Water ballet

Last week I visited Amsterdam….my first time, a friend had set up (she a spa journalist), a trip to the newly built Conservatorium Hotel – a vast space of Harry Potter like proportions, the older building created an imposing Gothic outer casing for an uber modern interior. We were there to experience the spa, a cool minimalistic space bathed in ambient  washes of light and music.

My friend chose a diamond facial (crystals and chakras and key theme of the spa) I chose a Watsu treatment (a water based Shiatsu treatment). I stepped into the deliciously warm private pool and was greeted by Marisa…my therapist, a gently authoritative soul, someone you could easily trust and completely surrender to…. something this treatment requires.

I was already there, champing at the bit, straining to release any and all control and place myself in somebodies safe hands. The warmth of the water felt good and inviting, the soft purr of her voice explained the sequence of events about to unfold and what my part in it was. The treatment is a combination of flowing stretches and gently applied Shiatsu, a water ballet, conducted ethereally and deftly by Marisa.

I swirled in a gentle vortex of lapping water cocooned and supported in the arms of my therapist, pushing and pulling my body into deep stretches, my body arced then straightened  in a liquid, timeless sequence of mellifluous fluidity… before i knew it my legs were gently being lowered to the ground, till finally I was standing, gently I opened my eyes and I was back…where did 75 minutes go?

Fragrant musings

As a perfumer I always find it exciting when I discover a new material; as an aromatherapist I am ecstatic when I get to grasp the psychological depths of the materials.The power of essential oils for me is their complex ability to effect on multiple levels, physically, psychologically and spiritually and for me these oils are the personification of what I see as a truly alchemical process.

It embodies a multi-dimensional ability to soothe and heal the dense physical matter of our beings, whilst simultaneously activating an internal journey evoking an unfolding of hidden tucked away traumas and feelings. The most powerful aspect of this aromatic alchemy is the potential for change, an elusive alchemical transition occurs and relates to the soul of an individual, their essence, a connection that becomes buried under layers of emotional static is released and transcends it’s bonds.

It was this that first captured my imagination. When working in the Arcier clinic, one of my patients a very tightly sprung lady of the aristocrat ilk, suffering from empty nesting syndrome, her raison d’etre had disappeared and with it her… Identity.

I had been working for sometime to break down the barriers of control and etiquette, we had begun to communicate on a less formal level – on this day she had no sense of a horizon, she had lost her connection to her inner compass, her validation undefined. I watched helplessly as she descended into a deep depression, (I had only been fully trained for two years) and whilst I seemed to have a natural empathy and gift for drawing that which was hidden, I was at a loss.

I ran up the stairs to Mme Arcier’s office and explained the presenting symptoms. After a few minutes of reflection, the apprentice received a piece of mystical instruction; to take pure oil of myrrh and apply to the base of her back just above her coccyx, she mumbled something about the moon?? (the enigmatic instruction amplified by the superior tinge of her French accent).  I strained to understand the full symbolism of this emergency application. Oh yes, I was to cup my hand of her back, at the point of the sacral chakra.

Like some kind magic spell, the effect was instantaneous; her tears spilled out profusely, as if all the feelings held in for all her life found expression, from a depth never before exposed.

Her healing from this point was swift; as before my eyes a new person cautiously revealed their essence, their passion for life revitalized (I must add that Madam supported this transformation with esoteric counsel), while I created the cradle for this transformation with treatment and oils under her instruction.

For years I obsessively researched (working for Mme Arcier was enigmatic and very secretive) to understand exactly what myrrh was?This ancient oil dating back to the time of the pharaohs and beyond – I began to understand that it was like the Moon and embodied the feminine energy the opposite of it’s partner Frankincense, which was the Sun and engendered the masculine force, expansive and warming, comforting and protective, while myrrh released what was hidden, buried and dark, the Yin and frankincense the Yang.

At the alchemical level Myrrh reveals secrets, repressed karmic shame and impotence, whilst Frankincense evokes a release and expansion that facilitates the healing of the emerging realisations and offers a sense of protection and purification.

I will always remember this day as it prompted an exploration of essential oils and their energetic alchemy, and Madam Archer’s inscrutable approach to teaching…. A life long exploration, fascination and understanding of the energy alchemy of the body, which has added a unique dimension to both the treatments I develop and complexity of the formulas I make.

