The Perfumed Heart & Anointing the Windows to Heaven

Allegory of the Sense of Smell (1617–18), Peter Paul Rubens and Jan Brueghel the Elder. Museo del Prado, Madrid

A dab on the wrist, a splash behind the ears.

To the French aristocrats of the 17th century, these points held the allure of seduction. In these close contact areas, perfume would waft from neck to nose during greetings, whispers, and embraces. A perfumed wrist would leave a trail of aroma with every movement, and could be easily accessed for a discreet inhale.

Practically — these points on the skin hold heat, which helps distribute and enhance aroma, and you’re less likely to stain clothing from these points. 

The wrists and neck are also known pulse points. Did our perfumed ancestors intuit how protective and healing anointing these places with fragrant oils could be?

And here we are, centuries later — still creating fragrant auras by placing perfumes upon our wrists and necks.

This practice, when done in partnership with pure plant perfumes, has the potential to protect our heart and attune us to spirit throughout the day. 

Unfortunately, most people aren’t using botanical, natural perfumes. Even many “spiritual” perfumes are made with synthetic fragrances. 

If you’ve been around here for awhile, you probably already know some of the risks of synthetic perfumes — namely disrupting the endocrine system. But stay with me here. There is way more at stake that you might realize. 

And — way more benefit to uncover, too ;)

The Meridian Matrix of Perfumed Points

When we apply any perfume to wrist and neck points on the body, we are activating and anointing our energetic blueprint — our meridian matrix.

This means that the perfume you put on these key points not only travels through your skin into your body’s chemistry, it also moves into specific meridians, where it is further circulated throughout your system.

Meridians, to review, are energetic pathways through our body. Some of them have an affinity with organ systems and very real effects on our physical health. Some of them carry karma, patterns, and life lessons. All of them impact us on multiple levels of our being.

Any system that utilizes the meridian matrix for healing — from acupuncture to tapping to anointing — aims to free us from blockages and foreign energy that clogs or disrupts the healthy flow of our energy.

So how do the commonly perfumed wrist and neck points relate to our energetic body?

Let’s begin with the wrist points. 

In TCM, the Pericardium meridian runs down the arm, with a few key points along the wrist. It protects the heart — both physically and emotionally — just like the actual pericardium, the membrane around the physical heart. 

Take a look at the image below, and you’ll see just where some of the key wrist points are:

Hand Jue Yin Pericardium Meridian 手厥陰心包經穴 | SpringerLink

A healthy Pericardium helps us manage emotional stress, heartbreak, and trauma. It opens us to joy, love, and connection. 

Next, let's look at the neck points. 

The neck is home to several points within the grouping known as the Windows of Heaven.* Also referred to as Heavenly Windows or Windows of the Sky, these points are often used to connect us with our higher selves and facilitate all sorts of spiritual healing. A few of the Heavenly Window points found along the neck include:

• Large Intestine 18

• Triple Heater 16

• Stomach 9

Images below thanks to Yin Yang House.

*There is contention around the actual age and origin of these points, with many scholars calling them a modern invention. It seems that a version with 5 points has some origin in ancient texts, while the grouping of 10 points might be a modern development. I find that the results speak for themselves, regardless of their origins. See this article for more.

Plant Perfumes as Energetic Allies

While acupuncture is probably the most well-known way to stimulate these points, they aren’t our only option. Placing stones on these points is an ancient practice. And so is anointing them with sacred, perfumed oils.

By anointing your wrist points and neck with sacred oils via a simple daily perfume ritual, you stimulate energies of love, connection, and healthy emotional boundaries within yourself. You facilitate your connection to spirit and your true, divine nature.

This happens simply by applying perfume. (But only the right kind of perfume…)

We evolved in partnership with plants, and plants help us remember how to be healthy. Essential oils in particular carry the healthy, vibrant energetic blueprint of a plant — which in turns helps our own energy blueprint remember its most healthy and vibrant way of being. 

When we wear perfumes made with real essential oils and absolutes, not only do we benefit from the condensed chemistry of plants, but we receive their spiritual essence and energetic gifts, as well. 

If you have a diluted essential oil or truly botanical perfume nearby, you can experience this right now: 

Dab a bit of your perfume onto your your pulse points. Feel the spiritual essence of the plants flow into your body on the lines of energetic matrix. Notice how the plants know just where to go, effortlessly clearing any stagnation as they circulate health chi throughout your system. This may feel subtle. Simply notice any tiny shifts, buzzes, vibrations, or thoughts that arise. 

For those wondering — yes, certain plants do have an affinity for certain meridians, and I’ll share some of my favorite plant perfume allies in a moment. 

Now that you have some idea of how truly magical and healing plant perfumes can be, let’s look at how typical commercial perfumes impact our systems… 

Popular Perfumes as Foreign Energy

There’s a foundational concept when it comes to healing at energetic and spiritual levels:

Either something is missing that should be there, or something is there shouldn’t be there.*

(I have an entire 65-minute class on this topic that is totally FREE, which you can check out here.)

Anointing with pure plant perfumes has the potential to call our soul home. To ignite memory beyond the mundane and help our souls remember who we really are. In other words, plant perfumes restore what should be there.

Anointing with synthetic entities that have not evolved to support us introduces foreign substances and energetics into our system. We are literally inducing spiritual illness because synthetic perfumes add something that shouldn’t be there.

In Taoist alchemy, we refer to these substances as parasites or ghosts — foreign energies that enter our system and begin to hijack our wellness to support their own survival. 

When “ghosts” take up residence in our hearts: 

• We have trouble letting go of the past. The process of integrating challenging experiences into lessons that become strengths is clogged, and our most painful emotions get lodged in our systems.

• It becomes more difficult to discern what feelings, emotions, and opinions are our aren’t our own. Are you picking up on other people’s fear, or is it your intuition? Heart ghosts make this type of discernment incredibly confusing.

• Our relationships lack intimacy. The ghosts block us from being able to open our hearts and find the truth and love within. 

• We lose hope. For some reason, ghosts love depression. Sadness. Fear. Shame. Guilt. All the fun stuff. They feed off these emotions, and make it harder for us to access the spiritual joy that is always waiting to imbue us with blessings. 

When “ghosts” clog our Windows to Heaven:

• We lose our spiritual connection. Our attention becomes overly fixated on the material world, leaving us feeling empty and hopeless without fully understanding why.

• Our connection with our higher self is blocked or severed. We start to believe the lie that a smaller version of ourselves is the fullness of our being.

• We can’t access our intuition. There’s too much confusion with the many messages that come to us from all directions, and we lack the ability to know what’s true beyond the surface. 

• Trust in the goodness of life becomes elusive. Without an authentic connection to the realms beyond this reality, we lack the ability to see the beauty that is always within any pain.

It’s estimated that up to 80% of humans wear perfume regularly, and the vast majority of this is still synthetic. (Even “natural” perfumes can contain synthetics filled with foreign energy, which I write more about here.)

Imagine what this is doing to us. 

So many people are unaware that they are sabotaging their connection with their true nature, which often results in searching outside yourself for fullness. What should you believe? Who will protect you?

We give away our power when we lack the discernment to know lies from truth. We lose our ability to have strong communities when our hearts are filled with ghosts.

And we see the results of this all around us. 

Fortunately, there are so many options for botanical, natural perfumes today…  

Botanical Perfumes as Daily Allies

Perfume is ritual. It always has been. And it’s only been since the mid-1800s that perfumes have had synthetic materials in them. Reclaiming the ancient, ancestral practices of blessing our bodies and energy fields with sacred, natural perfumes is revolutionary act with far reaching consequences. 

Botanical perfumes are everywhere today, but you do need to be careful — there’s a lot green/spiritual washing when it comes to terms like “clean” or “natural”. (So much so that I wrote a whole article on how to navigate the chaos and jargon of natural perfumes.)

I’ve been creating natural perfumes for almost two decades now, and I know where my ingredients come from. I also have developed a process of creating perfumes while channeling compassionate spirits, so each bottle is filled with transmissions of healing energy. 

When I create a botanical perfume, I select plants based on several factors — what I know about them chemically (I’m also a certified aromatherapist with a 610-hour training under my belt), energetically (I mentor with a Taoist alchemist who specializes in anointing), and spiritually (my mediumship practices help me communicate directly with the spirits of the plants). 

This article goes into more detail about my process. 

And this article has a fun example of how all this came together when I created my Magpie perfume. 

Many of the oils for the heart and spirit gates I mentioned above are in my natural perfumes, which means that when you apply one to your wrist (and the heart itself, as I like to do), you are giving your entire body a plant healing. 

As promised, I’ll highlight a few general botanicals that you can use on your own, alongside some of my own creations, here:

Anointing the Heart

Truly, any pure botanical perfumes applied to the wrists will have a positive effect, but of course, bringing in oils with a special affinity for the heart is especially helpful. A few of my favorites:

Rose — obviously! Rose is the ultimate heart harmonizer, both opening us to love and supporting the cultivation of healthy boundaries.

A few perfumes with rose: Aphrodite, Rós, Elephant, Forest Fawn

Lavender — A great harmonizer and all-purpose healer, lavender brings balance and gentle strength to the heart center.

A few perfumes with lavender: Wild Horses, Artemis

Citruses — Uplifting the spirit, citruses are a blessing for a bright heart. 

Citrus-forward perfumes: Jardín de Citron, Yuzu Yoru

Cinnamon — A deeply penetrating oil that warms the heart and helps energy move while brightening the heart and mind.

A few with cinnamon: Oshun, Mary Magdalene (both of these have big rosy hearts, too)

Lemonbalm (Melissa) — Soothes anxiety and grief while uplifing the spirit

Anthophilia, dedicated to the bees, is the best perfume for lemonbalm; but, my heart chakra anointing oil is filled with this loving herb, along with roses and violets. 

All flowers — In general, all flowers have an affinity for the heart. Chamomile soothes and calms, jasmine nourishes, ylang ylang strengthens and uplifts, neroli does everything :) 

See floral perfumes here.

Anointing the Heavens

For the Heavenly Windows, I love oils with an affinity for spirit. Every tradition associates different plants with different types of spiritual work, so this is pretty broad…but once again, here are a few favorites to get started with:

The flowers, again — When it comes to plant parts (blooms, woods, roots, fruits, leaves, etc), the flowers have an affinity for influencing the spiritual dimensions of life. A few I love for these points are:

• Clary sage & Lavender — brings clarity to higher mind and harmonizes with the body

• Neroli — uplifting, delicate, and enhances angelic connections

• White lotus — opens us to spiritual wisdom and connection

Some perfume options: White Buffalo Calf Woman, Magpie, and Wild Horses for clary sage and lavender; Xi Wang Mu and Epona for neroli, and Kuan Yin for white lotus.

Frankincense — A protective, sacred resin, frankincense helps us ground spiritual wisdom into our bodies and minds.

Perfumes with frankincense: Innana, Mary Magdalene and Oshun again, and all the angel oils. 

Hiba & Hinoki — Two Japanese evergreens with sacred aromas, these woods calm the spirit and quiet the mind. 

My perfume for abundance, Daikoku, is inspired by and filled with these trees.

Trees — Strong and tall, the trees help us root to Earth and expand to spirit, which keeps these gates protected and open. 

Omgggg I loooove evergreen perfumes. Maybe because my name is Juniper ;) So I’ve made a few with amazing forestry fragrances, including Artemis, Wolf, and Green Man.

If you wish to use any of these essential oils on your own, make sure to dilute them first! More is not better with this practice. 5% is good to start for a light, energetic lift. Up to 20% works for most, but not for cinnamon — go with 1-2% for that one.

Becoming the Alchemist of Your Own Healing

The waitlist is open for Nectar & Alchemy, the School of Sacred Aromatics. I’ll be launching with a few courses on the spiritual dimensions of fragrance, working with plant spirit allies, and an introduction to anointing — plus a very special anointing workship for the Feast Day of Mary Magdalene in July. 

Enjoyed this article? The absolute most wonderful way to say thank you is by sharing it! Use the image below for Pinterest or add to all your socials :)

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Your Complete Guide to Hydrosols

Nothing on this blog has been written by AI.

The alchemist is in session ;)

Above is a picture of my copper alembic. I love it. 

And, it took me two years to be brave enough to start using it, lol. Supposedly there can be a risk of explosion with these things…

Luckily, I have an engineering wizard of a man who put his skills to use getting me all set up this year. 

Over the summer and into early fall, our home smelled of fresh herbs and fragrant forests as I transformed wild and garden-grown plants into alchemical elixirs, mantra and blessings infusing the precious distillations. 

Blue spruce, white mountain sage, and magical mugwort are a few of the first allies who have participated in this botanical alchemy, transforming from fresh plants into healing hydrosols. Fragrant wormwood, incense cedarwood, and fresh local juniper berries are on deck, so long as I can get to them before the snow and frost set in fully.

As I tend my alembic to facilitate the transformation of these plants, I feel gratitude for the long line of alchemists who have come before me. I feel their wisdom, skill, and reverence for this process all around me, holding me within a sacred vessel of support as I do this work.

Now, steeped in aroma and the healing blessings of the plants, I come to share a bit more about this process — because I know some of you may be thinking, “Cool…but what is an alembic? What is a hydrosol? How on earth would I use one?”

I got you. And in this article, we will dive into all these questions and more ;)

Ancient Alchemy: Distillation of Spirit

There’s a reason alcohol is often referred to as “spirits” — the earliest alchemists believed the distillation process extracted the spiritual essence of plants. Since the result of botanical distillation was often alcohol, this literally intoxicating liquid became known as spirits. 

As with so many gifts from the gods, humans have created an often warped and dysregulated relationship with these liquid spirits. Yet this doesn’t mean they are inherently bad — it is pure, organic, distilled alcohol that provides the base of the sacred perfumes I create. Pure, organic alcohol, distilled from grapes in my home state of Oregon preserves the vibrational imprints of my flower essences.

In these magical, botanical remedies, alcohol isn’t just a preservative or base — it is an essential spiritual component of these botanical elixirs, helping to carry the spiritual nature of their gifts into our bodies, where we may receive great benefit. 

Yet it wasn’t only alcohol that arose from distillation…

Steam Distillation with Fragrant Aromatics

When fresh, fragrant plants are steamed in alchemical vessels, precious aroma chemicals can be captured in the form of essential oils and botanical waters — this is called steam distillation. Preparing steam distillations with my copper alembic lets me transform fresh, wild plants into magical remedies and elixirs. 

Here’s how steam distillation works: First, water and fresh plants, which contain volatile aroma chemicals and compounds, are placed in the bowl of a still (an alembic is a type of still). This is heated, and the steam rises — only the most volatile components rise in this steam, leaving the heavier plant chemicals behind. As the aromatic steam condenses back into water, it carries these compounds with it. Some compounds are water soluble, so they remain in the water, and others are not — these become essential oils that float on top of the water. 

So, this distillation creates two different magical and healing plant remedies:

• Essential Oils — You’ve probably heard of these guys ;) These are the condensed, aromatic molecules that are not soluble in water. They are highly concentrated and potent, and only a tiny amount can be extracted from the whole plant materials.

• Hydrosols — This is the recondensed aromatic steam, containing the water soluble molecules. It is gentle, fragrant, and full of very pure healing plant materials. Not as potent as essential oils, not as physically dense as a tea, hydrosols are unique distillations with their own alchemical gifts.

What Are Hydrosols, and How Are Hydrosols Different from Essential Oils?

While both hydrosols and essential oils come from the same distillation process, they are quite different in their composition and potency.

Distinctive Features of Essential Oils

• Essential oils are condensed, aromatic molecules that you’ll find floating on top of your hydrosol, their presence given away by an oily sheen.

• Essential oils float on top because they are not water soluble — rather, they are lipid-based and most soluble in fats and oils.

• They are also extremely concentrated — only a few drops are produced per gallon of water used in the distillation process.

• It takes a huge amount of plant material to make a single drop of essential oil, so they are very precious materials to use with great care.

• Since the water has been removed from essential oils, they are more shelf-stable and longer lasting than hydrosols.

Distinctive Features of Hydrosols

• Hydrosols, also known as floral waters or hydrolats, are the aromatic waters produced during a steam distillation of plant material. 

• Since they rise in steam, hydrosols contain water soluble molecules.

• And, since the steam distillation process creates a large amount of hydrosol, they tend to be fairly diluted in their potency.

• These qualities make them both more sustainable and gentle than essential oils — they are often used with sensitive individuals, children, and pets.

• Being water-based, hydrosols have a lighter, subtler scent and shorter shelf life than essential oils — a batch generally lasts about a year or two in a cool, dark place.

