SunRose Aromatics Valentine's Day eNewsletter
February 02, 2002
Vol. 2, Issue 2
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1. Welcome New & Old SRA Subscribers
2. Candlemas - The Return of Light
3. Valentine's Special ~ Coupon Perfumers' Emporium
4. 'Saying I love you without words' by Gail Adrian Fragranceur
5. Rhassoul Heart Soaps ~ Anastasia's Ideas
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1. Welcome to SRA Subscribers.

Welcome to the SRA Newsletter, we hope you will find it informative and entertaining. Our goal is to share with our customers ~ information: featuring articles from SRA and others that will share their knowledge and expertise, any new products, specials that are going on and any news regarding the essential oil trade.

SRA welcomes feedback and comments from our readers!
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2. CANDLEMAS The Return of the Light

It seems quite impossible that the holiday of Candlemas should be considered the beginning of Spring. February 2nd may often see a blanket of snow mantling Mother Earth, but it doesn't look as if this will happen this year. Even without the snow, you may be sure the days will be filled with drizzle, slush, or steel-grey skies -- the dreariest weather of the year. In short, the perfect time for the Pagan Festival of Lights. And as for Spring, although this may seem a tenuous beginning, all the little buds, flowers and leves will have arrived on schedule before Spring runs its course to Beltane.

'Candlemas' is the Christianized name for the holiday, of course. The older Pagan names were Imbolc and Oimelc. 'Imbolc' means, literally, 'in the belly' (of the Mother). For in the womb of Mother Earth, hidden from our mundane sight but sensed by a keener vision, there are stirrings. The seed that was planted in her womb at the solstice is quickening and the new year grows. 'Oimelc' means 'milk of ewes', for it is also lambing season.

The holiday is also called 'Brigit's Day', in honor of the great Irish Goddess Brigit. At her shrine, the ancient Irish capitol of Kildare, a group of 19 priestesses (no men allowed) kept a perpetual flame burning in her honor. She was considered a goddess of fire, patroness of smithcraft, poetry and healing (especially the healing touch of midwifery).

This tripartite symbolism was occasionally expressed by saying that Brigit had two sisters, also named Brigit. (Incidentally, another form of the name Brigit is Bride, and it is thus She bestows her special patronage on any woman about to be married or handfasted, the woman being called 'bride' in her honor.)

The Roman Catholic Church could not very easily call the Great Goddess of Ireland a demon, so they canonized her instead. Henceforth, she would be 'Saint' Brigit, patron saint of smithcraft, poetry, and healing. They 'explained' this by telling the Irish peasants that Brigit was 'really' an early Christian missionary sent to the Emerald Isle, and that the miracles she performed there 'misled' the common people into believing that she was a goddess. For some reason, the Irish swallowed this.

(We all know how great the Irish imagination is, so they convinced themselves this made perfect sense. For example, the early converted Irish also came to believe that Brigit was the 'foster-mother' of Jesus.--- giving no thought to the implausibility of Jesus having spent his boyhood in Ireland!)

Brigit's holiday was chiefly marked by the kindling of sacred fires, since she symbolized the fire of birth and healing, the fire of the forge, and the fire of poetic inspiration. Bonfires were lighted on the beacon tors, and chandlers celebrated their special holiday. The Roman Church was quick to confiscate this symbolism as well, using 'Candlemas' as the day to bless all the church candles that would be used for the coming liturgical year.

(Catholics will be reminded that the following day, St. Blaise's Day, is remembered for using the newly blessed candles to bless the throats of parishioners, keeping them from colds, flu, sore throats, etc.)

The Catholic Church, never one to refrain from piling holiday upon holiday, also called it the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. (It is surprising how many of the old Pagan holidays were converted to Maryan Feasts.) The symbol of the Purification may seem a little obscure to modern readers, but it has to do with the old custom of 'churching women'. It was believed that women were impure for six weeks after giving birth. And since Mary gave birth at the winter solstice, she wouldn't be purified until February 2nd. In Pagan symbolism, this might be re-translated as when the Great Mother once again becomes the Young Maiden Goddess.

Today, this holiday is chiefly connected to weather lore. Even our American folk-calendar keeps the tradition of 'Groundhog's Day', a day to predict the coming weather, telling us that if the Groundhog sees his shadow, there will be 'six more weeks' of bad wather (i.e., until the next old holiday, Lady Day). This custom is ancient. An old British rhyme tells us that 'If Candlemas Day be bright and clear, there'll be two winters in the year.' Actually, all of the cross-quarter days can be used as 'inverse' weather predictors, whereas the quarter-days are used as 'direct' weather predictors.

