In June of 2007 (fifteen years ago!), at the Ojai Lavender Festival, I stepped out of my shell and "officially" launched Illuminated Perfume.
This adventure all began with a Valentines Day newsletter sent in 2007, with a focus on Following One's Bliss. My subscribers at the time were a mix of aromatherapy and natural perfume students along with customers and clients of my art and illustration business.
Shortly after the newsletter went out I received a note from aromatherapy colleague Sandy Messori of Rivendell Aromatics. She was organizing the Ojai Lavender Festival on Saturday, June 16th, 2007 and asked if I wanted to be a speaker and have a booth.
I immediately answered "Yes!" and with the kind of vigor and drive a formal goal date can offer, my focus became laser beamed.
Although I had been making perfumes for myself and clients, as well as teaching classes and attending perfume events, I had been somewhat on the fence with moving forward. The reason for my hesitancy was all the infighting and back stabbing within the tiny natural perfume industry and the deception of indie perfumers using the word natural when they were using synthetics or a mixed palette. The opportunity to both speak and exhibit at the festival provided an impetus to boldly step into a new creative venture.
Several of the perfumes I had already created Q, Aurora, Lyra, Sierra, Chaparral and Vespertina, would be part of the launch with a few small tweaks. I also decided to formulate a special fragrance for the event that would become Vera, with the story of its construction woven into my presentation. At the time I was only offering liquid perfumes.
Read the details of what transpired that day by following this link here at the journal
The initial intention of the brand, which continues to be one of its pillars, was/is to bring beauty and light to plant fragrance without using any synthetics, isolates or animal ingredients, hence the use of the adjective illuminated.
I am so very proud to still be offering this work and extremely grateful for all the support along the way, thank you for being part of this wonder filled adventure!
After listening to a very magical story about the relationship between the Amanita muscaria mushroom, reindeer and Santa Claus by Paul Stamets I decided to make a Mushroom perfume.
In plant fragrance making we use a mushroom absolute, sometimes referred to as Cepes (Boletus Edulis), that provides a wonderful earthy, base note. This is one of my personal favorite materials to work with, a tiny amount adds depth and a mossy, dirty, vegetative quality to chords and perfumes.
The absolute is obtained by the solvent extraction of the Boletus edulis, a mushroom which is most often found growing under conifers, like the Amanita muscaria.
I have started working on a perfume which features Boletus edulis extract but also weaves in some of the magical aspects of the Amanita muscaria for the main story.
I highly recommend watch the Paul Stamets video below
When the perfume formerly debuts I will donate a portion of the profits to Fantastic Fungi
Thank you in advance for your participation and sharing the love & magic!!
The Perfumery in Santa Fe, New Mexico is one part apothecary, (referencing my great grandfathers homeopathic farmacy) one part alchemical lab (where I distill and transform plant matter into golden elixirs), one part naturalist/artist studio, one part wizardress/priestess, and one part stylist.
All these parts are all the aspects of a modern day perfumer and myself as a multidisciplinary artist. If you have not yet watched the video interview with Ron, of our local art supply store here in Santa Fe called Artisan, then follow this link to the YouTube video or the embedded video at the end, from when he came by the visit. The entire video is just under thirty minutes long, thus set aside the time and enjoy!
The first out of the home perfumery, above, was located in Agoura Hills, California, just a short drive to Malibu. In mid-March of 2014 I came upon the location while celebrating Greg's birthday, and rather auspiciously the Universe aligned and the glorious space manifested into a work / showroom / teaching space.
I was there for about three years and would have stayed if it weren't for the shared ventilation system which caused synthetic aroma molecules to drift into the perfumery from the other units as well as a challenge with having any control as to the temperature of my space. Regrettably the landlord was not interested in working with me and thus I left, setting in motion the move to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The current perfumery is located in the mid town area of Santa Fe, New Mexico within a hidden complex called Lena Street Lofts with the anchor business being the original Iconik Coffee, with their roaster situated amidst tables & couches. Iconik happens to be in building A, the same as the perfumery, albeit they are at one end and I am at the other in unit A6.
Although I wanted to be in downtown Santa Fe or along Canyon Road, at the time no affordable or acceptable spaces were available. I was also told that mid-town would be a better location so that people, especially locals, could park easily. I still yearn for a spot in one of those two locations due to the vibe and visibility. It may still happen one day, while keeping the current space more for larger classes and product making.
