CHAKRA ESSENTIAL OILS ~ GIFTS FOR RITUAL & SELF-CARE
FEATURED ESSENTIAL OIL ~ see below for my curated CHAKRA collection for ritual gifts & self-care.
WILD ORANGE for the SACRAL Chakra
CALLING ALL WILD ORANGE WOMEN
Ritual & Lore: Orange comes from the Sanskrit word “naranga.” Oranges are associated with the Sacral Chakra and have an uplifting, energizing aroma associated with of love and luck. They are used in Feng Shui rituals to replace negative energy in spaces with balance and harmony.
Gifts: In Celestial mythology, Juno the Roman goddess and protector of women, gave Jupiter an orange on the day of their wedding! Oranges became popular stocking stuffers, inspired by the “Miracle” of Saint Nicholas. In his lifetime (around 270-340 AD), oranges were very rare and expensive. It is said he gifted impoverished maidens luxurious oranges for their dowries.
Self-Care: Add 10-15 drops to a 4oz spray bottle and spritz yourself into a better mood, add a few drops to your afternoon water for a caffeine-free, sugarless pick-me-up, diffuse in your home or office to bring balance and harmony. Treat yourself, or someone you love, with this gift of simple luxury.
Peel from Greece and Brazil.
ROOT
VETIVER
fragrance of earth
Ritual: Vetiver is derived from the deep roots of a tropical grass and associated with the Root Chakra. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says, “I am the fragrance of Vetiver” this translates to, “I am the original fragrance of the earth.” Its earthy grassy fragrance is grounding and alluring.
Gifts: Vetiver has been used as a perfume from antiquity when it was considered to be a “gift of the gods.” To this day it’s the main ingredient in most perfumes and colognes including Guerlain, Miss Dior, Opium, Creed and many others. It is gifted as a sign of affection and considered an aphrodisiac.
Self Care: Vetiver is referenced in Ayurveda texts dating back 3000 years. It’s commonly used in massage to strengthen the nervous system. Rub a drop of Vetiver on your feet before yoga for an embodied “root to rise” practice. Wear it as a fragrance to an encounter where you need to “hold your ground.”
Treat yourself, or someone you love, with the luxurious gift of 100% pure Vetiver Essential Oil instead of perfume or cologne.
SOLAR PLEXUS
CEDARWOOD
tree of life
Ritual: Cedarwood essential oil is steam distilled from the wood of cedar trees from North America – it aligns with the Solar Plexus Chakra. Its immense strength, fragrant foliage, and longevity (900 year lifespan) have made it a tree revered since antiquity. For Native Americans the wood is used in rituals like totem pole monuments, built to validate lineage, and sweat lodge healing ceremonies. Navajo, Tibetan, and Nordic traditions all use Cedarwood in rituals to fortify themselves and help stay the path.
Gifts: The Salish people tell the story of a good man who was always giving away what he had to help others. When the man died the creators gifted the world with a cedar tree to carry on the giving. Traditional gifts at Potlatches might include carved cedar boxes, oars, and even canoes. Ancient Egyptians stored their jewels and papyrus scrolls in cedar chests that would protect them from damp and moths for generations. They first extracted the oil around 3000 BC.
Self-Care: The word cedar is derived from an ancient Arabic word that means divine power. Make a spritz with a few drops of Cedarwood in distilled water to for a mid-workout power lift. Add a few drops to a hand towel on the shower floor for a fortifying steam after a challenging day. Diffuse to clear your mind when setting goals or starting a new project.
Treat yourself, or someone you love, with the restorative gift of 100% pure Cedarwood Essential Oil.
HEART
YLANG YLANG
flower of flowers
Ritual: Ylang Ylang Oil is steam distilled from the flowers of night blooming canaga trees in Madagascar ~ it aligns with the Heart Chakra. They are picked at dawn and distilled immediately to capture their full essence. One origin story tells us when the earth was created in all its splendor a goddess was sent to bring fragrance to the flowers. Ylang Ylang was given a scent meant to bring love to those who experienced it. Not surprisingly, a bed of Ylang Ylang flowers is a newlywed tradition in the South Pacific.
Gifts: An ingredient in Chanel No. 5, Ylang Ylang flowers are said to bring harmony. They are woven into leis and wreaths to welcome guests, tucked into books, closets, and bed linens as delightful sachets. Victorian men popularized it’s use in pomades to make their hair shine – to the extent that “doilies” were created to protect the backs of chairs!
Self-Care: The word Ylang Ylang comes from Tagalog and means wild and rare. An ingredient in Channel No. 5, anointing yourself with Ylang Ylang is a way to acknowledge and appreciate yourself. Add a few drops to your leave-in conditioner to pamper your tresses. Add a drop to a tissue and place it inside a book on your nightstand to add an olfactory experience to your bedtime reading ritual. Diffuse it for morning meta meditation to envelope yourself in loving kindness.
