We moved into a house just under a month ago. It has been a big adjustment for this small apartment dwelling family. And when I say big, I definitely mean welcomly spacious. Never in our adult life have my husband and I had the benefit of choosing between multiple rooms to spend time in. I say this not because I want to gloat or tout this new found “bigness”. In fact, we are here only because of the generosity of the neighbors who live next to my Mom and Stepdad. We are fortunate and deeply grateful to be able to spend this time of transition out of New York and into whatever is next for us in such a wonderful space.
In the past few weeks, what has occurred to me the most however is how the intentionality behind how we create our spaces matters. I have always believed in the power of creating atmosphere in our homes and work spaces. Not because we need it to look a certain way for others, because that would be a form of perfectionism that does not need to be perpetuated. But in the spaces that we dwell, there is an inherent energy exchange that gets passed around between the atmosphere and the people who dwell there. It’s more than just creating a visual aesthetic, most especially one that is only for show. It is about creating a feeling that encourages and invites warmth or joy or peace, whatever that is for you. It’s very much along the lines of the Danish word and feeling of Hygge. For us, the feeling that I have been trying to imbue into our newly found spaciousness is one of “Home”. For both Justin and I that means that in October there is a warmth and a depth that invites a casual and cozy way of being. It means quiet and cold mornings, the structure of school and learning all day long, followed by nights out by the chiminea wrapped up in blankets. So every day, twice a day I find myself turning to the exact same blend of essential oils in my diffuser. I tend to change up the ones upstairs, but for this season of Autumn, I put the following in our downstairs diffusers every day, twice a day: 4 drops of Clove 4 drops of Cassia 4 drops of Bergamot 4 drops of Grapefruit Now I love the aroma of this blend. It fits perfectly with everything that I described and am aiming to create. But one of the reasons that I love the intelligence of using plants in our home, specifically for aromatherapy and the creation of atmosphere is that there is an even deeper intelligence behind it all. The more I am studying aromatherapy (oh yes, btw, I am slowly working towards my certification!), the more in awe I am about the wisdom that plants offer our emotional bodies. I love using the oils for their more medicinal properties, but it is the emotional aromatherapy that keeps me coming back to them time and time and time again. So I looked up the properties of each of the plants in my blend and I thought I would share them with you. Let’s begin with Clove. According to both Essential Emotions and Gifts of the Essential Oils, Clove is the Oil of Boundaries. In all of the plant kingdom, Clove is the highest in natural antioxidant properties, protecting our bodies from oxidative damage. What is fascinating to me about clove is that it comes from the bud of an evergreen tree that reaches heights of 20-40 feet high. This tiny little bud, in all of the natural plant world has more in it in terms of protection than any other plant. And this bud will eventually become a big and strong tree, but in its smallest form, its power is already immense. The idea behind clove is that it helps you to release anything that will keep from reaching your full potential. It creates strong and healthy boundaries that will help keep you on track for how and where you wish to grow in this life. Using it reminds us that we too have all of the potential to blossom into a beautiful flower one day, a tree standing tall and strong. On the personal side of things, this oil is exactly in line with how we are choosing to utilize this time in our lives and in this new space. We are letting ourselves breathe a bit while also asking ourselves, where does our potential want to grow and how can we make that happen in this time? Quietly, steadily and with the focused loving boundaries that will allow us to grow into our fullest potential. The Gifts of the Essential Oils Affirmation for Clove is: I Manifest Greatness The second oil is Cassia. The Oil of Self-Assurance. According to Essential Emotions: “Cassia brings gladness and courage to the heart and soul.” Cassia bark is the cousin of cinnamon bark. It has a sweet warmth to its aroma. Little known fact, often what you purchase at the supermarket that is labeled cinnamon is actually cassia. This is the oil that brings the warmth in. While clove has more of an unconditional but boundary setting kind of love, Cassia is the one who encourages finding self-assurance through play and creating joyful moments. Cassia reminds us to stay in connection with ourselves and each other because its in each of these connected moments that we remember we are alive and assured in that feeling. Connection has been the number one driving force for me to get myself off of social media. I have been waking up and asking the question, who can I connect to today instead of placing all of my thoughts and words out into the world for anyone to see, never really honing in on the connection they have the power to create. The affirmation of Cassia is: I invite warm and meaningful connections to me. This oil has truly been going to work as I have had more one on one and warming connections in the last several weeks of my life than much of my adulthood. And each time I am assured in my own warmth, potential and offerings. What a powerful gift to give ourselves. Bergamot is the Oil of Self-Acceptance. Different from assurance, acceptance is where we take the assurance and put it into the action of accepting. What’s interesting about Bergamot is that it was once only found in the Canary Islands. Columbus then took the fruit to Southern Italy where it adapted perfectly and now that is the only place in the world where Bergamot grows. The perfect example of assurance into acceptance. When Bergamot is cold pressed, it releases a chemical constituent called Linalool. It is the same found in Lavender and Magnolia that give them their relaxing properties. What makes Bergamot unique is that it is a bright and lively citrus fruit that has the power to help us also soften, destress and relax. The Gifts of Essential Oils describes Bergamot as “that beautiful ray of sunshine coming down, touching the heart, penetrating your core and creating a state of bliss”. This is something I have been feeling a lot of lately. In all the unknown, the upsets and the stress that surrounds us, there have still been many moments of sunlight joy that have crept in. There is a radiance to life that has come from slowing down, expanding a bit more and accepting that life is changing. We are being uprooted as we speak and my self-acceptance is what will allow me to grow again, to be replanted in a new space entirely. The Affirmation of Bergamot is: I reclaim my birthright to abundance, courage and bliss. Finally there is Grapefruit. The Oil of Honoring the Body. This is the oil I am the most familiar with. I have turned to this oil time and time and time again in my own healing of body dysmorphia and bulimia. Coming to the recognition and remembering over and over again that this body of mine is sacred and a space to be honored. As we are moving into this new space, both physical and metaphorically, I am in the daily deep desire to love this earthly body more and more each day. It is no coincidence I am sure that in these past few weeks I have really come to understand the importance of the premise behind my eMOTION classes. They too are a space where I can come, anyone can come and honor the movement that their bodies can make without the outcome of any physical goal in mind. The affirmation of Grapefruit is: I Love and Accept Myself as I Am. This is my daily mantra these days and always. I hope that sharing a bit more into why I use these oils the way I do, why each oil selection matters is something that is helpful for you. Your journey may be vastly different from my own and the beauty is that there are many plants out there that can support you in what you are working towards. As I have said many times before, essential oils do not do the work for us, but in order for them to work, we must be putting them into action with great intention and dare I say, trust. I am creating a button for you to purchase this exact foursome of oils, should you want them. I would encourage you to reach out to me as well so that we may further chat about which oils may work for your personal journey right now and why. **After writing this, I realized that Cassia was not currently available so it has been substituted with Cinnamon in the link**
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Sara Packardis a Mama, Wife, Yoga and Meditation Teacher, Coach, Writer and Activist. You can read more about her here. Archives
September 2021
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