L is for Labyrinth and Life


 
This morning after my yoga class, I took a walk through Heartwood‘s Labyrinth… I have a special fondness for that place for several reasons, one of them being that it is a replica (almost to scale!) of the famous Labyrinth of the Chartres’ Cathedral in France!… 🤗

It had been a while since I last walked though the labyrinth, and I had forgotten it took so long to get to the center of it.
I was reminded that you have to go through the motions in your journey…
There is no skipping ahead, or cutting corners. 
There is no point in getting impatient. 
You have to go with the flow, let the current carry you and negotiate each turn the best you can. 
And you have to make sure you pay attention to the scenery along the way and try your hardest to enjoy the ride.

If you ever find yourself near a labyrinth, I invite you to take a walk through it. You might be surprised at the thoughts and emotions it triggers in you…


“Grandma’s Closet” Aromatherapy diffuser blend

I realized I have a few blends I forgot to post… Here’s one of them…


When I received my Magnolia essential oil, it was different from what I had been expecting based on others’ reviews. 🤔
For starters I didn’t find it sweet at all. I diffused 1 drop and to me it’s quite floral (actually reminds me faintly of Geranium (I hear the gasps of horror from some of you! Lol… 😁), with a tiny bit of mothballs undertones (not in a bad way! I swear I am not trying to turn you off!! 😝) and I find it a little bit earthy too.
I will have to try it again on it’s own, but for the time being, since I was plagged with a nasty stomach bug and being very nauseous at the time, floral wasn’t gonna do, I needed Ginger! Since the 1st notes I smelled (flowers and mothballs) made me think of a Grandmother’s closet, that’s what I called the blend I came up with… 😁

As a side note: I made the blend with 2 drops of Ginger because of my nausea, but unless you’re a big Ginger fan, I would recommend trying it out with 1 and see how you like it…

“Old World” Aromatherapy diffuser blend

During Edens’ Garden Black Friday sale, I got a few oils I was not familiar with, out of curiosity… COGNAC was one of them. I like it, but scratched my head a little to come up with diffuser blends containing it! 🤔
I opened my EOs chest and went with my gut (and nose… 😉), and that’s what I created… At 1st it reminded me of an “Old Church” smell, then I thought about old books and maps, hence the name…
If you try it, please let me know what it makes you think of… 🙂

“In the Meadow” Aromatherapy diffuser blend

A variation of my Sweet Orchard blend, with Yuzu instead of Grapefruit, which makes it brighter (I really like Yuzu, it’s kind of like a blend of mandarin and lime, and definitely adds some zing and freshness to any blend!…).  It smells like a big bouquet of wildflowers to me. 😍
Adding Amyris grounds it, with notes of wet soil and smokiness.
(I left the Amyris between parentheses, because I think I might like the blend better without it personally, but it does bring a nice complexity to it. Something that makes you go “Hmm, what’s that note?…🤔)

“Sweet Orchard” Aromatherapy diffuser blend

So I was in need of comforting yesterday, and grabbed one of my favorite combos for the diffuser: Grapefruit + Vanilla. Then of course I couldn’t resist experimenting a little… I love what came out of it!… It’s sweet, but fresh, and a little fruity. There is definitely something in Magnolia that reminds me of raw apples! 😋


A word about smudging

Smudging is the act of burning certain herbs, roots, or resins, to purify the air around us. Common choices are California White Sage, Palo Santo, or Sweetgrass…

People usually associate this with a spiritual or esoteric practice (especially by Native Americans), as it is said to evacuate negative energies and spirits, but scientific studies have shown that it actually physically purifies the air, by turning the positive ions back to negative ions (negative ions = positive energy, positive ions = negative energy!…).

Personally I really like the smell of burnt sage (in cooking too! 🙂) which is what brought me to this in the 1st place. An Abalone shell is often used to catch the ashes (and how gorgeous is this one!? 😍), and a big feather can be used to waft the smoke around.

If you’d like to learn more about the subject, check out those links:

Elephant Journal: scientific facts that make me want to start smudging right now

Sivana Spirit: 6 reasons you should try smudging

“London Fog” Aromatherapy diffuser blend

For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated by fragrances and perfumes. I have a strong sense of smell which, let’s face it, is mostly a curse, since a lot of modern days perfumes are just unbearable to me and give me a major headache.