I'm loving the connection and antique vibe of the perfumery with my great grandpa's homeopathic farmacy in Buenos Aires, Argentina called La Farmacia de la Estrella. Here are a few pictures above and below, so that you can get a flavor for it, there are more in the video linked above and here, or at the end of this post.
The word natural is getting even more abused than when I first started making fragrance. Most perfume brands claiming to be “natural" go to extreme measures to hide that they use any type of synthetics by greenwashing their wording and confusing the public.
A few terms I have been seeing a lot lately are:
"100% Natural Derived"
"Plant Based Perfume Made From 100% Plant and Flower Materials"
"Beyond Clean”
The reason this is happening is because there is a demand for true plant fragrance, the tragic part is that these terms above, and many others, don’t actually mean anything. It’s really challenging when your brand is based on authenticity. As I have mentioned before, these smoke & mirror shenanigans make my job really difficult.
My “people" then think they are allergic to all perfume, including those made from plants, when what they are actually allergic to is the synthetics and isolates contained within fragrances. In the past I confronted a few perfumers about their use of words and was answered with "The word we live in is all maya anyway." What the heck kind of answer is that!
Here are a few post here at the journal that provide more information on this topic:
"Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind."
~ Seals & Crofts
The advent of the full flower moon early this morning in Taurus-Scorpio seems like an auspicious time to delve deep into some sensual flower magic, thus I have written this new post about an ancient process called Enfleurage. After all, dedicated acts of beauty are very Taurean and invite us to ground into our bodies and connect with the plant deities.
The French word Enfleurage translates as "in flowering", referring to a form of capturing scent (extraction) dating back to ancient Egypt, later re-introduced in the hillside town of Grasse, France.
I have created an entire lesson in the Art of Botanical Perfume devoted to this topic as it is one of my very favorite processes that I have been using for almost two decades now. The very laborious method of placing live botanicals on a layer of fat that has been coated onto glass is mastered by repetition and paying attention. Results achieved by one person will not always be the same for another, due to the "terrior" of where we and the plants reside.
TERMINOLOGY
Here is some of the terminology to keep in mind as we go through this process:
Enfleurage: French word meaning "in flowering"
Fat: The original fat was lard or tallow, these days coconut oil is most popular amongst those who prefer to avoid animal products and "other" fragrances in their final product.
Chasis: Stackable wood frames with glass, used in France.
Terrior: A French term referring to the environmental factors that influence the flavors and scent of a plant. The word is most often used in wine.
Prima materia, our plant matter, the term comes out of Alchemy, referring to the first matter
Charge: A term referencing each time you add more flowers, or plant matter to your base. With Enfleurage your base is a "fat", if we are making an infusion the base is an "oil", in the case of a tincture the base is a high proof alcohol.
Pomade: the result of the enfleurage process, the scented fat.
Extract/Extrait: The final result of the enfleurage product, also called an absolute.
LET'S BEGIN
To begin this long term processes, consider your "prima materia", the plant matter you are choosing to work with. If they are fresh flowers, make sure you have the ability to access enough flowers for a good length of time. Each flower is a bit different, a good rule of thumb is to repeat the charge at least eight times, the more the better.
In California when I had access to my ten potted jasmine plants I started the process in May which lasted until October. I was also creating tinctures and infusions at the same time since I had access to such a large quantity of flowers.
Here in Santa Fe, since I don't have a garden yet, for my gardenia enfleurage I use flowers that my mom sends from California. The 2019 gardenia enfleurage was charged about eight times.
Besides our fragrant flowers, the tools and raw materials necessary for enfleurage are easy to obtain and most likely in your possession. I use shallow glass Pyrex pans.
Choosing your fat?
Animal fat was the original ideal medium for capturing odor. For those of us working in a holistic paradigm a non-animal fat is preferred but more of a challenge to find. Experimentation will lead you to the perfect fat that works best for you. Unscented coconut oil is the most popular fat currently used and I do highly recommend it, however, it can be a challenge in warmer climates.
In the nineties when I first started experimenting with enfleurage I used an organic, virgin coconut oil, which did not work in Southern California where temperatures in Spring and Summer can easily reach 90 to 100. Thus I switched to using a mixture of beeswax and jojoba oil. Here in Santa Fe however, the coconut oil works well.
Instructions for Simple Home Enfleurage
Step 1: Coat your glass, a lasagna glass pyrex dish works well, with an unscented fat, ideally in a solid state.
Step 2: Gather your flowers in the early morning after the dew has dried but before the heat of the day
Step 3: Gently place the flowers on the fat.
