Scent and the Honey Bee

A little over a month ago the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy hosted the second Beyond Aromatics Conference. This year it was held at University Salt Lake City University in Utah. Shortly after arriving and getting a quick bit to eat Greg and I headed over to the Red Butte Botanical Garden for a self guided tour with a group of attendees and presenters.

The following morning the conference began promptly at 8:30am until Sunday afternoon, followed by two post conference workshops on Monday. Greg and I exhibited our wares in the Trade Show section at a shared booth with The School for Aromatic Studies.

Aromatherapy conferences are generally very nurturing and inspiring events due to the all the healers and essential oils present. I loved getting into the elevator each day and smelling essential oils! We stayed at the University Guest House which was originally built for the athletes attending the 2002 Winter Olympics.

I really like Salt Lake City, it's very easy to use public transportation and friendly population. As we were riding the UTA Trax green line from the airport I spotted a sheriff car with a beehive on the side door. Turns out that the state symbol is the beehive! Since my workshop was titled Scent and the Honey Bee I saw this as a very auspicious symbol.

Most of our meals were at the University, which didn't quite compare to the organic meals served at Bastyr two years prior. Although I really liked Utah and the hospitality, the University garden and eco lodging at Bastyr was something really special. On Saturday evening we headed over to a spectacular Mazza Middle Eastern restaurant with a large group. I had a Pumpkin Kibbeh, a baked vegan dish with pumpkin, spinach, walnuts, bulgur, spices and aromatics. So good!

The conference featured the usual suspects of luminaries within the professional aromatherapy industry.

We were treated to an artisan co-distillation of juniper and artemesia at Sunnyside Park just as the sun was starting to set. Just prior to getting on the bus, Cathy Skipper presented a fascinating introduction to Alchemy and Medicine of the Soul holding a wand throughout the entire lecture. I couldn't help but feel like she was Hermione from Harry Potter presenting to a group of peers at Hogworts.

The Gala Banquet was held at the Rice-Eccles Stadium, Scholarship Room high above the University of Utah Stadium just as the sun was beginning to set over the city. The eclectic keynote address was by my dear friend and neighbor in Agoura Hills, Dr. Habib Sadeghi.

Gabriel Mojay, one of my favorites, presented "In the Garden of Hecate: the TCM-energetics and Pharmacodynamics of Lavandula angustifolia Essential Oil in the Integrated Treatment of Anxiety and Anxious Depression."

I presented Scent and the Honey Bee at 8:30 on Sunday morning. The multi-media presentation included Vanishing of the Bees film footage generously donated by George Langworthy with Greg's orchestration of imagery to my words.

The presentation concluded with the orchestration of a "honey bee" inspired perfume using a sample set of essences donated by the generous Eden Botanicals. We are currently building a website for Scent and the Honey Bee, stay tuned for its debut with footage and content from the presentation.

Angela and Kristina, the gals from Uncommon Scents Movie, were at the conference filming interviews for their upcoming documentary about aromatherapy. I am humbled and absolutely thrilled to be part of their project. Below is a photo Greg took of me while they were sitting up for the shoot.

As with Beyond Aromatics held at Bastyr two years prior, I feel so deeply grateful to have been part of this conference. The Proceedings of the Beyond Aromatics II conference and the audio of each lecture will be available from NAHA, check their site for updates and to find an aromatherapist near you!

Follow this link for related posts here at the journal.

Beyond Aromatics Part Two

Presentations began Friday morning opening with an insightful view of the global landscape of Aromatherapy delivered by Dr. Kurt Schnaubelt, who had us all chuckling as he retold the creation story from the perspective of aromatic molecules. 

The oration was compelling and mind expansive as he pointed out how corporate science limits our perspective of the effects of essential oils.