I use a lot of Essential Oils, and one of my hobbies is playing mad scientist/perfumer and trying to come up with new combinations of oils to use in my diffuser and suit my every moods. The one below was my 1st attempt.

I am a tea drinker, and for me a London Fog (Earl Grey tea + milk + vanilla) falls into the category of “comfort foods”, so I was eager to try and recreate something evocative of it, especially since Bergamot is one of my favorite oils.
This is what I used “on the spot” in a 100 ml diffuser but the blend can be prepared in advance (which allows the scents to mingle together) and then you just use a few drops of the mix.

Given the properties of the oils I used, this blend falls into the calming/comforting category.

Terrarium mini gardens

How to bring a little bit of nature inside, a pop of color to the top of your desk and a little inspiration in your daily life? Terrarium succulents gardens. It’s really quite simple, and making them is almost as relaxing as looking at them afterwards.

Supplies:

  • Various sizes glass containers (Tall ones are from IKEA, round ones from Walmart)
  • Sand (what I used here is crushed shells from Walmart)
  • Rocks, glass pebbles
  • Assortment of succulent plants
  • (Assortment of fake plants)
  • Potting soil
  • Inspirational rocks or signs (I used engraved rocks from Amazon)
  • Gardening gloves
Start by a layer of sand (or crushed shells) at the bottom of your glass container. It adds visual interest to your garden and will insure the roots of your plants are not sitting in soggy soil and rotting, since there will be no drainage.
Add a layer of potting soil and arrange your plants whichever way you like. Try to alternate textures, colors and heights. You can also mix real plants and fake plants as I did in this fish bowl. (The red flower is fake.) Remember to wear thick gloves, or plastic coated ones when handling cactuses! 😉 (ask me why I feel the need to press that point!… >.<)
Add little rocks or pebbles at the edge of your planting.
Add one inspirational stone/sign. You can change this depending on your mood and what message you want to be reminded of. Your little garden is alive, so is its intention!… 😉

Place your little terrarium somewhere safe, where it won’t be knocked off by your zany cat, or attract your curious toddler… Remember that the plants will need light and to be watered every now and then…

Enjoy!… 🙂

Zen Garden

I have always had a thing for Zen Gardens… The gorgeous ones with the pristine sand, adorable bonsaï tree, stones, and the little bamboo rake to draw patterns in the sand… ❤
Unfortunately, when you have young kids, or a cat, or both, it’s not really a reasonable option!…
Still, I have been on the lookout over the years, hoping to find something that would work for my household.

As life became increasingly chaotic and stressful, and I tried to connect more with my spiritual side, I felt the need for a special “calm” spot in my bedroom. So I started thinking about the Zen Garden again, and about 6 months ago I finally had my “ha-ha moment” with a somewhat clear vision of what I wanted to do! 😀

While I was looking for some sort of box/frame, I came across a red painted bamboo bowl and thought “This is it, think outside of the box!…” ^_^ 
I filled my bowl with our beautiful local white sand (almost pure quartz so high in energy), added some crystal representing the 7 main chakras, an inspirational stone (that can vary depending on my mood or what I want to focus on at that time in my life), and a little air plant to bring nature and a “living” element in my little peaceful spot. (I since managed to kill the plant >.<, so I replaced it with a baby Aloe Vera because it is a healing plant.). For my spiritual presence, I had thought about a Buddha statue (because I feel closest to Buddhism principles than any religion), but I couldn't find one that I was drawn to. Then I found this Yogi and thought she was perfect in her simplicity. 
Since I am a Reiki* student I added Reiki symbols in her arms and around her, to represent the Chi, the vital energy that animates everything.
(* Reiki is an old Japanese Energy Healing art.)
To the side of my Zen Circle, I also added a little Yin-Yang garden, to represent the balance needed in life.

 This stands atop a bookshelf I use as my bedside table. So it is the last thing I see before turning the lights off, and the 1st thing I see when I get up. It helps me try and remember that I need to find some calm in the everyday chaos, and keep some perspective in life.

I encourage you to create your own happy peaceful place, it doesn’t take much room, and it can be pretty much anything that brings you peace, happiness, calm, or just makes you smile. Something that helps recenter you and keep you grounded. 🙂