Step 4: Cover the dish with a clothe to preserve the aromatic molecules.
Step 5: Set the dish in a cool locations, ideally in the dark.
Step 6: Remove the spent flowers and begin again.
The replacing of flowers will vary and is a bit like cooking, pay attention to the scent and decided if it would be better to replace a few times a day, every morning or after two to three days.
It's really important to look for mold and at the first sign carefully remove it from your fact and pay close attention to re-occurring signs. If mold becomes a constant challenge then its possible your batch may be ruined and require you to begin once more. Avoid mold by avoiding water, water is your enemy in the enfleurage process.
Step 7: When the flowering period has ended, check to see how fragrant the result is. If it is weak then consider saving it until next year or layering a different flower over the top.
Last Spring I decided to do a Lilac enfleurage using flowers growing around Santa Fe. Some of the lilacs were foraged, while others were from gardens where I was granted access. Since the flowers of our local lilacs are so tiny, I found the process excruciatingly painful due to the amount of time it took to place each flower on the fat. I considered just adding the flowering stocks to the fact, without separating out each flower, but then I would also get the green scent of the stem and leaves woven into the scent.
By the end of the lilac enfleurage process I found the scent too weak and ended up using the fat bed for my 2019 gardenia enfleurage.
FILTRATION / EXTRACTION
Step 8: Getting back the to process, once you are happy with the scent of your fat, whether it is from one flower or multiple, scrape the pomade into a glass jar, see photo above. This pomade can now be used as your final product, whether is is a solid perfume or a component to something else.
In a traditional enfleurage, the next step is to pour a high proof alcohol over your fat and store the jar in a cool, dark place, shaking every few days or so for a period of a year or more. Next step separate out the scented alcohol from the fat by filtration. This can be done with a traditional fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth, followed by a coffee filter.
Step 9: Next, you have two options:
If you have a small distillation apparatus, you can distill "off" the alcohol.
If not the old school method is to pour the scented alcohol into a new jar, cover with a piece of cheesecloth and then slowly evaporate off the alcohol.
With both these processes the final result is a scented extract/extrait, also called an absolute.
EXPERIMENT
I've laid out a context for you to begin experimenting, the more you practive the more you will tune into the plant material and find your own way. Keep in mind there is no right or wrong, most important thing is the move forward, if you fail, learn and do it again.
As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, the old processes of perfume making, like enfleurage, are labor intensive and not for everyone. After working with this process for so many years I continue to be surprised and enchanted. The act of harnessing the ephemeral, what we can call the soul of a flower, into a solid form is truly magical!
Considered a masculine flower, evident by the elongated shape of the unopened single blossom, Tuberose is an exotic, velvety floral note, a diva of natural perfume. Tuberose originates from central America where the wild species was domesticated by the indigenous people of Mexico. Eventually, like so many plants from the Americas, they were taken to be cultivated across the sea.
Tuberose is available to plant fragrance makers in a few different formats, the most widely used is the absolute produced from the waxy flowers of Agave amica, formerly Polianthes tuberosa, polianthes meaning "many flowers" in Greek, the tuberosa portion refers to the roots. In 2017 the correct name of the species Agave amica was adapted.
The scent of the absolute is a very concentrated, dominated by intense white floral notes. When diluted the aromatics express themselves much more authentically. In my personal use of the absolute and Dulcet, I find the aroma beneficial creating an uplifting and sensual field where I can more easily dive into my intuition and all things related to the feminine.
PROCESS
I approach the creation of botanical perfume making as both a practice of mindfulness and an art, I also teach from this perspective, creating a lineage of conscious perfumers. We begin by checking into our state of mind, clearing away the debris of thoughts so that we are a clear vessel of love, then and only then, we stand in reverence for our “prima materia” the plant matter.
We have an understanding of the materials intimately, the entire circle of life related to the plant(s) we are working with, whether we are distilling, infusing, tincturing or dropping essential oils into a beaker.
We are aware of the elemental properties, the relationship with the eco system from where the plant matter was harvested and/or how it was obtained. For example, working with Tuberose, white flower diva of plant fragrance making who is an “inflorescence” growing upward as a stalk with several waxy flowers. As I work with her, there is an exchange of energy, I am collaborating with nature knowing that the end product will then be another collaboration between the wearer of the fragrance and their own skin.
Ripples of collaboration are at the heart of this art as we work to transform matter into something sublime that will delight the senses and uplift those that catch whiffs of the aromatic molecules.
