Tag Archives: grief

When Family and Friends Let You Down

When family and friends let you down

I have been reading posts and articles on Facebook and elsewhere recently where people felt letdown, betrayed or rejected by those they trusted. These people were family, friends or people in positions of authority. In one case I read the betrayal lead to the death of comrades. These events can lead to deep emotional scarring which is still evident many years or decades later.

You may experience the emotions of betrayal, rejection, grief, compassion, forgiveness, despair and renewal in your life. Consider using essential oils to help you process your feelings when you do.

BETRAYAL
Betrayal can bring up feelings of loss of trust in yourself and others, anger at letting yourself be betrayed and not allowing yourself to feel vulnerable again.

Essential Oils
Palmarosa (Cymbopogon martini) can ease feelings of betrayal and allow you to forgive the betrayer and yourself for being betrayed.

Rose (Rosa damascena) can help you forgive yourself and the betrayer and open your heart so you can learn to trust again.

Jasmine (Jasminum grandiflorum) relieves the emotional pain of betrayal and promotes trust in yourself and others.

REJECTION
We have all felt the sting of rejection whether this is a rejection of us personally or our ideas, art, the people we associate with or the way we live our lives it hurts.

Essential Oils
Pine (Pinus sylvestris) can be used to restore self-confidence and increase low self-esteem that you may feel when rejected.

Rose (Rosa damascena) restores a sense of security and well-being especially if you have suffered rejection, loss or abuse.

Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata var. genuina) helps ease and deal with the pain of rejection and the fear of it happening again.

GRIEF
We all grieve whether for the loss of a person, pet, job, home or something important to us. This sense of loss can bring up feelings of anxiety, fear, sadness, guilt, anger, blame, regret, worthlessness, stress and depression.

Essential oils
Cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica) gives you the courage and strength to hold firm in the midst of crisis and know that you will get through this.

Chamomile Roman (Chamaemelum nobile) helps you to feel at peace with the way you are feeling and soothes your feelings of being abandoned by the one you loved.

Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) is calming at times of transition and when difficult changes need to be made. She helps you to move on in your life.

Lavender (Lavandula angustafolia) reminds you to take time to nurture yourself physically, emotionally and spiritually during this time. She allows you to forgive yourself for things left unsaid or undone.

Myrrh (Commiphora molmol) brings a sense of inner stillness and peace that helps to ease your sorrow and grief and any feelings of loss and rejection.

COMPASSION
There are many ways you can share compassion in our lives both for yourself and others. You may notice someone struggling to do something and offer to help or you may make a wrong decision or trust the wrong person and instead of beating yourself up, you feel compassion for yourself by realising you have learnt from the experience and will do better next time.

Essential oils
Benzoin (Styrax benzoin) helps you have compassion and love for yourself both present and past.

Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) eases feelings of loss particularly of a person and enhances feelings of compassion.

Rose (Rosa damascena) is the ultimate oil of compassion. She helps you to forgive and trust others as well as yourself and opens your heart to feel love again.

Spikenard (Nardostachys jatamansi) allows you to show compassion and love to others without becoming overwhelmed by their suffering or loss.

DESPAIR
You may have moments of despair when you feel abandoned or misunderstood. These feelings can cause you pain both physical and emotional. They may also cause you to doubt yourself and your place in the world along with your self-worth.

Essential oils
Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) helps to soothe your feelings of anger, frustration and blame. She helps you see the light at the end of the tunnel and bring a sense of joy back into your life. Don’t apply to skin that will be exposed to sunlight within 24 hours as bergamot is phototoxic.

Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) helps dispel the anger, frustration and blame while bringing a sense of optimism that you will get through this time of despair.

Kunzea (Kunzea ambigua) helps to release the pain that lead to your despair and instils a feeling of safety.

Lemon (Citrus limonum) helps clear your mind so that you can think clearly while uplifting you mentally and emotionally. Don’t apply to skin that will be exposed to sunlight within 24 hours as lemon is phototoxic.