David Crow, my first teacher of aromatics, enchanted us with a dialogue on Cosmic Chemistry challenging us to a collective awakening with an intention of creating a sustainable spiritual culture. In the presentation he included footage of growers and distillers of Helichrysum italicum that he has been working with in Corsica. Although the region is known for abundant amounts of the golden flowering shrub the plant is suffering due to ecological factors.  David shared how even the smallest shifts in a culture can have dramatic affects on the plants. For example, helichrysum is happiest when it has lots of space and is alone. If the sheep are present, they will eat all the shrubs and weeds that grow around helichrysum, giving her plenty of room to branch out while remaining in solitude. However, the goat and sheep herders of Corsica have now taken on work as tour guides rather than herding thus the plants that use to be cleared by the animals now infringe on the helichrysum impending her abundant growth.

On Saturday afternoon I presented “The Tree of Life: A Mystical Approach to the Art of Botanical Perfumery” a rather esoteric impression on art, alchemy and perfume, offering an alternate perspective on learning. I began with the history of botanical perfume, going all the way back to the 1^st scent molecules produced by the conifers progressing to todays modern botanical perfumers which holds the seeds of aromatherapy, art, herbalism and alchemy. The tree, with its abundant use in spiritual and philosophical doctrines became the anchor emblem as I took the audience on a Delphic journey.   The piece was somewhat theatrical in its delivery with a moving feast of imagery orchestrated by Greg. Following the lecture I shared my process on how to create a botanical perfume using the systems highlighted in the slide show. Here is a portion of the lecture which Greg graciously labored many hours into to make it into a video.

“The audience was delighted, almost stunned, 

by the beauty and power of Roxana’s presentation.” 

~ Gabriel Mojay

On Sunday, the last day of the conference, I was able to catch two morning presentations. “Staying Healthy through the Seasons with Aromatherapy and Ayurvedic Principals” was the first, which included an introduction to the Five Element Theory of Ayurveda followed by a four page questionnaire to ascertain our particular dosha. Most of us were a combination of two, such as Vata/Pitta.

Next ,was one of my personal favorite authors in the field of Aromatherapy, Gabriel Mojay with Aromasophia: The Symbolic Meanings and Traditional Medicinal Uses of Key Aromatic Plants; The Aromatherapeutic Value of Such Study. Gabriel took us on a very in depth overview of Rosemary and Rose from the arcane to the scientific, with gorgeous imagery to accompany his voice.

There were a total of fourteen lectures and six workshops during the three days, along with an exhibitor area and lots of opportunities for conversation. On Monday, following the conference Cathy Skipper from France led a post conference workshop titled “Looking at the way essential oil’s different layers of action help to heal the ‘whole’ person.” which had students in the evergreen forest that lines the campus of Bastyr.

Each attendee of the conference was given a organic hemp shopping bag containing a variety of goodies including essential oils, hydrosols and a plethora of wonderful bath and body products. My personal favorite has been the Rasayana Body

Oil by Lady of the Lotus.

The fragrance industry is a vast, dynamic landscape of products labeled as perfume, articulated by variances in the raw materials being utilized and how the scented items are formulated. Adding more complexity is a varied spectrum of business models from large fragrance houses (some of which have existed over one hundred years) to the uber niche perfumers hand making items in their kitchens. Never before, in the history of the field of fragrance, have we had such a range.

Aromatherapy is a branch of the Tree of Herbalism aligned with those practicing botanical perfume, a segment of fragrance makers consciously choosing to work with a restricted palette of whole ingredients without isolates and/or animal product.

The Beyond Aromatics conference was such a powerful yet sweet event, compromised of healers and those working directly with plants. I feel so extremely grateful to have been part of this community and the opportunity to share what I have gleaned as an artist and promoter of nature. It was also a thrill to be amongst my piers and authors I’ve admired since 1996 such as Valerie Cooksley and Gabriel Mojay.

The Proceedings of the Beyond Aromatics conference and the videos of each lecture will be available from Naha, check their site for updates and to find an aromatherapist near you.