It is impossible to define precisely what the soul is. Definition is an intellectual enterprise anyway: the soul prefers to imagine. We know intuitively that soul has to do with genuineness and depth… Soul is revealed in attachment, love, and community, as well as in retreat on behalf of inner communing and intimacy.
- Thomas Moore

Easter Blessings

Happy Easter!  For the first time in a long time that greeting has more potency to me. The annual ritual of  piles of Easter eggs has become the focus of many, a time with family, for others a much needed weekend break. What does Easter mean to me? Well to be quite honest I’ve felt a little lost for many years. Being brought up a Catholic this was such an important festival in our religious calender.

Being born in India with a convent school upbringing ( four generations of Anglo Indian Catholics yikes!!) a deep impression was made. The saddness of Good Friday (it seems flippant to be too celebratory), as Catholics we fasted till 3 pm as a sign of respect and then our meal was symbolically Fish curry and Dal and Rice ( simple modest fare) in sharp contrast the elation and celebration of rebirth on Easter Sunday.

Easter was an extraordinary series of evocative ritual events starting with lent and culminating with Easter Sunday a time to put on your new hat and  your Sunday best (I was only  5 at the time but a short walk through the market, a glass of ice cool lassi and then home to a sumptuous meal prepared by the cook) but these rituals solidified in the church by the powerful Latin Mass and music (something I loved to steal away and listen too even when I was in my junior school in England).

So why all this reminiscence?  I guess I needed some deeper meaning at this time. I have not practiced for more than 30 years; my path has taken a more universally spiritual direction (much to my Grandmother’s chagrin), but this early immersion in faith created the foundations for my spiritual curiosity and life codes (not dogmatic as the former but fluid and spacious).

The ritual of prayer or meditating are a fundamental part of life for me , reflection and silence is such a powerful practice. Sitting in churches filled with the intoxicating and billowing scented smoke of incense (per fume meaning to smoke) has continued to be a lasting ritual in my home, as have the burning of candles.

The lead up to Easter this year has been so intense; so many people I know faced with complex and difficult challenges,grief and loss. One my friends and fellow perfumer Alec Lawless’s sad passing a few days ago, it was so sudden it made me feel the preciousness of life in an instant. Old lingering tests and pain still clinging, asking each of us in turn to transcend and detach, to understand and transform adversity. I think this is what Easter truly is symbolically, a triumph over adversity, a casting off of material addictions and the beliefs invisibly binding us to illusory realities and it’s needs.

I have tried my best to hold and lend support, with prayers, sending healing and making up healing oils. In the midst of all of this I was faced my own challenge, immobilisation…. arrgh!  I broke my ankle (a divine intervention) it made me STOP ….. and reflect, become aware of the greater plan afoot (ha ha) pardon the pun.

With so much global strife I think transcending pain and suffering more important than ever before (and symbolically that is what this time is all about),  the egg a powerful symbol of rebirth, not the salted caramel, raspberry ripples creation that costs £26  -

Today I open the March issue of Elle Decoration and Michelle Ogundehin (the editor-in-chief) her letter was titled Divine inspiration – she shared a poem by Mother Theresa as a blueprint for living a fulfilling life. It really doesn’t matter if you believe in God, the universe or what whatever  language you use to express that which is beyond explanation and actually it doesn’t really matter.

Our lives are so dictated by external values and it’s becoming harder and more difficult to manage, sometimes we can resort to blame or just try to escape or forget to take responsibility. As a premier Lifestyle magazine, immersed in iconic images I felt inspired to see this on the front page, somehow there seems to be a measure of a deeper vision emerging, so I thought I would share the same poem with you.

Divine Inspiration

People are often unreasonable,illogical and self centred; Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind people may accuse you of selfish,ulterior motives;Be kind anyway.

If you are successful,you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone may destroy overnight;Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,people will often forget tomorrow;do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; give the world your best anyway.

You see,in the final analysis, it’s between you and God: It was never between you and them anyway.