Pine (Pinus sylvestris) can be used to restore self-confidence and increase low self-esteem that feelings of despair can induce.

RENEWAL
We go through many beginnings and endings in our lifetime. Starting and ending projects, bringing up children and letting them go to begin their own lives as adults, changing life circumstances, careers, etc. Sometimes it is easy to let go and begin again and sometimes it is difficult to accept change and move on.

Essential oils
Cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica) gives you the courage to move forward and start again.

German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) helps you let go of old ideas, beliefs, emotions, and habits that you no longer need.

Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) brings a sense of renewal and is the perfect oil for bringing balance to all aspects of your life, physical, mental, spiritual and emotional.

Sweet fennel (Foeniculum vulgare dulce) is helpful if you feel that there are aspects of the situation that you need to bring to a close so that you can begin afresh.

USING THE OILS
If you are going through any of these emotional experiences at the moment and would like to use essential oils to help you through it, choose one to three oils that seem to resonate with how you are feeling and either use the oils singly or in a blend as follows.

Use 4 to 5 drops in 10mls of vegetable oil in a roll-on or massage blend. 4 to 5 drops in a diffuser or add 4 to 6 drops to some full fat milk and add to your bath. The milk allows the oils to disperse in the water rather than sit on top.

Bergamot (Citrus bergamia)

Bergamot lightens the shadows of the mind, bringing illumination and laughter.
Valerie Ann Worwood

Family: Rutaceae

Synonyms: Citrus aurantium ssp. bergamia

Aroma: Sweet, fruity and refreshing

Colour: Light yellow with a hint of green

Plant: The bergamot tree grows up to 12 metres high but is kept to 4 or 5 metres for easy picking. It has deep green leaves and small white fragrant flowers. The fruit ripening from green to a lemon yellow colour is the size of a small orange and slightly spherical with a sour bitter taste.

Main Growing Areas: Italy, Ivory Coast.

Major Constituents: Limonene, linalyl acetate, linalool, bergaptene, alpha and beta pinenes
The alcohol and ester content can vary significantly due to the weather, the time of harvest and the handling of the fruit. All this will affect the aroma of the essential oil.

Interesting snippets: Used to flavour Earl Grey Tea and as a major ingredient in eau-de-cologne.
The essential oil has a long use in Italian folk medicine as a remedy for fever and worms.
Bergamot was once used to help treat malaria.

Part of Plant used /Extraction: Cold expression of the peel of the almost ripe fruit

Therapeutic actions: Skin problems including acne, cold sores, chicken pox, shingles and eczema. Also helpful for respiratory and digestive issues including flu, sore throat, laryngitis and bronchitis, dyspepsia, flatulence, colic, indigestion and loss of appetite. Vaginal and urinary infections – use in douche or hip bath.

Emotional and Spiritual: Tension, irritability, frustration, depression, grief and sadness. Uplifting.

Robbi Zeck writes that there are blessings in discomfort if you choose to examine why your spirit is flat, sad or depressed. During these times of dark reflection bergamot will heal and cheer your soul, encouraging you to continue to explore your deeper innermost feelings.

Gabriel Mojay writes that bergamot oil encourages the release of pent-up feelings – feelings that can lead not only to depression, but also to insomnia, anxiety and sudden mood swings. It also helps us to relax and “let go”.

Aromatherapy Insight Card:

CHEERFULNESS
Bergamot promotes cheerfulness and soothes feelings of anger and frustration.
Feeling flat and tired? Lost your spark and enthusiasm for life? Use the essence of Bergamot to access your deeper levels and cheer your heart and soul, lift depression and help gain confidence and motivation. Release repressed emotions that are blocking your vital force and stopping you from being all that you want to be. Allow your mind to wander to a place where “cheerfulness” lives, where you can think lively thoughts and feel refreshed. Create a productive and caring environment.

