Mothers

I have missed a couple of weeks of posting to the blog. Sadly, my wonderful mother, Virginia Mary Hawkins, passed on March 15 and I flew back to South Africa to be with my family.

As many of you know in addition to the regular aromatherapy I also do Spiritual PhytoEssencing, which is the formulation of essential oil synergies that are a mirror of the person's soul. If you want to read more there is an article on the Newsletter page of the website Spiritual PhytoEssencing.

One of the things I did the night before she passed was to create a beautiful soul blend that, for me, encapsulated the essence of my mother and in fact the quintessential essence of all mothers. I took the blend with me to South Africa and shared it with the members of my family. I found the beautiful aroma wrapped around me like a Mother's wonderful comforting arms and it was part of the support I needed. I know that I will be able to go back to this blend at those times when things get a little too much. Grieving is so much part of the cycle of life and I know that it is something that needs to be journeyed through but I am so grateful to have the tools that I do to help me on my journey.

I also took along a piece of Rose Quartz for each of us to have - as a comfort talisman. Rose quartz's gentle energy is a wonderful support for all matters that affect the heart and it is a great stone for support in times of loss and grief. It is the stone of unconditional love and infinite peace.

For those of you who might be interested I thought that I'd share some of the oils in my Mother's Blend. These my inspire you to create similar blends for your own mothers whether they are still here on this plane with you or not.

Angelica, Carrot Seed, Clary Sage, Cypress, Geranium, Jasmine, Lavender, Neroli, Orange and Frankincense.

I'm also going to share a beautiful poem that I have on Mothers. Unfortunately I don't know who the author is but it is one of those poems that makes it way around the email circuit from time to time. If anyone knows who the author is please let me know so that I can attribute the poem correctly.

Mothers
The young mother set her foot on the path of life. She asked, "is this the long way?"

And the elder said: "yes, and the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning."

But the young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years. So she played with her children, and gathered flowers for them along the way, and bathed them in the clear streams; and the sun shone on them, and the young mother cried, "nothing will ever be lovelier than this."

Then the night came, and the storm, and the path was dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said, "mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come."

And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary. But at all times she said to the children, "a little patience and we are there." so the children climbed and when they reached the top, they said, "mother, we would not have done it without you."

And the mother, when she lay down at night looked up at the stars and said, "this is a better day than the last, for my children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness. Yesterday i gave them courage. Today, I have given them strength."

And with the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth, clouds of war and hate and evil, and the children groped and stumbled, and the mother said: "look up. Lift your eyes to the light." and the children looked and saw above the clouds an everlasting glory of stars,
and they guided them beyond the darkness. And that night the mother said, "this is the best day of all, for i have shown my children the great spirit."

And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and the mother grew old and she was little and bent. But her children were tall and strong, and walked with courage. And when the way was rough, they lifted her, for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill, and beyond they could see a shining road and a beautiful land. And mother said: "I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone, and their children after them."

And the children said, "you will always walk with us, mother, even when you have gone on your journey to the sky." and they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and she walked out of sight. And they said: "we cannot see her, but she is with us still. A mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a living presence."

Your mother is always with you. She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street, she's the smell of bleach in your freshly laundered clothes she's the cool hand on your brow when you're not well. Your mother lives inside your laughter. And she's crystallized in every tear drop. She's the place you came from, your first home; and she's the map you follow with every step you take. She's your first love and your first heartbreak, and nothing on earth can separate you. Not time, not space ... Not even death!