The basic nature of essential oils is to be in harmony and to bring harmony.  They are also wonderful additions to a surprising number and variety of professions or practices.  I think you will be surprised at the interesting and powerful ways our Essences are enhancing all sorts of business endeavors!  But first, a few announcements:

Level 1 Certification Class in Medicinal Aromatherapy

I will retire from teaching group Level 1 classes at the end of this year.  My last Level 1 Class will be held September 10-11, 2016 at my Shining Sun Aromatherapy studio just north of Santa Fe, NM. To qualify for the early registration price of $450, I must receive the full amount by August 10^th.  After that date, the price goes to $475, and must be paid in full at the time of registration. I have room for about 5 more people; right now, I have no more auditor openings, but if you have your WOTE Level 1 certification and want to audit in September (and you have not already registered with me), please send me an email noting your interest, and I will put you on the “waiting list”. Life does happen, as we all know.  Details about the Level 1 Foundational course are available on my website, www.shiningsunaromatherapy.com/level-i-classes/  I am still doing Skype classes, mentoring, and private Level 1 classes.

Voices of Light, Voices of Love…Messages from the Plants and Trees by Audre Gutierrez, Barry Kapp and Cynthia Olivera de Kapp

Has a plant or tree ever spoken to you, or moved you to a deeper place of self-knowing? This book shares the transformational experiences of our students as they journeyed with an essential oil of their choice as part of the WOTE Level 1 Medicinal Aromatherapy certification process.  By their own account, these students have been forever changed by their experience. By sharing some of the heart-touching messages and profound wisdom they received from 19 different essences, our hope is that you will be, too!   Priced at $29.95; it will also be available on Amazon.

We are grateful for the support we have received from honored colleagues in the global aromatherapy community. For example:

 …For those who wish to retrace the intimate steps by which the authors have explored…their relation with essential oils, this book is a treasure trove. – Kurt Schnaubelt, PhD, Pacific Institute of Aromatherapy

 Many gifts await you in this beautiful book that can be read over and over again…Your heart will be nourished by this unique and loving interpretation of plants and essential oils. – Robbi Zeck, ND, Author of the Blossoming Heart, Aromatherapy for Healing and Transformation

This is unlike any offering we are aware of in the aromatherapy literature, and we are very excited to bring this information to light!  I am currently accepting pre-publication orders of this beautiful and moving book; we expect delivery of a limited first run in August or September.  Please call or email me if you are interested in securing one or more copies.

July’s Essential Thought from Shining Sun Aromatherapy: “Works Well With Others”

Growing up, I always heard the phrase “Plays well with others” as a way teachers and caregivers described children who were able to get along and function well in groups; when I got older, the phrase changed to “Works well with others”, which was important in both college and in employment. As a practicing aromatherapist and educator in the field of aromatherapy, I see how pertinent both of these concepts are in truly understanding how essential oils work with humans on all three levels…physical, emotional and spiritual.

Essential oils have a very unique and powerful ability to facilitate and enhance other modalities without overpowering them.   As is their nature, they work in harmony with each other, and with other ways of healing, supporting and creating. This is something that I find very special about the essences, but not much is said about it in the aromatherapy literature.

I am often asked “Is it ok to use more than one essence at a time? Won’t they conflict with each other?” Or, “If I use more than one essence, how will I know which one ‘worked’”? These are ways of understanding the world that bear little resemblance to nature or to how healing with natural medicines occurs. While there are some limited situations where essential oils may be “contra-indicated”…that is, they are not recommended for use with another treatment type or with a certain condition or with a certain pharmaceutical drug…for the most part they work remarkably well with each other, and with many diverse modalities and practices, as well.

Working Well Together

Our philosophy with regard to using multiple oils at one time (layering) to treat a condition or situation is that they work very powerfully and effectively together; typically, the essences selected the essences address both the presenting symptoms, as well as known or suspected contributing factors or root causes. For example, say that an individual experiences migraine headaches shortly before or during their menstrual period, and has done so for years. I might suggest Marjoram (cineole) and Peppermint for headache pain (both are anti-spasmodic and analgesic (pain-killing) in nature, and I might suggest Geranium and Clary Sage for hormonal balance. These would all complement each other and address the migraines from different angles.