Safety: Due to the furocoumarins, bergamot is photosensitive and can cause serious skin burns or a condition known as berloque dermatitis. (An irregular darkening of the skin which can last several years). Avoid direct exposure to sunlight or sunbed rays for 12 hours after applying the diluted oil to the skin. This rule doesn’t apply to soaps and shampoos or any products that are immediately washed off the skin. You can also buy Bergaptene free essential oil which has no photosensitivity issues.

Contemplations for the Soul Card:

Bergamot FCHC

Are you feeling flat, tired, angry, stressed or depressed?
Have you lost someone or something and closed yourself off to the love and happiness that is available to you?
Perhaps it’s time for some soul searching to see what lies behind these dark feelings you have.
One cause maybe a lack of self acceptance and self love.
It’s time to shine a light on these areas, examine and then release them.
Allow the feelings of lightness, joy, serenity, wisdom, self-acceptance and love for yourself and others to enter into your life.
Feel your creativity and inspiration begin to flow as you release the dark and allow the light to enter your soul.

Sources:
Battaglia S, The Complete Guide To Aromatherapy. The Perfect Potion, Australia (1995)
Bowles E.J, The A to Z of Essential Oils. New Burlington Books (2003)
Fischer-Rizzi, S, Complete Aromatherapy Handbook. Essential Oils for Radiant Health Sterling Publishing Company (1990)
Hodges C. Contemplations for the Soul (2016)
Jefferies J, Osborn. K, Aromatherapy Insight Cards. Living Energy, Aust. (2nd Ed. 2005)
Kerr, J, Bergamot Essential Oil Profile. Aromatherapy Today, Vol.11 (1999)
Mojay G, Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit. Hodder and Stoughton (1996)
Worwood, V.A, The Fragrant Heavens. Doubleday Publishing UK (1999)
Zeck R, The Blossoming Heart. Aroma Tours (2004)

Essential Oils for Grief and Loss

We all go t Grief hrough periods of grief and loss in our lives. When thinking about grief and loss you may equate it with the death of a partner, parent, child, close friend, relative or even a beloved family pet but there are many events in your life where you experience loss. Some examples include the loss of a job or career, the loss of your home due to fire or being unable to pay the mortgage or because the owner of your rented house or apartment wanted to tear it down, renovate or sell it. You may go through a relationship breakup or divorce. You may face a loss of identity due to the amputation of a limb or your children growing up and leaving home. You may also grieve the loss of a dream that can never come true, for example finding out that you can never conceive a much longed for child.

With loss you lose hope or what is familiar and must embark on a new life in the unknown. It can take time to grieve for what you have lost especially if it was someone, thing or place that was deeply loved. Losing your sense of self can also take time to process and heal as you mourn the loss of a limb, breast, being a mother, father or carer or even leaving behind a life of drugs and/or alcohol for an addiction free life can result in your questioning who am I now or what do I do now?

All life is transition and change and it is how you deal with these losses that shape your life. Some you can pass through very quickly but others will take more time to process. Each person experiences loss and grief in their own way and must be given the time and space to express themselves.

Grief expresses itself in many different ways including but not limited to anxiety, fear, sadness, despondency, tears, guilt, anger, frustration, numbness, remorse, blame, regret, withdrawal, worthlessness, stress and depression. You may do things that seem out of character for you. You may lose your appetite or eat continually trying to fill the void of what has been lost. You may sleep too much or be unable to get to or stay asleep. You may lose your hair or notice skin changes due to stress and anxiety. In Chinese medicine grief is considered to be the province of the lungs and so six months to a year after the loss you may suffer from lung related issues like flu, bronchitis or pneumonia.

If the loss was sudden and unexpected you may be in “what if..?” mode or regret the things you might have said or done or not said or done if you had known what was about to happen.

