Who By Fire

On April 6th a prescribed burn by the National Forest Service here in Northern New Mexico has grown to be the largest fire in our state’s history. The travesty is that if anyone bothered to ask us who live here when is the WORST time to do a controlled burn we would have all chimed in APRIL, when the land is dry and the winds are strongest.

Alchemically we witness how the dynamics of the wind combined with very dry conditions has awakened elemental Fire. Of the four elements Fire has a strong relationship with transformative energies since it is destructive, purifying and regenerative, there is are also associations with passion. Fire acts as the primordial source of life. Traditionally plants associated with elemental fire tend to be saps and those that are warm and spicy.

The pagan holiday Beltane, celebrated here in the northern hemisphere, on the Eve of May Day honors the rebirth of life.force. The festival has a strong association to elemental fire, referring to the return of the light half of the year and the rising of lusty passions. Traditionally bonfires are built and leaped over as an act of purification.

Elemental FIRE is the home of our beating heart, where we feel the constant rhythm within, the place of our passion, warmth, and direct knowing. Fire is ruled by the SUN and has a relationship to the spirit medicine of the courageous Lion.

The Sun has been emitting quite a lot of significant X-Class solar flares lately. These powerful solar eruptions are said to be part of the upgrade of human beings and activating our pineal gland.

In an outline of the Seven Hermetic Principals within the book The Kyballion, the Principal of Correspondence "embodies the truth that there is always a Correspondence between the laws and phenomena of the various planes of Being and Life. The old Hermetic axiom ran in these words: "As above, so below; as below, so above." And the grasping of this Principle gives one the means of solving many a dark paradox, and hidden secret of Nature. There are planes beyond our knowing, but when we apply the Principle of Correspondence to them we are able to understand much that would otherwise be unknowable to us.

This Principle is of universal application and manifestation, on the various planes of the material, mental, and spiritual universe — it is an Universal Law. The ancient Hermetists considered this Principle as one of the most important mental instruments by which man was able to pry aside the obstacles which hid from view the Unknown. Its use even tore aside the Veil of Isis to the extent that a glimpse of the face of the goddess might be caught. Just as a knowledge of the Principles of Geometry enables man to measure distant suns and their movements, while seated in his observatory, so a knowledge of the Principle of Correspondence enables Man to reason intelligently from the Known to the Unknown. Studying the monad, he understands the archangel." 1

Applying this alchemical axiom to the fires here in Northern New Mexico, and the heightened solar flares from the Sun, we observe that we are in a massive phase of transformation and evolution. The question to be asking is "What do I want eliminate to transform and evolve into a new human for the new Earth?"

1. The Kybalion

Related posts: A for Axolotl

Talking Dirty: Goût de Terroir at Fragrantica

Aligned with the energetics of Venus and her guardian Aphrodite, I am thrilled to share my first piece as a contributing writer on Fragrantica. Talking Dirty: Goût de Terroir. The french term, Goût de Terroir, refers to the flavors imparted by the earth to wine.

Many thanks to Elena Knezevic, the founder of Fragrantica, and Marlen Elliot Harrison, the executive editor, for bringing me on board. I had the pleasure to meet and get to know Marlen in 2007 at a Sniffapalooza event in Los Angeles just before officially launching my brand. Elena, and her handsome husband Zoran when they arrived on the perfume scene with their comprehensive site Fragrantica and then in person at the Fragments Event in LA a few years ago.

 Please check it out and leave a comment if inspired. The intention is to contribute a piece each week, if you have something specific you would like me to write about please leave a comment or send me a note, I love hearing from each of you.

Image is via Fragrantica.

May Class Schedule & related Event

Here are the two upcoming classes Greg and I have slated for May and a monthly Art Event inside the atrium of the Whizin Market Square.

IT'S ELEMENTAL, an ongoing exploration

Date: Saturday, May 9th and May 31st

Time: 2pm to 3pm

Suggested donation $15 / Reserve your seat by pre-paying $15

Each class is limited to approximately 15 students

Scents contain mysteries and revelations. In both alchemical and mystical systems the elements are used as a simple structure for classification based on the sensory world mirroring that of human physical, emotional and psychological understanding. These elemental attributes of earth, air, fire and water can also be applied to scents. In this experiential ongoing class, Roxana will be your guide to explore a palette of high vibrational essential oils, what their elemental properties are and how to use them in our lives to facilitate greater understanding. Please come unscented - do not wear perfume or cologne - with paper and pencil to begin our journey into the ancient, richly woven tapestry of aromatic knowledge.  Class includes a handout and a 10% discount to use at the perfumery on the day of the event. This is an ongoing exploration.