Mother Theresa

Easter Blessings and transcendance

Mmmm…mimosa

French Mimosa blooms in winter, synchronistically in accord with the flowering cycle of its indigenous Australian ancestor. The southern winter hills of Grasse are graced with the exquisite sight of entire forests enveloped in blossoms at the start of every year, lusciously fragrant with the smell of honey. Glorious pom pom’s (multitude’s of tiny flowerets create one head) of yellow gold adorn this attractive, small tree with a greyish brown bark, delicate foliage.

Extracting the essence

There are so many methods of essential oil extraction, nowadays the most used is steam distillation. Essential oils are extracted from many different plant sources this includes roots (Vetiver & Jamarosa root), barks (cinnamon), exudation of resin (Frankincense & Myrrh), flowers such as (Jasmine & rose) leaves (Geranium & lavender) Grass (Flouve & Lemongrass), herbs (Rosemary & basil) and Pine from the needles.

Aroma can vary massively, dependent on climate, location, and altitude. I have noticed for example the difference between a New Zealand and French lavender, each aroma profile subtly different, one softer, sweeter, less antiseptic. This can be further subdivided into high and low attitude, high altitude for me is much finer and fresher, often taking on the energetic personality of the soil and country it has been cultivated in.

Prices of oils can vary hugely, depending on materials being used, when you consider that it takes roughly 12,000 Rose petals to produce 5 ml of Rose. However with lavender it can take 100 kilos of leaves to produce 3 litres of Lavender. As a result Rose is one of the most expensive perfume and aromatherapy  materials and is roughly 24 times more expensive than Lavender. Again dependent on the type of Rose and rarity we find another division that varies from £5500 per kilo to £8800 per kilo, luckily rose is tenacious and does not require liberal dosing to showcase it’s heavenly aroma…definitely a case of less is more.

In some cases other factors influence the alchemical equation; the length of cultivation and conditions are very important and influence the quality. Jasmine flowers for instance must be picked by hand at dawn on the very first day they open, whilst a Sandalwood tree has to at least 30 years old and a height of 30 feet before it is ready to produce an oil of the highest quality. In Vanuatu, an island situated near New Caledonia it has become part of the community pension plan;  each household receiving a tree to grow and mature.

There are several methods of extraction theses included: Distillation, Enfleurage, Expression, Maceration and solvent extraction.

Distillation

This is by far the most popular method for essential oil extraction and is mostly used for leaves, flowers, seeds, roots, and stems. Historically this technique can be traced back to the 8^th century where the Arabs used stills. Evolution has produced many diverse methods; one that is highly favoured is a low-pressure still which is credited with producing some of the best quality aromatherapy oils.

Expression

Used especially in the extraction of essential oils of citrus fruits such as Yuzu, Bergamot, Sweet Orange and Lemon and are extracted from their fruits. A very simple method that uses a machine that operates by producing a centrifugal force that squeezes the rind in turn producing the essential oil.

Enfleurage

Enfleurage is another ancient method of extraction, which uses a fixed oil; this could be a vegetable oil, animal fat, or lard. The fixed oil is spread over a sheet of glass, mounted on a wooden frame and the raw materials place on top these are normally flower petals. Several of these are then stacked on top of each other and then placed in the sun until the fixed oil is saturated with the essential oil.

The material is then dissolved in alcohol that is then evaporated from the essential oil. It is a method mainly used for delicate flowers such as Jasmine, Neroli, Rose, and Violet. Enfleurage is a rare expensive method of collection and is reflected in the cost of these materials, when complete the material is called an ‘absolute’ rather than ‘essential oil’.

Maceration

Very similar to enfleurage, maceration differs only in that the fixed oil is heated up to facilitate the release of the essential oil.

Solvent extraction

Solvent extraction this is another extraction method used to extract essential oils from  delicate flowers such as Mimosa, Rose and Jasmine. It uses volatile solvents such as petroleum ether; flower petals are placed on perforated metal trays and sprayed with the solvent that is absorbed by the flowers and which makes them release their essences. Alcohol is then added to extract the essence.

These are also called ‘absolutes’ but are a slightly less expensive essential oil extraction method than enfleurage. This is not for me one of my chosen methods as the solvents are harsh and originate from the petrochemical industry.

