Essential Oils of the Season

As the oils began to arrive at White Sage Landing, it felt like the arrival of a group of old friends, bringing gifts and the Solstice spirit!  Each oil is quickly removed from its aluminum shipping container, and placed into Miron violettglass bottles, with the fivefold intention to Enhance, Purify, Catalyze, Harmonize, and Stabilize their inter-dimensional frequencies.

According to the guidance that comes in with each oil, it may be placed in one of the activated healing energy spaces on the land, supported by a large crystal grid that extends throughout our 15 acre lot, for 11 hours and 11 minutes.

Some oils ask for a deeper process; including special crystal layouts, or prayers for the clearing of any toxic energy that might be lingering from their journey through the international postal system; or prayers for the continued care of the plant community  that gave these gifts.

In a few days, the co-creative activation process is complete, and the ceremonial ritual of pouring the oils can begin.  As I meet and greet my old friends, the oils often reveal a special intention coming with this year's harvest;  maybe a new idea for using the oil for healing; or a planetary intention the oil is holding that will be integrated by those using the oil.

Sometimes prayers come as I am pouring,  and this time I made an agreement with myself to remember some of them to share with you here on this blog.  The Pouring Ceremony is a very personal and powerful communion with the plant spirits for me; yet I know that I can share their communications after the ceremony, and others may find some benefit.  So here goes!

Kamala Attar played with me as I poured--it has such a playful lightness to its spirit this season!  As a true representation of the feminine principle, it played with mystery;  I first opened the bottle and smelled--almost nothing.  Only a faint aroma of indefinable nature.

Then I remembered that many of the very feminine aromatics do not choose to reveal themselves until they are removed from the bottle.  I diluted some of the attar and took a tiny drop of dilution onto my wrist.  Like jasmine and other florals, it came alive only after being diluted, into a gentle yet pervasive mysterious aroma.  Like the lotus it is made from, it feels abundant with inner strength and self confidence.

The aroma stayed with me all day, cycling through periods of being strongly present, and moving to the background.  Kamala Attar showed me that it can assist us in perceiving divine timing, and trusting it.  It will help us relax and wait when patience is needed.

If you are intending to blend with it, it can be a marvelous aromatic base for a fine perfume, by adding other florals, vetiver, sandalwood, etc.

If you want to change any oil blend created, you can add just a drop or two of Kamala, and it will mysteriously show itself, no matter what oils you have used;  it is soft, yet always its voice is heard in any crowd!  What an example of feminine beauty...

This year's Cypress came with a vision of Comet Ison's journey into the sun on Thanksgiving Day of this year.  This is an event for which the indigenous consciousness on Earth Mother has been waiting for countless generations.  It has been described by some Native American elders as the sperm that fertilizes the egg of our solar system.  With this fertilizing comet came new information from the cosmos that is now radiating every day in the sunlight that shines on all of our planets in the solar system.

It heralds a time of the blooming on Earth Mother--what the Mayan and Hopi call the Age of Flowers.  The new information it brings will facilitate a renaissance of culture, beauty, and harmony with the Earth that we have never seen up to this point.

We as humans represent the nervous system of our planet, and we must integrate and activate this new information, and gradually bring it forth into our consciousness and co-creations.  Cypress, being the ancient teacher and stabilizing force that it is, has volunteered to assist in the integration of these new cosmic energies.  It will have a special calming and balancing effect on those who are struggling with moving forward, or bringing the expression of who they are out into the world.  It will also be a potent helper in manifesting new forms and experiences of abundance in our lives.

I am personally using it as a bath oil and applying it to my heart and solar plexus for this purpose.  I will also be using it in ceremony, as an offering to the Earth when I visit cities that may receive assistance in integrating.  The prayers that came with Cypress are for ease in the integration of past, present, and future; and for stabilizing the human emotional body and the planetary emotional body.

And I would like to add an update on the intentional aromatic recipe in the last paragraph of this November post.  It is called Inner Beauty, and I have been working with it now for a few weeks.

It is especially helpful for women, those who may not feel or know their own beauty.  It helps us appreciate our own beauty, and see it clearly.  It also helps us become willing to be seen by others, and release fear around projecting beauty into the world around us.  I am just loving it, and seeing how quickly it is impacting the confidence of the women who are using it!  Please make your own, and let me know what your experiences are...