The following essential oils can help ease you through the grieving process allowing you to move on with your life. It is important when choosing which oils you will work with to keep in mind that aromas can be associated with a particular memory and to perhaps not choose a blend that you will use in the future which could be associated with your present loss and its painful memories especially in the case of the death of a loved one.

Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) joy
Bergamot helps to soothe your feelings of anger, frustration and blame. She helps you see the light at the end of the tunnel and bring a sense of joy back into your life. Don’t apply to skin that will be exposed to sunlight within 24 hours as bergamot is phototoxic.

Cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica) courage
Cedarwood gives you the courage and strength to hold firm in the midst of crisis and know that you will get through this.

Chamomile Roman (Chamaemelum nobile) peace
Roman Chamomile helps you to feel at peace with the way you are feeling and soothes your feelings of being abandoned by the one you loved.

Cinnamon (Cinnamon zeylanicum) warmth
Cinnamon helps to dispel the numbness and isolation you may be feeling. She is emotionally warming and can help you regain your passion and purpose for life.

Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) transition
Cypress is calming at times of transition and when difficult changes need to be made. She helps you to move on in your life.

Frankincense (Boswellia carteri) calm and centre
Frankincense helps to calm and centre you when your mind seems to be overwhelmed with thoughts of what must be done or should have been done. She slows and deepens your breath so you can think more clearly. She can help you break free of the past.

Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) balance
Geranium helps to even out the emotional roller-coaster you seem to be on. She brings a feeling of calm strength, security and balance and soothes feelings of anger, frustration and irritability.

Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) optimism
Grapefruit helps dispel the anger, frustration, blame and depression. She brings a sense of optimism that you will get through this time of loss.

Kunzea (Kunzea ambigua) safe
Kunzea helps to release the shock and pain of your loss and to know you are safe.

Lavender (Lavandula angustafolia) nurture and forgiveness
Lavender reminds you to take time to nurture yourself physically, emotionally and spiritually during this time. She allows you to forgive yourself for things left unsaid or undone.

Lemon (Citrus limonum) clarity
Lemon helps clear your mind so that you can think clearly. Often at this time you will be feeling confused or unable to think clearly. She will also help uplift you mentally and emotionally. Don’t apply to skin that will be exposed to sunlight within 24 hours as lemon is phototoxic.

Linden blossom (Tilia vulgaris) love and respect
Linden blossom brings love and oneness to your heart and a respect for others and yourself especially when others seem not to care.

Marjoram (Marjoram hortensis) comfort
Marjoram can bring a sense of comfort and stop those anxious and what if thoughts that seem to be going on in your mind on a non-stop loop. She can help you accept your loss.

Myrrh (Commiphora molmol) healing
Myrrh brings a sense of inner stillness and peace that helps to ease your sorrow and grief and your feelings of loss and rejection.

Neroli (Citrus aurantium var. amara) reassurance
Neroli helps to bring a sense that things will get better. She eases emotional exhaustion and helps bring unexpressed anger and feelings of denial to the surface.

Rose (Rosa damascena) compassion
Rose allows you to have compassion for the situation, person or yourself and to let go with love.

Sandalwood (Santalum album) stillness
Sandalwood can help you cut your ties with the past and move through your feelings of loss and isolation. She can bring a sense of clarity and moments of stillness.

Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanoide) grounding
Vetiver helps to ground you offering you support and strength during this time of loss.

Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata) tranquillity
Ylang Ylang helps calm feelings of anger and frustration and brings a sense of tranquillity. She has a very strong aroma so only a very little is needed.

HOW TO USE THE OILS
Look through the list and choose one to three oils that seem to resonate with how you are feeling. Either use the oils singly or in a blend in any of the following.

Vaporize 3 or 4 drops in a diffuser or oil burner to scent the room. A grapefruit and frankincense blend will work well here when you want to cleanse the room of heavy emotions and help you breathe deeper and easier.