Ancestral Uses of Hydrosols

Historical evidence of distillation dates back thousands of years on multiple contents, with steam distillation happening extensively in Egypt, the Mediterranean, Persia, India, and China. (The copper alembic, which is what I use, likely originated with Muslim alchemists in the Islamic Golden Age, around the 8th/9th century.) 

In every country we find evidence of distillation, we can see that hydrosols were used in ritual and spiritual practices, medicine and healing, food and flavoring, and perfume and beauty.

In the past, it’s likely that the hydrosol itself was the primary aim of the distillation process, and the essential oils were either skimmed from the surface or simply mixed in — and this is really important to remember: 

So often, we think that more is better. More potent, more healing, right? Not necessarily. For thousands of years, hydrosols were incredibly valuable and revered for their medicinal properties.

The earliest use of hydrosols probably dates back to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, a world in which boundaries between perfume, medicine, and ritual were nonexistent.

Evidence shows that some of the earliest plants to be distilled were likely pines and junipers, along with lavender and rosemary.

In ancient Greece, hydrosols were used along with infused oils for cleansing, pathing, and ritual purification. As time went on and the use of hydrosols spread throughout Europe, health and beauty became the focus — rosewater being a favorite in both England and France.

I’m particularly drawn to the Taoist practices of the Han Dynasty in China. There is a long, beautiful history of using both hydrosols and essential oils in the Jade Purity lineage of Sun Simiao, which we’ll be diving into more deeply with my Nectar & Alchemy programs next year…

But in brief: Sun Simiao was a revered physician who used hydrosols and essential oils to anoint specific acupoints to bring about deep healing. His work was so effective that he became renowned throughout the land and was called to serve as a court physician.

Sun Simiao as depicted by Gan Bozong, woodcut print, Tang dynasty (618–907)

This is one of my favorite ways to use hydrosols today — anointing key acupoints, often related to the eight extraordinary vessels, to bring about deep, soul-level transformation and healing. 

And when I get to use hydrosols that I’ve myself, from plants grown on my own land and harvested by my own hands, the results are even more profound.

The Unique Benefits of Hydrosols

Among all the wonderful ways we can partner with plants, a few benefits make hydrosols a unique kind of remedy:

Hydrosols are very safe. Unlike essential oils and herbal remedies, hydrosols are incredibly gentle. While you should always check for contraindications and allergies, in general, you can safely use hydrosols with children, pets, and the elderly, making them wonderfully accessible remedies.

Hydrosols are energetically potent. Hydrosols are primarily energetic in nature, yet retain light and pure physical properties, as well. This combination helps us receive their gifts in every level of our being.

Hydrosols are more sustainable. For every drop of essential oil created, a gallon or more of hydrosol is made. This means that we can use far less plant material and still receive profound benefits, which makes hydrosols a more ecologically sustainable option for plant healing.

Hydrosols last under the right conditions. Kept in a cool, dark place (such as a refrigerator) and free from contamination, hydrosols will last 1-2 years without any added preservatives. While this isn’t as long as an essential oil or tincture, it is a lot longer than a tea or infused water — and pretty amazing considering no preservatives are needed!

How to Use Hydrosols

Healing, spiritual practice, fragrance and flavor, beauty…the many historical uses of hydrosols carry forward into our lives today. You can be endlessly creative with your hydrosol use, so here are just a few ideas to get started:

1. Make an aromatic mist

Use a single hydrosol, combination, or add essential oils and other plant extracts to create an aromatic mist. These mists can be used as you would any other aromatherapy spray — for beauty, cleansing, aroma, protection, refreshment…get creative!

2. Flavor your food and drinks

Add a teaspoon of hydrosol to a glass of water, use rosewater in a Mediterranean dessert, add orange blossom water to a honey cake, blend an herbal hydrosol into a salad dressing…most hydrosols are totally edible, so have fun in the kitchen. (If the plant isn’t edible, don’t eat the hydrosol!)

3. Apply topically

Hydrosols are safe to use directly on the skin — even with children and pets. Soaking some cotton pads in antiinflammatory hydrosols and applying to puffy eyes or irritated skin feels so soothing, and antibacterial hydrosols can be dabbed onto scratches.

4. Use ritually

Hydrosols can safely enhance any ritual intentions. Mist your space, attune your energy field to practice by taking a few drops internally, and cleanse your ritual objects. 

5. Anointing

Hydrosols are beautiful for any anointing practice — whether you are opening your third eye before meditation, attuning your heart to its highest vibration, or practicing traditional acupoint anointing in the TCM style, hydrosols carry the vibrational gifts of plants deep into your body’s energy system.

6. Support your health

All of the wellness benefits of the plants involved are carried into their hydrosol form. So, use peppermint and chamomile for digestion, tea tree and sage for antibacterial purposes, helichrysum for skin health, and lavender for a calm mind. Once again, there are endless possibilities. 

Psst — this list just scratches the surface! Download 44 more creative ways to use hydrosols—my gift to you!

44 Creative Ways to Use Hydrosols

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2024 Hydrosol Collection

Ok, now that you have some idea about how totally magical hydrosols are, and how many ways you can use them (although, honestly, my favorite is just to mist my face for hydration and a mood boost throughout the day), I hope you’ll be inspired to start incorporating them into your own daily rituals.

Right now, there are 4 freshly made hydrosols in the botanica at Alchemessence. Obviously, pretty limited amounts are available.

Here’s a peek at who you’ll find:

• Mugwort — Mugwort has a long history as a sacred herb for enhancing dreams, intuitive work, and protection. Known for its ability to clear energetic blockages, Mugwort supports relaxation, enhances spiritual practice, and aids meditation.

• White Sagebrush — A lovely, local, and sustainable white sage from the artemisia family, this hydrosol purifyies the mind, body, and spirit. It helps clear emotional clutter, provides mental grounding, and energetically prepares you for spiritual practices.

• Blue Spruce — This hydrosol captures the spirit of evergreen forests, bringing about feelings of peace and strength. Blue Spruce hydrosol is wonderfully grounding, helping to clear mental fog, support emotional balance, and create a sense of calm stability.

• Purple-Leaf Chokecherry Blossom — This unique hydrosol offers us gentle emotional healing and reminds us of the sweetness of life. It provides calming support for the nervous system, uplifts the heart, and enhances a sense of connectedness and harmony.

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Juniper Stokes is a certified coach, mythoanimist guide, alchemist & artist.

Remember that You Are the Cosmos

Nothing on this site has been written by AI.

Y’all know I love me some A’s — astrology, aromatics, ascension, anointing…

So I’ve often wondered…do people think I’m a flaky dilettante when they peruse my writing? 

I mean, one day I’m sharing a deep dive into the Age of Aquarius, the next I’m channeling a meditation with an Egyptian goddess, then I’m waxing poetic on ecological trauma, and then I’m going on about natural perfume fragrance families!

But it is all connected. And I’m not the only one who thinks so.

Historically, aromatic plants were always tied to spirituality through perfume. They were always a reflection of our connection with the Earth and the environments we live in. They were always understood in relationship with the cosmos. 

And this is true cross culturally, though with some differently flavored systems ;)

In Western alchemy and esoteric traditions, every plant is ruled by a planetary god (or gods). Rose graces us with the blessings of Venus, and nettles protect us alongside Mars.

I’ll share more on this later. For today, I want to dive into an area of astrological aromatics that not as many people are familiar with…Taoist cosmic perfumery.

(How absolutely juicy are those words? I think the word “juicy” is super cringe. But Taoist Cosmic Perfumery??? I mean. It does give juicy vibes.)

Taoist philosophy teaches us that our bodies are microcosms of the universal macrocosm. The cosmos are reflected in our own physical beings. Mountains and oceans of energy rise and pool throughout our energetic vessel, just as physical mountains and oceans are energetic forces upon our Earth.

And just as stars form constellations in the skies, our meridians, organs, and acupuncture points form constellations within our bodies.

The Big Dipper is one of the most important ones: Polaris, our north star, resides in our heart while the rest of the seven sacred stars rotate around it. (How beautiful that the north star is a guiding light for our souls across cultural traditions.) In a way, our hearts are portals to our connection with the cosmos all around us.

Unfortunately, life often weakens, blocks, or severs our connection with the cosmos. You can probably see this in people around you, most of whom go through life not feeling their connection with the cosmos, unaware of the universe within themselves.

When this happens, the microcosmic orbit — our inner energetic flow that forms the basis for health, vitality, and longevity — isn’t able to flow freely. And we suffer as a result.

This is where the aromatics and anointing come in.

I’ve written before on the Taoist tradition of using essential oils to anoint acupuncture points. Again, this is not a modern invention. True distillation existed in China thousands of years ago, and oils and waters produced by this process were seen as pure alchemy. 

Essential oils in particular are said to carry the jing of a plant. Jing is a type of chi that’s kind of like our genetic makeup, the divine blueprint of our physical and energetic bodies. And plant jing is perfectly evolved to support human jing :) When we receive the jing of a plant through an essential oil, it activates our body’s innate memory of its divine blueprint for health and cosmic connection.

Blending these oils into healing formulas is a whole world of complexities…which is perfect for my overactive, maximalist mind ;)

Within a Taoist anointing blend, every oils plays a different role. Some target a specific organ or meridian, some might move the energy in a different direction, and some might be part of traditional formulas for ghost points. 

And, in every blend, at least one oil has the role of restoring your connection with the cosmos.

The blend simply won’t work without this. We are cosmic beings and our relationship with the cosmos is central to our health.

As a shamanic healer, natural perfumer, and all-around alchemist and artist, is it any wonder I’m obsessed with these Taoist practices? (There’s probably an oil to use for that obsession…)

Beyond all the healing and magic here, I delight in the potential for beauty that this healing pathway brings us. Because at heart, I’m a perfumer.

I started my natural perfumery journey in 2007, so it’s been at the core of my creativity for nearly two decades. I trained at the Institute for Natural Perfumery in 2012. I apprenticed with magical, witchy, professional perfumer Roxanna Villa in person back in 2019. 

At this point, even though I’m a clinically certified aromatherapist and my Taoist teacher claims that her blends don’t smell great (lol, she’s very functional and effective and they smell fine…), I struggle to make anything that’s not absolutely beautiful smelling. 

And so, Taoist anointing, astrological influences, and artistry comes together in my magical perfumes.

Anyone can purchase my magical perfumes, and I’ll be opening a few slots for custom ones soon. But only my shamanic healing and wild alchemy coaching clients get to have me make Taoist blends for them. That might change in the future, but right now I find that I need to really understand the spiritual, energetic, and physical influences at play in order to create effective blends. (Plus, since I’m still learning, I’m bringing my case studies to my mentor, so you have both of us working on your blend.) 

June is filling up, but you can grab a spot with me here. 

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• 5 Essential Oils for Mercury Retrograde (and how to use them)

• The Complete Guide to Magical & Ritual Anointing Oils

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• How I Make Natural Perfumes: Art, Aroma, and Alchemy in a Bottle

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A Short & Sweet Guide to Understanding Flower Essence Dilutions

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ASTROLOGY | RECIPES | REWILDING | SACRED AROMATICS | SHAMANISM | SPIRITUALITY | WELLNESS

Juniper Stokes is a certified coach, mythoanimist guide, alchemist & artist.

A Short & Sweet Guide to Understanding Flower Essence Dilutions

Nothing on this site has been written by AI.

When it comes to flower essences, not every bottle is the same! There are actually three main dilutions that we work with, and each has a slightly different role. Here’s a short and sweet guide to help you understand and choose the best flower essence options for you!

The Mother Essence

Flower essences are made by infusing spring water with the energetic imprint of fresh plant material, and then preserving this mixture with alcohol. This original essence is known as the Mother — because it births all the following essences :) 

The Mother is the most potent essence. It contains the strongest energetic imprint, and is preserved at a 50/50 ratio of water to alcohol. Traditionally, brandy, which is 40% alcohol is used, though I often use an organic grape spirit instead.

Rather than ingesting essences directly from the Mother, we use this original blend to create stock and dosage bottles…

Flower Essence Stock Bottles

Stock bottles are the next level of potency when it comes to flower essences. To create a stock bottle, you take anywhere from 7-13 drops from the mother and add this to a neutral blend of spring water and brandy. Some people like to keep a 50/50 ratio, while others will use 75% water and 25% brandy for stock bottles.These essences are ready to use — you can take them directly on your tongue, add them to water, or turn to other creative uses.

Pretty much any flower essence you buy, from any reputable company (including Alchemessence), will be a stock bottle — but do your homework. If a company doesn’t specifically say that it offers stock bottles, they could be dosage bottles, which are a bit different as you’ll see below.

Flower Essence Dosage Bottle

Dosage bottles are the lightest dilution of flower essences, but no less potent. To create a dosage bottle, you’ll add 5-9 drops from the stock bottle to a neutral blend of spring water and brandy. While the Mother and stock bottles have a shelf life of many years (really, they can last over a decade when stored correctly), dosage bottles fade in potency after a few months. Since they aren’t meant to last as long, they’re usually made with a blend of 80% spring water and 20% brandy.

So what’s the point of a dosage bottle, and why would you choose this over a stock bottle? Dosage bottles are meant to be used for taking your daily dose of flower essences :) By creating a dosage bottle, you extend the life of your stock bottles. Plus, if you’re taking a custom remedy of many essences, it’s often easier to combine several stock essences into a dosage bottle for ease. Some people even find that their systems even respond more to dosage level essences than stock essences. 

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Alchemessence Flower Essences

Alchemessence single flower essences, combination formulas, and custom formulas are all stock bottle strength, meaning that you can either take them as they are or dilute them on your own to create dosage bottles. 

And I have to say, it’s a bit unusual to find custom formulas offered at stock strength rather than as dosages. But this is what I prefer so this is what I share! You can learn more about receiving your own custom flower essence formula here. 

Explore Alchemessence Flower Essences

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Juniper Stokes is a certified coach, mythoanimist guide, alchemist & artist.

A Sunday Tea Ritual

A cup of tea can become a sacred ritual—all you need is intention.

I find Sunday evenings offer the perfect time to pause and reflect in sacred ritual before the new work week begins. Here’s a ritual for you to try this evening or anytime you want to quiet your mind and connect with spirit…

Begin by setting the intention to nourish your soul and calm your mind before the week begins.

Before you boil the water, place your hands over the hot water kettle and visualize calming nourishing energy flowing from your heart into the water.

Prepare the herbs and your cup with a grateful heart. Keep this feeling of gratitude—for these plants, for this moment in time, for your body, the aromas, the nourishment—flowing as you pour water over the tea.

As the tea steeps, you may like to light a candle and prepare your journal space.

Once ready, bring all your senses to your first few sips. Take your time and feel the warm cup in your hands. Inhale the aroma. Taste the nuances.

If this is all you have time or energy for, the ritual is complete. If you’d like to take this moment to journal, you might like to ask yourself:

How can I nourish myself in the coming week?

Where can I create more space in my schedule, perhaps by delegating or saying no?

What am I looking forward to? How can I make sure that I prioritize this?

May this ritual bring you peace and nourishment.

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A Guide to Perfume Types: Dilutions & Ratios in Natural Perfumes

EDP or EDT? Perfume or Parfum?

The world of fragrance is full of various terms that can be a bit confusing when you first hear of them — which is why I’ve put together this helpful guide :) Let’s take a look at the most common ratios, dilutions, and terms used in perfumery — and how they’re just a bit different when it comes to natural perfumes.

Psst! If you’re looking for info on natural perfume families — aka, chypre vs floral vs gourmand — you’ll want to take a look at this fascinating article: A Guide to Natural Perfume Fragrance Families.

What are perfume types?

In short, different strengths of perfumes have different names — this is what I mean by “perfume type”.

For example, an “eau de toilette” is usually at about a 10% dilution. This means that your fragrance will contain 10% fragrant material (either natural essences like essential oils, or chemical compounds in mainstream perfumes) and 90% carrier (usually alcohol or oil, and occasionally water).

Why is perfume type important?

Because the strength of your perfume dictates how long it will last. As you might guess, the stronger the dilution, the longer the wear and sillage…

Sillage—the aromatic trail left as someone wearing a perfume walks by

The most common perfume type is probably “eau de parfume”, often shortened to EDP. When people in the United States say “perfume”, this is usually what they mean.

If you look up perfume strength meanings online, you’ll find many lists with ratios similar to what I have here. These charts usually estimate the sillage by hour…

This doesn’t work with natural perfumes.

