Wishing you all an Aromatic New Year

Happy New Year to you all.

As 2007 winds down and we await the start of 2008 I just want to wish you all a year filled with wonder and delight, health and prosperity, joy and gratitude.

This is a time of year for us to reflect back on the past and make plans for the future. While many will make New Year's resolutions, I thought that it might be an ideal time to make a blend especially designed to bring in what it is we are wanting to accomplish for ourselves.

On my website you will find an article that I wrote for New Year 2000. Your own Special Blend. The creation of a special blend can of course take place at any time but if you are wanting to set your intentions for 2008 this would be a really fun thing to do.

Suggestions on ways to use essential oils can always be found in the Newsletter on my website and are entirely up to you.

Last Minute Aromatic Gift

As we enter the final week before Christmas many of us have many last minute things to do. This week I thought that I'd share a recipe for making a fun last minute Christmas Gift. The recipe comes from an ebook I have been working on "Aromatic Gifts for All Seasons". The plan was to have it ready well before Christmas but this isn't going to happen, too many things to do and too little time sometimes, but perhaps it will be ready before Valentine's Day. Anyway its full of lots of fun, inexpensive, aromatic gifts that work at all seasons and many of the ideas are easily customizable to suit the season.

Scented Stones or Ornaments
These can be made at any time of the year, but cutting them out with Christmas cookie shapes and using Christmas type blends makes them very appropriate for the season.

Materials:

½ cup plain flour
¼ cup salt
¼ teaspoon alum powder (a spice)
1 tablespoon essential oil/essential oil blend
2/3 cup boiling water
Food coloring if desired.
Cookie cutters

Method:

1. Mix all dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
2. Add essential oil and boiling water to dry ingredients. The aroma will be strong because of the heat but will fade slightly when the stones are dry.
3. For colored stones add food coloring, one drop at a time, until the desired shade is reached.
4. Blend ingredients to form a ball.
5. Working with a small amount at a time, roll dough between the palms of your hands to form a small ball. Alternatively roll out the dough and cut into interesting patterns with cookie cutters.
6. Allow stones to dry. They will hold their scent for up to 8 months.
7. Optional: If you want to hang these up as decorations make a little hole at the top before leaving them to dry.

Use:

1. When dry place the stones into a little terra cotta pot and wrap with tulle and tie a bow on top.
2. Line the bottom of a clay pot with raffia and put the stones over it to resemble a birds nest.
3. Place the stones in a net bag tied with ribbon. Can be used to scent cupboards and drawers.
4. Use as an air freshener for the bathroom, closet, bedroom etc.
5. Hang them up on a Christmas Tree or Christmas Garland.

Packaging and presentation really make a gift. Use your imagination. Create a theme based on the time of the year, your essential oil blend, your favorite colors etc. Tulle, cellophane bags, cellophane wrap, gauze bags, ribbons, feathers, flowers fresh, dried or artificial, herb springs can all be used to customize your packaging to suit the occasion and your taste.

I mention quite a few blends in my post last month on Aromatic Christmas Cards. Any one of these would work really well with the scented stones or you could use your own favorite blend.

Frankincense Boswellia carterii.

Frankincense is an oil that is closely associated with the Christmas season. The Wise Men brought the gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh to honor the baby Jesus so what better time to revisit this oil.

“ And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child withMary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presentedunto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh."
King James Bible - Matthew 2:11

There is a mini profile on Frankincense on my website. On a more subtle level Frankincense can be used to awaken one’s spiritual purpose. Using this oil can guide and reconnect one to the Divine presence. There are many references to Frankincense in the Bible which illustrate its traditional connection to the Divine.

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight: / And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy: / And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.”

King James Bible - Exodus 30:34

Frankincense calms, comforts and centers one, as well as stabilize one’s emotions. It is very grounding and quiets and clarifies the mind. When used in meditation it promotes a state in which one is better able to receive and integrate healing energies. It has long been considered a sacred oil which helps to heal the spirit and comfort the heart.

Generally considered non-toxic, non-irritating and non-sensitizing. Avoid during the first trimester of pregnancy.

My blend for today is th one I've mentioned before:
Gift of the Magi - 2 drops Myrrh; 2 drops Frankincense; 4 drops Bitter Orange

Holiday Stress

What a very busy time of year this run up to the holiday season is. Even if you are not rushing around yourself purchasing gifts and items to ready your home for the season, everyone around you seems to be. The shopping malls are busy and some people are already starting to get all stressed out about doing everything they feel they need to do. It really is important amidst all this hustle and bustle to take some precious time just for yourself.

The idea that we have to do everything for everyone else, and setting ourselves up to be there all the time for everyone else but ourselves, is something women are particularly prone to do, however this is not exclusive to women. We all need to remember that we are entitled to having our needs met and the best place to start is for us to look after ourselves. If we don't look after our own reserves, we will have nothing left to give to anyone else. Ask yourself truthfully, how much fun can you have with friends and loved ones if you're exhausted?

There is an article on Aromatherapy and Stress on my website, as well as some Stress Buster Blends. It is now, when time is at a premium, that you need to find quick and easy stress busting strategies that will work for you. You can reserve the more time consuming leisurely pursuits like an aromatherapy massage, or facial or manicure or pedicure for when you have more time.

Set aside a half an hour at the end of the day just for you. Take a relaxing bath with essential oil/essential oil blend. If you don't have time to take a relaxing bath with essential oils, take a shower, put a few drops of a relaxing essential oil or essential oil blend on the floor of shower cubicle and the warm water will vaporize the molecules as you take your shower. Take a minute or two to breathe in these molecules deeply before rushing off to the next thing.

Meditation is excellent for de-stressing and the addition of essential oils to this practice is wonderful. If you can't or don't have time to meditate just diffuse or mist a relaxing essential oil or blend of essential oils and just sit quietly for a few minutes doing nothing - just enjoying the aroma and the peace. It's amazing sometimes how little down time we need to feel refreshed and ready to face the day again. You can also put a few drops of the blend on a tissue or cotton ball (or a personal inhaler) and sniff that through the day when things start to get hectic.

My Stress Buster Blend for the Day: 3 drops Frankincense; 1 drop Rose; 2 drops Ginger