THE STREET ART LIVE

Date: Friday, May 15th

Time: 7:00 to 11:00pm
FREE

A monthly live art event here in Agoura Hills bringing some of Southern California’s best emerging artists forward.  Walk along the atrium at the Whizin Market Square and see these artist create street art paintings right before your eyes. Featured artist in the gallery this month is NOISE. Live DJ and opportunity to purchase red wrist bands for wine at Blue Table Wine & Cheese Bar to support the event.

The perfumery will be open during this event, stop by to experience a dose of nature in a beautiful, inspiring space.

THE TEMPLE of DELPHI

Date: Saturday, May 24th with Greg Spalenka

More details coming soon

The words, "Know Thyself" were chiseled into the stone of the ancient temple at Delphi but what do they really mean? Have you ever felt like a boat adrift at sea with no direction or focus, unclear about career goals or yearning for a deeper meaning to your existence? 

Greg Spalenka will be your guide as you and the group dive into the temple of your hearts and open the doors to powerful wisdom that will help answer these questions, revealing the purpose of your life. In addition to accessing the clarity of who we are, you will learn how to create a symbol that represents this sacred part of ourselves. This workshop is for all who want to live an inspired and fulfilling life: Bring a pencil and paper and get ready for some transformation.

To deepen the experience Roxana will bring several essential oils with attributes assigned to each virtue to facilitate transformation and connection to the divine source within each of us.

Opening image: Pythia of the Oracle of Delphi by John Collier. If we constructed a scent for that first image we would use: one drop of choya for the smoke element and to bring in a bit of the sea and lightening; bay laurel; mitti attar for the earth; frankincense and sandalwood; for higher consciousness and some Greek and California white sage for purification. Want some? Attendees of this class will receive a free container.

Talking Dirty

In French Goût de Terroir means Taste of the Earth. It is a term referring to wine and the flavors imparted by the earth in which the vines grow. The term originated in the 1700's and used for marketing later in the 1800's. Although the term appears to be specifically related to the taste of the dirt absorbed by the roots of the vine, other it is more a reference to the flavors of the terrain imparted on the vine. For example if you grow the same exact plant in two different parts of the world the wine from the two vines will have different flavors. This is due to the earth as well as the other three elements fire (sun), air (wind) and water (rain).


I came to this knowledge, not through wine but through the study of essential oils in aromatherapy courses. A lavender essential oil of the same species and variety grown in France will have a different aromatic make-up than one grown in Southern California. The 400 or more chemicals that make up the oil shift according the the conditions where it is grown, thus impacting the aroma.


For years I have been using an Oud from Cambodia for my perfumes. It is most prominent in Chaparral® and Rosa as well as featured in other perfumes and accords. This little Cambodia gem that I have been using is just about out and thus I will be switching to a different Oud obtained last year by way of Laos. Since the aromas are so varied between the two, the fragrance of the perfumes will be altered. This is one of the variables that exist in the land of natural perfume. In fact it is one of the reasons the large perfume houses prefer synthetics, not only because they are substantially less expensive and have extreme longevity but the aroma is consistent.


Nature is not consistent and although I work to have some consistency in my line sometimes mother nature has an altered plan. Cheers to our aromatic adventure and all those twists and turns that keeps us on our toes while still planted here on Earth.

Photos ©Roxana Villa, taken during a trip to Ecuador in 2009

Summoning Earth

Elemental earth is grounding and supportive. In contrast to the other elementals like air, fire and water the earth is stable. The external associations are found in dirt, rocks, caves and the ground which we walk on. The aroma is most prevalent in such pure plant essences as Patchouli, a polarizing fragrance that has become emblematic with the 1960's.



I was born in the 1960's in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Thus I have none of the smell associations that many attribute to Patchouli. My introduction to it came in the nineties, I wasn't fully conscious or much appreciative of it until aromatherapy entered my life. During my induction into aromatherapy, I was surprised to learn that patchouli essential oil is derived from leaves, due to its musky aroma and ability to ground mental energy I had been convinced that it came from roots.

The perennial is native to Asia where the leaves were placed with fabric as an insect repellent with the added benefit of scent. The essential oil is is distilled from the scalded, dried leaves of Pogostemon cablin. Viscous and amber in color the aroma has a rich fragrance, sweet herbal notes weaved with wood, spice, musk and earth. The essence "ages" spectacularly, softening edges and revealing deep balsamic, floral notes.

