Category Archives: News

What Is A Botanical Perfume?

Botanical or natural perfume is more than just a fragrance, its a return to the ancient origins of perfumery when scent was revered and held deep spiritual and ceremonial significance. Long before synthetics began to imitate nature, perfumery was an art rooted in ritual and healing, and a profound connection to the earth and to us. A botanical perfume is crafted from raw, living materials such as essential oils, tinctured flowers and leaves, macerated and infused petals, woods, and resins that have been cooked with intention to exacting ancient methods. As a living natural thing, it is not perfect, it is what the earth makes it. Unlike synthetic perfumes that are created in laboratories, where the scent is static, uniform, and lifeless, botanical perfumes are alive. They are composed of real plants, each grown in unique soils, climates, and seasons. These natural elements are ever evolving, and a botanical perfume is a reflection of that, telling the story of the ever changing nature of the plants it is derived from.
I like to think of botanical perfume as more than an just an adornment, I think this diminishes its significance. I would describe it as a living essence, something that follows us like an invisible companion, wrapping around our energy and becoming part of our individuality. For centuries, fragrances has served not just as beautification, but as a bridge to linking the body to the spirit, and to the earth and afterlife. Before perfume was just beauty, it was a ritual. Before it was fashion, it was sacred.

 

Before Perfume Was Beauty, It Was A Ritual. Before It Was Fashion, It Was Sacred.

A Sacred Scent Through Time
In all of the known ancient world, perfume had always been sacred. In Mesopotamia, fragrant resins like myrrh and frankincense were burned in temples as offerings. Egyptians anointed their bodies with aromatic oils for both beauty and spirituality, using scents like lotus and prepared kyphi in rituals and burial rites. In India and China, perfumes were crafted from herbs, flowers, and spices, used in medicine, meditation, and ceremony. The Greeks used perfume in bathing, rituals, and medicine. They believed scent could elevate the spirit and stir desire. Hippocrates, believed in the healing power of scent. He used aromatic herbs and perfumes for therapeutic purposes, purifying the air, easing the mind, and restoring balance to the body. And during the Islamic Golden Age, alchemist, physician and philosopher, Ibn Sina (Avicenna) advanced distillation techniques, capturing the true essence of plants; most famously, the rose. Perfume became both a science and a spiritual art, woven into medicine, prayer, and beauty. In every culture, it seems, perfume was a bridge between the earth and the soul.
An Alchemy Of Sorts
When we wear perfume, it’s not just about the scent. It is a dialogue between the fragrance, our skin, and our energy. This is the true transformation of a scent, it moves beyond the physical, penetrating an emotional, mental, and spiritual layer.
Alchemy, at its core, is transformation, and yes traditionally and popularly, in medieval practice and philosophy, it was known to transform base metals into gold, often blending science and spiritual belief. As a layperson on the subject I am not going to describe what alchemy is or is not. However I will always remember what one of my teachers many years ago, said about the definition of alchemy. He called it ‘a spiritual journey of the soul.’ It is the quiet fire that transforms the nafs (the egoic self) into something luminous. The ego begins raw and tethered to the world. But through the alchemical path, be it stillness, surrender, the remembrance of God, pondering and immersion of nature, it is refined, like lead into gold, and the self is transmuted. What was once restless becomes radiant. What was once veiled becomes clear.

The Spirit Of The Plant Meets The Spirit Of You.

 

The Scent Meets The Self
And you could say similarly, that a scent too, participates in this alchemical transformation. When you anoint with a perfume, the heat of your body interacts with the plant oils, causing them to unfold and reveal themselves in ways that are unique to you. In the meeting point between the perfume and the wearer, your skin chemistry and your energetic imprint shape how the fragrance lives and breathes. No two people will wear a perfume the same way. It becomes a reflection of who you are in the moment. It is where the spirit of the plant meets the spirit of you.
Scent That Communes With The Soul
Scent is like the silent language of the soul. It speaks to us before our conscious minds even have the chance to process it. As the perfume comes into contact with our skin, it begins to affect our emotional and energetic state. Different notes can awaken joy, stir memories, invite introspection, or offer comfort in times of grief. Perfume therefore, is likened to a conduit for energetic and emotional transformation:

Opening the Heart
Floral notes such as rose, jasmine, and neroli hold deep resonance with the heart. They are not just beautiful flowers, they are known to be heart medicine. The scent of the rose in particular, has a calming and uplifting effect on the soul. Its gentle fragrance helps ease emotional pain, lighten sadness, and bring a sense of peace. Ibn Sina believed that the scent of the rose could refresh the spirit, soothe the heart, and restore emotional balance. For those feeling sorrow, anxiety, or emotional heaviness, the rose was not just a flower, it was a subtle medicine for the inner self.

Grounding the Spirit
Earthy notes such as sandalwood, patchouli, and vetiver connect us to the root and ground, our link to the earthly world. These grounding scents provide stability, calm, and presence. Sandalwood, revered in spiritual traditions, anchors us during chaos and opens space for stillness. It brings us back to our centre.