We also use multiple oils at the same time to address a variety of concerns; a person might be working with Birch (Yellow) and Spike Lavender for their sprained hand, Cardamom Seed (Green) and Basil (Sweet) for digestive issues and Myrtle (linalool) for balancing their thyroid. I have seen people literally be aghast at the thought of using all of these essences at the same time, or within a twelve-hour period. We, as a culture, have been so conditioned by western medicine to think of drug interactions, the idea of different plant medicines working harmoniously with each other, as a general rule, is hard for some people “to wrap their heads around.” And yet, serious drug interactions (which I had personal and frightening experience with many years ago) are a reality, and are not well-understood or well-managed in western medicine.

When my father was alive, he used to have a shoebox with 10-15 different drug bottles in it, prescribed by four or five different doctors. I know for a fact that his doctors did not confer with each other on how harmoniously these drugs would work together. Now, that is something to be aghast about. And I was. But when I tried to address this situation with my father, my concerns fell on deaf ears. My father refused to question his doctors, for in his mind, everything they said was “gospel”.  Also, he would never have “bothered” the doctor to ask if a newly prescribed medication was compatible with the laundry list of drugs he was already taking, prescribed by other doctors in other practices. I think his trust was outsized and misplaced.

Complementing Other Modalities/Professions

It is literally fascinating to see the beautiful symmetry of the essences with so many other modalities or practices. I did a “laundry list” of situations I am personally familiar with where essences have been successfully integrated with other professions, and here is what I came up with (we’ll start with the more obvious ones first…so stay with me…there are some pretty creative and exciting combinations here):

• Massage:  Essences can be used directly on the areas of concern, and integrated into the massage… not just drops on a face towel or in the massage lotion.
• Yoga:  An essential oil can be diffused in the practice area; many instructors apply an oil like Frankincense or Lavender on participants’ feet or crown chakras during savasana — Corpse pose —  at the end of a yoga session.
• Chiropractic healing: Essences can be used during a session to help relax tense muscles and facilitate  manipulation and/or after a session to relieve any soreness or tightness.
• Sound Healing with a didgeridoo:  The essence can be dripped into the bottom opening; the aroma then emanates from the instrument when it is blown in a sound healing session.  One of our clients does powerful healing in this way, and his choice is Wild Chamomile for its calming, soothing effect.
• Sound Healing with crystal bowls or gongs:  Essences which are heart-opening or calming in nature can be applied to the participants and/or diffused in the room.
• Vibrational Healing with Tuning Forks or Reiki: The vibration of the essences, in concert with the vibration of the forks or Reiki, is really profound. A local healer recently shared at my Aromatherapy Meet Up about the amazing reaction a client had to her use of the tuning forks with appropriate essences on each meridian.
• Meditation:  The essences facilitate and enhance the experience of the person meditating; they can be diffused into the room or, preferably, applied to the participant.
• Acupuncture: Suitable essences (i.e., those whose properties support the healing intention) can be applied to the area where the needle will be inserted, or the needle can be dipped in the essence before insertion.
• Natural creams and salves: One of my students has a beautiful line of personal care products that she has created. While, at first, she wondered how moving to a higher grade of essences for her products would impact her bottom line, she was excited to tell me that she could use significantly less of our essences in her products, because they are so pure and powerful.  Also, her clients reported better results! The higher quality really made a positive difference in the effectiveness of her products, and actually made them less costly to produce!
• Physical Therapy: Essences can be used during a session to help relax tense muscles or after a session to relieve any soreness or tightness.
• Hypnotherapy: Essences can relax the person being hypnotized and facilitate a deep trance.