Room or body mists. Add 50 mls of purified water or hydrosol to a 100ml coloured spray bottle then add 30 drops of your essential oil blend and fill the bottle with another 50 mls of water or hydrosol. Replace the top and shake the bottle before each use. You can use this to spray a room but be careful not to get on your furniture, spray on yourself or spray the area in front of you and walk through the mist to cleanse or heal your aura.

Inhalation. Put some cottonballs in a small bottle and add 3 drops of essential oil. Close the lid and take with you to sniff when you need the oils help. You can also place a couple of drops on a handkerchief to take with you or place under your pillow at night to help you sleep if you prefer. You can also use a personal inhaler.

Add 4 to 6 drops to some full fat milk and add to your bath. The milk allows the oils to disperse in the water rather than sit on top.

Make a massage blend using 4 to 5 drops in 10mls of vegetable oil to massage your tight neck and shoulders. A gentle hand massage may also be considered. You could also use the blend on your chest to help move the grief through your lungs and sleep at night.

In addition you may want to wear a rose quartz pendant. You could also place a small tumble stone in the vegetable oil you set aside to make your blend for a few hours so it can absorb the energies of the rose quartz. Rose quartz is well known as a stone of compassion and love that opens the heart chakra allowing deep inner healing so that you are able to let the person/ situation go with love.

An affirmation that might help at this time is “I am able to let go of this person/situation as I have compassion, love and respect for them/it and myself. I wish love and joy to both of us.”

Finally take time out to be with friends, go for walks and talk about your loss. Nourish yourself physically as well as emotionally and spiritually. If it is your partner, relative or friend who has experienced a loss simply be there to listen and offer a shoulder to cry on.

If you would like a personalised grief inhaler or massage blend feel free to send me an email to discuss your needs.

Rose (Rosa damascena)

Rose is the first oil I reach for when people are grieving. She has a long history and has been much loved since ancient times. There are three main species used in aromatherapy;
Rosa damascena – the Damask rose
Rosa gallica – the Gallic rose
Rosa centifolia – the Cabbage rose
My discussion on rose will focus on Rosa damascena.

Family: Rosaceae

Synonyms: Damask Rose. Rose Otto refers to the steam distilled essential oil. Rose absolute refers to the solvent extracted absolute most often from Rosa centifolia. Rose Attar refers to the distillation of rose petals in Sandalwood oil done in India. I won’t be discussing absolutes or attars in this post.

Aroma: Rose has a deep sweet rosy-floral aroma but this can vary depending on the amount of minor constituents in the oil. These variations can be due to the country of origin, distillation and storage among other factors. I remember early in my practice taking back a bottle of rose essential oil to my supplier because of the difference in smell between a previous bottle I had bought there and the present one. The above factors were explained to me. It is also important to remember I think that we are working with a living entity and as such there will be variations over time. It is really only the perfume and flavour industries that need a standard fragrance but as therapists especially working on a soul level it is important to have an unadulterated essence and that will mean having some variance in aroma/fragrance from time to time.

Colour: Pale yellow to yellowish green

Plant: Perennial bush rose that grows to 2 metres and has a plantation life of 10 –12 years with annual pruning.

Main Growing Areas: Bulgaria, Turkey, Southern Russia and Morocco. The finest rose essential oil is said to come from Bulgaria in the Valley of the Roses, which lies between two mountain chains.

Major Constituents: Rose contains more than 300 chemical constituents of which around 10 or so major constituents including citronellol, geraniol, nerol, linalool, farnesol and stearoptene make up 85-90% of the volume with approximately a further 275 – 290 making up the remaining 10-15%. Although these minor constituents may only be present in trace amounts they are an important part of the oil. (It is hard to be accurate here as different sources quote different amounts.) It is important to note that the chemical component that gives rose her characteristic smell beta damescenone only makes up 0.14% of all the constituents but gives almost 70% of the aroma. Unfortunately due to the high price of genuine rose essential oil there is the temptation to adulterate the oil with palmarosa and geranium, or to ‘extend’ it with constituents such as ‘geraniol’, a good reason to get to know your supplier.