Elevating the Soul
Resins such as frankincense and myrrh have long been used in ritual to purify, bless, and transcend. These materials can elevate the spirit, and feel like open portals to higher consciousness, and create a transcendent atmosphere. Frankincense, in particular, feels like a bridge between worlds. It draws us inward, quiets the mind, helps us to reflect and invites connection to something vast.

When we wear or anoint ourselves with a natural perfume, crafted from the aromatic ‘soul’ of plants, we are gently reminded that we are part of the earth’s living breath, rooted in its rhythms, nourished by its fragrance, and connected to it most profoundly.

Luna Calendar 2025

luna calendar 2025

Free Luna calendar for 2025! Stay updated with the moon phases, this one includes the full moon, new moon, first quarter and last quarter.
The lunar calendar is one of the oldest systems of timekeeping, deeply rooted in human history and culture. Unlike the solar calendar, which is based on the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, the lunar calendar tracks time by the phases of the Moon.

The lunar calendar and cycle has remained relevant for cultural, religious, and spiritual purposes for millennia. It reminds us of our deep connection to nature and its rhythms. Observing the Moon’s phases can be a grounding practice, helping us to slow down and align with the natural world.

Whether you’re relying on the moon for religious or spiritual practices, planting a garden, for cupping therapy, observing emotional or menstrual cycle changes, or simply gazing at the night sky, the lunar calendar and cycle offers a timeless rhythm that connects us to the cosmos.
I’m hoping to write more on the influence of the moon when I get a chance.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this calendar. To download and print, click here: luna calendar 2025

luna calendar 2025

Autumn Garden

A calm quiet resonates in the garden. Autumn is like an intending looming temporal loss. In Unani medicine, Autumn is associated with the Earth element, as all the vegetation and plants prepare to return back to earth. The sadness of autumn reflects its melancholic temperament. It is a contemplative state, as the season shifts from summer’s warmth to winter’s cool grasp. The gradient hues of the falling leaves; oranges, reds, browns and yellows mark an end, a reminder that life is transient. As the days grow shorter and the air turns brisk, the sound of leaves crunching underfoot feels like a quiet farewell.

This year everything is extremely overgrown. The Valerian has been invasive, it has creeped in to all the pots, and leached through the slabs and in every orifice. My three cats adore it though, they dig the pots and take out the root to roll around in pure delight. I have left it as is, for them, for now anyway. I may regret this.

The walnuts fruits are opening up, and I can hear the snapping of the shells as the squirrels are feasting and hiding the nuts in my pots and planters. The hydrangeas are drying out, I have dead headed most of them, but left a few to dry out on the stems, as they make stunning dried flower displays. There’s still a few evening primroses determined to play with the wind, and an abundance of blackberries to harvest still.

A new plant I grew from seed this year was the Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris), commonly known for its astringent and healing properties, especially for women’s issues

The name ‘Alchemilla’ translates as ‘little alchemist’, coming from the Arabic word Alkemiya and is linked to medieval alchemy. The dew that gathers on its leaves was understood to possess spiritual qualities. This highly prized liquid was known as Aqua Celestis (heavenly water), and thought to be the purest form of distilled water used in alchemical practices with the aim of achieving spiritual purity and transformation.

I am trying to get to know the ‘little alchemist’ a little bit better. She appears to me especially feminine, earthly and quite motherly. I have made it a ritual to go out in the garden, and to observe the dew that she exudes every morning. Her broad cloak like velvety leaves appear to be so inviting, and I eagerly accept her offerings, and sometimes make a cold tea infusion combining the dew filled leaves. I truly hope she makes it through the winter.

Autumn is strange, its sadness is both gentle and bittersweet. It can evoke nostalgia for what has passed or spark reflections on the fleeting nature of things. The sombre skies, bare trees, and cold air indicate solitude and loss, yet there’s a quiet appeal in the stillness. It’s a season for reflection, for releasing the past, and for embracing change, and even accepting the subtle melancholy it offers.

lady's mantle

Sacred Bath Rituals

For centuries Sacred Bath rituals have signified a sacred and spiritual act, rooted in the belief that water not only purifies and cleanses, but also, heal, and connects the mind body and spirit.
Bath and water rituals have been practiced in numerous cultures around the world.
Historically civilisations such as the ancient Egyptians used water for spiritual and physical purification. Ritual baths were part of preparations for religious ceremonies, involving the use of oils and herbs.
In Ancient Greeks baths were integral to daily life, serving not just hygienic but also social and spiritual purposes. Hippocrates prescribed baths as medicine of the body and the spirit. Unani medicine traditions also prescribe herbal baths as a regimental therapy.

Indian, Turkish, Japanese, African, Indigenous peoples of America and many more cultures practice the tradition of sacred baths, which can be a deeply relaxing and rejuvenating experience, combining elements of mindfulness, to purify and soothe the soul and increase health and vitality. Spiritual practices of ablution and cleansing are also found in Islam with its ritual cleansing before prayer known as wudhu. In Judaism there is the practice of Mikveh, the ritual immersion in water to achieve purity, and in Christianity the practice of Baptism.