In aromatherapy as well as natural botanical perfume patchouli is an important essence to have in an aromatic palette. For aromatherapy work the essential oil works on several systems of the body, most importantly offering considerable value for psychological balancing. As our culture has moved into cyber space and places huge worth on mental performance patchouli brings us back to elemental earth, to the here and now. The fragrance not only grounds us but also uplifts and arouses our creative energies.



Although patchouli was part of the Asian pharmacopoeia (defined as a book of medicinal preparations) the distilled herb did not enter into the west until the mid 1800's. In perfume work, the essence is particularly important to the genre of spicy oriental formulas. The aroma of patchouli provides a valuable affect on other floral essences within a composition and excellent fixative properties.

The natural perfumer is fortunate to now have a variety of patchouli essences to work with. In addition to numerous varieties of the essential oil, we now also have an absolute, a C02 extract and beautiful vintage bouquets featuring a floral note.

Now, just about fifteen years since I was introduced to patchouli, I use the essential oil almost daily in my face oil and under my arms as a deodorant. This vital plant distillate has become a staple in my beauty routine and perfumers palette. I've also come to realize, during custom perfume consultations, that if an individual experiences the aroma without "knowing" what it is, they are more apt to not have objections. This is especially true of the aged essential oil.

Patchouli is one of the many earthy elemental essences that were utilized for constructing the natural perfume Terrestre. The journey began with the construction of a "dirt" accord for a client requesting a custom perfume. The accord was further developed during the three hours between the East and West coast of Earth hour with the perfume finally released on Earth day. The word Terrestre is French for "of the Earth".



Elemental Earth is the home of our connection to the here & now. It is related to the base chakra, the place of manifestation, control & restraint and grounded in experience. Home of the Male, strength and ability to create magic. The spirit medicine of Snake dwells here with the ability to move swiftly, above and below the ground, to shed what no longer serves and be born anew. The lesson of earth requires us to let go and break free of constraints and the compulsion to control. We are asked to be present here within our bodies, feeling our feet upon the ground.

Three hundred sixty five days have brought us back to the day we celebrate Mother Earth. What have the two legged humans learned in that space of time? Have we deepened our awareness of our selves and this planet on which we dwell, or do we still wander in darkness?

Remember, always, the debt we owe to the Earth. Without her we have no home to dwell upon, whether that is the ground beneath us or the physical body that houses our spirit.

Elemental Water: Green Witch

On Monday, March 21st the great seasonal wheel marked the Vernal Equinox for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. The Vernal or Spring Equinox also called Ostara and/or Mean Earraigh is a transition point as we move from the darker half of the year into the light.


The solid perfume of Green Witch was launched in harmony with the day the liquid was introduced exactly one year prior. Green Witch is an ode to the sea, the sacred watery depths where Tethys the aquatic sea goddess dwells. The orchestration of the solid formula follows the exact blueprint of the liquid, the only difference in raw materials is a base of pure, unfiltered beeswax and jojoba seed oil instead of organic grain alcohol. Rather than tinctures of plant matter, I have created infusions of seaweed and hawthorn boughs and flowers.

Read a few testimonials and comments from happy customers by following this link here at the journal.


Green Witch is inspired by the novel of the same name written by Susan Cooper. In the book the women of the community gather together to build the Green Witch as an offering to the great Oceanic deity, Tethys. Today three other woman gather with me to introduce the new solid format of Green Witch and offer sample draws along with their impressions of the fragrance. Please find links at the end of this post.

“Hazel for the framework, Rowan for the Head,
The body is of Hawthorne boughs and Hawthorne blossoms.”
~ Susan Cooper

Although the raw materials of the both versions of the fragrance are almost exact the base of beeswax and jojoba change the aromatic quality of the perfume. The result is a warm, creamy Green Witch with softer, honeyed edges. On my skin the Neroli becomes one of the main notes gently balanced by all the other elementals including flowers, woods and resins with notes of fern and the sea. For more on the orchestration please follow this link to a post that goes into more detail.


The illumination that corresponds with this natural perfume has been created digitally by Greg Spalenka. For those of you wishing for a full sensorial affect Greg is offering a limited edition of the image at his E-shop.