Interesting snippets: It is said that Rosa damascena is a cross between Rosa gallica and Rosa centifolia but there is still some debate about this.

Over 2,500 years ago the Greek poetess Sappho named rose “The Queen of Flowers.”
Roses have been used both medicinally and as a symbol of divinity in Persia, China, India and Egypt since ancient times. In the case of China in the Han dynasty the emperor had to issue an edict to restrict the growing of roses as his subjects so loved rose gardens that they were growing them instead of food thus threatening food production.

In the palace of Knossos in Crete there is a fresco of a rose dating back to 2000BC. The island of Rhodes is said to get its name from rhodon meaning rose in Greek.

It is said that the British King or Queen is still anointed at the coronation ceremony with “Holy oil” containing rose essence, the recipe for which dates back to the 12th century.

The phrase subrosa meaning secret or confidential is said to have originated from the practice of hanging a rose over the dining or conference table as a symbol that all conversations were to be kept confidential. To this day the ornamental plasterwork in the centre of the ceiling is called a rose.

Each year one of the largest Turkish distillers sends 500 litres of rosewater to Mecca to wash the holy walls each day.

Susanne Fischer-Rizzi sees the rose as a symbol of completeness. “Rose roots are strong, leaves harmoniously arranged, flowers indescribably beautiful and filled with an exquisite fragrance. Even the little devils, thorns, that add challenge, menace or spice to earthly things are not missing.”

Valerie Ann Worwood in The Fragrant Heavens writes that in ancient times in Greece and Italy graves were planted with rose bushes and strewn with rose petals. In medieval Europe religious rites for the dead were often carried out in rose gardens or within the ‘rose hedge’. I think that the people participating in these funerals would have benefited greatly from the perfume of the roses during a difficult time.

Part of Plant used / Extraction: It takes over 1300 rose blossoms to make one gram of essential oil or 30 roses to make 1 drop of oil. That and the fact that the roses are picked by hand rather than by machine is the reason why rose essential oil is so expensive. Picked in May and June from dawn to 9 or 10am when the essence is highest in the petals, the temperature cool, the humidity high and the sunlight gentle. During this time an average picker can harvest between 30 and 40 kg of rose flowers a day.

The petals are put into bags and taken to the distillery where they are either distilled within hours of picking or in very busy times when the distillery can’t keep up with the harvesting they are stored in thin layers in air conditioned storage warehouses and sprayed with cold water to prevent the essential oils from evaporating.

The fresh rose petals are hydro distilled, that is they are immersed in water and the water is slowly heated and both the oil and the water are collected. In a process called cohabitation the distillation water is then processed again through a cylindrical Florentine tank to isolate the remaining rose oil. Once this process is complete the oil is easily separated as it floats to the top of the water. The essential oil we buy is a combination of oil from both processes. The water, which contains trace amounts of the essential oil constituents, is later sold as rosewater. The complete process can take 5 – 6 hours.

NOTE: Pure rose essential oil is expensive but it is possible to buy it diluted 3 or 5% in jojoba or other carrier oils. I prefer it in jojoba as jojoba is a wax, not an oil so it does not go rancid over time. This allows you to experience the properties of rose without the expense.

Therapeutic actions: Rose is excellent for inflamed, irritated and infected skin conditions but being an expensive oil I think it is better to use other oils which work just as well and save your precious rose for spiritual and emotional issues where she excels.

Skin care: Dry, sensitive and mature skin. Rose is excellent in face creams for mature skin.
Susanne Fischer-Rizzi states that equal amounts of undiluted melissa officinalis and rose essential oils helps to heal shingles in a few days but as I have not tried it I can’t confirm this.

Emotional and Spiritual: Rose is excellent for grief, bereavement, emotional wounding and nervous anxiety.