The following collaborations may be a little less “obvious”, but they are working very well for the owners of these businesses:

• Space Organizer/De-cluttering: One of my students is an excellent personal and business organizer…she expertly helped me clear out my “junk” room and made my hall closet functional again! Many of her clients have emotional attachments to the things they have finally decided to “let go”, so she finds essences like Mugwort, Lavender, Peppermint and citruses really good for helping them with the letting go part, reducing the stress of the change, and uplifting them up mentally and emotionally.
• Artistic Creation:   Music, painting, sculpting, dancing, pottery making, writing, etc. are enhanced by using essential oils to help open the heart, access our higher self, or access our inner child. Essences can also be used in the material…paint, clay, etc….to minimize any toxicity in the substances used and to leave the finished piece with a special energy and aroma (which recedes over time…the energy does not) that can enhance the experience of the person viewing or using the piece.
• Nutritional Counseling: A number of the essences can be used for the emotional side of eating too little or eating too much; other essences can be used for their high satiety value.  For example, Black Cumin is 21% protein; it helps satisfy hunger and is energizing. Spearmint essential oil topically applied or in water helps curb cravings.
• Jewelry: A friend who creates wonderful jewelry combined her love of our oils and the benefit she has received from them with her passion for jewelry-making. She now makes a variety of necklaces that gently emanate an essential oil of the wearer’s choice.
• Psychotherapy: A friend and student who is an excellent therapist has greatly enhanced her practice by working with essences chosen to help with particular emotional issues experienced by a client, as well as relaxing and soothing them to enhance the benefits of an individual counseling session. She has found many essences, including Bergamot, Cardamom (Green), Laurel Leaf and Frankincense, to be greatly beneficial. The progress of the clients is accelerated, and many choose to purchase essences so that they can use them between sessions.
• Candle-making: A woman who was interested in creating a line of natural candles asked to consult with me about essences she could use to give the candles aromas that would achieve certain goals like Clarity, Joy or Peace. She mentioned that she was going to make all of them colorless, as she hadn’t found any dyes that she felt comfortable using. When I showed her essences like Blue Tansy (beautiful dark blue in color), Blood Orange (brilliant red-orange color) and Emerald Cypress (deep green color), she was excited to realize she could facilitate a particular emotional state as well as have beautiful, natural colors for her candles.
• Aesthetician: A student of mine is an aesthetician in Sedona; one of her “signatures” is to finish her facials with a couple of spritzes of our Neroli (Orange Blossom) Hydrolat. It is heavenly!
• Personal/Business Coaching: One of my Santa Fe friends is a Coach to many incredibly successful and interesting people; she uses the essences to support them in changes they wish to make in their lives and careers…helping them get clearer on their goals, easing the difficulty of significant change, and relieving the stress of very high-powered career choices.
• Hospice work: Essences can greatly ease the transition from this earthly realm for both the person transitioning, and the person’s family/caregivers. Frankincense, Sandalwood, Rose, Laurel Leaf, Blood Orange and Ocean Pine are a few of the many that are so effective for this sacred journey.
• Channeling/Spiritual Guidance/Animal Communication: Essences are highly effective at increasing our ability to communicate with the unseen world, and to access the guidance of the Angelic Realm, the Plants & Trees, the Animal Kingdom, etc. Those who provide this service to others find that using the essences at the start of a session greatly enhances the connection between them and their client, and facilitates their ability to receive information from other sentient beings and the unseen world.
• Nature Adventures/Exploration: One of our advanced students takes clients on a journey with the dolphins; he has found that using the essences greatly enhances the sacredness and depth of this profound experience.

Believe it or not, this list is not exhaustive, but I’m sure you get my point. As I tell my clients, when they call and say “Is there an oil to help me with X condition?”, “It is better to think of it as ‘What oil or oils will help me with X’ ”…because there is always some essence that will offer benefit or resolution in any situation. To extend that idea, there is probably some way essences could benefit any healing modality or profession, if we are just resourceful and creative about considering the options.

Now it’s your turn! I would love to hear from you about other wonderful collaborations with the oils that you have personally experienced or are familiar with. I am sure this already comprehensive list can grow even more.  Send me your thoughts, and I will post them on my Face Book page to continue the conversation!

Much love to you,

Audre Gutierrez, Owner, Shining Sun Aromatherapy

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