In Love and Gratitude,

Kathryn

Oh, and word about the gift you will find in your order this season; it is very sacred purple heartwood from one of the ancient Juniper trees on Kaibab mountain.  It is perfect for burning in a fire ceremony to welcome the new year; or for using as a smudge.  Thanks to Michael who received the gift from this ancient one, and prepared the wood for you, and especially thanks to the ancient one who gave the gift.

Questions from A Member

Recently a member wrote:

Hi Kathryn, can we get Arnica essential oil? Or do you recommend something else?

How come many herbs seem to be used in the leaf (or cut root) form but not in essential oil form, for instance: aloe, comfrey leaf or root, oak bark, gravel root, mullien, lobelia, marshmallow, skullcap and walnut bark? Is there a reason that you do not seek these out in essential oil form? I am looking at a bone, flesh and cartilage regeneration formula made by Dr. Christopher.

Thank you!

Thank you for this very good question.  As part of my answer, I would like to tell a quick story.  

Back in the 1990's, Michael and I decided to purchase a distiller, in order to gain more understanding of our local wild herbs, and to produce our own essential oils.  My very first candidate was a plant that we had planted in our garden for its medicinal qualities; Comfrey.  

Imagine my surprise when Michael and I had completed our first distillation, going through around 10 gallons of water in five hours, only to find out that only a small trace of viable essential oil could be skimmed from the hydrosol, not even enough to fill a 5 ml bottle!  

Of course, we discovered that the hydrosol was the real gift in Comfrey distillation, and used it for healing everything from broken bones to skin diseases, internally and externally.  It became a staple in many skin care recipes and internal tonics.

And this is an illustration of the fact that, many healing herbs do not produce enough essential oil through steam or water distillation, to make it a profitable venture.  Some plants, like aloes, carry mostly water-based components; others simply do not let go of their oils easily.  And some have a very small percentage of aromatic components  in their make up.  Which, again, makes it impossible for distillers to spend the many hours required to distill them, and be able to compensate their time and energy expended by selling some of the oil.  Oils produced from these plants would have unbelievably high prices.

In a case like arnica, this plant gives up its oil very easily;  so easily that the plant has been extracted as an infused oil (like a sun tea, with olive oil in place of water), by herbalists and wild crafters for many generations.  Because it is so widely available and easy to make yourself,  it is unlikely that the essential oil could command the price it would need to in order for someone to make money producing it.   

There are many plants in this category;  so many species that no one has yet invested the time and energy into exploring the possibility of distilling them.  Maybe someday we will have so many people distilling at home that most medicinal plants will become available in essential oil form.  I do believe that will take a long time to become a reality!

Infused Oil 

If you want to use these plants mentioned above, which are not available in essential oil form, there is at least one solution that I can think of immediately.  This is to extract the oils through infusion. 

 If you are working in co-creation, you will first want to connect with the plant spirits and ask permission for this process.  I like to place an offering somewhere outside; by a tree or plant, or in a place that feels right to you.  Pay attention to the ideas that pop in at the last minute when you are working this way; they are often coming from the plant spirits to help you with the process.

• Place some of the dried (or fresh if you have access) plant material into a pint ball jar.  Use as much plant material as you can, more is better in this case.  
• Fill the remainder of the jar with cold-pressed olive oil (Costco sells a good quality for this purpose).  
• Set the oil in a location where it will get full sun for several hours a day, and let it sit until the color changes and (if you are a dowser) it dowses complete.  Otherwise use your intuition in whatever form you use it.  The longer you allow the oil to soak, the stronger the essential oil content will become.
• Strain the plant material out before storing the infusion permanently, in a cool place and in light protected bottles.  Be sure to label your oil.

For hard, tough plant material such as bark and roots, you may want to accelerate the process by processing the herbs before you place them in the sun.  One way to do it is to place them in with the oil, into a Vita-mix or high speed blender.  Process on medium first, then go to high speed until you do not hear big chunks anymore.  This will change the clarity of the oil;  in many cases it will become less transparent and more cloudy, which is okay.

Another way is to bring the oil and plant material to a boil in a small sauce pan before pouring it into the ball jar.  Let the mixture simmer for 20 minutes, then proceed as before.  You will want to experiment with these methods to find out which one works best with the plant you are extracting, and produces the best oil for your purpose.

Blessings for a happy production!

Kathryn