Good Morning!
Essential Oils for Halloween
Samhain, (October 31st) is also know as All Hollow's Eve or Halloween or Feast of the Dead. The year was seen as beginning with the arrival of the darkness, at Samhain, the traditional Celtic New Year's Eve. This dark period of the year will eventually give birth to a new sun and new life. It is the beginning of the gestation period for the coming year and of the future. Traditions from this season include working with tools of transformation and light, including crystals, stones, candles, herbs, spices and oils! Here are some of my favorite "Halloween oils" and how to use them!
Cinnamon - Warming, spicy, revitalizing oil, cinnamon has a special relationship to the Fall months and seasonal holidays. Great for cooking, adding to tea, or spicing up a room.... this essential oil is a must have for the season! Cinnamon was used for embracing the spirits.
Clary Sage - This oil is warming, energizing, focusing and revitalizing. It is good for Fall depression, inflammation and rejuvenates skin cells. In the Middle Ages, clary sage was nicknamed "clear eyes". Often used to relax and open the "third eye". For those who cannot sit still long enough to quiet the mind, use this oil to gain clarity.
Clove - Another holiday favorite, clove makes a great tea, a wonderful remedy for sore gums and teeth and has a spicy, pungent odor. Works will with apples and pumpkins. When using the whole herb, crush it to release the oils. When using the essential oil, remember a little goes a long way!
Frankincense - Most often associated with Christmas and as one of the gifts of the Magi, this rich and wonderful scent makes for a great addition to the holiday line-up! As a Fall remedy it calms coughs and helps the respiratory tract.
Ginger - A great seasonal remedy for colds and flu this warming, spicy and soothing culinary herb used for 5,000 years in Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic healing practices. Ginger contains more than a dozen anti-viral components and can be used raw, in powder, ground and as an oil, but its most popular form is in tea.
Myrrh - Another herb associated with Christmas and also one of the gifts of the Magi, myrrh is sweet, smoky, musky and spicy and a wonderful season essential oil. It too, has amazing healing properties for reducing inflammation, fighting bacterial and fungal infection and encouraging new cell growth in wound healing. Known as an oil for spiritual connections.
Nutmeg - A great addition to apple pie, coffee or hot chocolate, this culinary spice has a rich "nutty", warm, spicy and sweet flavor. In traditional medicine, nutmeg and nutmeg oil are used for disorders related to the nervous and digestive systems. A seasonal favorite for love spells and warding off negative energy.
Orange - Distinct and recognizable sweet orange is refreshing, radiance, and uplifting. It is a famous compliment for this time of year with its sweet aroma and citrusy taste. Makes a great addition to any of the above oils. This bright oil is used for communication and lifting spirits!
Patchouli - Rich, dark and earthy, patchouli is the perfect Fall oil. Used to attract wealth, love and sexual desire. Long associated with hippies and the counter-culture activists, this rich healing oil has long been utilized to enrich the spirit.
Seasonal Simmers
Simmers are a special mixture of herbs and spices, which are combined into a blend or potion, created to bring the power of aromatherapy and intention into your life. They are also designed to capture the attention of those around you and creates a wonderful tea. You will also find some of my favorite Fall essential oil diffusion.
Based on folk remedies, grandma's recipes and the ingredients provided by nature, these simmers are recipes used to make your kitchen smell delightful. They can be used along with a "special intention" and later, can even be enjoyed as tea!
Autumn Elegance
Used for: scenting the kitchen/any room with aromatherapy, inviting Fall, honoring Halloween, as a love potion.
- Blend 2-4 cups of apple cider or apple juice with:
- 1 apple cut into small pieces
- 1 pinch of nutmeg (or nutmeg essential oil)
- 1 cinnamon stick (or cinnamon essential oil)
Slowly simmer on the stove. Allow the smell to permeate the room.
A Spicy Fall Blend
- Add 10 drops of Patchouli
- 5 drops of ginger
- 2 quarts of water.
Set your stove on extremely low to allow the steam to diffuse into the air. You can also do the same with a tea pot without a whistle. Remember to always watch the stove and turn it off when no adults are present.
Fall Citrus Delight
- Add 10 drops of Sweet Orange
- 4 drops of Clove
- 3 drops of Cinnamon
- add to water in a diffuser.
Light a tea light under the oil to gently diffuse the scent into any room.
Special Notes:
With each simmer you can:
-take advantage of their aromatic properties.
-say a positive affirmation, invoking words, a special prayer or give thanks.
-use them at the start of each season to give honor to yourself and your intentions for that season.
-as it cools, share, drink, these simmers as a tea.
-the health properties of these ingredients are appropriate for each season, relate to the internal organs and are associated by taste, temperature and color.
Ghoulish Ghost Sachet Pillow
- 1/2 cup whole flax, fennel and/or crushed anise seeds
- 1/4 cup whole black peppercorns
- 8 drops of clove essential oil
- 10 drops ginger essential oil
- 10 inch square of white cotton sheet
- 4 inch strand of black ribbon
- mono filament line for hanging
- black magic marker
Directions: In a bowl, mix herbs and add drops of essential oils. Mix well. Place herbs in center of fabric square and bring the corners together to form a ball. Tie with ribbon. With a black magic marker, draw a ghoulish face on the front. Thread the mono filament line around the ribbon to hang your ghoulish ghost sachet pillow.
All Hallow's Eve Pumpkins
- 1 pumpkin or 6 colorful gourds
- 6 drops patchouli essential oil
- 4 drops ginger essential oil
- 3 drops sage essential oil
- 2 drops frankincense essential oil
- optional candle or essential oil diffuser with tealight
Directions: Slice off the top and hollow out the pumpkin or 6 gourds. On the pumpkin, you can create a special face by cutting out the eyes, nose and mouth or simply draw a face on the front. Add a your candle to the pumpkin or the diffuser if it fits. To the gourds, you can add tealights. Blend your essential oils together and add to the diffuser, or add a few drops to your candle or tealights! Enjoy this fragrant holiday!!
Andrew Pacholyk MS L.Ac
http://www.peacefulmind.com/whatsnew.htm
Therapies for healing
mind, body, spirit