Natural perfumes don’t last as long as chemical-based ones — yet, if you’re just dipping your toes into the world of natural perfumery, you might be surprised at how long Alchemessence Perfumes do last. Here’s why:

Many people confuse botanical perfumes with aromatherapy blends. This is understandable — both are made with essential oils, and both can smell really good. But the two are actually extremely different. So much so that I’ll have an entire blog post dedicated to the topic soon…

What’s important now, is to understand that I intentionally design my botanical perfumes to last longer than simple aromatherapy blends, bringing together top and mid notes with long-lasting bases and “fixatives”.

Fixative—a botanical ingredient that extends the silage of your fragrance in natural perfumery

In natural perfumery, a fixative is a completely natural essential oil, absolute, or CO2 that extends the sillage of your perfume in a few different ways—by slowing down the evaporative rate or fortifying the fragrance, for example.

This means that some of my strongest perfumes will actually last up to 6hrs on your skin—naturally!

Decoding Dilutions: A Guide to Perfume Types and Concentrations

Of course, the more concentrated the perfume, the longer it will last. Here are the common types of perfumes based on their dilutions:

Parfum Extrait

• Concentration: 20-40% perfume oil

• Longevity: Lasts the longest, often for more than 6 hours, though the aroma of natural perfumes will change more during this window

• Intensity: Highly potent and rich in scent

• Application: Typically only a small amount is needed due to its strength

• Characteristics: Expensive due to the high concentration of natural perfume oils, often packaged in smaller bottles, common in perfume oils and solids

Eau de Parfum (EDP)

• Concentration: 10-20% perfume oil

• Longevity: Lasts for around 3-6 hours depending on the ingredients

• Intensity: Strong and noticeable, but slightly less potent than pure perfume

• Application: Spritzing a couple of times on pulse points is usually sufficient

• Characteristics: EDPs strike a balance between longevity and potency, making them popular choices and the most common perfume types

Eau de Toilette (EDT)

• Concentration: 5-10% perfume oil

• Longevity: Lasts for about 2 hours

• Intensity: Lighter than EDP, suitable for a subtle scent

• Application: Requires more spritzing throughout the day

• Characteristics: EDTs are commonly used for everyday wear and are less overpowering

Eau de Cologne (EDC)

• Concentration: 2-4% perfume oil

• Longevity: Lasts for about 1-2 hours or less

• Intensity: Very light and refreshing

• Application: Needs frequent reapplication due to its low concentration

• Characteristics: Often used for a quick refreshment or in warmer weather due to its light nature

Eau Fraiche

• Concentration: 1-3% perfume oil

• Longevity: A brief aromatic experience

• Intensity: Extremely light and subtle

• Application: Requires frequent reapplication

• Characteristics: Eau Fraiche has the lowest concentration of perfume oils and is mostly used for a quick mood boost

It's important to note that the longevity and intensity of a fragrance also depend on individual skin chemistry and the specific ingredients in the perfume. Additionally, the same fragrance may smell slightly different at various concentrations due to the interactions between the perfume oils and the other components of the fragrance.

When choosing a perfume, consider your personal preference for intensity, how long you want the scent to last, and the occasion for which you're wearing it. It's a good idea to test perfumes on your skin to see how they interact with your body chemistry and to experience how they develop over time. Natural perfumes especially tend to be shape shifters, dancing uniquely with each of our personal chemistries.

Find your personal, all-natural fragrance in the Alchemessence Perfumery.

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• How I Make Natural Perfumes: Art, Aroma, and Alchemy in a Bottle

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5 Essential Oils for Mercury Retrograde (and how to use them)

Mercury Retrograde has a bit of a bad reputation…but there are ways you can make any retrograde season work for you! In this article, we’ll take a brief look at what retrogrades are and how they function. Then, drawing from my personal anointing practice, which is based on decades of spirit work and botanical alchemy, I’ll share my five favorite oils for support during Mercury Retrograde. And stick around to the end — I’ve included a magical practice to do with the oils!

Why Retrogrades Matter

I’m not one to let any sort of system dictate my life, and I have no interest in freaking out about this convergence of retrogrades. I do, however, believe that responding appropriately to the movements in our skies is important…

As humans, we’re part of a larger web not just of life, but of cosmic energy. And, the universe has been so kind as to give us literal maps of the energies at play in our lives — the maps found in the skies. 

In the ancient astrology I practice, the planets are not just energies, nor are they simply archetypes — they are gods. Inspirited, wise, and powerful, these gods rule different areas of our lives. 

When the planets appear to move backward during a retrograde, there is a significant shift in how their energies are received and perceived upon our Earth: forward momentum in their areas of rulership slows and old cycles and patterns come up for review.

Retrogrades in general are a time for all things “re”: remember, review, reflect, release, and relax.

These astrological periods offer us natural, healthy cycles to enter into throughout our lives —- yet modern life doesn’t typically allow for a lot of wiggle room during these retrogrades as we constantly push forward. And this is where we run into trouble. 

When we resist the nature of reality, obstacles arise. When we push against the natural flow of energies, everything feels more challenging and frustrating. 

When we do what we can to go with the flow, to give ourselves space, and to accept whatever arises with equanimity, then we can receive the gifts of the retrogrades.

Understanding Mercury Retrograde

Mercury is often best known as the planet of communication and the mind — travel, technology, contracts, speaking, writing, and our thinking all fall under his rulership. 

Yet Mercury is also the planet of magic. Spellcasting, manifesting, and influencing the subtle realms around you also fall under Mercury’s rulership.

This is why during a Mercury Retrograde, so many things can appear to go wrong. Travel can see a bit more obstacles, launching new ideas or projects can have more hiccups, and miscommunications can abound.

But remember — difficulties during retrogrades are not set in stone. By working with the energy of Mercury Retrograde, gifts arise: You might discover important details on past projects you’d previously overlooked. You might glean new layers of insight about yourself during reflective activities. You might even enjoy a surprise detour if you buffer your travels with plenty of extra time.

Essential Oils for Mercury Retrograde

Just as we find helpful maps in the skies, we find supportive allies here on Earth — especially with the plants.  

As both a shamanic practitioner and clinically certified aromatherapist, I love working with essential oils for support — every oil contains the alchemical distillation of a plant’s most potent gifts.

This includes the mental and emotional benefits many people associate with aromatherapy, as well as the physical benefits that arise when each oil’s chemistry meets our own. And these benefits include wisdom, blessings, and energetic healing from the plant spirit that overlights each oil.

Here are a just a few of my favorite oils for Mercury Retrograde:

1. Rosemary: Untangling Cosmic Confusion

Rosemary is my top pick for Mercury Retrograde. Invigorating and opening, rosemary has an affinity for our third eye chakra, helping us see the truth and organize our thoughts with greater clarity — very supportive at a time when thinking can feel scattered. 

Rosemary is also the embodiment of graceful memory. Several studies have even shown promising results for using rosemary with Alzheimer's patients. Yet rosemary isn’t just about remembering our day-to-day tasks: It’s about recalling deep wisdom and memories hidden within our lineages and past lives. 

You can use rosemary anytime you need to think clearly, increase insight, boost concentration, and improve memory during this retrograde.

2. Clary Sage: Bringing Balanced Wisdom

Clary sage is a beautifully harmonizing essential oil. Both relaxing and uplifting, it physically balances our hormones and promotes emotional balance — something we might need a bit of extra support with during Mercury Retrograde. Clary sage is also my favorite oil for activating insight and intuition by clearing the pathways to divine wisdom. 

This Mercury Retrograde, let clary sage be a cosmic hug that helps you navigate uncertainties with calm and clarity.

3. Blue Tansy: Joyful Expression

Blue tansy has a playful energy that brings greater flow and ease to our lives. Sweet and nourishing, blue tansy tends our inner child so we can feel safe to play and trust in all life brings. 

And, with its natural bright blue color, blue tansy also has an affinity for the throat chakra. At a time when communication mishaps might be common, blue tansy brings welcome relief. 

Use blue tansy to encourage feelings of joy and trust, as well as to support communication, this Mercury Retrograde. 

4. May Chang: Positivity Booster

If you find negativity creeping in during this time, casting shadows on your plans and aspirations, may chang is a lovely ally. With its uplifting and refreshing aroma, may chang acts as a natural mood enhancer. 

May chang is especially helpful for those feel “tired and wired” during Mercury Retrograde — it uplifts our mood by calming our nervous systems, which in turn actually leads to more sustainable energy. 

You can use May change to help maintain a positive outlook and embrace the cosmic twists and turns with optimism.

5. Vetiver: Grounding and Stability

Get grounded and stay present with the support of vetiver. A restorative oil, vetiver is perfect for those times when you’re feeling hypersensitive or distracted. With its deep, earthy, almost smokey scent, vetiver anchors us to both the Earth and the present moment, offering stability amidst the cosmic chaos. Its calming effects can help alleviate stress and encourage a sense of security.

Turn to vetiver when you need to calm down, get present, and come from a place of inner power during challenging times. 

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How to Use Essential Oils During Mercury Retrograde

There are two simple yet powerful ways you can use these oils to support your flow during this retrograde season. 

First, you can diffuse the oils. If you already have an essential oil diffuser, this is a lovely way to receive the benefits of these oils while blessing your entire space. 

Simply add 4-6 drops of any of these oils to your favorite diffuser. You can choose one oil, or combine a few different ones. R

Anointing with the oils is especially powerful. An anointing practice can be done as part of a daily meditation, before journaling, or in preparation of Mercury-related activities to harmonize the energy (for example, you might like to anoint yourself with rosemary before reading an important document or blue tansy before a big conversation).

Quick Tip – Make Your Own Anointing Oil

Anointing can be done neat* — meaning with the pure, undiluted essential oil — or with a dilution of about 10% essential oil in a carrier oil. 

If you’re making your own anointing oil this way, use about 10 drops per teaspoon of oil. The olive oil in your kitchen is great and has been traditionally used for centuries. Jojoba is a good modern choice, as it has an especially long shelf life. 

*Some oils can cause irritation when used neat, including many citrus and spice oils, so in general, it’s a good idea to use diluted oils for your anointing practices. 

How to Apply Your Anointing Oil

To apply your anointing oil, place one drop on your finger and then gently rub into selected points on the body. Hold your finger on the point for one to three minutes — until you feel a soft energetic shift. Chakra points are a nice place to start your anointing practice. 

I also like to hold two key acupuncture points, as taught by Tiffany Carole, to receive the blessings of the oils: DU-2, located at the sacrum, and DU-20, located at the top of the head. (You can find charts to help with exact locations online.) Simply place one drop of oil on your index fingers, and then hold one index finger on each acupuncture for 1 - 3 minutes. 

As we navigate Mercury retrograde, remember that essential oils are more than just pleasant scents – they are alchemical allies that can support our journeys of self-discovery and growth. So choose your oil, take a deep breath, and let the plant spirit guide you through these cosmic waves.

Psst…buying high quality essential oils can feel like a landmine. I wrote this peice to help.

You might also like:

• A Complete Guide to Magical & Ritual Anointing Oils

• 8 Tips for Buying High Quality Essential Oils

• Here’s What You Need to Know about Buying Natural Perfumes and Essential Oils

• How I Make Natural Perfumes: Art, Aroma, and Alchemy in a Bottle

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Lion’s Gate Portal 8/8: Ancient Origins, Portal Openers, and the Key to Manifestation

You’ll likely be hearing a lot about the Lion’s Gate Portal right around now — I even saw an article in Glamour about manifesting with the energy of this day (sometimes the changes I’ve witnessed in our collective consciousness just within my lifetime astound me).

These articles are helpful — but they are not the full story. Here’s what you might not know about the Lion’s Gate Portal…

Sirius — A Portal to Spiritual Wisdom

Sirius is the brightest star in our skies and has played an important role in spiritual traditions throughout the world…and Sirius is the key to opening the Lion’s Gate Portal.

Sirius is the brightest star visible in Earth's night sky and has been revered by various civilizations throughout history. Modern mystics will often refer to Sirius as “The Great Central Sun” — a luminous portal to divine wisdom.

The name "Sirius" is derived from the Greek word "Seirios," meaning "glowing" or "scorcher," which highlights its brilliance — it’s one of the closest stars to the Earth and its luminosity is about 25 times that of our own Sun.

Fun fact: Sirius is a binary star system, meaning that it consists of two stars — a brighter one and smaller white dwarf companion.

In ancient Egypt: Sirius was deified as the goddess Sopdet (Sothis in Greek) and appears as a woman with a five-pointed star upon her head. Sopdet is said to be a form of the goddess Isis, which emphasizes the importance of the stellar being. 

Sopdet’s consort was the god Sah — who deified the constellation Orion. Just as Sopdet as associated with Isis, Sah was associated with her consort, Osiris.

Note: Osiris is a god of death and rebirth, transformation and regeneration — something that will become important to remember in the next bit…

The Lion’s Gate Portal 8/8

During the Lion’s Gate Portal, the Earth, Sirius, the constellation Orion, and our Sun (in the sign of Leo, the lion), all come into alignment. 

In new thought spiritual communities, this cosmic event is said to activate a celestial portal that allows our manifestations to take form more quickly. It’s a time of collective evolution and an invitation to focus your intentions, connect with spirit, and bring your desires to life.

Though the energy of the Lion’s Gate lasts for around two weeks, it’s said to peak on August 8th (8/8, and next summer will be quite potent at 8/8/8 - 2+0+2+4), bringing in the numerological blessings of this day.

8 is a potent number associated with power, sex, and money, as well as death and rebirth. 

(So both the constellation Orion and the number 8 add themes of death and rebirth to this sacred day!)

In astrology, the 8th house is ruled by Mars (in Hellenistic astrology) and Pluto (in modern astrology), and is home to Scorpio, making it our place of deep transformation — we delve into the depths of our psyches to let the old die and regenerate into greater versions of ourselves.

The 8th house is also where we access resources from outside ourselves, including gifts that arrive from others, the earth, and spirit.

With this 8th house energy of transformation and outside gifts, the Lion’s Gate Portal invites us to evolve into the person who is worthy and capable of receiving what we intend to manifest.

And guess what? The 8th card in the Tarot’s major arcana is Strength, a radiant, solar card which, in the traditional Rider-Waite Tarot, features a lion!

The True Mystical Origins of the Lion’s Gate Portal

But let’s be real here. The date 8/8 is a relatively modern invention — the current Gregorian calendar wasn’t established until the 16th century.

This calendar absolutely does add an important energetic signature, and our understanding of the numerological energy of 8 goes back thousands of years, but it’s important to understand that the true origins of the Lion’s Gate Portal are rooted much further in history.

Long before modern mystics named the Lion’s Gate Portal what it is today, ancient Egyptians were celebrating their new year right around the same time.

Sirius's heliacal rising — the first time it becomes visible in the morning sky before sunrise — was associated with the annual flooding of the Nile River, which was a critical event for the region's agriculture and marked the arrival of the Egyptian New Year. (I have an entire article on this celestial event and the Egyptian holy days it portends — ​if you missed it, you can still read it here.)

Though the celestial gods and their seasons have shifted over time, it’s generally thought that the heliacal rising of Sirius occurs in late July. Late July is of course the start of Leo season and opens the energetic portal of the Lion’s Gate.

So, while we might say this portal peaks on August 8th, the true origins of the Lion’s Gate Portal can be found in the ancient Egyptian New Year. 

For me, this makes the Lion’s Gate Portal and powerful time for working with the gods of Egypt. (I’m actually finalizing a set of all-natural Egyptian perfumes, though they won’t be ready for release until the fall.)

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Now is the perfect time to work with these rituals and connect with the gods of Egypt. 

Portal Openers

I love partnering with plant allies — as herbs, flower essences, essential oils, and of course living plants. They provide us with food and medicine, wisdom and protection, and endless support on our human journeys.

One of my most personally sacred ways of working with the plants is through anointing oils. Spiritual traditions throughout the world have use anointing rituals for blessing, initiation, and protection.

In my own spiritual practice, I work with sacred oils as portal openers. 

When I create an alchemical oil or anointing balm, both the energetic signature of the oils used and the ritual transmission of energy I infuse into the oil synergize into a uniquely potent blend.

This unique synergy speaks the language of energy and spirit, opening the way for deeper communication with the spirit world. I often anoint my heart when doing ritual work, as this attunes my own vibration with that of my intentions, opening a portal for greater healing and manifestation.

Whether you feel called to engage with the ritual guide above, or plan on doing your own manifestation practices, I highly recommend working with sacred oils for added potency.

The oils you choose will depend on your intentions. A few of my favorites:

• Rose — for love

• Basil — for wealth

• Helichrysum — for healing

• Clove — for protection

• Neroli — for spiritual connection

If you make your own oil, be sure to dilute any pure essential oils in a carrier oil — olive oil works wonderfully (aim for about a 5% dilution — this is an energetic blend, so stronger isn’t better).