The other ladies participating are:

Beth at The Windesphere Witch
Donna at Perfume Smellin' Things
and
Trish at Scent Hive

Each of us will offer one small sample of the solid perfume. In keeping with the GREEN aspect of this perfume, to enter the draw please share in your comment some thoughts about the preserving the environment and/or your favorite eco tip. This giveaway opportunity ends at 10pm PST on Sunday, April 18th

You must include your first name -or- etsy username AND email address with each entry or it will not be included.

For additional entries you can do any or all of the following, please leave a separate comment for each entry.

• 1 entry per day of the contest: Twitter this message: RT @RoxanaVilla is hosting a giveaway of GreenWitch! Visit http://bit.ly/ehkAoM for a chance to win
• 2 entries (total) - Blog about this giveaway, leaving the URL to the post in comments (1 blog per entrant, please)
• 1 entry: Be or become a follower at RoxanaVilla on Twitter
• 1 entry: Be or become a fan of IlluminatedPerfume on Facebook
• 1 entry: Be or become a follower of this journal: IlluminatedPerfume

More fine print, learned along the way
1. If we cannot contact you we will give your prize away to someone else.
2. Entries are organized and submitted into the "randomizer" for a winner.
3. Please don't make up any new guidelines, what is outlined above is what we follow.

Good Luck everyone!!

Perfume Illuminated: Earth

"The poetry of the earth is never dead."
~ John Keats

Fertile Earth, where we dwell and plant our seeds, is the topic of this installment of Perfume Illuminated. 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. For example if you ever visit Puerto Iguazú in the province of Misiones, Argentina you will notice that the earth there has an intense orange red cast to it. This is due to the decomposition of iron-rich rocks.

Earth is one of the four classic elements in Greek philosophy and one of the four basic elements in Alchemy. The most used symbol to denote elemental earth is the quartered circle. The alchemical symbol 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. The spirit medicine of Snake dwells here with the ability to move swiftly, above and below the ground, to shed what no longer serves and be born anew. Read more about elemental earth here at the journal by following this link and here for the real dirt.

Aligned with the energetics of this post today I choose to cut my hair. It was a bold decision on my part which required a great amount of courage and leap of faith into the recreation of myself.

"Shall I not have intelligence with the earth?
Am I not partly leaves and vegetable mould myself."
~ Henry David Thoreau

FRAGRANCE

The notes in perfume with the strongest fixation, least volatile, are those classified as basenotes. These dark, viscous raw materials are the foundation of a well structured botanical perfume, without them the fragrance would be fleeting and have little depth.

Within our palette of magnificent essences those most often characterized as "earthy" reside in the base note domain. The aromatic profile of these fragrances is dank and musky with a vegetative element. Some of these include Vetiver, Patchouli and Oud. Depending how you perceive Earthy others in this group might include: Hay, Labdanum, Angelica Root, Oakmoss and Galbanum.


For an Earth perfume, how about beginning with a bit of earth—literally! At the Whole Child, Whole Parent Expo a few years back one of the attending biodynamic farmers gave me a packet of biodynamic earth. I decided to tincture this material to use in the future edition of Terrestre as a liquid. A very dirty tincture to be sure. Since salt is associated with earth in alchemy I will be adding a bit to the pure fume.

An earth accord can be made simply by combining any of the ingredients listed above. Before you begin consider going out and sitting on the Earth. Close your eyes and experience the ground quality of Earth, how she supports and feeds you. FEEL yourself on the earth, let going of the mind and come into your body. From this place of the here and now begin considering which notes to use. Consider including mushroom absolute and essences from roots since these firmly contain a strong imprint of the earth.

FLAVOR: Beth Schreibman Gehring

Aren't you curious how Earth manifests itself as a food flavoring? I sure am! Meet me at Beth's table to sample a bit of epicurean Earth at the Windesphere Witch blog

Images:
Opening painting: Earth Mother by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, 1882
Other images created using old engravings by Roxana Villa

Elemental Earth

While we here in the City of Angels are experiencing force of the Water elementals, on our little patch of hillside elemental of Earth is also quite dominant. Living in the wooded hills seems to have its series of challenges with drainage and oak tree issues. The drainage troubles are compounded by neighbors.

Sigh...so while part of the hillside continues to move its way into our driveway and our new neighbors above us ignore the challenge, I'm contemplating elemental Earth.

Earth element provides stability and a sense of knowing where you stand, literally. Grounding, fertile and abundant she offers herself to us unselfishly. The flip side is that we must not get too comfortable for you might turn into stone, become rigid, large and lethargic. If the negative side takes hold then there is always an earthquake or mudslide to bring you back down to Earth. Ha!