Photos: Roxana Villa, Gergely Hollodi, Gabriel Mojay and Greg Spalenka

Virtue United is Stronger

Late last night we arrived back in the dry, hot arid climate of the City of Angels after an amazing Beyond Aromatics conference in Seattle. I'll post details and photos from the event soon. In the meantime I need to fulfill the avalanche of orders from the show (after selling out!) as well as all the orders that came in while we were gone.

I'm so grateful for all of your support dear readers and patrons. The Beyond Aromatics conference was a spectacular experience that I am so extremely grateful to have been part of. I plan to upload a video of my talk so that those of you who did not experience it live to can do so via cyber space.

The photo of Greg and I was taken yesterday by our artist friend Tara Larsen Chang who lives very close to Bastyr. If you look closely you will notice that almost all the little tins of solid perfume are missing under the glass domes. This is because after my presentation on Saturday I sold out of all the perfume mini compacts and lockets, and then began to sell the sample tins as we were getting ready to pack for our ride to the airport.

The opening image was used for the Tree of Life presentation at the conference, the translation of the top banner is Virtue United is Stronger.

Prepping for the Conference

On Saturday, September 13th at 1:45pm, I will be presenting "The Tree of Life: A Mystical Approach to Botanical Perfumery" at the World of Aromatherapy Conference at Bastyr University. I will also have a booth at the trade show connected to the event.

If any of you dear readers is planning to attend the conference and would like to pick up something specific while there please send me an e-mail. Most likely I will be taking along display items and very little stock to sell, thus a heads up is highly recommended.

Model with locket is Minkie of Rogue Minx Clothing located in Portland, her fave perfume from our line is Chaparral.

There and Back Again

It was a few years into my love affair with essential oils that I became aware of "aromatherapy" as a community and the various professionals within it. As an attendee of the first National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA) conference in San Francisco I was in complete awe. The gala event took place in the Autumn of 1996 at the Palace Hotel. At the time I was a single mom working as a freelance illustrator with a strong interest aromatherapy. Essential oils had already become part of the holistic tool box while taking classes and teaching about the wonders of aromatics.

There are a few memories from the event that stand out like sign posts, etched into my psyche. One of them is Dr. Christoph Streicher telling his captive audience that when one decides to create a business using essential oils, you don't pick them, they pick you. The other memory is the awareness of a longing to be part of this community and one day a speaker.

With a great amount of gratitude I am happy to share that next fall, eighteen years from the first conference, I will be a presenter at the The World of Aromatherapy VII Conference in Seattle, Washington.

Visual and Aromatic Arts

The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place;
from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper,
from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.
~ Pablo Picasso

Yesterday I was filmed here in the studio for an upcoming conference for "solpreneurs" happening this summer. Once I get more details I will post here, it sounds fabulous. I was asked questions regarding what business challenges I face. It's interesting that as a botanical perfumer and visual artist the challenges are quite similar. The main difference is that for an aromatic artist the health of ones sense of smell is paramount to your ability to work. Lately my olfactory sense has been a bit compromised by allergies. It's so frustrating! I can duplicate perfumes which have already been transcribed, however, creating new accords and perfumes can be a challenge. Interestingly enough, sometimes, when I sit down to work my sinuses and breathing clears. I attribute this to the healing powers of the essential oils, focus and working blissfully.

At the moment I continue to work on several custom perfume portraits, new accords, perfumes and the special fragrance I am creating for the Heather Ettlinger Perfume in a Poem Project. Have you been following the project? It's so fascinating to read each perfume artists interpretation of the Ezra Pound poem. Check it out, it's really inspiring. Fellow perfumer and colleague Ayala Moriel was featured yesterday.

Perfume in a Poem Project
Ayala Moriel
Roxana Illuminated Perfume™
Greg Spalenka
The School of Visual Arts

"Butterfly Lady" © Greg Spalenka is an original mixed media painting created for the School of Visual Arts in New York City. The original hangs at school in New York. If you lived in NYC in the eighties and rode the subways you might remember seeing it plastered on the walls.