The birth of DULCET
Greg's sister Sharon asked me to create a Tuberose perfume for her back in 2014, knowing that she was a devotee of synthetic fragrances, I was skeptical that I could formulate something to her liking, particularly at a price point comparable to the fragrances she was use to purchasing. Then, at one of the World of Aromatherapy conferences I was presenting at, a supplier gifted me a co-distillation of Tuberose and Vetiver. I then was inspired to tackle the challenge which was originally offered to patrons of the perfumery in Agoura, California.
The original and current formula contains eleven different plant essences including tuberose absolute, the co-distillation of tuberose and vetiver, jasmine and a variety of other wood, resins and flowers.
Here in Santa Fe, several patrons sampled the voluptuous Eau de Parfum and requested that it be re-created. I was hesitant due to the costs of the aromatic materials with full knowledge that the end product would be costly and limited to only a few bottles.
The end result is a voluptuous and decadently dark composition featuring Tuberose as our lyric soprano. Dulcet opens with a blush of green under a spectacular vaulted sky, just as the sun drops under the horizon a sultry, melodic dance begins between Tuberose and Vetiver, seducing us in the wake of their embrace.
As with all the fragrance I create, Dulcet is completely handmade. I halved the formula to offer the Eau de Parfum (spray) and the solid. At this moment I have a few bottles left of the Eau de Parfum at this link.
Materials: 190 Proof Organic grape; Tuberose absolute, co-distillation of tuberose and vetiver, jasmine and eight other plant essences including sacred woods and resins.
Fragrance Family: Floral
There is 4 grams by weight of Dulcet as an EdP (Eau de Parfum) within the glass, spray bottle pictured above, which measures approximately 2.25 inches tall x 1.25 wide with the cap on.
I was planning to make a solid format of Dulcet and including a few of my flower infusions, but the cost for a round tin would have been about $200, so I used the synergy to make more of the Eau de Parfum.
“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.
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
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.
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.
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
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:
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.
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.
Continuing with The Perfumed Bestiary series is B for Bison or what is termed as the Buffalo from the North American central and western plains. This muscular shaggy beast with iconic horns and hump is considered a spiritual icon of the indigenous tribes of North America.
While writing a post on medieval bestiaries and looking over some of the books I had borrowed from the Santa Fe library I came across our American buffalo and their heart wrenching story. It seemed appropriate to devote the B spot to this mighty creature, especially since I now live in their territory.
In 1888 the artist Albert Bierstadt, a German/American painter "endeavored to show the buffalo in all aspects and depict the cruel slaughter of a noble animal now almost extinct"1 with his celebrated painting titled The Last of the Buffalo. Of course, it was the white man, not an indigenous brave, who were responsible for their near extinction from "a combination of commercial hunting and slaughter in the 19th century and introduction of bovine diseases from domestic cattle."2
"With a population in excess of 60 million in the late 18th century, the species was down to 541 animals by 1889. Recovery efforts expanded in the mid-20th century, with a resurgence to roughly 31,000[5] animals today, largely restricted to a few national parks and reserves."3
So, although Bierstadts painting is quite glorious technically, once again the depiction of reality is off. "Bison slaughter was even encouraged by the US government as a means of starving out Native American populations, which relied on the bison for food. In fact, hunting of bison became so prevalent that travelers on trains in the Midwest would shoot bison during long-haul train trips."4
"Bison are a keystone species, helping to create habitat for a number of different wildlife species, including grassland birds and even many plant species. As bison forage, they aerate the soil with their hooves, aid plant growth, disperse native seeds, and help to maintain a healthy and balanced ecosystem. While bison are no longer threatened with extinction, they remain largely “ecologically extinct” and absent from their historic Great Plains habitat. Substantial work remains to fully restore the species to its ecological and cultural role throughout the Great Plains and we are grateful for those working with us to promote coexistence with our national mammal."5 BUFFALO as an ANIMAL TOTEM
The Bison/Buffalo is an element of earth. Solid in mass, Bison live in large herds
Earth represents stability and abundance, from the womb of our fertile Earth we plant our seeds and make our homes. The crust of the Earth is rock composed of oxygen, silicon, aluminum and iron. In some parts of the world the ratio of this divine cocktail will be slightly different. Here in Northern New Mexico our earth has a reddish/pink cast due to the decomposition of iron-rich rocks.
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.
An aspect of elemental earth is abundance which relates to Buffalo. Living abundantly begins with gratitude and humility, knowing that we are of the Earth and will one day return to her.
