Aromatic Astrology - Sagittarius

The next sign of the Zodiac is Sagittarius generally held to be from November 22 to December 21.

Ruling Planet: Juniper
Element: Fire
Quality: Mutable
Symbol: The centaur/archer
Polarity: Masculine
Physical Correspondence: The liver, hips and thighs
Stone: Garnet, turquoise, amethyst, citrine, topaz, ruby
Flower: Wallflower, dandelion, narcissus, lime flower, carnation
Color: blue and purple
Herbs: sage, basil, borage, chervil, nutmeg, sage, clover, saffron.
Bach Flower Remedy: Agrimony
Essential Oils: Black Pepper is the signature oil for Sagittarius. Anise, cedarwood, clove, frankincense, ginger, juniper, nutmeg, orange, rose, sage.
Positive Traits: Jovial, optimistic; versatile, open-minded, adaptable, having good judgment and a philosophical, freedom-loving outlook; sincere and frank; dependable and scrupulous.
Negative Traits: Prone to exaggeration, extremism; tactless, restless, careless; blindly optimistic; boisterous; irresponsible, capricious.

Once again I will use the signature oil identified by Patricia Davis, Black Pepper, as the anchor for both Lord Sagittarius and Lady Sagittarius. As Patricia Davis says in her book Astrological Aromatherapy Black Pepper is an oil that 'gets straight to the point' like the Archer's arrow, whether the 'point' is a stiff, painful muscle or a tired mind.

For Lord Sagittarius I have combined Black Pepper with Ginger - which brings strength and courage to support the love of life Lord Sagittarius has and Orange to bring in positive energy and joy. For Lady Sagittarius I have combined Black Pepper with Frankincense to keep her grounded and centered and Rose to promote love, compassion, hope and patience.

Lord Sagittarius
Black Pepper - 1 drop
Ginger - 1 drop
Orange - 4 drops

Lady Sagittarius
Black Pepper - 1 drop
Frankincense - 1 drop
Rose - 1 drop

A few quotes reflecting the qualities of Sagittarius:

"Seize from every moment its unique novelty and do not prepare your joys." Andre Gide "The infinite is the infinite of every instant."
Zen Proverb
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure."
Helen Keller
"Not to be bound by rules, but to be creating one's own rules--this is the kind of life which Zen is trying to have us live."
D. T. Suzuki

Do have fun blending and remember you can be creative and change the blend to suit your own preferences. You can find more information on Black Pepper, Ginger and Frankincense on the blog. You will also find mini profiles of Rose, Black Pepper, Ginger and Frankincense on the Articles Page of the main website.

There is still time to make aromatic gifts for Christmas and if you're looking for ideas there are lots to be found in my e-book Aromatic Gifts for All Ages and All Seasons. See the link on the side of the page.

Essential Oil Travelling Kit

I'm flying off to visit my Grandkids tomorrow and I was just getting together my little bag of essential oil essentials. The size of my little travel kit has shrunk quite a bit over the years. I like to travel light and just take a carry on bag but that does restrict what I can take with me as well.

So what is in my essential travel kit today?

• A 10ml roll on of lavender 4 drops, peppermint 1 drop and marjoram 4 drops diluted in jojoba oil. This works wonders for a number of different conditions from headaches to nausea to boo boos on little fingers.
• A couple of different inhalers to sniff during the plane ride. I don't know about you but that recycled air doesn't do my passages any good and I have to be really careful not to get a cold when I travel by air. Unfortunately the days when you could get away with misting all around you on the plane appear to be over so at least having an inhaler to sniff gives one their own private support system.
• Immune Boost Inhaler - 3 drops Eucalyptus smithii, 3 drops Frankincense, 3 drops lemon, 3 drops Rosalina and 4 drops Ravintsara. To sniff as needed.
• My Throat and Sinus Inhaler - 3 drops E. smithii; 3 drops Frankincense, 3 drops Lemon, 3 drops Thyme. Ready in case I feel any tickles.
• My Mouth Wash Blend - 8 drops tea tree, 1 drop myrrh, 1 drop clove and 1 drop cardamom diluted in 30ml alcohol. Add a couple of drops to a shot glass of water and swish.
• My analgesic gel - all that sitting around can sometimes give one back ache. 6 drops Roman Chamomile; 4 drops Clove, 6 drops Black Spruce in 20ml Comfrey Gel.
• A roll on for cold sores: 6 drops Melissa, 6 drops Manuka in 10 ml jojoba.
• A small bottle of Peppermint hydrosol.