I like to seek out the purest ematerial for use in my products, Co2 extracted, wild crafted or organic, I always hope that they are grown and handled with care and respect. Being energetic material I have no doubt that they have the ability to take on imprints, not always good. I always spend time clearing the oils of harmful energies and imprints before I begin any blend and charge and activate their elemental blueprint. Eccentric you may say but people have always fedback that my products have an extra something…I’m happy with that.

“Kind hearts are the garden,
kind thoughts are the roots,
kind words are the blossoms,
kind deeds are the fruit.”…John Ruskin

Winter chill

The season of winter is a time to retreat and to reflect this helps to restore energy. This is the season where we direct our energies inward and consolidate it.Winter is the season of rest, reflection, and restoration. We do need to “hibernate”.

The cold, dry, bleakness of winter can make you tired. Not just physically, but on every level. Are you mind-tired, body-tired, or spiritually tired, maybe all three? We’re not always aware of mental-emotional fatigue. Even when we catch up on sleep and rest we don’t always bounce back. This could mean that we need to rest our minds, often inner depletion can make the mind over active and pensive. This lack of physical, emotional and mental vitality can effect our spirit, our source of inspiration.

Winter is the opportunity to build up resources and conserve energy. This conservation helps to develop internal stability, which then helps us to harness the vital energy of spring, and the power of summer’s heat. In these cycles of natures, winter represents a period of fallow and surrender, a time to consolidate and replenish before re-awakening, hibernation is not so strange? why then do we perpetually resist these natural impulses and push ourselves to the limit?

The Winter Solstice, means “standing-still-sun”, it is the moment in the yearly cycle when our hemisphere is leaning farthest away from the Sun. Daylight is shortest. The sun is in his lowest arc in the sky. And just like that, at solstice, the earth turns and begins to move towards the Summer Solstice when the days are longest and the sun is at his highest arc in the sky.

This year the Winter Solstice occurred as the Sun enters the constellation Capricorn on the 21 December 2010. It also occurred a few hours after a powerful Full Moon lunar eclipse.

Eclipses are times when the electromagnetic forces from the Sun and the Moon are interrupted, energetically creating powerful opportunities for shifting beliefs and consciousness. Making these old thought forms easier to dissolve, forging a path for new ideas better fitted for coaxing in the new.

The opportunity for transformation at the moment is magnified. So expect the unexpected and just go with the excitement of this accelerated flow, things are rapidly changing.

So hold firmly to your parachute of FAITH and BELIEVE with all the delight you can muster and this will greatly improve your ride on winds of transformation.

Stay flexible and deal with WHAT IS, not what you would like it to be, remain true and steadfast to your visions of possibility, it’s a very delicate balance to maintain, so remove the words HAVE ,OUGHT or SHOULD and replace with CHOICE, I could!

“When you are content to simply be yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you”-Lao Tzu

Thoughts for a New Year

2012 numerogically works with the 5 vibration, this vibration relates to emotional freedom. Humanity has come to an evolutionary crossroads. Five symbolizes human suffering and transformation, the turning point in human destiny. This number represents the divine spirit, fundamental to all beings, that is crucified on the cross of matter, which contains the four elements of air, fire, water and earth. It is a time of no karma, meaning there are no more debts to be paid. It also means that we are the architects of our own reality and we have a choice in what, how and who we chose to create our lives.

If you choose to open your eyes fully, you see that the world is in a state of chaos. War and disease ravage many nations, natural disasters and weather irregularities abound. Many people feel confused, often living in depressed and poor health.

The pace of life has speeded up to unnatural levels, 24/7 lifestyles the norm supported by technological advances. Our world has become virtual – and we have come to regard the Internet as indispensable to our professional and personal lives.

Virtual reality reflects two polarities, as does life, the dark and the light. The ways in which you choose to use this tool ….  is up to you. 
The open nature and freedom of the Internet and digital technology has made it fertile ground for many avenues of expression … not always good.

When violence in a game or dvd become the norm, when a young man can be stabbed through the heart a day after christmas (season of goodwill?) in the middle of central London and crowds stop to stare, there has to be something wrong… When a young man with hope ends his life on Boxing day ….. shot in the head by youths… WHY? because of his race, his accent …..what in their lives tells them that this is okay and acceptable? And how does his Father find out about it a thousand miles away….Facebook.