I’ve created a wealth of potent oils available in the Alchemessence Apothecary. Here are two that are especially potent for Egyptian magick:

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Sacred Scarab Anointing Oil

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Scarab Anointing Oil

I created my new ​Scarab Anointing Oil ​specifically for working with Egyptian magic — with true blue lotus absolute, sacred myrrh resin, and many more precious essences to connect you with ancient Egypt. Anointing oils are potent portal activators, and Scarab will help open sacred pathways of communication with the Egyptian deities.

Psst: I have an entire article on the magic of Scarabs here!

You might also like:

• The Venusian Mysteries: Awakening the Sacred Feminine

• The Heliacal Rise of Sirius, the Five Sacred Epagomenal Days, and the Egyptian New Year

• Ancient Egyptian Scarabs: 6 Reasons This Beetle is Pure Magic

• Healing with the Goddess Ma'at

• A Complete Guide to Magical & Ritual Anointing Oils

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How to Use Flower Essences: A Complete Guide

Using flower essences is simple and allows you to harness the healing properties of flowers to support your own well-being. In this article, you’ll learn how to use flower essences for personal transformation and healing — including how to choose the right flower essence for you, different ways to take your flower essences, and how to know if they’re actually working!

Psst: If you want to know more about what flower essences are and how they work, take a look at this complete guide to flower essences!

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to use flower essences for transformation and healing:

1. Choose the Right Flower Essence

Select a flower essence that aligns with your specific emotional or mental needs. For example, if you are experiencing general anxiety, you might consider using a flower essence like aspen. For healing past relationships or a broken heart, twinberry honeysuckle could help.

You can select flower essences by researching your intentions and reading descriptions, through kinesthetic testing, intuitively, or with a personal consultation. 

Looking for more in-depth guidance on choosing your essences? This free guide will walk you through a fun process!

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2. Set Your Intention

Before using your flower essences, take a moment to set your intention or the purpose for using it. Be clear about what emotional, mental, or spiritual aspects you want to address or what positive qualities you wish to cultivate within yourself. This intention will infuse your experience with more healing and prepare you to receive the benefits of your essences.

3. Take the Flower Essence

The most common way to take flower essences is orally — directly under the tongue or in water:

• Direct Ingestion: Place a few drops (usually 2-4) of the flower essence under your tongue. Hold the drops in your mouth for about 30 seconds before swallowing. This allows the essence to be absorbed through the mucous membranes and enter your system.

• In Water: Add a few drops of the flower essence to a glass of water and sip it slowly. This method is especially useful if you find the taste of the essence too strong for direct ingestion.

Either way, you’ll want to take your dose of essences 2 to 4 times a day for at least two weeks. After two weeks, most people notice at least subtle changes. You should continue taking your essences either until the dosage bottle is gone, or until you naturally feel complete — you’ll notice that you just aren’t drawn to keep taking them. 

While taking essences internally and consistently is the most common way to heal and transform with them there are many wonderful and creative ways to use flower essences! You can apply them topically, use them in rituals, share them with pets…the list goes on :) 

For a complete list of creative uses for flower essences, make sure to grab your free guide, Flowering Soul.

4. Observe and Reflect

As you use your flower essences, pay attention to any shifts or changes in your emotions, thought patterns, or overall well-being. Keep a journal if possible, noting any insights or observations. Sometimes the effects of flower essences may be subtle and gradual, while other times, you might notice immediate changes. You can read more about signs to look for here.

5. Combine Flower Essences (Optional)

You can create personalized blends by combining different flower essences to address multiple aspects of your emotional or mental well-being. If you choose to mix essences, do so in a separate bottle and label it with the intention or emotions you are targeting. An experienced practitioner can also help you create a custom blend for your particular needs.

6. Be Patient and Gentle with Yourself

Flower essences work in harmony with your natural healing process, but they are not a quick fix. Be patient and compassionate with yourself as you embark on this journey of self-discovery and healing. 

Sometimes, what has been buried or hidden within our psyches emerges when we use flower essences — and this isn’t always easy to confront or integrate. Find support for your journey, whether through a trusted friend, therapist, spiritual healer, or someone else with the skills to hold you during your transformation.

Remember that while flower essences can be a valuable tool for emotional support, they are not a substitute for professional medical or psychological help when needed. If you are dealing with significant emotional challenges or mental health issues, consider seeking guidance from a qualified healthcare practitioner or therapist.

Using flower essences can be a beautiful and transformative experience, allowing you to connect with the healing power of nature and nurture your emotional and spiritual growth.

If you’d like to go deeper with your exploration, you’ll want to get my free guide to flower essences here:

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Ready to start using essences yourself? I offer a selection of handmade essences in the Alchemessence Apothecary. I created each one myself, in sacred partnership with the plants. A few to get started with are:

You might also like:

• Flower Essence FAQs

• Flower Essences 101: How to Partner with Plants for Whole-Self Healing

• Gnome Plant & Meeting the Queen of the Underworld

• The Magic and Medicine of the Rose

• Great Northern Bedstraw: A Beloved and Underrated Wild Plant

• The Magic and Medicine of Elephant's Head Flower

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All About Flower Essences: How to Partner with Plants for Whole-Self Healing

Flower power is back! Flower essences are liquid infusions of blossoms and light that shift the vibrational state of anyone who uses them. And they’re becoming more popular all the time — because they are one of the most gentle, accessible, and still potently transformational healing remedies available. The plants are here to support us, and in this article you’ll learn exactly what flower essences are, how they work, and how you can start using them for your own healing journey.

As the child of nature-loving hippies, I’ve been using flower essences for just about my entire life. I love them.

For the past decade, I’ve also been making my own flower essences in sacred ceremony out in the wilds — I spend miles and hours wandering through mountains, forests, and fields, allowing the spirits of nature to guide me to the perfect plants. 

The result is an ever growing collection of powerful elixirs made from a wide variety of botanical allies — some of which are quite rare and true gifts from the earth. 

Flower essences have been part of my life for so long that I sometimes forget that not everyone lives and breathes spiritual botany the way I do. And, from the outside looking in, they almost seem like a snake oil type of medicine…how does infusing a blossom in spring water actually make a difference for your own health and wellness?

Read on to discover the magical, vibrational, and natural power of the flowers!

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What Are Flower Essences?

Flower essences are natural remedies made from the energetic imprint of flowers. They are created by infusing the blossoms of specific plants in water, and then preserving with alcohol, to capture their unique vibrational signature.

By working on an energetic level, flower essences affect the subtle energy systems of the body to promote emotional, spiritual, and, as a result, physical healing. 

Unlike essential oils or herbal extracts, flower essences don't contain physical substances — and therefore have no scent — but instead carry the vibrational imprint of a flower’s unique healing qualities. 

The term “flower essence” is often used as an umbrella term for vibrational essences of all types, as well, including:

• Trees and mushrooms — even if not technically flowers, these make wonderful essences

• Environmental essences — these capture the energy of a place, such as a body of water or sacred site

• Gemstone essences — these essences carry the vibrational imprints of crystals and stones

The History And Origins Of Flower Essences

The history of flower essences can be traced back to ancient civilizations, when healers and spiritual practitioners recognized the healing potential of vibrational remedies. The modern-day foundation of flower essences, however, is attributed to the pioneering work of Dr. Edward Bach.

Dr. Bach was a British physician and homeopath. In the 1920s, he developed a set of 38 individual flower essences — known as the Bach Flower Remedies — each corresponding to a specific emotional state. His belief was that imbalances in our emotional and mental states led to physical illnesses, and by addressing these emotional imbalances, true healing could occur. 

Dr. Bach created the first flower essences based on his intuitive realization that the healing properties of flowers could be transferred to water, which captured the energetic imprint of the plant — something Dr. Masaru Emoto later demonstrated with his famous water experiments. 

A strong proponent of accessibility in healing, these essences allowed Bach to share healing remedies that could be easily administered and understood by people without specialized medical knowledge. To this day, Dr. Bach’s work with homeopathy and flower essences continues to influence alternative and holistic healing methodologies.

How Are Flower Essences Made?

Creating flower essences involves a gentle and sacred process that honors the essence of the flowers.

The most common method is the sun-infusion technique, where freshly picked flowers are floated on the surface of spring water and left to be infused by the sun's energy, which helps transfer the vibrational healing qualities of the flowers to the water. (I use a moonlight infusion for mushroom essences, though, as the moon and mushrooms have a unique relationship.)

Essences from hardier plants, such as trees, are often made with a boiling method instead of the sun infusion, as Bach felt that simmering tougher plant material in water for 20 minutes more effectively brought out the vibrational imprints. 

Either way, the resulting infusions are then preserved with alcohol to create the “mother” essence. Brandy is traditionally used, though many people today use vodka. (I have a 100% Demeter Certified organic grape alcohol I like to use.) For those avoiding alcohol, apple cider vinegar is a good alternative.

From the mother essence, you will dilute just a few drops into each stock or dosage bottle. (I share more about this in the free guide!) Each vibrationally attuned drop imprints the water if your dosage bottle, allowing you to receive full benefits of the elixir in amazingly sustainable ways.

Why Flower Essences Work

The philosophy behind flower essences is based on the belief that emotional and spiritual imbalances can manifest as physical ailments. By addressing the root cause of these imbalances on an energetic level, flower essences facilitate healing and personal growth. 

They can assist in alleviating stress, anxiety, fear, grief, and other emotional states, promoting a greater sense of harmony and connection with oneself and the environment.

As a subtle healing remedy, flower essences probably won’t give you an immediate, noticable difference with a one-time use. However, used consistently over time, they do make a difference. 

You’ll likely wake up one day and realize that your thoughts have become more positive, and you didn’t notice it happening. Or your back pain just isn’t bothering you as much, and you’re not sure why. Or you have an inspired idea, seemingly out of nowhere. These are the essences at work!

Here are a few signs your flower essences are working:

• Your dreams — look for shifting patterns in recurrent dreams, insights, and healing

• Your habits and daily patterns — notice subtle shifts that arise naturally and will make a bigger difference over time

• Your thoughts — again, notice subtle shifts in old thinking patterns, as well as new insights and inspiration

• Your intuition — you’ll begin to come into clearer connection with your inner knowing and meditation may feel easier

• Synchronicities — seemingly ransom blessings are actually the result of your own shifting energy

• Relationship changes — as you change, your relationships with those around will change too

• Physical wellness — you’ll start to just feel better, whether that means having more energy, peace, or joy

How to Use Flower Essences

Flower essences are best used consistently over time. The most common way to use them is to drink a few drops in water four times a day — but you can get creative :) 

For a complete guide on using flower essences, take a look at this article!

Why to Use Flower Essences

Flower essences can support a wide range of intentions. Here are a few common ones:

• Alleviating anxiety — aspen is one of my favorites for this

• Healthy boundaries, energetically and emotionally — try a combination of yarrow and rose

• Embodying your worth — I absolutely love queen’s crown as an ally

• Enhancing psychic abilities, intuition, shamanic journeying, and lucid dreaming — mugwort and amanita are favorites

• Shadow work — the poison plant essences are potent allies, and you can get a full set of them here

• Support for times of change — bistort helps us with internal scaffolding, and fireweed helps us re-emerge after having the ground pulled from under us

• Sleep and relaxation — elephant’s head is my absolute favorite for this

• Tending the mother wound — mariposa lily is a beautiful essence

• Deepening your relationship with the Earth — you have to read my article on gnome flower essence!

• Plus healthy relationships, healing depression, motivation for life changes, physical changes, and so much more.

Safety Considerations And Potential Side Effects

One of the wonderful things about flower essences is that they are so safe and easy to use, with no known side effects or interactions. They usually can be used with animals, children, and the elderly without any problems.

That said, the emotional transformation that may arise with use of flower essences may be intense — you’ll want to have proper support, such as a trusted therapist or holistic healer, for any emotional or mental issues that arise.

Remember: While flower essences can be a valuable tool, they are not a substitute for professional medical or psychological help when needed. If you are dealing with significant emotional challenges, mental health issues, or physical ailments, consider seeking guidance from a qualified healthcare practitioner or therapist.

Flower essences offer a profound and accessible path to holistic healing and personal growth, bridging the gap between nature's wisdom and our own well-being. If you’d like to go deeper with your exploration, grab my free guide to flower essences here:

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Ready to start incorporating flower essences into your own healing journey? Explore the wild, sacred essences I’ve created in partnership with the plants in the Alchemessence Apothecary.

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Wild Sunflower

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Sacred Datura

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Gnome Flower

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• The Magic and Medicine of Elephant's Head Flower

Gnome Plant & Meeting the Queen of the Underworld

On a beautiful, sunny July morning in the mountains of Oregon, I made a discovery that would expand my understanding of reality. 

I had quit my full time job of six years just the month before. Tortured by a pompous prick of a manager and tired of suffering physically as well as emotionally, I finally leapt off the ledge of so-called security and into the void of the unknown. 

I gave myself the summer to heal (which turned into a year). As much as my mind told me that I would lose everything if I didn’t start making money again right away, my body was forcing me to slow down. 

And so, on a random Tuesday, free from the responsibilities I was used to, I took myself on a solo hike through a most beautiful forest, hoping that the spirits of nature could help heal my weary soul.

The hike began in the usual way — a crowded parking lot gave way to quiet trails as I traveled deeper into the woods. 

I allowed the trees to bathe me in healing terpenes, brushing my hands on lush ferns as I passed. I waded into icy river shores, praying for the healing waters to cleanse away my pain. I greeted every plant and stone and animal and bird, as is my way in the world. 

And then, I looked down and saw a being I’ve never seen before — a gnome plant. 

The Rare and Wonderful Gnome Plant

This beautiful and strange plant is extremely rare, and any encounter with her is a true gift. I believe she remains hidden by choice, revealing her beauty only to those who have demonstrated their heartfelt appreciation and love for the earth. 

So rare is the gnome plant, hemitomes congestum, that very little is even known about her.

"The Gnome Plant is so secretive and illusive one is as likely to encounter a forest gnome as see one of these deep forest dwellers." — Reny Parker in Wildflowers of California's North Coast Range (originally cited by Jeanne Jackson)

She is the only member in her entire plant family, hemitomes, and she exists only on the West Coast of the United States, from California to British Columbia.

Little is known about the life cycle of this mysterious plant, but we do know that it doesn’t contain chlorophyll, likely feeds on parasitic fungi, and is probably pollinated by a moth of some sort.

When I encountered this marvelous and mysterious plant, her petals were closed, giving her a distinctly succulent look. Delighted and awed, I snapped a few pictures, offered gratitude, and continued on my way.

I had thought that this was the end of my gnome plant encounter. It turns out it was only the beginning. 

The Invitation Deepens

A few nights later, I found myself wide awake in the middle of the night. Sleep eluded me, so I decided to use the time to journey and take a shamanic trip into the otherworlds. 

As someone who has been practicing shamanic arts for over two decades, I have usual protocols for my journeywork — set an intention, go through a portal, meet my guides, explore… 

For some reason though, this time I abandoned my usual process and simply set the intention to travel wherever spirit took me. 

As soon as my request was sent, a mole appeared. 

Now, I have dozens of spirit animals I work with, but I had never met mole spirit before! All felt divine and safe, so went with the flow and followed the mole deep into the earth.

Deeper and deeper. Darker and darker. We were traveling somewhere entirely new for me. 

Finally, the pressure of the earth around me shifted, and I dropped into a vast underground cavern. As my eyes adjusted, I saw that the walls around me were sparkling—precious minerals and crystals of all sorts glimmered from some source of unseen light.

Then I saw her. The Queen of the Underworld. The Queen of the Gnomes.

Meeting the Gnome Queen

Now, I should clarify that this is the language she gave me to describe herself. I’m well aware that many deities bear the title of Queen of the Underworld. And, while the term “gnome” is often used for adorable garden figures with pointed hats—that is not the kind of gnome I encountered.

The queen sat upon a crystalline throne, her pale skin luminescent and shimmering with an ethereal splendor.

Honored to be in her presence, I was told that encountering the gnome plant had been an invitation to her realm, an invitation to work with the magic and medicine of the earth kingdom in a new way. The plant was a portal. 

I was shown that this particular realm of gnomes (I believe there are actually many kinds of beings who bear this name) operated much like a bee hive: The queen was the only female, hidden from most in our world, protected and served by the male gnomes.

A World within Our World

The realm of the gnomes exists deep within our earth in a slightly different reality than we’re familiar with — perhaps another dimension, perhaps a different frequency. 