If I can find a way to fit it all into my plastic bag allowed I will also add a small mister with a nice blend - not sure what yet as I first have to find room for my body blend and face blend. At least everything has to be in small bottles so I might be able to fit everything in. Thank goodness I'm not flying to a different time zone so I don't need either my Jet Lag Blend or my Wake Up blend.

What is essential in your essential oil travel kit? American Thanksgiving is coming up next week and is one of the busiest travel seasons of the year so it might be a good time to think about this.

Gearing up for the Holiday Season

Sometimes I just can't get over how quickly time flies. In a couple of weeks we'll have American Thanksgiving and in less than six week Christmas will have come and gone. Now may be the time to prepare so that one can beat the rush and not be stressed out at the last minute.

For those of you who send out Christmas Cards what about scenting these with your own special Christmas Blend of essential oils. I talked about this last year and you can access this previous blog here.

What about making that special Christmas Gift or Stocking Stuffer using your essential oils? There are lots of ideas to be found in my ebook Aromatic Gifts for All Seasons and All Ages. There is a link to the book in the Links section.

Some other ideas for you to work on in time for Christmas would include the post I did last year on Last Minute Aromatic Gifts which has a neat idea for Scented Stones or Ornaments. On there is the recipe for Chocolate Mint Truffles to be found on the Valentine's Day Blog. These work just as well for Christmas.

For those of you who celebrate American Thanksgiving and are thinking of including the use of essential oils into your celebration check back on the posts I've done in the past Canadian Thanksgiving and Essential Oils around Thanksgiving for ideas.

As many of you know in addition to running the West Coast Institute of Aromatherapy and providing first class Home Study Aromatherapy Courses, I also give treatments during the day here in Tsawwassen. I've just signed up for a new website program promoting these services and you can read more about this HERE . If you're interested don't forget to scroll down the page to access the Gift Certificate and take advantage of the opportunity to refer this to your friends as well.

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day in Canada is the day we take a moment to pause and remember those brave men and women who have served and who continue to serve our Country in times of war, conflict and Peace. On November 11 we have the opportunity to pause for two minutes in silent tribute to the memory of our war dead.

It was after the First World War that a French woman, Madame E. Guérin, made the suggestion to British Field-Marshall Earl Haig that women and children in devastated areas of France could produce poppies for sale to support wounded Veterans and it was in November 1921 that the first of these poppies were distributed in Canada. Each year in Early November until after the 11th, these bright Red Poppies are worn as a symbol of our remembrance.

War remains a constant in our world today. Brave men and women are deployed to far away places, while loved ones remain at home trying to go on with their every day lives. For those of us not directly involved it can be easy to forget the hardships they all face. As I turn to my essential oils for blends to get me through all sorts of things, I thought that creating a blend that would remember these brave men and women and give some solace to those who are left behind might be a good way to celebrate Remembrance Day.

So what goes into the blend? What will you put into your blend? This is what I'm putting into mine.
Rosemary for sure. Rosemary is for remembrance just ask Shakespeare.
Cypress so often associated with death and transition.
Yarrow often called the Military Herb.
Neroli for gentle easing of grief.

Subtle Aromatherapy, an e-book, has more information on the Subtle uses of many different essential oils.
Aromatic Gifts for All Ages and All Seasons, e-book, has lots of recipe and gift ideas using essential oils.
See the Links on the side of the blog.

You will also find Articles on Rosemary, Cypress, Yarrow and Neroli in the Articles Archives