The Psychological Aspects of Cedarwood Essential Oil

 

Good Morning!

The Psychological Aspects of Cedarwood Essential Oil

I have always found the psychological aspects of herbs and oils fascinating and Cedarwood is no exception. Cedar wood (Cedrus) or cedar, is a genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae.

Fully grown, cedar is a large coniferous evergreen tree. Prized by the Egyptians, The Celts and Native Americans, Cedarwood has a long history as an incense and perfume. The wood was burned by the Greeks and Romans to fragrant the air.

This steam distilled oil comes from the bark, and has a woody, balsamic scent with rich dry overtones. It has been used for stress reduction, anxiety and tension. Strengthening and comforting. When diffused into the air, this strengthening oil has a soothing quality that calms nervous tension and anxiety. It also helps alleviate upper respiratory and sinus problems.

Its fragrant base note blends well with bergamot, clary sage, eucalyptus, frankincense, ginger, juniper berry, lavender, neroli, palmarosa, patchouli, rose, rosemary and ylang ylang.  It's warm, sweet camphor- like note has a deep woody undertone. It is said that it becomes richer and softer as it evaporates.

Found in France, at the end of the 19th century, The Coligny-Calendar is a compilation of pre-Christian Celtic systems of timekeeping, including the Gaulish Coligny calendar, used by Celtic countries to define the beginning and length of the day, the week, the month, the seasons, quarter days, and festivals. On the calendar is a series of lines of glyphs, called Oghams.  The Ogham (commonly pronounced Oh-m) is an early Medieval alphabet used primarily to transcribe the early and late period, Irish language The glyphs are the only written form left by the Druids. The Ogham is sometimes called the Celtic Tree Alphabet, based on ancient medieval Br­atharogam tradition ascribing names of trees to the individual letters. Although, Cedarwood was not part of the first 13 trees, it was transcribed from later findings. These findings are the basis of Author, Robert Graves, who made reference to these trees in his book "The White Goddess" regarding the trees and their personas.

The Celts actually gave Cedar a persona and emotion, representing confidence. It is considered a rare beauty. Based on Celtic studies of the Ogham Tree Calendar, Robert Graves theorized that if the Oghams were associated with 13 sacred trees and that they followed the 13 moons of the calendar year then each moon, he thought, there must be an association with the tree of that month. Trees physically unite the heavens with the Earth, and this is probably why the Celts used so many of the trees' properties, like the bark, in herbal remedies and referred to others born during the days of the Cedar Tree (Aug 14 to Aug 23) as Cedar persons.

The "Cedar person"  is known to like luxury, the tenants of good health, is not in the least shy, tends to look down on others, is self-confident, determined, impatient, likes to impress others, has many talents, industrious, has a healthy dose of optimism, is waiting for the one true love, and able to make quick decisions.

The Native Americans worshipped this tree of knowledge and used it for grounding and worship. Cedar knows how to adapt in nature, which gave the tree great reverence for American Indians. The Cherokee tribe would look upon the Cedar as their ancestor. It is traditionally believed that the wood of the cedar tree holds powerful protective spirits from the Cherokee's past. Ceremonial drums would be made from cedarwood. It is a common practice to carry a small piece of cedarwood in your medicine bag worn around the neck. It is also placed above the entrances to the home in order to protect against evil spirits. By rubbing the bark or breaking some of the bows in your hand, you release the essential oils. You would then rub your hands together, cup them over your nose and mouth and breathe naturally for several minutes. This is a remedy for stress relief, soothing tension and to help with loneliness. You can also massage into the feet. This emotional "heart tonic" could be applied over the heart center.

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Human warmth vs robots

 

Thought you might enjoy this.

DO ROBOTS HAVE COLD FINGERS? 