While we were in Ecuador this summer teaching we heard stories about the several of the volcanos in the region. In fact, when we drove to the Amazon through Banos I read in the tour book how this region is often closed due to the activity of the volcano. Well, a couple days ago our friend and host in Ecuador, Eduardo, sent me this picture of the volcano in Banos. She seems to be active again, gulp.


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. The spirit medicine of Snake dwells here with the ability to move swiftly, above and below the ground, to shed what no longer serves and be born anew.


In natural perfume we have many different botanical essences that are considered earth. The ones that come to mind immediately are Patchouli and Vetiver. Where Patchouli contains more of a musky note Vetiver gets down and dirty with dark and damp qualities. The aromatic qualities of both of these essences will vary dependent on where they are from and the extraction methods utilized.


Yesterday I noticed that I was almost out of Terrestre solid perfume, thus I made more. The earthy aroma instantly grounded me. This perfume was created during Earth hour and released on Earth day. Terrestre, French for "of the Earth" contains over ten different essences including:
Labdanum, Cedar, Precious Oud, Vetiver, Patchouli, Indian Rose and Bergamot.

Read more about the creations and formulation about Terrestre natural perfume, Earth element and related essences this link to the original post.

Opening image ©Greg Spalenka titled Fountainhead, prints available at his website.

The Circle: Advent Garden Perfume

Sunday night, just before dinner, we lit the first candle of our Advent wreath. This tradition began while my daughter Eve was in the kindergarden of the Waldorf school she attends. Although I am not a "religious" person I do consider myself a spiritual being and adore some of the rituals of the holiday season.

I have a several pages of xerox copies given to me by one of Eve's kindy teachers with various activities associated with Advent. I will be posting some of these here as we spiral our way toward the light. For this post however, I have typed out the verse we say each night as we light the candle of our Advent garden and added a little extra fragrance fun to each. Like the four elements and the four directions there are four weeks of Advent. Since each week is devoted to a special kingdom I have listed essences and materials that relate to each. One could create a perfume or accord/chord for each week and then put them all together on Christmas day as a final perfume.

The first light of advent, it is the light of stones. 

Stones that live in crystals, seashells and in bones.

The first week of Advent recognizes the mineral kingdom. The essence in the palette of the botanical perfume artist that most relates here is Choya, distilled seashells. Choya is a very strong base note with a distinct "burnt" aroma. Use it mindfully for it can overtake your blend. An alternative would be to tincture or infuse rocks, seashells and bones.

The second light of advent, it is the light of plants, 

Plants that reach up to the sun and in the breezes dance.

 The second week of Advent recognizes the plant kingdom. Of the four, this is the most abundant field for botanical perfumers since the majority of our palette comes from actual plants. (I couldn't help myself and used a beet to illustrate the plant kingdom. Cheers to Pan!)

The third light of advent, it is the light of beasts, 

The light of hope that we may see in greatest and in least.

The third week of Advent focuses our attention on the animal kingdom. Animal ingredients in perfume is a very controversial topic. There are some materials that are used in natural perfume that are directly derived from animals such as Ambergris, Civet, Castoreum, Musk and Skunk. I do not use those, although I do have some ethically harvested Ambergris and some Skunk. Then there are some ingredients that are considered animal by some and not by others those are: Beeswax absolute, Honey absolute, South African Hyrax, Seaweed and even Choya mentioned above. Then there are those botanicals that have a distinctive animal element to their aroma such as Patchouli, Labdanum and Black Currant. For my own botanical perfumes I've constructed veggie accords/chords as an alternative to the animal ingredients.

The forth light of advent, it is the light of man, 

The light of hope, the light of love to give and understand.

The fourth week of Advent brings us to the domain of the humans. Ah, well, generally human ingredients are not used in perfumery. I did read Chandler Burr once mention the French use of baby poop. Probably the most famous fictional use is by the character Jean-Baptiste Grenouille in the German novel Das Parfum. 

For the human element there are a few possibilities that come to my mind such as a tincture or infusion, perhaps of a lock of your hair. Another approach with this one is to focus on the second stanza: The light of hope, the light of love to give and understand. Immediately I think of Frankincense, not only because of its aromatherapeutic affects but also that the ingredient looks like congealed light.

I hope you have enjoyed this little walk through our Advent Garden with some ideas on anchoring the journey with a scent. This is just one approach, I can think of many others as I am sure you can as well.