Take time to walk in gratitude, mindful of the support of the Earth below your feet with each step. An intuitive that dropped by the perfumery last week told me to become conscious of my backside, that to much emphasis is attributed to grounding via our feet and not our backs where our spine is located. I found this insight quite profound, as I am rarely conscious of my back. When we do put our consciousness there, we become much more whole, round like planet earth and more dimensional. Consider the mass and strength of the Buffalo and that their primary nutrition comes from eating grasses and sedges.
"You cannot receive the bounty of abundance with a closed fist.
The more you express gratitude, the more Spirit will send you things to be grateful for."5
Crystals associated with attributes of the Buffalo
Apache Tears
Picture Jasper
Chrysoprase
Pink Opal
Chrysocolla
Narmada River Lingam
Hematite
Bloodstone
The Sioux consider the birth of a white buffalo to be the return of White Buffalo Calf Woman, their primary cultural prophet and the bringer of their "Seven Sacred Rites". Among the Mandan and Hidatsa, the White Buffalo Cow Society was the most sacred of societies for women.
Images: Buffalo Nickel Buffalo photo by Jack Dykinga (Wikipedia Commons) The Last of the Buffalo by Albert Bierstadt (Wikipedia Commons) Ptihn-Tak-Ochatä - Dance of the Mandan Women by Karl Bodmer, 1840–1843 (Public Domain) References 1 New York World 2,3 Wikipedia, American Bison 4 American Bison 5 Defenders.org 6 Animal Totem by Susan Jolley
The first fragrance in A Perfumed Bestiary series has been sent, those participants will have the first opportunity to order more of the limited edition before it is offered to subscribers of Illuminated News.
For those who signed up for the "compact" as part of their membership I used the version with the cabochon insert, offering a rose quart, black onyx or unakite stone, all of which were purchased locally here in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I've been assured that the stones are not synthetic, imitation or heated. Although, they did tell me that the native people, some of which are vendors on the Plaza along the edge of the Palace of the Governors, do and did bake their stones to alter their color.
When building the fragrance I had two things in mind, first the concept: which notes work best with this months beastie, the Axolotl and secondly, how those notes work together to produce the right scent.
I'm choosing to align each beastie in the series with a specific plant, for the Axolotl I chose White Copal Resin, Copaifera officinalis, from Mexico. I was given a nice sized chunk of it as a gift from a new friend here in Santa Fe named Alberto, he had obtained it on a recent trip to Mexico. Auspiciously Greg and I burned a tiny piece during a meditation just as I was working on the fragrance.
White Copal has a bright, fruity scent, much lighter than other resins that are used as incense. As an essence for botanical perfume there is an oleoresin available that contains some of the brightness of the incense burning resin along with notes of wood and pepper. The inclusion of this material had me contemplating an incense/amber scent but with a "water" quality, turning me to the addition of Myrrh and Violet Leaf. I choose to include Cypress and Juniper as a story point for the Chinaimpas islands, located in the Axolotl's native habitat, but also knowing that it would harmonize well with the Copal. There are hints of spice, complimenting the wood and incense, as well as conceptually alluding to the salamander mistakenly being attributed to fire in the first illuminated bestiaries.
Although I can write about this all rather eloquently now, the process of achieving what I envisioned was actually quite a struggle because of the challenge with striking a balance between the scent of water with incense. I didn't want the fragrance to go too much in one direction, but instead master a synergy between incense, which is generally on the dry and smokey side, and liquid fluidity. Seaweed was out of the question since the Axolotl resides in freshwater, thus as I contemplated a list of about ten essences I associate with the scent of water Myrrh and Violet Leaf seemed to work best. I also rather liked that the pairing of many of these plant essences were producing a leathery quality.
As I work on the pairing of the aromatic notes, I am also considering how this all works conceptually with the Axolotl. So, although the Copal came onto the scene from an auspicious/intuitive place that worked perfectly with the Axolotl being from Mexico, most of the other essences were added by looking over chemistry and smelling notes on scent strips to get a sense of how they paired together.
In total, I used twenty seven essences to build the perfume, including some Dragon Blood resin from a trip to Ecuador back in 2009. Creating a perfume is a dance between the right and left hemisphere. I've found that for me, I constantly float in the the gap, standing weightless, on the invisible bridge between the intuitive and rational mind.
If you haven't already signed up for the next limited edition perfume, illuminating a beastie beginning with the letter B, you can do so here.
