varied fantastical elements and characters are combined with threads of history and science. I began reading the first book of the trilogy many years ago to my daughter and it still remains one of my all time favorites.

Today a large group of us went to the Hollywood Arclight Theater to see the film adaptation of the first book, The Golden Compass. I am in a bit of a quandary as to whether I liked the film or not. Can I look at it objectively? Not upon first viewing, maybe later. Right now I am in shock as to how the story was chopped up for the sake of film making. The visuals were breathtaking and fit well with the imagery in my minds eye. The story telling aspect is very choppy and lacks flow. I understand that when a book is translated to a new medium it will shift, change and morph into something new. A successful example of a great book adapted to film is The Hours. In the case of The Hours you have an original book inspiring another book which was made into a film. All three are different and brilliant on their own.
Many of the scenes Greg worked on in creating visual development for the film were not evident due to the elimination of the last chapter in the book from the movie.

Is the film version of The Golden Compass good storytelling? Hmmm, this question needs to be asked of folk who have not read the book(s).

The image above is a painting by Leonardo DaVinci titled "Lady with an Ermine". It was the inspiration for Pullman when he devised the idea of daemons for his characters in The Golden Compass.

Read a recent interview with Phillip Pullman here:
http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/node/697

The Golden Compass: Trailer

Years back, on the recommendation of our English friend Jeremy, I picked up the book "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman. It was one of a trilogy entitled "His Dark Materials". I have been reading books to my daughter Eve ever since she was a toddler. Thus, every night before bedtime, we would snuggle in my bed I would read aloud. We absolutely adored the first book and quickly ravished the second and third...as well as "Lyras Oxford". During this time, my beloved partner was in Texas working on a film. I mentioned to him how extra ordinary the books were and that he would be a perfect visual fit if the book was ever made into a film. Divine forces conspired and he found himself working on visual development for the Golden Compass right here in Los Angeles. We have been counting down the days for the release of the film. It looks like Philip Pullmans masterful story has been honored and interpreted well. What a relief! Fox really blew it with Eragon and The Dark is Rising. Kudos to Weitz and New Line for their great skill in translating a great novel to film media.
The perfume I created entitled Lyra was named after the heroine. Aurora and Amber also allude to the epic trilogy.
The Golden Compass Website