Cheers to the journey, thank you for being part of mine.

Images: ADVENTure blogging banner by Roxana Villa, other images are old engravings which I have modified using photoshop.

 

Cotopaxi

On the tenth day of our visit in Ecuador our host Eduardo and his friend Daniel took us to the Hacienda St. Agustin just under the looming presences of the volcano Cotopaxi. We took so many photos on this day that I am going to publish this excursion in a few parts. Like many of our excursions in Ecuador the directions our drivers had were not the kind of directions we, as Americans with Mapquest, are use to. The trend was to ask a pedestrian or a service station attendant for help if the going got tough. (Which it usually did.) The trip to the hacienda was one such trip, complicated by the fact that everyone seemed to have rather vague and somewhat conflicting directions. We finally did arrive at the Hacienda, via a very bumpy road off the main highway. We all gleefully piled out of the car to crisp, fresh mountain air. I was immediately transported to my childhood trips snow skiing in the Andes. Indeed, here we were in the Andes, albeit a different area within the vast, continuous range that extends into seven countries within South America.

 

Rising 19,347 ft above sea level, Cotopaxi is one of the highest active volcanoes in the world. The volcano was featured in a painting by American Artist Federic Edwin Church. (Pictured below)

 

The Heart of the Andes, (above) painted by Church in 1859, currently hangs at the Tenth Street Studio of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Here is a paragraph from Wikipedia describing the unveiling of the painting:

"Church unveiled the painting to an astonished public in New York City in 1859. The painting's frame had drawn curtains fitted to it, creating the illusion of a view out a window. The audience sat on benches to view the piece and Church strategically darkened the room, but spotlighted the landscape painting. Church also brought plants from a past trip to South America to heighten the viewers' experience. The public were charged admission and provided with opera glasses to examine the painting's details. The work was an instant success. Church eventually sold it for $10,000, at that time the highest price ever paid for a work by a living American artist."

Regrettably, during our visit in the Quito region, Cotopaxi was veiled by clouds whenever we had our cameras ready to photograph the massive giant.

 

All photographs are ©Villa-Spalenka. Paintings by Federic Edwin Church are in the public domain.

Seeds of Manifestation

" We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors,
we borrow it from our children."
~ Native American Proverb

Happy Earth Day! What seeds of manifestation are you planting today? Make sure to water those little embyros with lots nourishing thoughts. We can take the lead by following Mother Nature, by emulating her ways. Most seedlings require the elemental forces to manifest themselves, take the mighty oak for example. The acorns fall to the ground and first needs the assistance of a squirrel to come on over and give it a nibble. The squirrel takes a few bites and then spits the acorn out because it tastes something bitter. He plants the seed to return later when he's REALLY hungry and the bitter taste won't matter so much. That bite is exactly what the acorn needs to begin it's journey, by the squirrel burying the seed in the ground, this furthers the process. Then we have step three: rain, water element. Slowly the acorn germinates and sprouts sending roots down into the earth and shoots up towards the heavens. In about fifty years that little acorn will turn into a great tree providing shade, homes to many creatures and yet more acorns.

Early this morning while the air was still slightly chilled, I watered my little native plants. One day they will cover our rather barren slope and manifest into a beautiful and inspiring native landscape. The garden will require little to no water, foster biodiversity, provide food to song birds and homes to a few native creatures.


Perfume of the day is a toss up between Rosa, dedicated to the California native rose and Earth Day Solid. Hmmm, perhaps layering these, yea that's it!

What are you planting today for the future of Earth?

The Scent of the Earth

On March 28th, as Earth Hour began on the East Coast, I began an "Earth Hour" accord for an "Earth Day" perfume here on the West Coast. Knowing that I only had a three hour window until all the electricity was to be switched off, I configured and formulated an earthy, dirty accord. According to the Earth Hour website hundreds of millions of people in over 4,000 cities and towns in 88 countries voted Earth by participating in this event. All that intention for the Earth, along with mine, is bottled up in this new solid perfume.

Notes considered "earthy" according to An Introduction to Perfumery by Tony Curtis and David G. Williams, are those of sunbaked earth after the rain (Mitti Attar), freshly turned over soil, and woody-vegetative notes.

Everyone will have there own olfactory experience of "earthy"...this domain seems to rich far and wide. After all there is the flowering of the earth as we experience in the Spring which will have more floral and green notes than the the sunbaked earth of the desert or the very vegetative and indolic earth of the tropics.

