Aromas for All Seasons
At this early winter season, the spicy aromas of mulled cider and balsam wreaths still fill the air. The antiseptic quality of evergreen is refreshing to our senses, and the rich, sharp scents of cinnamon and ginger are warming and comforting.
Aromas are wonderful and enriching at any time of year! Many of our favorite scents are flowery, herbal or evergreen. Others have complex, mysterious earthy tones. Their benefits are endless, and it is a great pleasure to incorporate them into our lives!
The smell of seasonal cooking, flowers, or familiar scents that we encounter in daily life can all elicit memories, associations, and even have deeper effects on our moods and wellbeing. The effects of our sense of smell can be profound, because it sits in the same part of our brain as memory.
My recent blog on Ritual and Altars mentioned aroma in passing.
Here are some more ideas for using essential oils:
SCENT:
Lavender for calming and clearing the mind
Rosemary for positive change, sharpening memory, waking you up!
Mint for clarity; refreshing
Citrus for joy, purification, revitalization
Rose for compassion, opening the heart, enhancing beauty
Jasmine to lift your spirits
Some ideas for scent throughout the day:
In the morning – Citrus to wake you up
While driving – Rosemary to keep you alert
To awaken Beauty – Rose
When stressed – Lavender
At mealtime – Mint for good digestion
(I keep a bottle of Rosemary oil in my car, to open and sniff if I feel any drowsiness.)
Marjoram, Frankincense and Orange, as a blend, can bathe you in the spirit of rejuvenation for a calm night’s sleep, putting any disturbing thoughts to rest.*
Try putting a couple of drops onto a pillow or tissue to accompany you to sleep.
Basil helps promote clear thinking and improved digestion. Applying a drop or two to your forehead or temples can help you refocus on the task at hand. It can bring about a state of alert wakefulness, especially when feeling overwhelmed.*
Cypress, Marjoram and Rose can bring comfort during grief or regret. Carry a few drops on a tissue, breathe it in during the day, and give yourself some space.
Herbal Water for Cleaning
Here are some ideas for cleaning! You have to do it anyway; why not select lovely aromas, and make it more of a home blessing? Perhaps you can do this at the turn of the seasons.
Using Herbal water for floors is refreshing, more pleasant to work with, and can be used on special occasions as a nice home ritual.
For good fortune, the Maya dip a broom into a bucket of water in which Basil leaves have been squeezed and steeped. They then sweep the floors, stairs and entryways to their homes.
Basil water can also be sprinkled all around the house, with the intention of inviting a fresh start.
Aroma for Baths
Bathing can also be a great time to let aromatic oils or herbs soothe your skin and your mood.
“Add 8-10 drops of Lavender oil to a warm evening bath to relieve insomnia…nervous tension or an overactive mind.” *
A Winter Bath:
Add a generous amount of dried rosemary, sage, thyme, marigold, roses…Boil in a large pot for 5 minutes, and let steep for an hour. You can strain this water or not, depending on your plumbing, before adding it to your bath water! Soak in wonderfully comfortable warm water for 20 or 30 minutes.
A few extra notes on Lavender:
“Lavender has been called the most versatile of all essential oils.” **
It is beneficial for skin as well as stress-related conditions, and has a pronounced regulating effect on the nervous system. It can have either a tonic or sedative effect, depending on what you need at the time.**
Lavender can help repair the skin from burns or abrasions.
A minor stress headache may respond to a few drops of lavender rubbed onto the temples, or back of the neck.
Rose, geranium, chamomile, neroli and lavender can be a useful aid for symptoms of PMS.**
How do you like to bring scent into your daily life, and into your seasonal activities? What are your favorite aromas and practices? Please reply, and share your thoughts! I love to hear from you.
Safety
Essential oils can be used in a bath, a vaporizer, or added to massage cream.
- Most oils should be diluted before applying to the skin. (Lavender is okay to use at full strength.) Add some drops to a small amount of a good carrier oil or cream.
- Some oils should not be used during pregnancy.
- Essential oils can provide profound benefits without being taken internally. Please consult an aromatherapist before ingesting any essential oil.
High Quality Oils
It’s really important to have the real thing; true essential oils without anything artificial. The true oils are compatible with your brain & nervous system in a way that synthetics are not. Those can actually give you a headache, or worse.
In addition to Young Living and DoTerra, which are the two most well-known brands for quality and purity, Vibrant Blue Oils is another line with a beautiful story and many carefully crafted oils with unique, healthful properties.
Are there any other brands you’d like to share?
Your oils should be in dark glass bottles, and stored in a cool, dry place.
Enjoy, and let me know your thoughts!
References:
All 3 of these small, inviting books on aromatherapy would be a great way to learn more about the many uses and properties of essential oils.
The two “Aromatherapy” books have colorful pages and illustrations, and the third, though more plain, is a book entirely about lavender! And very easy to read, as well.
The suggestions for bath and home are from the incredible book, Spiritual Bathing by Rosita Arvigo. She has lovingly researched many traditions from around the world. The book itself is a reverent work of art.
*Aromatherapy 101 by Karen Downes
**Lavender Oil by Julia Lawless, p. 35,36, 50
Aromatherapy by Anna Selby.
Spiritual Bathing by Rosita Arvigo
A nice article on Basil oil.
https://nikura.com/blogs/essential-oils/benefits-and-uses-of-basil-oil