Make Fragrant Essential Oils
Bring the power of smell into life’s rituals with these essential oil recipes.
February/March 2000
By Mindy Green
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Photography by Mitch Hrdlicka
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Recipes
• Mother and Child Reunion
• Warrior’s Spirit
• Rainbow’s End
• Relaxing Bath
• Uplifting Bath
• Wedding Night Oil
• Separation Ceremony
Plants have been incorporated into human rituals since time immemorial. Before methods of extracting their essential oils were devised, the plants themselves were employed as both physical and spiritual healing agents. Plants connect us to nature, remind us we are part of something greater, and can serve as a catalyst for the transformation of our body and soul. One of the most basic ways of bringing plants into our consciousness is through our sense of smell. Scent is routed to the brain’s limbic system, where memory and emotions are stored and where some patterns of behavior are triggered. That is why certain fragrances evoke particular memories.
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Aromatherapy, the inhalation of fragrant essential oils to promote relaxation and rejuvenation, can facilitate a change in consciousness when used with visualization, meditation, prayer, or ritual. In our Western culture, many rituals have fallen by the wayside, although some—marriage ceremonies, graduations, funerals, baptisms—have survived.