Notes that I tend to classify as having an earth quality are:

• Mitti Attar: This is an essence that comes to us via India. It begins as earth just after the first monsoon rain, collected and formed into patties, sunbaked in the sun and then co-distilled into Sandalwood. The aroma is not necessarily earthy, however, it is literally distilled earth and thus is placed into this catagory.

• Vetiver: A very thick and resinous material that comes to us from the roots of a tropical grass. Based upon the aroma one would never suspect that the source is roots of grass. The fragrance is deep, heavy , sometimes slightly sweet with a vegetative quality. Depending where the essence comes from the aroma will have a variety of odor qualities. While studying aromatherapy I use to wear this as a single note perfume, one of my friends once commented that I smelled like a camp fire.
  

• Patchouli: Dominant notes of Wood and Herbaceous/Camphoraceous with a back note of Green/Vegetal and a subsidiary note of Spice. Other earthy notes include: Mushroom absolutes, sometimes called Cepes, Lovage, Myrrh, Spikenard, Oakmoss, just to name a few.

In aromatherapy essential oils that are grounding and facilitate bringing one into the NOW with feet firmly planted on the earth are Vetiver and Patchouli.

My interpretation of Earth for this fragrance contains over ten different essences including:
Labdanum, Cedar, Precious Oud, Vetiver, Patchouli, Indian Rose and Bergamot.

The aroma is more along the realm of parched desert earth with a tad of sweetness and green. There is a progression which (on my skin) moves from dry and woody to sweet, green floral and a soft, woody, amber dry down. Off course this will vary on each individual as the solid mingles with the ultimate base note...your skin. Let me know how the scent progresses on your skin.

For a limited time I am offering FREE mini samples of the Earth Day perfume with any orders made on my website or my shop on Etsy. You may also choose this perfume in the solid trio and five pack solid sets.

I need a REAL name...so I thought we would conduct a game here on the blog where the individual providing the BEST name wins a full size version of the fragrance. Stay tuned for details on the upcoming name game.

Image above is by the luminous Gregory Scott Spalenka, ©Greg Spalenka.

Prosperity Accord

Continuing on from yesterdays post on weaving magic into botanical perfume formulation I will share some of the methodology utilized in the magical accord within the Sierra solid perfume. To read the initial post on the Sierra solid perfume from November 8th click here.

I began by looking at the planetary associations and influences with prosperity. I choose:

SUN = PROSPERITY
EARTH = MANIFESTATION

Then I looked at numerical associations. In researching numbers I decided on 4 since it is associated with the Earth. I choose to infuse four materials in oil that I would leave in the SUN for four days and bury in the EARTH for four nights. Alternating between the SUN and EARTH to impregnate the energetic’s of both into the raw material with a blueprint of SUN and EARTH. I began the infusions on SUNday.

Next I looked at plant materials associated with the SUN and EARTH. I made a list of what I discovered:

SUN

• Amber
• Benzoin
• Broom
• Calendula
• Everlasting
• Frankincense
• Labdanum
• Saffron
• The Red Tincture: Ceonathus Root, also called Red Root

EARTH

• Mushrooms
• Patchouli
• Sage
• Spruce
• Vetiver

Somewhere I had read that Tonka Bean is associated with prosperity, so I included Tonka Bean on my list. At another source I read that Vervain is used to make dreams come true, so I added it. I also included Myrrh because of the association with the gifts of Frankincense and Myrrh to the Christ. I added Champa for its warm SUN-like quality. Oakmoss was on the list, however, I did not have it diluted in oil, so I did not use it. Black Musk smells extremely EARTHY to me so I added it as well.

My four tinctures, begun on SUNday, over a period of four days in the SUN and four nights in the EARTH, I used the following materials:

• Benzoin: SUN
• Tonka Bean: Jupiter is the planet of fortune
• Onycha: Elemental water for flow
• Red Root: This was my substitution for the “Red Tincture” listed for the SUN. I liked that it was from a native plant and a root, roots are associated with EARTH.

During the formulation I found the synergy got a little overly EARTH smelling, which I choose to correct so that there would be an equinox of Earth and Sun.

I add a drop of this accord when creating the Sierra Solid Perfume. My suggestion is to anoint yourself with the perfume while envisioning what prosperity means for you. Consider beginning with gratitude, I have been told that one of the paths to prosperity is gratitude.

Special thank you to Harry of Alchemy Works for his input on the formula and very useful website.