As stated above Rose is the first oil I reach for when someone is grieving. Combined with neroli or bergamot she helps to bring some light into their soul.

Gabriel Mojay writes that rose has the ability to bring warmth and restore trust to a soul that has grown cold through abuse, hurt, despair, loss and rejection, making it possible to love again.

Robbi Zeck writes, “The glorious rose enfolds the soul within its own fragrant song, aligning it with the higher angelic realms”. She also writes, “Awakening the heart energy, the exquisite fragrance of the velvety rose calls forth a sense of deeper identity and belonging.” I feel that this is truly an essence to welcome the angels and is one reason why I included her in my Angelic Blessings Mist.

Patricia Davies writes, “The unfolding of a rose from bud to flower, symbolises the unfolding of love within the heart. It brings healing to the Heart chakra and helps it to open again when grief has caused it to close down but where the chakra is already open, Rose strengthens its energy, enabling love energy to radiate out.”

Aromatherapy Insight Card:
LOVE
Rose renews the sense of wellbeing to all areas of your life, bringing comfort and warmth to those who have grown emotionally cold. Rose can knock down the biggest walls that you have built as a coping mechanism to feel protected. Love flows deep, and we may have set our attitudes and beliefs around how we experienced love in the past. Nothing from the past reflects on the future unless we choose to allow it to happen. So embrace the emotionally nurturing and sensuous benefits of Rose oil to rediscover and regain your passions in life.

Courtesy of J. Jefferies & K. Osborn.

Fragrant Change Healing Card: I treat myself and others with kindness, compassion and respect.

Contemplations for the Soul Card:

Can you truly love unconditionally or are you putting conditions on your love?
Do you lack compassion for yourself and others?
Do you feel unable to trust yourself or others due to past hurts and betrayals?
Consider where you may be putting conditions on your love and your reasons for those conditions.
Think of ways that you can show compassion to yourself and others rather than shutting your heart down when you or others are suffering or make mistakes.
If you have been emotionally hurt or betrayed it can be hard to love again but have the courage and faith to tear down the walls, open your heart to let love in.
Learn to love and trust again.

Safety: Non-irritating, non-sensitising. Advisable not to use neat on children under 18 months of age.

Sources: Battaglia S, The Complete Guide To Aromatherapy. The Perfect Potion, Australia (1995)
Berkowsky B, Berkowsky’s Synthesis Materia Medica/Spiritualis of Essential Oils (2006)
Davis, P, Subtle Aromatherapy. The C.W.Daniel Company Ltd. (1992)
Fischer-Rizzi, S, Complete Aromatherapy Handbook. Essential Oils for Radiant Health Sterling Publishing Company (1990)
Hodges C, Fragrant change Healing Cards (2015)
Hodges C. Contemplations for the Soul (2016)
Jefferies J, Osborn. K, Aromatherapy Insight Cards. Living Energy, Aust. (2nd Ed. 2005)
Kerr, J, Rose Essential Oil Profile. Aromatherapy Today, Vol.17 (2001)
Lawless J, Rose Oil. Thorson’s (1995)
Llewellyn, J, Ode to the Turkish Rose. Simply Essential, Issue no.35 (2000)
Mailhebiau P, Portraits in Oils. The C.W.Daniel Company Ltd. (1995)
Hagan S, Liquid Gold. In Essence, Vol.5 No.2 (2006)
Mojay G, Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit. Hodder and Stoughton (1996)
Sydney Essential Oil Company, Harvest: Rose from Bulgaria. Oily Autumn Edition (2011)
Worwood, V.A, The Fragrant Heavens. Doubleday Publishing UK (1999)
Zeck R, The Blossoming Heart. Aroma Tours (2004)

Rose apron and pouring roses into a vat photos courtesy of Enio Bonchev Production Ltd. Contact www.seoc.com.au for more information

Not Just A Pretty Smell - Explore new Ways of Using Essential Oils