Endless dependency on, surfing, gaming, FB and texting also has a dark-side and can disconnect one from relationships with others and one’s self. Physically it can deplete body systems, specifically the lymphatic this can make you tired and susceptible to energy sapping entities.

Weakness in these systems create; Low energy, weak will, poor self-esteem, sluggishness, fear, poor self-discipline, emotionally and physically detached, victim mentality, unreliability and poor digestion.

These two dimensional binary realities can be soulless if not infused with the right intention (your light) and soon can find one completely isolated from the heart essence of life and instead it can become a substitute for human interaction and connection and for some an addiction.

Therefore it is important, that from this moment; everything we do, use….. or say,  is done with consciousness. Action follows each thought and the power of our minds  integrity and belief….. IMMENSE with the power to transform, even the most insurmountable obstacle, a belief only has the power you give it.

Happy New Year

Love and Blessings

Michelle

New you, new me..

It’s been an extraordinary month exciting and challenging! The 28th of October marked the end of the Mayan calendar (starting 3114 BC) and portends a time of great transformation, a time of endings and new beginnings. I think we are seeing these changes not only on an individual level, but also within the masses (Macrocosm reflecting microcosm) Old structures dissolving, unrest and outmoded regimes collapsing, this may also be happening to you in small or big ways .

This is a time for clarity and inner reflection in which to give birth to a new expression of YOU and in the same way a new world expression. Truth and reflection are the keys, not just inner but outer too (see what presses your buttons (injustices, prejudice, isolation, impotence,sorrows, violence) and to see what is clear or stuck within you.

Interestingly, from a astrological perspective this time coincides with the sign of Scorpio, a sign that is all about death and rebirth which is symbolised by the phoenix rising from the ashes. The lesson of this intriguing sign is a mission to provoke dramatic and deep inner transformation.  Scorpio is one of the principle archetypes of spiritual alchemy highlighting evolutionary goal of this process is to transmute our darkness into Light and to move an unconscious state to a conscious state.

The energies of the Full Moon in Taurus offers us the potential to look at our options.  The New Moon Scorpio follows this theme and shows us that we have choices to make and those choices can have consequences that we have to live with.  Will you choose consciously to evolve or will you choose to doggedly dig your heels in and stay glued or stuck to our old ways?

Scorpio enables us to identify our attachment to old identities, beliefs and dramas.  We all wish and profess to want change and talk a lot about dreams and desires.  Scorpio mirrors the two pieces of the puzzle together.  If something still remains out of reach, fundamentally there needs to be a shift in our inner programming.

You can do this is by digging deep and connecting to the best parts of you, your inner gifts, what makes you feel most at peace and most of all LISTEN to any inner impulses, they maybe a wake-up call!

Use your intuition guide and align you to your creative inspired self and don’t get stuck in old restrictive ways of being (what we think we should or ought to do) Take off the old lenses (be strong, suck it up, soldier on, don’t make a fuss) whose words are these?

See as if with new eyes.  Take action de-clutter and cut the dead wood away-It’s action time -not superhero action but gentle flowing action, get inspired dream, wish and explore….

Aromatic alchemy

The word Alchemy relates to a process in which a combination of base materials through a vitalising process transform into essence or material that is precious and valuable; (like coal into a diamond)  It has always held a fascination for me. The idea of transforming something dense,stuck or inert into something refined and vital is so powerful. For me alchemy can happen on multiple levels not just limited to the  transformation of chemicals into gold.

That Gold for me is the POTENTIAL that lies within EVERYONE,  masked and hampered  by layers of habitual coping beliefs, built as we journey through life. I have always embraced alchemy as a conceptual way of working – not just therapy; but also in the  creation aromatherapy blends, treatments and perfumes, each are synergies that have the potential to release, heal and transform.

It is always exciting to looking at how I can support an individual and become a catalyst for change on a multi dimensional level, emotional(cellular) (psychological(perspective), physical(material) and inspirational(potential). Aromas are the life-force of a plant, they have obvious applications, however there can be 4-6 potential oils that could address a certian physical symptom .