Though most are unaware of its existence, this realm is of vital importance to our own world. 

The gnomes tend the harmonic balance of the earth’s minerals. They build, move, and attune Gaia’s crystalline structure — and heal her from the extraction that happens in our dimension. The queen is a channel for the life force of the mineral-beings within the earth, infusing them with power and source energy.

The queen told me that those who are called to work with this realm have the ability to channel and harmonize earth grids for Gaia. And, by working directly with the gnomes, they just might receive Gaia’s abundance in surprising ways. 

I was being invited to apprentice with the gnome realm.

The queen then shared that I could return to the forest to make a flower essence of the gnome plant — a gift to support my apprenticeship energetically.

Creating a Most Rare Essence

Though encountering even one gnome plant seemed like a miracle the first time, I decided to respond to the queen’s generous invitation and see if I could find this plant once more. 

Unsure of whether the gnome plant would still be blooming or whether I could even find it again, I decided to make a date out of my next attempt. I invited my partner, Mike, on an after work hike and dinner picnic to the mountains. 

After nearly an hour and a half of driving, we arrived at the trailhead and set out. About five minutes into our hike, Mike said, “Whoa—is this one?”

It was. The queen, true to her promise, had recognized an earth ally in Mike, too (which doesn’t surprise me at all…there’s a reason I’m with this man!).

This time, the gnome flower had opened up into beautiful little blossoms — the divine timing of our encounters perfectly orchestrated. I gratefully and reverently gathered just a few blossoms, placed them in a glass jar, and we continued. Soon, we encountered a second gnome flower…and then a third! 

Such a gift to have met so many of these magical and strange beings. Such confirmation for deepening our relationship.

I brought the blossoms home and infused them into local spring water to create a flower essence under the moonlight—a moon infusion seemed appropriate for the queen of the gnomes, somehow. 

When I asked if I could share this flower essence and my discoveries with others — the gnome plant, the world of the gnomes, the portal to abundance they offered — I was told to wait. Integration was needed first.  

And so, for nearly a year now, I’ve been sitting with this essence, meeting with the queen of the gnomes, waiting for further instruction.

Psst — Want to learn more about flower essences? I’ve created a free starter guide that you will love :)

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A Sacred Circle of 13

Now, I’ve finally been granted permission to share this precious essence. But only with 13 people. I trust that the exact people who are meant to work with the queen will feel called to purchase their essences at the perfect time. 

It seems possible that I’ll be able to release more later, but for now, I’m following instructions. There may even be a special circle offered, live and online, once all the 13 spots have been claimed. We’ll see. 

Are you one of the queen’s apprentices? Find your magical gnome flower essence here:

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• Flower Essence FAQs

• How to Use Flower Essences: A Complete Guide

• Gnome Plant & Meeting the Queen of the Underworld

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• Great Northern Bedstraw: A Beloved and Underrated Wild Plant

• The Magic and Medicine of Elephant's Head Flower

Severed from Scent

At the end of last year, I woke up on Christmas morning and my sense of smell was gone. 

This is awful for anyone…but for a perfumer? Absolutely devastating. 

It’s been a slow recovery (that bout of covid was especially rough). Though my smell had mostly come back by mid February, I could tell that I wasn’t picking up on the subtle nuances I used to. 

The loss of smell has been such a strange piece of this pandemic era…

A strong sense of smell has always been a mark of a healer — the ability to sniff out both the diseases and the cures. 

It’s also closely associated with our intuition. We can smell when something — or someone — is off. 

This probably has something to do with the unique ability of aroma to bypass our conscious minds, eliciting unbidden feelings and memories before our thinking brains can process what’s happening… or get in the way.

Our sense of smell also brings us into our bodies. While transcendence may certainly be part of our soul paths, we also come into bodies here on Earth to experience being fully human. Our five senses are the gateways to embodiment. And embodiment is a gateway to both pleasure and presence.

And, fragrance is a gateway to the gods. 

In Egyptian mythology, the fragrance of the sacred lotus birthed the universe. Statues of deities in ancient cultures were anointed with fragrant oils to wake up the gods they housed. The deceased were anointed with aromatic plant material to help carry their souls along their journeys. The aroma of flowers is said to announce the presence of the gods or angels. Temples around the world are filled with fragrant smoke. 

Healing, inner knowing, pleasure, presence, and spiritual connection…all rooted in our ability to trust our own noses. 

Perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that our connection with smell as been under attack for some time. 

Even before the pandemic, humanity had been slowly led away from our sense of smell and the myriad gifts it offers, effectively cutting us off from a profound gateway to healing, intuition, memory, pleasure, and spiritual connections.

One long-standing culprit is the fragrance and flavoring industry.

I’ve long been skeptical of a fragrance and flavoring industry that trains humans to prefer the smell of artificial ingredients in their cosmetics. While the synthetic compounds added to our foods and body products have physically detrimental properties, my concern also lies in effects this has on our psyches and souls.

The fallout of the rampant scent-washing in our culture are twofold:

First, artificial fragrances have distanced humans from the natural world.

The idea that ingredients from a factory are somehow cleaner or potent than those from a forest pervades our collective consciousness. 

That the fragrance of an air freshener, filled with known cancer-causing compounds, smells “fresh” is a sign of this insanity. That a “peach blossom” lotion smells like no peach nor blossom ever found in nature is a sign of how far removed from the natural world we’ve become. 

These fragrances train our noses — and our knowing — to deny what we know is true and believe the lies sold to us.

The fragrances found in whole plant materials contain myriad compounds perfectly designed to harmonize with each other. We humans evolved in relationship with these plants, and our bodies readily receive their gifts. Our sense of smell brings these complexities into our psyches, where we intuitively receive our plant allies’ wisdom.   

As humans learn to prefer synthetic flavors and aromas, they are cut off from their relationship with their own ability to sniff out what’s true. To sniff out their own cures for what ails them. They are subtly disconnected from their innate powerful, intuition-supporting sense of smell.

The second outcome is found in those humans who loudly proclaim that they can tolerate no fragrances of any kind.

I get it. These people’s bodies told them that synthetics were harming them, and they listened. The problem comes when this makes people afraid of all smells — even the ones with profound healing benefits. 

Of course, toxic overload from synthetics can lead to the body’s inability to process naturals. And, many smells marketed as “natural” actually contain plenty of synthetics, so I can understand the fear. Yet, this fear cuts off important pathways for healing and delight. 

Our sense of smell is a gift from the gods, part of the wonder of being embodied in the human forms. Not only does it help us survive, it helps us enjoy life and find pleasure in our physical experience. And pleasure is part of why we’re here. 

My heart breaks when I hear that someone cannot tolerate any fragrance (if you’ve ever worked in an office building, you’ve met many of these folks). As a natural perfumer and clinically certified aromatherapist, I know that simply smelling precious oils from plants (let alone the benefits of topical applications) can help us focus, give us energy, regulate our hormones and nervous systems, alleviate depression and anxiety, soothe us in times of grief, ignite aphrodisiac qualities, relieve insomnia, and so much more. 

Anyone who’s ever worn a perfume, or had a signature fragrance of any kind, knows the feelings that arise with that first spritz. You somehow feel more like yourself — the best version of yourself. You might feel more beautiful, sexy, powerful, calm, fulfilled, peaceful, hopeful, abundant, or creative depending on the perfume of the day. 

Those over-the-top perfume commercials? They may be ridiculous, but they’re also a pretty good representation of what perfume does for the psyche. While synthetic perfumes legitimately give many people headaches and worse, perfumes made with true naturals bestow even more transformational energy and pleasure to those who wear them.

If you love beauty, pleasure, and Venusian delights as much I do, you might enjoy taking a peek at my perfumer’s artist statement.

The next severance from our sense of smell comes from our online lives.

The pandemic no doubt accelerated this phenomena, yet the seeds have been in place for decades. Our online communities and interactions, social networks and getting lost in the “scroll hole” (This is my partner Mike’s and my term for not just doomscrolling but getting lost in an endless mind-numbing feed of information. I’m surprised it hasn’t taken off yet, to be honest…). And then came the Metaverse and increasing capabilities of virtual reality. 

Any life lived online is removed from our embodied experience. Yes, we use our eyes and take in the visuals, we connect with audio and can converse or enjoy a melody, and we can even engage in some sensory experiences with haptics and the rare VR bodysuit. 

To my knowledge, however, smell — and its sister sense taste — are not yet available in the online realms. Smell keeps us in our bodies, in the present, and connected to what is true and real for us in the moment.

By the time the pandemic arrived, humanity had been well prepped for relinquishing our sense of smell. 

To be clear, I’m not saying that losing our sense of smell as part of the pandemic was some orchestrated event. Rather, I can’t help but wonder if this particular effect is a reflection, showing us what we’ve already lost in no uncertain terms. 

If we look at our collective pandemic experience, we can see the separation of us from each other, from our own healing capabilities, and from our intuitive knowing of what is and isn’t true. Yet these questions extend far beyond the pandemic too. 

Where have you doubted your own knowing? Your ability to heal yourself? Where have you lost touch with pleasure, embodiment, and the ability to be present in each moment? Where have you forgotten what’s actually true, or allowed yourself to be led by lies? Where has the reverent ritual of bringing spirit into daily life been set aside in favor of more “urgent” matters?

Smell is a gift from the gods and fragrance is the perfume of spirit. May we can heal our broken relationship with olfaction, realign with the true nature of reality, and reawaken reverence and wonder in our hearts.

Returning to the Perfumery

It’s now been a bit over four months since I lost my sense of smell, and it’s just about returned. Though it’s hard to tell if my nose is really as strong as it was before, I at least feel confident to work in the perfumery again. And this fills my heart with joy. 

I have several new perfumes I’d designed last year, before the loss of smell, in my studio. I didn’t want to share them until I could be sure they were up to my standards, and now that I can work again, I’m finally putting the finishing touches on them. 

A few that will be coming soon…

Odin

The all father of Northern lands, Odin is the newest addition to the masculine Gods series. His perfume is as strong and complex as he is. Imagine walking into a mysterious hall, almost an elevated and member-only speakeasy filled with aromas of tobacco, cognac, and cacao. A hint of spice, a touch of musk. Decadent and dark. 

Yuzu Yoru

One of my conceptual pieces, is inspired by my years living, eating, and inhaling the fragrances of Tokyo. A citrus forward fragrance, fresh yuzu and Asian kumquats meet with robust citrón and cedrat, gently harmonized with rare strawberry gum (a type of eucalyptus, not the artificial chews!), Japanese hinoki, and precious osmanthus blossoms. A rare delight for summer days and Toyko nights.

There’s also a magical Chinese Goddess, a watery Greek elemental, and more to come :) 

While you wait, be sure to explore the new Scents of Summer Discovery Set, filled with the perfect botanical allies for celebrating this season.

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• How I Make Natural Perfumes: Art, Aroma, and Alchemy in a Bottle

Angel Magick for Protection: An Alchemical Meditation

Angels are divine beings who offer us healing, protection, guidance, and blessings. 

Though I’ve always loved and felt connected to the angelic realms, it wasn’t until a few years ago, when I encountered Damien Echols’s teachings on Western Angel Magick that I discovered how profound ritualized practice with specific archangels can be…

Many cultures throughout the world use wheels or circles to impart teachings on the nature of reality—the cycles of nature and seasons, the directions, and the elements appear on Native American medicine wheels and the Celtic Wheel of the year. 

In Western Magick, the image of a circle is used. For each direction, there is a color (these change a bit depending on who you ask), an element, and a guardian archangel:

Guardian of the East: Archangel Raphael

Raphael is traditionally called in the east. His color is green, his element is air, and his symbol is a caduceus.  

Guardian of the South: Archangel Michael

Michael is traditionally called in the south. His color is blue, his element is fire, and his symbol is a sword.  

Guardian of the West: Archangel Gabriel

Gabriel is traditionally called in the west. His color is white, his element is water, and his symbol is a chalice.  

Guardian of the North: Archangel Uriel

Uriel is traditionally called in the north. His color is red, his element is eart, and his symbol is a pentagram.

Raphael’s caduceus

Michael’s flaming blue sword

Gabriel’s chalice

Uriel’s pentagram

In addition to these four cardinal angels of the vertical plane, Echols brings in guardian angels for above and below, as well:

Guardian of the Below: Sandalphon

Sandalphon both guards the space below and attunes our frequency to the crystalline grid of the earth. His colors are earth tones, turquoise, and metallics. I often see brown, gold, or even crystalline white in my third eye when Sandalphon is present. He sometimes appears with a musical instrument…something I interpret as a sign of his ability to work with frequency.

Guardian of Above: Metatron

Metatron both guards the space above and attunes our frequency to divine wisdom. His colors are purple, gold, silver, and white. His symbol is Metatron’s Cube, a form of sacred geometry that contains all the building blocks of matter itself. 

Sandalphon’s earth grid

Metatron’s cube

In my personal practice, I’ve long invoked these six powerful angels for protection—especially before engaging in any kind of spiritual practice. 

After years of simply calling in the angels and feeling their guardian presences, however, a new more advanced ritual with them was revealed to me during a channeled session—one for both healing as well as protection. 

I’ve shared this ritual with small groups before, and everyone has had powerful experiences. Now, with the release of pure angel anointing oils, it’s time to share this ritual with anyone called to partner with these divine beings for protection, healing, guidance, and blessings. 

The following practice can be done anytime you’d like to connect with the energy of the angels. 

Note: This practice involves visualizing a merkaba—a powerful symbol for protection, healing, and insight, all the things we’re calling in here :) If you’re not familiar with this symbol, here’s an image:

An Alchemical Ritual for Angelic Protection, Wisdom, and Healing

Begin by setting your space for sacred arts. Light a candle, burn some incense or sage, and prepare your mind, body, and spirit for mediation. If you can, play some soothing music—theta music, binaural beats, or solfeggio tones are wonderful.

If you have anointing oils for these angels, place them nearby for use during the ritual. If you don’t have angel oils, simply skip the anointing steps.

I recommend calling upon the angels out loud and visualizing their colors and symbols as you move through this practice.

To begin, visualize yourself in the center of an etheric pyramid of light.

Make sure that this pyramid is large enough to contain your entire physical body and energetic aura.

Anoint your heart with Raphael’s angel oil.

Then speak aloud: “To the east, I call upon the great Archangel Raphael with his emerald green rays.”

Visualize the pyramid being filled with an emerald green fire. Feel this sacred fire cleanse any imprints of disease or illness from your energetic field. Feel healing and harmony restored to your physical and energetic bodies. 

Allow as much time for this process as you’d like. You might get psychic hits of the work being done—specific imprints or illnesses being healed—or you may just sense that healing is happening. All experiences are welcome, so try to experience yours without judgment.

When the process feels complete, see the green flames recede into the eastern wall of the pyramid, which retains a green glow to anchor the healing energy of Rapheal. 

Next, anoint the back of your neck with Michael’s angel oil.

Speak aloud: “To the south, I call upon the great Archangel Michael with his fiery blue rays.”

Visualize the pyramid being filled with Michael’s blue fire. Feel this sacred fire cleanse any foreign energy from your field. Once again, allow as much time as you’d like for the process.

When this feels complete, see the blue flames recede into the southern wall of the pyramid, ensuring that you continue to receive Michael's energetic protection.

Next, anoint the back of your wrists with Gabriel’s angel oil.

Speak aloud: “To the west, I call upon the great Archangel Gabriel with his pure white rays.”

Visualize the pyramid being filled with Gabriel’s white fire. Feel this sacred, watery fire cleanse your emotional body and thought patterns. This protective white light is like a soothing balm for any emotional challenges you’ve been experiencing. 

Once again, allow as much time as you’d like for this process.

When this feels complete, see the white flames recede into the west wall of the pyramid, ensuring that Gabriel’s energy remains anchored to your sacred space.

Next, anoint your solar plexus with Uriel’s angel oil.

Speak aloud: “To the north, I call upon the great Archangel Uriel with his ruby red rays.”

Visualize the pyramid being filled with Uriel’s red fire. Feel these sacred flames removing lower density vibrations and thought forms from your field, creating space for higher vibration outcomes to manifest in the physical world.

As before, you may receive specific insights here, or you may simply experience energetic shifts. Once again, allow as much time as you’d like for this process.

When this feels complete, see the ruby red flames recede into the north wall of the pyramid, ensuring that Uriel’s energy continues to stabilize your energy field.

Next, anoint the soles of your feet (or ankles if easier) with Sandalphon’s angel oil.

Speak aloud: “To the space below, I call upon the great angel Sandalphon.”

