Internationally acclaimed aromatherapist, owner of Perfect Potion and author of best-selling text book The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy, Salvatore Battaglia, best describes aromatherapy as ‘the art and science of using naturally-extracted aromatic essences from plants’ leaves, flowers, seeds, wood, roots or fruit to balance, harmonise and promote the health of body, mind and spirit’.
Essential oils can influence blood pressure, regulate nerve function and aid digestion. Many have potent anti-microbial properties. Essential oils can also affect our mental and emotional wellbeing.
This is because the olfactory nerves pass directly from the nose to the brain’s emotional centre, the limbic system. It is known that essential oils can affect our mental and emotional wellbeing. We often respond to smell emotionally.
As an aromatherapist, I love to use essential oils to enhance the wellbeing and my family and I. Essential oils can be used to calm and relax you, stimulate and invigorate you, inspire and support you. As a professional aromatherapist, I work with pure essential oils to improve clients’ health and well-being. I’ve spent years learning the different properties of the myriad of essential oils and their various delivery methods, creating bespoke blends for treatments.
Essential oils and the goddess phases
The four Emgoddess phases call different essential oils into use. If you are in Daphne, you may want to use oils to keep your focus and determination going. This would suggest a light and fresh scent to keep you positive and smiling throughout your day. In different phases, you may prefer to use your essential oils differently too. For example, Hecate may suit a long bath. Make it a ritual by lighting a candle, playing your favourite music and really enjoy the time to yourself.
If you prefer to use the essential oils on your body, choose your essential oil blend from the following table and mix into a base oil such as apricot kernel, sweet almond oil or jojoba oil. Apply all over after showering.
The four phases.
Daphne
The energies of spring are mimicked in this phase, a time of renewal and inspiration. You have rejuvenated and rested enough in the past two phases and now you are ready to get into things, requiring less sleep and feeling determined to do a lot more. Daphne is always great fun. He is fun loving, fresh, sporty and generally independent.
Daphne is always great fun at a party, having a positive attitude and will help others to defend any unjust acts. This blend is about igniting your passion for life and sparking your emotions with a renewed energy. Leaving you feeling on track and unstoppable.
Great essential oils for Daphne include fresh and fruity oils like lemon, bergamot and uplifting oils including rosemary and basil. Other oils include Atlas cedarwood and nutmeg as they are great to give an inner strength.
Demeter
This phase is one of motherly love, selflessness and practicality. It is a more caring time where friends gravitate to you for support. Demeter is nurturing, loving and accepting of everything around her. It is a very non-judgemental and extremely protective about the giving and receiving of love, she is more content and have a better feeling of herself and who she is to others.
This is a great time to use oils to help restore peace, tranquillity and bring you back to centre. These oils include the calming and balancing oils such as lavender, geranium and German chamomile. This phase is also a time to use Earthy and grounding oils such as vetiver, patchouli and clary sage.
Persephone
This phase is intuitive and emotional and needs to take a step back and focus inwardly. Taking some extra time to sit in a nice spot and read is a great thing to do in Persephone. Support yourself with oils that radiate self-confidence, power and expression. Essential oils that uplift and inspire, such as bergamot, orange and black pepper. Include oils that support your somewhat feisty side including German chamomile and Atlas cedarwood and oils to spark the passion inside including ylang ylang, clove leaf and rose absolute.
Hecate
The energies of Hecate become more contained and focused inward, you tend to no longer seek outward expression but perhaps rather spend time reflecting on where you are and looking what has been going on in your life. This phase interacts with dreams and feels part of the cycle of nature and intuitively recognises the patterns underlying it.
Use essential oils to stop the world and submerge into the peaceful and soothing energies. This includes essential oils to boost your inner strength and deepens your intuition including clary sage, frankincense and Australian sandalwood. Support your lower energy with oils including grapefruit, lavender, lemon and cypress.
How to use essential oils
You can use your essential oils in aromatherapy can be used in a delightful variety of ways. You could bath in a full body bath, by using up to 5 drops of essential oil in a tub of warm water. Alternatively, add 20–30 drops of essential oil to every 100mL of Bath Dispersant Base. Pour 2 teaspoons of your bath oil into a warm bath and mix to fully disperse. Sit and relax in your bath for up to 20 minutes.
A compress is another very useful for the temporary relief of skin problems, muscular aches, and for the temporary relief of painful periods. Use 5 drops of essential oil in 200mL of water. Place a cloth in hot or cold water (depending on the condition) and then wring out and lay over affected area. Leave for up to 15 minutes.
One of the easiest ways to create the perfect ambience in your home or workplace by vaporising your favourite essential oil or blend of oils in a vaporiser. As there are so many different styles of vaporisers, it is important to refer to the instructions guide that comes with the vaporiser before using your essential oils.
Take your favourite Emgoddess blend to your massage therapist or make your blend by using a 2.5% dilution of the appropriate essential oil to the chosen carrier oil such as cold pressed sweet almond or apricot kernel. This is equal to approximately 5 drops to every 10mL of carrier oil.
If access to an essential oil burner or time to sit in a bath is not practical. Utilising the essential oils in an aroma mist is an excellent option in this case. Use 10 drops of each essential oil with 20 drops of Essential Oil Solubiliser and add 50mL of water. Slowly add water and shake well. Add this mixture to a bottle with a fine mist spray and mist over your face and body as needed. Always be careful not to spray directly into your eyes. The amount of solubiliser needed may vary depending on the oils used.
photo by pic@momentum