Citrus aurantium subsp. amara
The language of bliss
Listen, there’s not a lot of time. Some aromatics are like this. They want your immediate attention, and I do too. Tugging on your sleeve, I’m telling you, let’s go, babe! I don’t have the right words, we just have to experience it. Let me show you what I mean.
Joy wants to break through. Wants to be breathed in, for God’s sake. I think this is what Petitgrain wants to say. It doesn’t need a class to explain itself. It rejoices and moves in the ineffable and we move with it. Let’s go!
My friend and I, both of us practitioners, students, readers, art moving through our hands, (she has my full respect), had a conversation recently about how we, lately, don’t have the words for the things that stir the soul. We are older now and awe is the most efficient language we both understand. This is the work of the Spirit. Something we can’t name but moves through. Maybe you don’t like the idea of Spirit, maybe you like the word Energy better. Great! Me too!
It didn’t go unnoticed how she hugged herself in the sanctuary. I loved it. Same.
We have so many sanctuaries. I don’t like to chit chat in them. I need to immerse, don’t you? There’s no time, dive in. The beach, a forest, a waterfall, the prairie, mountains, a special place, within the pages of Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, smack in front of your favorite piece of art, YOUR process, an entire museum, a kitchen, you name it. Words fails us in these places for a reason, but the joy we feel, the effervescence of energy, of Spirit cannot be missed and we know. We know! This is it!
So why waste time? If the moment is right, my god, find your sanctuary, kiss your lover, laugh your ass off with your friend, dance, enjoy a concert with a stranger, just go do it! Stir up your energy! Exhuberate!
The thing is about aromatherapy, and I need you to hear this, is it is FELT. Yes, there’s much to learn, and that is important, but you must feel it in the body, in your emotional world, and leave all sense of self-judgement and doubt about your perceptions at the door. Don’t edit. Get weird. Get poetic. Get to the point. If we took a day to describe scent with colors, the better we would be for it. Do it! I want to see what YOU see! I’ll show you, too. And then I want to feel the shift in your energy. Yellow feels amazing, I’m telling you.
This is the work of Petitgrain, holy, blessed Petitgrain who moves like Spirit, infusing our consciousness and our tired hearts with joy and laughter and bliss. What else is there to say? Get fluent in the language of awe. Tell me you’re going to do something with this!
Aromatic Divina
If it’s available, place one drop of Petitgrain (Citrus aurantium subsp amara) on a tissue or in a diffuser and safely inhale its aroma. What do you notice? Where do you feel it land in the body? How does it move? What colors and sounds can you associate with this aroma? What connections can you make? What will you do with this?
Peace and bliss,
Erin
Of importance
This post is for creative purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, mitigate disease, or substitute mental healthcare. See your physician or other provider for questions and concerns. These statements have not been submitted to or evaluated by the FDA. Always follow essential oil safety best practices and check each oil’s potential contraindications before use. It is never necessary to purchase the essential oils or fresh botanical plants for the exercise noted within the essay.