See a crystalline grid appear at the base of the pyramid. Sandalphon uses this grid to help attune your energy with the energy of the earth. Feel your vibratory shift as the light grid reaches into your energy field. See how the grid of the pyramid is connected to both your energy system and the earth’s crystalline grid. 

When this feels complete, let go of tracking larger grid movements. Simply see a crystalline grid of light at the base of the pyramid. 

Next, anoint your third eye and crown with Metatron’s angel oil.

Speak aloud: “To the space above, I call upon the great angel Metatron.”

Visualize a golden-purple merkaba at the top of the pyramid. See this cube begin to spin, creating an active portal for divine wisdom to come through. Allow yourself to attune to this wisdom, feeling it flow into your being through your crown chakra. 

Again, you might get specific insights, but that isn’t the point here. You are becoming a stronger, more aligned vessel for a continual stream of wisdom to flow into and unfold in divine timing.

When this process feels complete, return your awareness to the entire pyramid.

Revisit each of the walls—green to the east, blue to the south, white to the west, red to the north. Revisit the grid below and cube above. Feel the protective, loving energy of this space. Notice if you can feel any shifts in your own body and energy.

To close, thank the angels for their presence, healing, and protection. 

Speak aloud: “I gratefully acknowledge the great angels Raphael, Michalel, Gabriel, Uriel, Sandalphon, and Metatron for their blessings and presence in this practice. I ask that I continue to receive angelic protection as I go throughout my days. 

For now, this practice is done. Our parts are done. And we may rest.”

Let go of your visualizations and return awareness to your body and the present moment. You may like to ground a bit after this, as it’s quite powerful. Going for a walk outside or eating a few nuts and drinking water can be supportive. 

Enhance Your Practice with Angel Oils

I created Angel Oils to enhance our connections with these divine beings.

These oils are filled with sacred, rare, and very precious botanicals—white lotus, sandalwood, tuberose, angelica, and more—that align our frequencies with those of the angels. 

When applied directly to your skin, these oils become portals for divine angelic transmissions and greatly impact the potency of angel magick and ritual.

If you’d like to purchase a set of anointing oils to enhance your practice…and simply to smell divine because they are truly elevated perfumes, you can find discovery sets here:

You might also like:

• The Mystical and Magical Emergence of Angel Oils

• The Celestial Songs All Around Us

• A Complete Guide to Magical & Ritual Anointing Oils

• How to Be Spiritually Sovereign: Making Magic with the Virgin Goddesses

• The Color Bubble Practice for Energetic Protection

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The Mystical and Magical Emergence of Angel Oils

Several months ago, I woke up with the most beautiful, ethereal aroma in my field. 

I have clairolfactory gifts—which means that I perceive spiritual smells as a form of intuitive guidance. So awareness of an aroma from beyond our 3D reality isn’t out of the ordinary for me.

Yet there was something truly magical, something calling me into deeper exploration with this aroma. I decided to 

I entered my perfumery and prepared for sacred alchemical practice. 

I lit my candles, cleansed my energy body with a precious feather, and tended my creative altar. 

Then I sat down to channel the mystical aroma I was perceiving into physical form.

To my surprise, what unfolded wasn’t a single oil at all—it was a divine dance of angelic blessings. The great archangels, who I've been working with for decades now, wanted to share their unique gifts and blessings with the world through sacred plant alchemy.

In other words, the angels told me very clearly to make them ceremonial perfume oils—and to share these oils with as many people as possible!

I’ve never channeled such harmonious recipes for fragrant oils so seamlessly before. I wonder if this is because I’ve cultivated a natural resonance with these beings over years of practice, or if humans in general have a karmic affinity for the angels. Maybe both. (If this resonates, stay in touch! I’ll be teaching angelic mediumship classes next year.)

My first instruction was clear—every oil would have the same 4 aromatics as the base: 

• Angelica—a plant named for the angels, angelica invites and anchors angelic blessings to earth

• Rose—the angels all encompass unconditional compassion, and rose attunes our heart to this vibration

• Sandalwood—a sacred oil with an affinity for the crown chakra, sandalwood opens us to divine messages 

• Frankincense Sacra—another oil sacred to the angels themselves, frankincense sacra, sacred frankincense)  carries our prayers to spirit while quieting our egoic minds

From here, the unique “personality” of each angel came forward to guide the rest of their aromatic oils. Over the course of a single week, nine angels in total (for now at least) came forward to transmit their essences into oils through me.

Meet the Aromatic Archangels

Archangel Raphael

Raphael blesses us with the green ray of healing light, and his oil transmits this healing energy to us through verdant aromatics. High altitude lavender carries an expansive all-healing energy, while evergreens, citruses, and Greenland moss layer green rays of light upon the soul.

Archangel Michael 

Michael comes bearing the blue flaming sword of divine protection. Purifying and protective oils—blue juniper berries, fragrant mastic, bay laurel and more—fill this complex blend. 

Archangel Gabriel 

Gabriel brings us messages from spirit carried upon divine waters. Precious, white florals hold the high vibration of this celestial being—white lotus, white jasmine, white angelica, and more.

Archangel Uriel 

Uriel helps us ground spiritual wisdom into our earthly existence. Grounding oils—cedarwood, patchouli, vetiver, liquidambar, and more—form the heart of this sacred blend, while a trio of potent frankincense provide an infusion of pure spirit. Nourishing sweet aromas of peru balsam, myrrh, and rose soothe the spirit.

Archangel Sandalphon 

Sandalphon connects us to the crystalline energy grid of the highest vibration of Gaia, attuning our frequency to that of the Earth’s ascension. Golden, high vibe oils create a potent transmission in this blend—Italian neroli, amyris, silver fir, ancient amber, and more.

Archangel Metatron 

Metatron connects us to the cosmic and timeless wisdom of the divine. High vibration oils that open our intuitive centers fill this oil, including true white lotus, galbanum, and high altitude lavender.

The above archangels are the 6 primary beings called upon in Western Angel Magick: The four archangels Raphael, Michael, Gabriel, and Uriel represent the four elements and guard the four directions of the horizontal plane, while Sandalphone and Metatron support our ascension and guard the vertical plane.

For anyone who wishes to work with this celestial team in their entirety, I’ve put together a special collection of these six anointing oils.

Archangel Haniel 

Haniel uplifts our spirits and brings joy to our souls with lunar turquoise rays. Botanicals of clary sage and lavender help us harmonize with moon cycles, and uplifting notes of bergamot, geranium, and juniper raise our spirits. Precious florals—tuberose, osmanthus, jasmine, and more—delight our senses and raise our vibrations in this magical angel oil.

Archangel Chamuel

Chamuel carries the pure vibration of unconditional love, healing our hearts and helping us experience what true, divine love really is. Heart-opening oils fill this sacred blend, including rare pink lotus absolute, pink grapefruit, rose, violet, a rare and irreplaceable raspberry leaf absolute, and more.

Archangel Azrael

Azrael holds the pure vibrational essence of divine neutrality, a psychopomp who loving guiding souls through transitions into other realms. Azrael’s oil contains dark essences of mystery, such as black frankincense and star anise, and harmonious essences of pure love. Cypress assists in the crossing over of souls, clove cleanses foreign energy, and vanilla provides loving nourishment in this potent blend.

The Seraphim

Seraphim are a particular class of angels—six-winged celestial beings who appear as flames of purifying divine light. The Seraphim remind us that all is holy. I originally designed the Seraphim’s fragrance as a perfume, but my guidance now is to bring this aromatic elixir into the fold of my angelic anointing oils. 

Seraphim is a true ceremonial-grade perfume oil containing several high vibe essences—rose, orris, benzoin, and pink pepper, to name a few. The result is a layered fragrance with notes of white florals, precious woods, and a powdery finish. 

I’ll be releasing one of these magical oils per day, with details about their botanicals, to the public throughout the 2022 Angel Portal, which runs from 11/11/22 - 11/22/22. Follow me over on Instagram for these angelic transmissions.

You might also like:

• The Magic and Medicine of the Rose

• Angel Magick for Protection: An Alchemical Meditation

• The Alchemy of Making Spiritual Perfumes

• A Complete Guide to Magical & Ritual Anointing Oils

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8 Tips for Buying High Quality Essential Oils

As a botanical perfumer who is committed to creating the most luxurious, alchemical, and potent natural perfumes possible, I’ve spent years learning how to discern high quality, real essential oils from the fraudulent ones.

4 Ways Essential Oils and Natural Products are Adulterated

Far too often, essential oil suppliers will adulterate their oils by:

1. Cutting more expensive oils with less expensive ones

2. Adding synthetic aroma molecules to supposedly pure essential oils

3. Replacing the named oil with a totally different oil than what’s listed in the description

4. Selling purely synthetic, fake versions and true botanicals

8 Tips for Sourcing Authentic and Pure Essential Oils & Natural Products

Luckily, it’s actually pretty easy to avoid buying fake oils once you know what you’re doing! Here are the top 8 things I look for when sourcing quality oils:

1. The Price

Every essential oil is extracted from a different amount of raw plant material, and the more material it takes to make a drop of oil, the more expensive the oil will be. 

Tips:

• Every oil should have a different price—in other words, neroli and pine should not cost the same amount.

• Oil prices should generally fall within a certain price range. Compare prices at several different companies—if anything is way less than average, it’s likely fake. 

• Knowing  general pricing for aromatic groups can be helpful, too. A few guidelines here:

• Citruses and fragrant trees tend to be on the lower end of prices

• Flowers tend to be on the higher end of prices

• Rarer plants (often those that are only grown in certain areas) tend to be on the higher side

• Common fragrant plants (such as mint, cinnamon, clove, and lavender) tend to be more affordable as well

2. Botanical Names

Always look for the botanical name of the plant in question—the one written in latin. It should match the plant name on the bottle. This probably seems obvious, but I’ve seen plenty of mismatched common and botanical names on websites. 

Tips:

• Make sure the latin name matches the common plant name on the listing or bottle.

• Make sure the latin name is the variety you’re looking for—lavandula angustifolia is quite different from lavandula latifolia cineolifera or lavandula x intermedia grosso.

• If an oil doesn’t have a latin name, don’t buy it.

3. Extraction Method & Part Distilled

Most reputable suppliers will include the part of the plant the oil is extracted from, as well as how it was extracted in their product description. If this is missing, take it as a warning. After all, juniper berry essential oils is quite different from a juniper oil extracted from leaves and twigs!

Tips:

• Look for “Extraction Method”—Most oils are steam distilled, but not all. Citruses are often cold pressed, absolutes are solvent extracted, and CO2s are done with a regular or supercritical CO2 extraction. 

• Look for the “Plant Part”—Does the oil come from wood, fruit, flower, etc?

4. Country of Origin

Different countries produce different varieties and qualities of essential oils, so seeing the country of origin can give you a clue as to the quality of the oil.

Tips:

• Make sure there is a single country of origin listed. Blends from multiple countries tend to be of lesser quality (though not always).

• No listed country signals likely synthetic origins. 

5. Cultivation

Cultivation refers to how a plant was grown—is it wildcrafted, organic, or conventional? Seeing this listed is a good sign in general. 

Tips: 

• Make sure the cultivation method is likely to be accurate. For example, have you ever seen basil in the wild? Nope, wildcrafted basil isn’t likely. 

• Some plants are rarely, if ever, organically cultivated, whether because it’s unnecessary (as with many trees) or financially difficult (as with many precious flowers).

• Organic cultivation tends to be more expensive than conventional, so you can double check your pricing here, as well.

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6. Company Transparency

Good oils come from good businesses. Do you know who owns the company? Where they’re located? They’re return policies? 

Tips:

• Find the company’s about page. Look for specifics—like who founded the company, why they started, and their philosophy about the oils. Avoid generalized pages that might never say more than “We specialize in high quality essential oils.” 

• Look for clear shipping and return policies, as well as contact information. 

• Do they offer 3rd party testing reports? Look for “GC/MS batch-tested” and the ability to request these reports. 

7. Non-Existent Oils

Some plants, fragrant though they may seem to us, simply don’t produce enough essential oils to be extracted. Other plants don’t actually have strong scents, but companies use their names to describe synthetic aromas (think “cucumber-melon” for example). Make sure the oils you’re searching for actually exist! 

Tips:

• Many “food” smells cannot be botanically extracted, so they are almost always synthetic—cucumber, melon, apple, cherry, apricot, plum, and raspberry, to name a few.

• Many flowers are almost impossible to extract aroma from. The following are almost always synthetic—gardenia, lilac, wisteria, any lily, honeysuckle, freesia, hyacinth, and “white florals”.

• Plant names are often given to synthetic scents when the plant in question doesn’t actually have much of a fragrance—bamboo, papyrus, or willow for example.

8. Company Ethics

The way a company operates can say a lot about whether or not you want to support them, even beyond the quality of their oils. 

Here are a few things to consider:

• Does the company sell both “natural” and synthetic oils? I’ve found that companies who are truly committed to naturals have better quality oils. Plus, if they sell both, there is likely adulteration behind the scenes. 

• Does the company sell animal products? Many perfume suppliers still sell things like civet oil, which is obtained from a small wildcat through an extremely cruel and painful process. I try not to support any companies that perpetuate animal cruelty. 

• Does the company sell endangered oils? Many plants are at risk because of the demand for their precious oils. I try to find companies offering sustainable alternatives to the most threatened species. For example, while Indian sandalwood is endangered, Australian sandalwood can be a more sustainable alternative. 

• Does the company support safe use of essential oils? An ethical company will name warnings clearly—not for use with children or while pregnant, or with certain medications, for example. Watch out for companies that tell you to take essential oils internally (you can with some, but it’s a delicate dose), or that encourage you to use a ton of the oil at a time (the oils are precious, and a little goes a long way!).

There you go! 8 helpful tips for buying high quality essential oils. Happy shopping!

You might also like:

• A DIY Essential Oil Travel Kit

• Ritual Beauty: A Sacred Skincare Routine

• The Alchemy of Making Spiritual Perfumes

• 8 Essential Oils to Kickstart Your Next Creative Project + 3 Aroma-Rituals

• Essential Oils for Respiratory Health

• How to Boost Your Immune System with Essential Oils

The Complete Guide to Magical & Ritual Anointing Oils

Did your ancestors practice the sacred art of anointing?

Does your soul remember lifetimes as an oil-bearing priestess?

Do you experience a full-body resonance when you simply hear the word, anointing? 

If so, you just might carry the signature of one who is destined to work with these sacred oils in this lifetime. 

Read on to discover what anointing oils are, how they’re made, and why you should use anointing oils in your own spiritual and magical practices.

What are anointing oils?

Anointing oils are sacred infusions of plant materials and oils created to channel divine transmission into physical reality. 

Traditionally, anointing oils were made by macerating whole plant material into pressed oils—the spikenard in olive oil of the Bible and myrrh infused in safflower of ancient Egypt are just a few well-known examples.

Today, fragrant essential oils join the ingredient list, inviting rare and precious botanicals from throughout the world into our sacred oil repertoire. 

Anointing oils open our connection to both spiritual wisdom and divine healing. Perhaps this is because oils infused with botanicals are not only fragrant—they are medicinal. 

Every plant carries both physical and energetic gifts, and a true alchemist knows how to harmonize these layered intricacies, creating sacred oils that provoke divine bliss, carry unique vibrational signatures, and contain chemical properties that promote healing on all levels. —Juniper Stokes

A note of caution: Many anointing oils sold today contain synthetic fragrances. This is partly because these ingredients are much cheaper than true plant oils, and partly because there are many suppliers who sell fraudulent oils to well-intentioned makers. These oils do not carry the vibrational gifts and resonance of true, botanical anointing oils. Check out my free guide to avoiding fakes here.

The History of Anointing with Oil

From the beginning of time, in every culture and on every continent, humans have used fragrance to connect with the divine—and the use of sacred anointing oils has been one of the most important expressions of our aromatic practices.

By turning to the past, we discover the ancestral connections with plants held in our bodies and souls. And by living in the present, we can discover profound ways to create and make use of sacred oils today.

Ancient Egypt

The ancient Egyptians held that the world was created from the fragrance of the blue lotus, and scent was an integral part of all Egyptian life.

Precious oils were used to anoint and activate statues of the gods. Other blends—including the famous Kyphi—were used as both personal perfumes and as medicine. 

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Egyptologist Dora Goldsmith (a PhD candidate and one of my personal teachers in this area), notes how inscriptions on temple walls point to the ritual and intention that went into creating anointing oils and unguents. While some perfumes and oils were made for daily use, others had very strict ritual instructions: These precious oils and perfumes could only be made by priests and priestesses—surrogates for royalty—and precise ingredients, steps, timelines, and even incantations were required during their creation.