Every time I watch this old video it makes me laugh, it's fun to see Mom again. It's almost like being there with her. She lives in Sanfrancorp and I live in Portlandcorp with my husband, Orson —the severe travel restrictions mean we rarely get to see each other anymore. I haven't seen her for two years.
My mom used to be a journalist and she wanted to record one of the last physical exams she was given by a real person. You know, before the CARE Units took over. That was twenty years ago.
Talk about the dark ages. It's hard to even imagine all the microbes everyone carried around and passed back and forth—shaking hands, hugging, and all that stuff.
Oh! All those germs crawling all over you.
Of course, we're civilized now. We know better than to touch each other unless we absolutely must. I don't even like to mess around with Orson much anymore. Those decontam showers are no fun.
Strange how I always feel compelled to pull Mom's video out the day before my Well Exam. Mainly, it's reassuring to see how medicine has advanced and how we take better care of ourselves today.
I look at the video again and there's Mom being brought into a cubicle by someone wearing purple pajamas—they're pretty funny looking. Speaking of funny, the woman has a big, smile on her face. I think she's bored because that grin never changes—it looks pasted on her face. I'll bet what she really wants to do is roll her eyes. I mean, she doesn't, but I do when she asks my mother a bunch of stupid questions that any decent robot would already have the answers to. Before the woman leaves the room in her colorful getup, she squeezes my mother's arm and there's something in her expression that always makes me … I don't know … it makes me feel strange.
Mom has a real sense of humor and when the woman turns away, she sticks her tongue out at the camera she's placed on a table across the room.
It's nothing like that today. I don't need anyone to bring me into a sterilizing cubicle. Shoot, I can read the signs, can't I?
I stare at Mom undressing and watch her put on some kind of paper gown. Back then you could cut down trees, use them for any silly thing. That was before the already depleted rainforests started suddenly dying off. Mom wrote a lot of stories about it then, but now she works for Newscorp which runs all the information feeds globally, and my mother is a blogger for State of the Art.com, a subsidiary. She doesn't seem as happy as she used to be when I was a little girl and she was chasing after live news.
"You do what you gotta do," she always says.
Each time she says that, I think she's going to cry, instead she always bursts out into a hearty laugh. I really miss my Mom, even though she's old-fashioned and makes fun of a lot of the things we do or don't do today.
It's late so I close everything up, take the first of my bedtime pre-exam pills, crawl under the covers, and look over at Orson who's already asleep in his bed.
I think of my last robot exam and try to remember all the details. For some reason, whenever the exam is finished, my memory of it fades. My friends say the same thing. They don't remember much either.
It makes me uneasy.
I hope nothing is wrong with me. Some people seem to disappear after they've had their exam. Where do they go? Do they change jobs or what? There are rumors …
A sudden jolt of fear runs down my spine, but it's gone before I can really think about it anymore.
I try to relax. I remember the CARE Unit door enclosing me into a dark, small examination chamber.
It seems surreal standing there with only blue, purple, and green indicators blinking and a disembodied voice hanging in the air:
"Please remove all your clothes and place the second and third fingers within the outlines of the DNA sensor on the panel in front of you."
Colored lights blink faster. That's when I get really sleepy.
"Thank you. Now place your fourth finger on the adjoining indent."
It stings as a drop of blood is extracted from my fingertip.
"Please remove your hand."
Don't really remember much more. Just flashes of pictures in my head that could be real or not real.
I do remember a faint aroma of disinfectant surrounding me as the floor begins a slow rotation. Cold tentacles slide across my skin and wrap, enter, and touch every part of my body. They pinch, then squeeze and relax, squeeze and relax. Almost in the blink of an eye the chamber lights comes on.
"You may dress. We are pleased to inform you there is nothing wrong requiring treatment. Thank you for visiting CARE Unit Number Three today. Rx is deferred."
Is that what it really said? I can't remember.
As I drift into sleep I think about the woman with the purple pajamas in the examination room with Mom.
Her eyes were soft.

Remedies for Heat Exhaustion

 

Good Morning!

Remedies for Heat Exhaustion

The summer heat can sneak up on you and not only zap your energy, while you are outdoors, but it can cause dehydration, sunburn and actual exhaustion! Children under four, people over 65, and those who are obese, already ill, or taking medications can especially be affected very easily. prolonged exposure to heat and insufficient body fluid can result in heat exhaustion. Its symptoms can include heavy sweating, paleness, muscle cramps, tiredness, weakness, dizziness headache and nausea or vomiting. Here are the best remedies for heat exhaustion:

1. Carry water with you and sip it throughout the day. Dehydration can set in and we don't even realize it until we begin to feel thirsty!

2. Pace yourself when working outdoors, exercising or just having fun. Those who participate in regular exercise over time, allowing their bodies to adjust to hot conditions, may better tolerate exercise on hot days.

3. Replace salts and minerals with electolytes such as Gatoraide or other power drinks that have potassium. Avoid drinks with large amounts of sugar. Dehydration can stress the heart and impair the kidneys' ability to maintain the correct level of fluids and balance of electrolyte. Electrolytes are charged elements�like potassium, sodium, phosporous and chloride�essential for the normal function of every cell in the body.

4. Wear lightweight clothing the lighter the colored clothing (white,being ideal) the more sunlight is reflected away from you. Darker colors absorb the light and heat.

5. Seek air conditioning, cool breezes under the shade and/or take cool showers in order to bring down your body temperature.

6. Sunburn can happen very easily if you are not careful. Dilute one part Tea Tree Oil with ten parts of olive oil or coconut oil and spread freely over the affected areas. This is soothing and pain-relieving and to reduce blistering and peeling. People have also applied tea tree oil full strength to sunburn.

7. Use common sense Schedule your outdoor activities to avoid the hottest parts of the day, and use a buddy system if necessary to keep watch on those at high risk.

8. If you feel dizzy and/or stop sweating, quit all activity and get out of the sun fast. Drink cool, not cold water with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in it. The vinegar helps to replace electrolytes and minerals like sports drinks do.

9. In ancient Egypt, China and the Far East, watermelon juice and its seeds were traditionally offered to thirsty travelers, and they are still important today in times of drought or water pollution. This flavorful fruit is one of the best remedies for dehydration and summer heat symptoms, which include thirst without desire to drink, band-like headache, nausea, low appetite, heavy, weighted body sensation, low motivation, sluggish digestion, increased body temperature, sticky sweat, surging pulse, and red tongue with thick white or yellow coating. Watermelon cools and cleanses the system, clearing summerheat and acts as a natural diuretic.

10. Take a cool bath. Run a cool bath and relax in the water for 15-20 minutes. Try to submerge as much of your body as possible. 

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