Roxana Illuminated Perfume™
E-Shop where you can find Sierra Solid Gold in a few sizes.




Opening image: Expand Your Vision ©Greg Spalenka

Rosa Perfume

"Truth and Roses have thorns about them."

~ Henry David Thoreau

The fifth perfume in our series celebrating the aromatic landscape of the State of California is Rosa. Inspiration for this fragrance came when my friend Meghan took me over to the Theodore Payne Foundation and introduced me to the native rose of California. Up until that moment I had no idea that there existed a native rose. The botanical name for this wild rose is Rosa californica, a five petaled deciduous shrub important to local wildlife.

In the book Introduction to California Chaparral the authors write "As a group species of chaparral roses are tough, resilient, woody survivors of an ancient vegetation that covered much of the western United States millions of years ago." (page 81) I have also been told that the upright, straight stems were used by the Native Americans for their arrows.

Shortly after the Fragrant Alchemist workshop here in Los Angeles I began creating accords. The first two accords I formulated were a wood and a rose. The wood accord was utilized in the perfume devoted to the native oak, "Q". Where as the rose accord was admired by many as a perfume on its own, but took several years before it found a home in this new fragrance. The accord features two of the main notes found in a complex pure rose, such as geraniol (Rose geranium) and citronellol (Citronella). To the accord I added a very fresh Rose otto from Turkey and a deep, resonant Rose bourbonica absolute from India.

Interesting bits and the Rose otto and Rose bourbonia

This Rose otto comes from a family owned farm in the agricultural and rose district of Isparta, Turkey. The family is very conscious of caring for their plants to produce the best product available. Harvesting of the delicate blooms begins in May continuing on through June and July depending on the climate and yield of bloom.
The Rosa damascena plants can live for up to 40 years, are approximately 3 1/2 feet high and pruned every year. Each charge of a still is packed with approx 500 kilos of roses. 1500 kilos of water yields approx 3.3 ounces of rose otto. The rose water byproduct of the distillation is re-distilled (cohobation) and the resulting rose essential oil from that is combined with the rose oil from the initial distillation to create the recognizable rose otto which is sold.

According to David Crow:

"Rosa bourbonica, also known as "Edward rose", is organically cultivated outside the holy city of Pushkar, beneath the mountaintop temple of the goddess Savitri. The flowers are freshly distilled in the fields in traditional alchemical vessels over low heat, giving the oil an extraordinarily high content of Damascenone molecules, which give roses their fragrance."

The perfume Rosa also contains a Leather accord, Vetiver and woods including the treasured Agarwood. The top notes are primarily from the essences that provide a citrus components.
There were many versions of this fragrance, the one I expected to release was just a bit over the top on the earth aspect. I might incorporate aspects of it into the solid incarnation of Rosa.

Rosa is an earthy, warm, woodsy rose that develops into a rich rosey bouquet over time. It literally blossoms on the skin of the wearer.

The fossil records for roses go back into ancient time, perhaps 35 to 40 million years ago. Looking back into history we have all parts of the rose (petal, leaf, fruit and root) being utilized in medicine, ritual, literature and scent applications.

Symbolically we see the rose associated with the love, beauty, the heart, and joy. The aromatherapeutics of a pure essential oil of rose contain the same attributes and more, including anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, astringent and cell regenerative. This is where one can see the value of perfumes made with pure essential oils. Keep in mind that the cost per drop of a true Rose essential oil can run between $2 and $4!

As I mentioned above this is the fifth perfume in the Californica series and Rosa californica has five petals. The fifth element, in the film by the same name, is love often symbolized by the rose.

During the mummification process in ancient Egyptian culture the major organs in the human body were removed. The organ that was valued the most was the heart, for they believed that a humans mind was in the heart. The brain was the least respected organ and was tossed aside. As science now proves that indeed there is brain matter in the heart, I encourage you to dive deep into your own heart center for answers to important questions.

A quarter ounce bottle of Rosa arrives in a glass flacon contained in a hand crocheted pouch. It is not yet on our website, if interested please send us an e-mail. We are happy to include Rosa as a sample in our trio sampler pack, 1 full gram of this perfume is $30.00 and the 1/4 oz bottle retails for $300.00.

Roxana Illuminated Perfume™
Theodore Payne Foundation

Images: Art Heart detail and Rosa illustration by Greg Spalenka: www.spalenka.com, Old rose engraving on parchment by Roxana Villa, hand crochet pouches are designed by Roxana and Martha Villa and created with love by Martha.