(After studying with Dora for over a year—and reading over a dozen books on the fragrances and rituals of ancient Egypt—I have much more to share on this topic. Be sure to subscribe to stay in the loop!)

Vaso alchemico, unknown artist

It’s also likely that our modern practices of anointing royalty (yes, in England a new monarch is anointed in a private ceremony, with a secret blend of oils, to this day) began in ancient Egypt as well. In her groundbreaking work, Egypt’s Anointing Mysteries, Egyptologist Dr. Alison Roberts explores rituals in which the queen would take on goddess-like powers and attributes in order to empower the king through anointing practices.*

*As an aside, in Celtic traditions, kings would receive their power from a sovereignty goddess—without her blessing, he could not be sovereign of the land. A theme to be explored in further articles… ;) 

The fragrant traditions of Egypt spread throughout Europe and the Middle East, where they were influenced by expanding trade routes and changing cultures. From Greek Olympians empowering themselves with olive oil and Hippocrates’s instructions to anoint the sick with oil, to the Arabic healing traditions of Avicenna and Hebrew consecrations of priests and kings, to the Biblical anointing practices still used in churches today and much more, Western antiquity was bathed in fragrant oils. 

Myrrophores

Myrrophores, or “myrrh-bearers” were sacred priestesses who would channel the celestial power of the divine through sacred oils for soul-level healing—a tradition that likely originated in ancient Egypt and spread throughout the Greco-Roman empire, as well. 

Perhaps one of the most well-known acts of anointing in the West is when Mary Magdalene anointed Jesus’s feet with the oil of nard (spikenard). Here, as much as patriarchal retellings have tried to erase Mary Magdalene’s healing gifts, they have not been able to fully obscure the power of her anointing practice or her connection to the myrrhophores. 

Some mystical scholars even suggest that her transmission of prayer and protection, carried forth through sacred oil, empowered the resurrection that followed.

Featured Workshop

The Path of the Myrrhophore

A Magdalene Feast Day Ritual & Teaching

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How do anointing oils work?

Anointing oils work by transmitting divine empowerments into our physical reality.

This happens through the ingredients used, the approach to creating the oil, the art of transmission, and the rituals involved when using the oil.  

Plants have been our allies, teachers, healers, and guides since the dawn of humanity, and every plant used in an anointing oil carries a unique set of empowerment codes that synergistically act to empower the oil. 

When these plants are alchemized in sacred ceremony, they harmonize with the intentions of the alchemist to create a powerful unguent. 

When we place these oils on our body, or anywhere in our fields, we receive the oil’s alchemical codes and ignite our own transformation. 

Shamanic Transmission in Anointing Practices: The Key to Potency

The most powerful oils contain a transmission that they pass onto the anointed. 

When I create either an anointing oil or a botanical perfume, I always include a transmission ceremony for the finished product. My process is rooted in shamanic practice, though certainly not limited to those who identify with shamanism. 

After setting sacred space and preparing my mind, body, and spirit for the work, I enter into a mediumship state. If I’m channeling a particular deity, I invite them to merge with me. If I’m working with an intention, I call forth that energy to be present. Then, I pour the energetic signature of the being or intention involved directly into the final bottle. 

This way, not only does each bottle of perfume or oil contain the vibrational signatures of every botanical involved, it contains a direct healing transmission from spirit. This transmission is then activated with every use. Even if all you have time for is quick application on your wrist, the blessings will flow.

How to Use Anointing Oils

Throughout history, anointing was used for both healing and spiritual purposes—and as mentioned before, the two were often one and the same. 

Traditional aromatic rituals include:

• Awakening and honoring the gods: The anointing of deities’ statues to awaken and empower the gods was a common practice in Egypt and likely used in ancient Greece, as well.

• Blessings: Blessing visitors and guests with sacred oils was a common Hebrew practice in antiquity, and to this day babies might be anointed with sacred oils for blessing and protection at birth.

• Anointing the sick: Throughout the world, anointing the sick was a common practice. In Greece and the Arabic world, oils were infused with medicinal plants. In Christianity, priests would anoint the sick in what is known as an unction. 

• Consecration: Kings and priests were anointed by sacred oils, usually by priests standing in for God to symbolize the divine rights of the anointed. 

• Exorcism: The Oil of Catechumens, aka the Oil of Exorcism, is used by some churches to expel evil during baptisms—but the Christian church isn’t the only group to use oils for exorcism. In Taoist anointing traditions, oils are placed on key acupuncture points to expel ghosts and possessions.

Modern Anointing Practices

Today, magical practices and new spiritual practices have reinvigorated the use of anointing oils—and who can use them. 

I believe that it is our birthright to access the magical, spiritual, and healing gifts of sacred anointing oils. A few of my favorite ways to use oils include…

• Spiritual & Energy Healing—We can use the subtle vibrations of oils to shift our own energetic health.

• Taoist Anointing Practices—Apprenticing with a rare master in the Jade Purity tradition has opened my eyes to the magic that happens when we apply oils to specific meridians.

• Empowering Objects—Rubbing an oil on a sacred object imbues it with spiritual power. (Crystals love anointing oils!)

• Rituals and ceremonies—Anointing oils can enhance rituals and ceremonies of all types, including blessings, transitions, seasonal celebrations, and other intentions.  

• Connecting with the Divine—Whether you want to align with the energy of a specific deity, connect with the angels, or simply open yourself to spiritual wisdom, anointing oils can support you.

• Chakras—Blessing each energy can bring about balance and health.

• Spellwork and Manifestation—Whatever your intentions, be they prosperity, health, protection, or love, magical anointing oils can help.

A Personal Anointing Ritual

While anointing oils can be used in infinitely complex rituals, they can also be used for simple daily empowerment.

Here’s a short practice for anytime you want to connect with an intention or deity:

• Upon receiving your oil (spiritual perfumes will also work here), hold it to your heart and visualize your intention. See your intention flowing from you into the bottle and from the bottle into you. This will activate your personal connection with the oil.

• Next, inhale the oil’s fragrance deeply and several times. You can inhale directly from the bottle, or you can apply a bit to your wrist first. This activates your neural response to the oil, so you’ll more easily remember your intention every time you smell it in the future. 

• Then, apply the oil to your body on a daily basis for 30 days. Depending on your intention, you may rub a few drops into your heart or third eye. Or, you might simply wear a bit on your wrists as a perfume you can smell repeatedly until the natural fragrance fades. Either way, focus on your intention while you apply the oil.

Common Questions: How to Distinguish Anointing Oils from other Aromatic Practices

What’s the difference between an anointing oil and other botanical oils? 

The main difference lies in the intention with which the oil was created. Anointing oils must be created through ritual. This involves setting sacred space, blessing your materials, and infusing the resulting oil with a transmission of your intention. Some oils are made following specific instructions and recipes, while others are created by allowing the divine to work through you intuitively.

Are anointing oils the same as aromatherapy?

Anointing oils can fall within the realm of aromatherapy, but they don’t always do so.

There are two main approaches to modern aromatherapy: clinical aromatherapy, and subtle aromatherapy.* 

Subtle aromatherapy blends are based on the energetic and spiritual qualities of oils, and anointing oils certainly fall in this category. 

Clinical aromatherapy relies on the psycho-emotional and physical effects of oils. While anointing oils may certainly have psycho-emotional and physical effects, their primary purpose is spiritual in nature. So, your typical aromatherapy blends for stress relief or headaches probably aren’t anointing oils. 

*As a note, I feel that the best aromatherapy products integrate both subtle and clinical dimensions into their formulas.

What’s the difference between anointing oils and perfumes?

Broadly speaking, the word perfume can refer to anything used for aromatic purposes—incense, aromatic waters, oils, and unguents of all types all fall under this fragrant umbrella. 

Today, the word perfume most often refers to scents worn for pleasure, while the term anointing oil refers to sacred oils used for ritual and spiritual purposes.

However, I think it’s worth noting that throughout most of human history, fragrance, medicine, and spiritual practice were one and the same. 

In ancient Greece, the single word arómata was used to describe incense, perfume, spices, and aromatic medicine, showing us how little differentiation was given to aroma for pleasure, spirit, and health. Interestingly, the unguentarii, those who sold perfumes, were held in the same esteem as doctors.  

Are anointing oils the same as ritual oils? 

The way I create and use them, yes. 

Some folks will likely disagree here—especially if you’re focused on Christian anointing traditions or have specific guidelines around your magical practice. For me, anointing is sacred and it is magical, so I use the terms interchangeably.

Angel Magic & Anointing

Enhance angelic connections for protection and healing with sacred aromatics.

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If you’re ready to receive powerful light codes for healing and spiritual connection, be sure to explore my alchemical collection of pure, botanical anointing oils. 

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You might also like:

• Severed from Scent: Losing Our Sense of Smell Began Long Before the Pandemic…

• Flower Essences 101: How to Partner with Plants for Whole-Self Healing

• 8 Tips for Buying High Quality Essential Oils

• Here’s What You Need to Know about Buying Natural Perfumes and Essential Oils

• How I Make Natural Perfumes: Art, Aroma, and Alchemy in a Bottle

• The Venusian Mysteries: Awakening the Sacred Feminine

• The Mystical and Magical Emergence of Angel Oils

Here’s What You Need to Know about Buying Natural Perfumes and Essential Oils (aka how to avoid the frauds!)

Those of us who love natural aromas and essential oils do so because we know they are gifts from nature. 

Every single plant on our earth carries both chemical and energetic signatures. When our own physical and energetic bodies receive the gifts of these plants, true healing and transformation can take place on every level of our being.

The same cannot be said for synthetic fragrances. 

Not only do lab-created fragrances lack the vital life force and energetic resonance of true plant materials, they’re often harmful to our health and planet.

Unfortunately, the world of aromatics is fraught with artificial and adulterated oils that are sold as “pure” and “natural”. 

Why? Because of the cost. True natural plant material is simply more expensive than synthetic ingredients across the board. 

While I hope that someday we stop prioritizing greed over life, as a collective, we’re just not there yet. 

So how can you protect yourself? How can you make sure that the oils and products you’re purchasing are truly natural?

I’ll be honest. I’ve learned to be very discerning with my ingredients the hard way…

Yes, despite my years of training and research I’ve been fooled—I’ve probably lost thousands of dollars to fraudulent suppliers and ignorant resellers over the years. 

But I’ve learned some key lessons along the way. The following are my top tips for navigating the wild world of natural fragrances.

1. If the price of an essential oil is too good to be true…it probably is. 

This is probably the number one easiest and most important thing to look for. True plant material will always be more expensive than its synthetic counterparts. 

Pro tip: There tend to be average price ranges for most essential oils. If in doubt, compare several companies’ pricing. Let’s look at a few examples…

How much does lavender essential oil cost?

Lavender essential oil tends to be one of the most affordable and available essential oils. 

Based on a few of my trusted companies, one ounce of lavender EO tends to cost between $17 and $50—country of origin, variety, and organic certification affect the price. 

The lavender EO from a popular oil supplier known to be fraudulent costs $30 for nine ounces!!! No, no, no.

How much does rose essential oil cost?

Along with lavender, rose essential oil is extremely popular—but it tends to be quite expensive. While true rose essential oil is available (and totally divine), the absolute* of rose is what most people purchase. 

From my trusted companies, one ounce of rose absolute from Bulgaria (generally the most affordable rose) costs between $150 and $300 ($200 is the most common pricing). 

Guess how much 1.69oz of Bulgarian rose absolute it from the popular fraudulent company? $36. Again, no, no, no.

(*Absolutes are extracted differently than true essential oils, though within the field of aromatherapy, the term “essential oil” is used as an umbrella to refer to all types of extractions.)

True plant extractions are expensive. And they’re worth it. Do your research and don’t become a sucker for a good price. 

2. The same pricing rules go for “natural” perfumes, oils, sprays, candles, and fragrances of all kinds, as well.

Why is it that some natural perfumers sell a 30ml perfume for $20, and some for $300? Why is it that you can find natural perfume oils on Etsy for as low as $6 and as high as the sky?

Of course, many factors play into how a maker prices their products—experience, artistry, complexity, quality and variety of ingredients, time spent, market recognition, and much more. 

But at a certain point, there is no way someone can be charging so little for a fragrance without using synthetics.  

And here’s the tricky part…these makers usually aren’t intentionally being fraudulent. Instead, they’ve likely been fooled themselves and have sourced impossibly cheap ingredients. Or, they’re using a somewhat “expanded” definition of natural fragrance (more on that below).

If you want to protect yourself from synthetic aromas, trust your intuition and apply everything you learn in this article when making any purchase.

3. If a company sells both synthetics (aka “fragrance” oils) and essential oils, be very wary. 

I’ve yet to find a company that sells both synthetic fragrances and good quality essential oils. And sadly, I’ve tried quite a few over the years. Maybe one exists, but in general, I take this as a major warning sign. (Not to mention, I personally don’t want to support the artificial fragrance industry.)

4. Watch out for fragrant flowers.

Rare and precious flowers delight our senses and form the heart of most natural perfumes. And, they’re very expensive. And, actually extracting essential oils (including absolutes and CO2s) is nearly impossible for many precious scents. 

True rose, jasmine, ylang ylang, boronia, orange blossom, geranium, osthmanthus, tuberose, jonquil, lotus, chrysanthemum, and frangipani are a few florals that are perfectly possible to obtain naturally (though some will cost you well over $1000/oz). 

Listed as ingredients, the following flowers are almost* always synthetic: lily of the valley, gardenia, lilac, daphne, any lily, honeysuckle, freesia, and hyacinth, to name a few. Anything described as “white florals” tends to point to synthetics, as well. 

*The exceptions being labor-intensive enfleurage and tinctures—but you’ll pretty much never find these in commercially produced fragrances.

Any lily fragrance is most likely synthetic.

No natural honeysuckle essential oil exists.

5. Learn to identify the common synthetic descriptors.

While creative combinations of natural oils can produce a wide range of aromas, there are a few descriptors that are most often found with synthetics.

Two main categories to watch out for are one, anything described as “oceanic” or “aquatic”, and two, most fruity and food aromas. 

This tip is definitely more of a general guideline than a rule. A talented alchemist can create marine notes, fun fruits, and sugary sweetness using naturals. I certainly do, and I even use these descriptors. 

Overall though, these fragrance families are commonly synthetic. With oceanic and aquatic fragrances, this is because these descriptors were used to describe the aldehyde-based fragrances that became popular in the 1990s.

As for the foods, the frequency of synthetics is partly because there simply aren’t natural oils that smell like fresh peaches or plums, and partly because even food flavorings found in essential oils are often synthetic for cost reasons. Cinnamon and vanilla are a few of the most commonly adulterated essential oils (scientists are even piloting a vanilla flavoring made from plastic). 

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6. Beware of “clean fragrance” and natural isolates

“Clean” Perfume Houses

With growing awareness of the harmful effects of synthetic fragrances, many perfume houses market their perfumes as “clean”. These companies have a lovely list of EWG-approved ingredients, as well as a promise to be free from cruelty, phthalates, and all sorts of other known carcinogens. 

This might be exactly what you’re looking for—in which case, shop away! 

Just be aware that clean does not mean natural. These companies use what are called “safe synthetics” in their perfumes. So, if you’re looking for truly natural perfume and all the benefits it offers, be sure to look beyond greenwashing. 

Natural Perfume Brands

Many perfumers call themselves “natural perfumers” because they know this is what people are looking for. These perfumers will use mostly natural perfume ingredients, but they rely on synthetics to make their perfumes. If you’re avoiding synthetics for any reason—especially health ones—this defeats the purpose. When in doubt, reach out to the perfumer and ask nicely, but very directly.

Isolates?

If you read the natural perfume ingredient lists of the most popular perfume brands today, you’ll often find words like cedrat, benzaldehyde, and alpha-isomethyl ionone. 

Wait—you might as yourself-–how can something natural sound like it comes from a laboratory?

Because it does. Isolates are molecular extractions from plant origin, and the Natural Perfumers Guild includes them in its list of acceptable natural ingredients. 

Since these chemical components come from plants, you might feel totally fine with using them. They certainly expand the perfumer’s palette! 

Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing how these isolates were extracted (i.e. what process or chemicals were used), or what plant material they originated from. GMO origin is extremely common here, as well.

I personally do not use isolates, as I blend energetically as well as fragrantly. This means that bringing the whole, energetic presence of a plant into my blends is just as important as how it smells. Isolates contain none of the life force and spiritual blueprints for healing that whole plant materials do.