Acknowledge yourself, or someone your cherish, with a love offering of 100% pure Ylang Ylang Essential Oil.
THROAT
VANILLA
nectar of gods
Ritual: Vanilla absolute is extracted from the bean pods of vanilla orchids from Madagascar – it aligns with the Throat Chakra. The Totonac people of Mexico were the original cultivators. In one of their origin stories, a beautiful princess is betrothed by the king to a wealthy man, but she loves another. The king arranges her lover’s demise and the princess takes her own life on the spot. There, she became the Vanilla orchid, and he the bee who tended only to her. The Aztecs demanded tribute from the Totonac in the form of vanilla and added it to cacao in their ceremonial beverage.
Gifts: -The Totonacs believed vanilla and its scent were a gift from their mother goddess and strived to keep it secret from the rest of the world. They used it in ritual, healing, and perfume. Eventually, the Spanish brought cacao with vanilla to Europe. Vanilla was coupled with chocolate for decades until an apothecary to Queen Elizabeth I satisfied her notorious sweet tooth by presenting her with tasty Vanilla delights.
Self-Care: Vanilla was transplanted around the world – but never bore fruit -because nature determines the vanilla orchid could only be pollinated (on the day it blooms) by the tiny stingless Melipona bee that lives only in Mexico. 800 years after its introduction to Europe, an enslaved 12-year-old, Edmond Albius, invented a hand pollination technique that is used to this day. He was granted his freedom and, though others laid claim to the method, the botanist he worked for made sure the world knew the truth. Go ahead and add a drop to your morning coffee or ceremonial cacao to help you set your intentions. Dab a drop as perfume on your throat for more eloquent and effective communication. Diffuse in the bedroom to foster sweet dreams.
Brighten your day, or the day of someone you love, with the delightful gift of pure Vanilla absolute.
THIRD EYE
TULSI HOLY BASIL
queen of herbs
Ritual: Tulsi Holy Basil is steam distilled from the buds and leaves of the Tulsi plant in India – It aligns with the Third Eye Chakra. Tulsi is a Sanskrit word that translates to “incomparable” and for some is considered and embodiment of the Goddess Lakshmi – sent to purify the world. Every part of the plant is sacred – its wood is used in mala beads for meditation, while its leaves and flowers are used in tea to elevate the soul.
Gifts: For Hindu’s Tulsi Holy Basil is the threshold between heaven and earth. It’s traditionally planted in the courtyard of homes, and tended ritually on Tuesdays and Fridays. Those who tend it are elevated with divine grace. Tulsi Vivah day ushers in wedding season where gifting saplings to newlyweds or wedding guests is meant to elevate awareness of our union with the natural world.
Self-Care: Tulsi Holy Basil is an adaptogen that supports mood, energy and boosts immunity used in Ayurveda for thousands of years. Give yourself a Tulsi Tuesday by rubbing a drop between your palms and cupping them to inhale deeply when you need to commune with nature. Spritz your skin all over with a few drops in distilled water to sooth, hydrate, and uplift your spirits. Add a drop to turn your green or black tea into a meditative ritual.
Nurture yourself, or someone you love, with the uplifting gift of 100% pure Tulsi Holy Basil Essential Oil.
CROWN
FRANKINCENSE
king of oils
Ritual: Frankincense Essential Oil is derived through steam distilling the resin of Boswellia trees from Africa and Arabia ~ it aligns with the Crown Chakra. Frankincense is mentioned in myriad ancient texts for its use as incense offerings and divinations. It was believed its heady aromatics was euphoric, alluring to the gods, and drove away negative energy.
Gifts: Once one of the most precious gifts imaginable, Frankincense was well established as a gift fit for royalty throughout recorded history. In the New Testament Frankincense, myrrh, and gold were the gifts of the Magi. 1000 years earlier, the Koran, Torah, and Bible tell us the Queen of Sheba was a seeker of truth and wisdom. She exchanged a caravan of Frankincense, myrrh, gold, and gemstones to King Solomon for his wise counsel and allegiance.
Self-Care: Cleopatra incorporated Frankincense into daily self-care, from perfume for spiritual alignment to an ingredient in cosmetics like kohl eyeliner to protect the physical body from the elements. Frankincense has been shown to have anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety, and regenerative properties. Diffuse or wear Frankincense to create a sacred setting for meditation. Add a few drops to facial oil or serum to smooth away worry lines. Dilute a few drops in a bowl of warm water with a hand towel to create a compress that soothes nerves or aching joints. Mix with a carrier oil and give yourself a daily therapeutic foot and hand massage.
Lift your spirits, or a loved one’s, with the precious gift of 100% pure Frankincense Essential Oil.