The sacred bath ritual can be a personal journey to re connect with the subconscious aspects of yourself and your life, fostering greater clarity and a sense of completeness.

Reverence for water

Water is the essence of life as we know, it was the first home within the womb, and connected to every life form. With regards to the four classical elements of Water, Air, Fire and Earth, water is associated with emotions, fluidity, and the ability to listen and hold memory. As a shape shifter water can change  from liquid to gas to solid, it moulds and hold and accepts various shapes without permanency. Unani philosophers also describe the character of water as nurturing, calm, accepting, intuitive, and feminine.

Suggestions for creating a calming sacred bath ritual:

a) Cleanse the space by tidying up your bathroom to create a quiet and disorder-free environment.
b) Using aromatherapy candles, or dim lights can create a calming atmosphere, but is optional.

Prepare the Bath with any one, or all of these below, there are no hard and fast rules. I gathered what I had in the garden, rose petals, cedar leaves, rosemary and sage. Also Amethyst and clear crystals that I already had.
c) Salts such as Himalayan pink salt, or Epsom Salts to help to relax muscles, increase circulation, and reduce any inflammation.
d) Essential oils such as lavender, cedarwood, lemon balm, chamomile, and orange can be used, or use your intuition to choose an oil. Please note, essential oils should be diluted in a carrier before adding to the bath water.
e) Herbs, plants and flowers can be dried, such as lavender, rose petals or chamomile. Alternatively go to the garden or green area and intentionally gather a few sprigs or flower heads of the plants that speak to you.
f) Place crystals like amethyst or rose quartz in the bath to elevate the vibrations further.
While immersing yourself in the water, you can choose to make an intention. Invite within, the stillness, and the quiet to promote a sense of peace. Focus on the sensations of the essence and the character of the water element, as well as your chosen oils, and the plants or flowers. Trust your intuition and let yourself be centered and allow your thoughts to be open to messages or ideas that come to mind without judgement. Visualise the water as a conduit to absorb the energy from the plant and oils, to reflect, and to renew and nourish the soul, and wash away any negative thoughts that may arise.
You can also journal your experiences, write down any insights, or if you notice any shifts in the mind or body.

Spring

Spring marks the moment when the sun sits directly over the Earth’s equator as it heads northward. The Northern and Southern Hemispheres share the sun’s rays equally at the equinox, and night and day are roughly the same length, therefore there is a natural energetic balance in nature and in us.

Taking a life lesson from springtide, I have woken up to a whispery scented zephyr wind, and am mindful of the natural energetic shift that we can feel right now. Notably being a melancholic person, which is a cold and dry temperament, and the Spring season is the natural opposite, being a hot and moist temperament, this combination is an aligned one.

Spring is a good time to start something new, to declutter mental and physical spaces, to spend time outside, listen to bird song, read a new book, and generally make use of the energy that comes with the Spring equinox.

In the garden, I am embracing the blue Hyacinth with its hypnotic trance and taking pleasure in the violets against a backdrop of green foliage. St John’s wort has arose, from the soil scented earth, as has the Lemon balm with its sprightly charms, letting me know it is here once more. The flowering buds of the motherly Elder with it shape shifting leaves stands firm and succeeds in making me feel grounded. The fleeting petals of the magnolia tree reminds me of new beginnings, of hope, of change, and a promise of what is yet to come.

 

Winter Garden

The intending depth of winter infers us to look inwards, to reflect, and feels drawn to the warmth of indoors. Those of a melancholic constitution, may feel this need with more severity, with feelings of sadness and maybe even loss. Uplifting essential oils I like to use includes orange and bergamot, cinnamon to add cosiness, and black pepper to lift sluggish spirit.
However the garden right now is not lifeless, it is transiently quite, and looking inwards as nature intended. Peeled back, the energy within the roots of the plants gently brew for the preparation of spring. There is internal life and light still, and the moments spent outside in between the dappled light, and the colours of gold, browns and fawnlike beige are beneficial places for contemplation.
I do not weed – at all, merely sweep up the leaves from the slabs. Otherwise all is left to fall, grow and decay as it wishes. Images below are from my garden right now.

New! Dream Pillows

I have wanted to make these for a while, with the Lavender, Rose and Mugwort I have in the garden every year. These handcrafted dream pillows are made with herbs that are intuitively gathered, wild-crafted and selected for aiding and enhancing sleep. Choose from:
– simple lavender for it calming effects.
– a restful blend made with lavender, chamomile and hops to aid sleep.
– a mugwort and rosemary blend for enhancing and recalling dreams, and faciltating lucid dreams.
– a mugwort and herbs blend (rose, lavender, chamomile, mugwort and hops) for enhancing and facilitating lucid dreams and aiding sleep.

The mugwort and lavender have been infused with the full moon. According to Unani/Greek medicine, the moon has cooling and moistening qualities.

These Dream Pillows are so gentle and a natural method of using herbs in a traditional way to help with dream and sleep. 

mugwort and herbs lucid dream pillow
Lavender dream pillow
mugwort and rosemary
restful sleep dream pillow
mugwort and rosemary dream pillow
Lavender dream pillow