7. Parfum, perfume, and fragrance: A tip for purchasing natural products.

As with many of the words in this list, these terms are used for both synthetic and natural fragrances, meaning that there are no hard and fast rules here. However, if you see any of these terms on a natural product—think shampoos, body lotions, candles, etc—there is a 99.9% chance that synthetics are involved. 

(FYI, I’ve found “Clean at Sephora” to be one of the worst offenders here. Bath and Bodyworks aromatherapy products might have some essential oils, but they most definitely have synthetics, as well.)

8. Be careful when sourcing from various countries. 

First, there are plenty of unscrupulous companies in the US, where I live, as well as throughout the world. And, my worst experiences personally have been from when I tried to buy oils directly from suppliers in India and Egypt. 

While I don’t like calling out specific countries or companies publicly, I’ve seen enough harm that I feel the need to specifically address these two places in particular. 

First, India is home to many of the world’s most precious raw aromatics. Beautiful oils and true natural perfumes come out of India and I’m eternally grateful for all the amazing pure oils I have sourced from this country. 

India is also home to a disproportionate number of online oil suppliers that sell blatantly synthetic oils as pure and natural. Too often, I see people think that costs are lower because they’re buying directly from the supplier. 

This isn’t true. First, the prices are far too low even for a direct supply (yet just high enough to make you sorry if you buy too much…speaking from experience). Second, any experienced nose will be able to tell how fraudulent these oils are from a mile away. 

Next, Egypt. I’ve seen many magical makers of anointing oil claiming to source their oils directly from Egypt. Maybe they have a good connection there…but I have my doubts. 

I remember visiting perfumeries and oil houses during my own travels to Egypt. Time and again, I sat down to smell all these wonderful pure, natural oils. And time and again, my nose was disappointed. 

Sure, if you like synthetic aromas (and many people do—our noses are trained to at this point), you’ll like what you smell. But these oils are not natural. While some, especially the florals, do smell close to the natural versions, any trained nose will pick up on far too many synthetic aromas in the mix. 

So please, just be careful if you’re either sourcing directly from these countries or purchasing sacred oils from someone who claims to have gotten their oils from these locations.

9. Trust your nose.

Finally, trust your nose. 

This is easier said than done for most folks. Modern life is filled with so many synthetic aromas and fragrances that most people have lost touch with what “natural” really smells like. But you can learn. The more you smell natural fragrances, the more you’ll be able to identify their synthetic counterparts. 

Making the Shift to Natural Perfumes

If you’re worried that letting go of synthetics will leave you smelling like a patchouli-drenched hippie—think again. (Although, I do love a patchouli-drenched hippy myself.)

Elevated natural perfumes and anointing oils are far more than the aromatherapy blends you might be imagining. Give true natural fragrance a try and see what you think ;)

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You might also like:

• Severed from Scent

• Flower Essences 101: How to Partner with Plants for Whole-Self Healing

• 8 Tips for Buying High Quality Essential Oils

• A Complete Guide to Magical & Ritual Anointing Oils

• The Magic and Medicine of the Rose

• A Guide to Perfume Types

• Ritual Beauty: A Sacred Skincare Routine

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Which Should I Choose? Sprays, Oils, and Solid Perfumes

In natural perfumery, you'll find three main types of perfumes: sprays, oils, and solids. All are wonderful, but each will give you a slightly different experience.

Perfume Sprays

Unless otherwise mentioned, most perfume sprays come in EDP (eau de parfum) strength, which is about 15-20% aromatics. This is true of Alchemessence perfumes, which contain a base of 100% pure organic alcohol.

Perfume sprays allow you to enjoy an all-over aroma--you can spray your hair, your clothes, a scarf, an undergarment...sprays are incredibly versatile.

Sprays also tend to be a bit lighter and slightly more fleeting in scent than oil and solid perfumes.

Perhaps the main advantage of perfume sprays is that they have a long-lasting shelf life. The pure alcohol preserves these perfumes almost indefinitely.

Perfume Oils

Perfume oils are typically made at a slightly higher concentration that sprays, and their cost usually reflects this. It's not uncommon for an oil to be a pure perfume extrait, which can contain from 25% aromatics all the way up to 40%!

These sensual, strong oils meld deeply into your own body chemistry, creating a fragrance that truly is a bit different on everyone.

The only real drawback to oils is that they'll have a shorter shelf life than sprays. Oils naturally degrade overtime, so these are best used within a year or two of purchase.

Perfume Solids

Perfume solids typically contain oils and waxes. Beeswax is traditional, though there are vegan alternatives available.

These perfumes are quite similar to perfume oils: they're usually perfume extraits, they seep into your skin and alchemize with your body chemistry, and they're best used within a two to four years of purchase, depending on how you store them.

As solids, these perfumes are portable and easy to use on the go.

Which kind of perfumes are your favorites? Let me know in the comments!

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How I Make Natural Perfumes: Art, Aroma, and Alchemy in a Bottle

Each Alchemessence™ perfume is art, aroma, and alchemy in a bottle. They contain magical essences, transmission of spirit, and masterfully composed symphonies of fragrance. 

My formal training (and lifelong practice) in perfumery, aromatherapy, energy medicine, and shamanism provides a foundation for perfumes that not only delight the senses but act as catalysts for healing and awakening. 

These perfumes are primarily dedicated to deities, animals, and plant spirits. Before I begin, I journey to the spirit of the being I’m working with for guidance—sometimes this will come in the form of specific ingredients, and other times it will be more general aroma notes. I’m highly clairolfactory (psychic through smell), so I will also smell the perfume in my journey before it exists in ordinary reality. 

My collection of over 400 different botanical essences includes essential oils, absolutes, CO2s, floral waxes, resins, and handcrafted tinctures and infused oils. Unlike many natural perfumers, I do not use any isolates or animal ingredients (with the few exceptions of burnt seashell essence, honey absolute, and beeswax) in my perfumes. 

I select ingredients for each perfume based on several factors, including… 

The Journey—what the deity specifically requested:

• Aphrodite wanted her perfume’s ingredients to come only from the place of her birth—and the birth of perfume—Cyprus

• Magpie insisted on juniper berry and jasmine (which I have since learned is a powerful and common combo in Toaist aromatherapy)

• Horse requested fresh hay or course, which I complemented with fields of lavender

Geography—essences to honor the primary location of a deity:

• Kuan Yin has notes of green tea and ginger

• Pele is honored with rare frangipani absolute

• White Buffalo Calf Woman contains true white sagebrush

Symbolism—symbolic plants and essences associated with each deity:

• Diana, also known as Artemis, contains the artemisia that is her namesake

• Freya contains true fossilized amber, her favorite stone

• Oshun is blessed with honey absolute for the honeypot she wears 

Energetic Qualities—the way an essence’s energetic properties support the gifts of the deity:

• Persephone contains cypress, which helps with transitioning between life and death, just as she so gracefully moves between Hades and Earth

• Many moon goddesses contain a touch of clary sage, which enhances women’s natural cycles

Aroma—what truly makes each blend a perfume in the purest sense:

• I carefully balance base, middle, and top notes, adding accents and fixatives so each perfume reveals surprises as it unfolds and lasts 

• I match the perfume family requested by each deity as well, be it floral, spicy, chypre, or woody, among others

All of these factors come together to create rare, alchemical botanical perfumes.

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A Guide to Natural Perfume Fragrance Families

Chypre…Fougère…Aromatic…the olfactory families of fragrance may sound somewhat exotic at first, but dive in and they become welcome allies on the path to perfume creation and selection.

Fragrance families are scent classifications used in perfumery, and each family has its signature ingredients and overall aroma. In this article, we’ll cover the main classifications of fragrances—though to be fair, there are several different versions of fragrance categories out there and no one seems to agree on a definitive version.

A Brief History of Fragrance Families

At the turn of the 20th century, when most perfumes were still made with pure botanical ingredients (though synthetics had been introduced with Guerlain’s Jicky), there were seven main families: single floral, floral bouquet, oriental, woody, chypre, fougère, and leather. 

In general, these pure botanical perfumes contained resins, woods, flowers, spice, and citrus notes—we’ll go into more detail below.

Modern chemistry and access to new aromatics led to what we might think of as more green, fresh and aquatic notes in perfumes, primarily created through synthetic aldehydes. In the mid 1900s, new fragrance families emerged on the scene as a result:

• Bright floral—combined the single and bouquet floral families

• Citrus—citrus doesn’t last long on its own, so synthetics made this family have staying power

• Green—like a bright, fresh chypre

• Gourmand—edible notes of vanilla, cinnamon, and fruits

• Ozone/Aquatic—this actually didn’t come around until the 90s…think clean and unisex

In 1983, popular perfume consultant Micheal Edwards decided to simplify the traditional and growing perfume families into a perfume wheel. The wheel has four main families and their sub-families around its circumference—woody, floral, oriental, and fresh. 

In recent years, there’s been a movement to rename the traditional “oriental” family to “amber” or “ambrée”—as it’s become clear the former term is outdated and can be offensive. The updated Micheal Edwards perfume wheel reflects this:

Given the varied and changing history of fragrance families, it comes as no surprise that modern perfumery resources all use slightly different terms and organizations.

In general, several families appear regularly: fresh, floral, floriental, ambrée, fougère, woody, chypre, fruity, aromatic, citrus, green, aquatic, leather, and gourmand. 

The Perfume Society has a fun interactive site that features eight of these families, each clickable to continue exploring subfamilies.

An important note on synthetic vs. natural fragrances:

Unless specified otherwise, most modern perfumes contain synthetic ingredients. Even “natural” perfumes commonly contain isolates, which are somewhat controversial in the world of natural perfumery.

For those switching to pure botanical perfumes, a few popular families will be off the table—perfumes considered aquatic/ozone, fresh, or green are almost always dominated by synthetic aldehydes, so these family classifications just aren’t useful in natural perfumery.

Botanical/Natural Perfume Classifications

Given the history of fragrance and the ingredients available, I use nine main families in my own perfume classifications. No guarantees these won’t continue to evolve, but for now, they wonderfully describe the main classifications of natural perfumes available:

Chypre Perfumes

One of my personal favorites, chypre (pronounced shee-pra) is named for Cyprus, the island of Aphrodite’s birth and home to the world’s oldest large-scale perfumery. The name in perfumery comes from François Coty’s 1917 perfume Chypre, which had notes of bergamot and citrus on top, a full floral middle with jasmine and rose, and an earthy base of oakmoss, patchouli, incense, musk, and styrax. 

Chypre perfumes are characterized by a mossy accord of bergamot, oakmoss, patchouli, and labdanum. Some may be more floral, with strong notes of jasmine or ylang ylang, while others might be more citrusy, woody, or herbaceous. Both traditionally masculine and feminine fragrances have fallen in the chypre category.

Fougère Perfumes

A fougère is what is known as a fantasy scent, originating with Fougère Royale from Houbigant in 1882. Named for the French word for fern, these perfumes tend to have green and aromatic notes. 

Lavender, geranium, vetiver, bergamot, oakmoss, and coumarin are commonly found in these perfumes, and while they were created for women, today masculine perfumes are dominated by the fougère family.

Floral Perfumes

The name speaks for itself with these perfumes—fragrant jasmine, carnation, rose, orange blossom, ylang ylang, magnolia, and more take the center in a floral perfume. While many beloved flowers simply aren’t available as naturals except through the laborious process of enfleurage (lily of the valley, helitrop, and lilac for example), many precious flowers are found naturally—they just cost a pretty penny ($1000 USD per ounce is not uncommon!). Lotus, narcissus, boronia, osmanthus, jonquille, cassie, broom, kewda, frangipani, champaca, and tuberose fall into this realm.

Within the many floral sub-families, two are worth mentioning here: soliflore, or single note perfumes that focus on celebrating and enhancing a single flower, and floral bouquets, which present well-balanced floral arrangements that make it difficult to single out any one flower among the many, 

Today, floral fragrances are most popular among women, though in cultures throughout the world this isn’t necessarily the case—you’ll find kewda and rose among other florals throughout men’s fragrances in India and the Middle East!

Ambrée Perfumes

Also called amber—the post-oriental name is still settling in—these fragrances are characterized by rich, resins, vanilla, musk, and occasional spice. In perfumery, “amber” doesn’t refer to the stone but to ambergris, the precious and strangely fragrant bile of whales. 

Today, ambrée perfumes tend to be rich, long-lasting, and have an exotic flavor about them. At least half of the botanical perfumes I’ve designed have been ambrée, as they smell divine and last forever, even as all-natural creations. 

Sandalwood, coumarin, orris, vanilla, labdanum, and resins give ambrée perfume its signature notes, and the floral amber sub-family is one of the most rapidly growing fragrance families today. I’m not surprised, as the synergy of exotic florals, precious woods, and rich ambery notes truly nourishes the soul.

Aromatic Perfumes

The aromatic family is characterized by herbaceous notes—rosemary, basil, and tarragon are popular here. Though mainly found in men’s fragrances, I find aromatics work beautifully to create green and fresh notes in natural perfumes. Fresh florals like lavender and geranium, along with citruses, often overlay aromatic perfumes. Traditional colognes would found in this family.

Citrus Perfumes

While citrus notes are found in nearly all perfumes, pure citrus fragrances are light and bright. In mainstream citrus perfumes the tenacity will come from synthetics, but citrus scents in botanical and natural perfumes are perfectly possible. Some citrus perfumes will be lighter and a bit more fleeting, while sub-families like floral citrus, spicy citrus, and woody citrus will delight the wearer as citrus top notes give way to various lasting undertones.

A wide variety of citruses can be found in the citrus family. Bergamot and bitter orange are probably the most common, but yuzu, lime, mandarine, sweet orange, lemon, grapefruit, citron, and cedrat can all be found. I have blood orange, tangerine, mandarine, and kumquat in my collection, and use other lemony plants for citrus notes, such as lemongrass, lemon myrtle, and lemon verbena.

As a note, you may find the citrus family also referred to as the “hesperides” family. Legend has it that the Hesperis were three Greek nymphs who watched over “golden apples”—citrus fruits–giving immortality to any who tasted them.

Woody Perfumes

As with florals, the woody family name speaks for itself. Precious woods such as oud and sandalwood, dry notes like cedar and juniper, and woody herbs like patchouli and vetiver can be found in just about all woody perfumes. Some are warm and spicy with sweet resins, while others can be more aromatic, citrusy, and crisp. 

My personal favorite woody perfume is Daikoku—with notes of buddhawood, sandalwood, and Japanese cedar and cypress, it smells like Japanese mountain temples laced with fragrant incense.

Leather Perfumes

Leather became a fragrance family thanks to the many aromas tanners would use to disguise the off-putting scents created during their processes (think ammonia, yuck). The smoke, resins, and woods used to mask the leather tanning process ended up mixing with the leather itself, creating a much-desired fragrance that spread to the world of perfumery. 

Over time, this family has evolved to include many traditionally masculine notes—tobacco, cognac, smoke, woods, tar, and resins are common, with the leather notes being either forefront or nearly undetectable. In natural perfumery, which uses animal products, the leather notes might not be cruelty free. In botanical perfumery, however, there are many great alternatives—styrax, birch tar, and choya nakh are a few options.

Gourmand Perfumes

Relatively new on the perfume scene are the gourmands—those perfumes with a somewhat edible flavor profile, typically warm and spicy. The vast majority of gourmand perfumes contain synthetic ingredients and dessert-like scents—caramel, cotton candy, toffee, and bubblegum to name a few. 

However the world of botanical perfumery has plenty to offer here if you’re willing to splurge on the pure, natural versions—chocolate, coffee, cognac, almond, vanilla, and even spices and amber notes can create lovely gourmand perfumes. 

Within all the perfume families above, subfamilies are used to further delineate each perfume’s aroma. Here are a few of the terms you’ll see attached to each family:    

• Spicy—coriander, cinnamon, clove, pepper and more 

• Fruity—may contain citrus, berry, or other sweet notes

• Soft—typically contains a powdery, musky element

• Musky—similar to soft but heavier on the musk

• Green—fresh herbs, bright florals

• Fresh—similar to green, may also have more citrus

• Aquatic—typically synthetic aldehydes, in natural perfumery can signify more animalic, seaweed-based notes

What do you think? Which aromas are your favorites? Let me know in the comments!

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You might also like:

• Severed from Scent: Losing Our Sense of Smell Began Long Before the Pandemic…

• Flower Essences 101: How to Partner with Plants for Whole-Self Healing

• 8 Tips for Buying High Quality Essential Oils

• Here’s What You Need to Know about Buying Natural Perfumes and Essential Oils

• How I Make Natural Perfumes: Art, Aroma, and Alchemy in a Bottle