Understanding the emotional and subtle levels comes into play here and will strongly influence my selection, whether there is trauma, karma,depression, energetic and auric fragility. I am currently working on a book to illustrate this subtle complexity which will be available as a download from this site soon.

The Chinese embraced this idea of alchemy and incorporated it into many of their practices. As an elixir: that is obtained by heating its ingredients in a crucible. This practice is called waidan, or “external alchemy” (literally, “outer elixir”).

The second type sees that the ingredients of the elixir are the primary components of the cosmos and the human being and the entire process takes place within the individual. This second form of practice (which incorporates some aspects of Taoist meditation methods and of physiological techniques of self-cultivation), and is known as neidan, or “internal alchemy” (literally, “internal elixir”).

I have studied Chi Kung for many years and transition from: old to new, fixed to flowing, sluggish to vital, blocked to enlightened is often the process that people find the hardest.

Our world has become so results driven, this breeds impatience. The trick is staying with the process as it unfolds  Why is being in the moment so difficult?  Control and judgement can play a powerful part here…. measuring performance  based on the past (fears, traumas, restriction, praise)  we are looking through several lenses that blur and distort our assessment ….. causing us to project fears, restrictions into our future, missing amazing the journey in between.

I believe that essential oils have a profound alchemical capacity and work in subtle layers of influence and refinement reaching down into soul. Externally, it can heal, repair and condition. Internally,  to strengthen life-force , both etheric and physical,whilst stroking the emotions( through our cellular memory and sense of smell) evoking a release of trapped emotions, gently dissolving  blocked perspectives, (sometimes a short sharp shock) encouraging and coaxing us back into flow.

Oils rather like the Chi that is generated in Chi meditation, Chi breathing or Chi Gong exercises activates and internal alchemy that is not only physically refining,  but also emotional and spiritual too.

Autumnal Impulses

Autumn marks the end of the growing season transforming the ripening energy of Summer into the yielding energy of Autumn – it’s a turning inward and a receding of outer-focused energy. A time in which leaves change colour, fall and the old is slowly broken down, absorbed back into the earth to be transformed and enriched into fertile soil for new leaves to flourish and maximise their potential, a new day, a new harvest and a new year.

In Chinese medicine, autumn is the season of the element Metal (or air). The emotion associated with this element is grief. Separation, and “letting go”, is something we all experience so, it’s not surprising that we can feel grief or saddness at such times.

Grief (salty tears=saline) can be a means of  helping us to release and cleanse what we no longer need in our lives.  When this impulse (energy)  is suppressed within us, our expression of grief can become imbalanced. It could become overwhelming and with no respite. Conversely it can become blocked and unexpressed.

It is powerful to see how nature instructs us and how it’s cycles of creation and surrender are there for us to understand.  Trees don’t doggedly hold on to their leaves when they are decayed and diminished in vitality and life force, they let go. If only we could observe and take instruction…..rather than defying and pushing against these natural cycles and rhythms.

How often do we find it easier to hold on to things that no longer serve or support us? Release offers potential,an opportunity for understanding, refinement and rebirth; a self enabling time to review and offer a fresh beginning,  a new perspective for the New Year.

The Native American tradition teaches that Autumn lies in the west direction and straddles the place of emotion and mind, the place of adulthood and deeper emotional understanding. A time of introspection, cleansing and insight, a final harvest before the wisdom of winter. Autumn is a time of review, of yielding and recognition in which to take credit for excesses as well as the fruits of the years labour .

The energy of autumn urges and supports our letting go, allowing restrictive beliefs, obstructive behaviors to fall away, releasing excess and what is redundant, deep rooted and obsolete in our lives; in preparation for us to become more receptive, giving us a vision of our true potential. Autumn returns us to our essence, asking us to release the effluent, (what we no longer need )and charges us to connect with what is most precious in our lives.

1.Review your year autumn to autumn, high spots, low spots and learning’s.

2.Is their anything you are doing that hinders your growth and potential and has become a sticking point which blocks the flow?

3. What has emerged and taken root and borne fruits as a result of the previous years cleansing and release?

“Healing may not be so much about getting better as about letting go of everything that isn’t you – all of the expectations, all of the beliefs – and becoming who you are.” ~ Rachel Naomi Remen