Like the other High Holidays or Great Sabbats of the Witches' year, Candlemas is sometimes celebrated on it's alternate date, astrologically determined by the sun's reaching 15-degrees Aquarius, or Candlemas Old Style. Incidentally, some modern Pagan groups have recently begun calling the holiday itself 'Brigit', presumably as a shorthand for 'Brigit's Day'. This lexical laziness is lamentable since it confuses a deity-name for the proper name of the holiday. The same disconcerting trend can be seen in the recent practice of referring to the autumnal equinox as 'Mabon', which is more properly the name of a Welsh god-form.

One of the nicest folk-customs still practiced in many countries, and especially by Witches in the British Isles and parts of the U.S., is to place a lighted candle in each and every window of the house (or at least the windows that faced the street), beginning at sundown on Candlemas Eve (February 1st), allowing them to continue burning until sunrise. Make sure that such candles are well seated against tipping and guarded from nearby curtains, etc. What a cheery sight it is on this cold, bleak and dreary night to see house after house with candle-lit windows!

Other customs of the holiday include weaving 'Brigit's crosses' from straw or wheat to hang around the house for protection, performing rites of spiritual cleansing and purification, making 'Brigit's beds' to ensure fertility of mind and spirit (and body, if desired), and making Crowns of Light (i.e. of candles).

All in all, this Pagan Festival of Lights, sacred to the young Maiden Goddess, is one of the most beautiful and poetic of the year.

This article was submitted by Jeanne Keegan, a wonderful Healer and very dear Goddess Friend.
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3. Valentine's Special ~ Perfumers' Emporium

~ Special Coupon Offer ~ Coupon Number PE 214 ~

20% off items on the Perfumers' Emporium page. This Coupon is valid thru February 14, 2002 (does not include shipping)

Be sure to submit this Coupon on the shopping cart!

To see this page please visit: http://sunrosearomatics.com/catalog/pe.html
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4. Saying "I love you without having to use words"

Perfume and Valentine's Day have long been a happy couple. Nothing sends a clearer communication of beckoning, adoration and sensuality like perfume.

We have such a precious opportunity to utilize the gifts of love that Nature has sent us in the form of our essential oils and perfume absolutes. Now is the perfect time to play. Let's look at some of the classic aromatic ingredients that have been linked to lovers:

We absolutely must begin with Rose and Jasmine. Just to make things a bit more creative, let's consider them together as one note. This is a basic two ingredient accord that has been used for centuries in the rich perfumes of France's Golden Age of Perfume.

Joy, long known for being the world's most expensive perfume uses these two ingredients to decadent excess. Rose Absolute is considered languorous, erotic, and is a rich complement to all bodies upon which it is put. Although this is an expensive ingredient, you will find that just one drop can be all that is necessary.

Jasmine, Queen of the night, is also an expensive perfume note that is quite economical when you consider that just one drop of this absolute is enough to indelibly leave its sweet and erotic mark on a blend.

When combining aromatic ingredients together, it is always a good idea to fuse your undiluted components together, and allow them to "marry" for several weeks. Then, when you wish to use them, you may compound your blend, along with any other single notes or accords that you have selected. After you have made your final selection and are pleased with what you have created, you then dilute your blend to perfume strength:

There are exceptions to this. For instance, sometimes I want just a sheer hint of these heavier ingredients. When I do this, I will create my compound, and then, I will, at the same time, dilute my compound into 10%, 5%, sometimes even 1%.

This can be very successful when using such heavier notes as Rose/Jasmine, Cistus, Labdanum, Oakmoss and the other somewhat ponderous absolutes. I might also add that these dilutions can be very helpful in stretching our precious ingredients.

Another helpful hint is to always "reconstitute" the bottles that your expensive ingredients came in. If you fill up your bottles that contained your Rose, Jasmine, Vanilla, etc., you will have a lovely "wash." This can be used by itself, or as a base added to individual accords that make up future perfumes.

Here is a lovely basic Romance blend. Try a bit on yourself and see if you can generate some Valentines excitement:

Accord #1 top, invitational notes:
Bergamot ....... 10 drops
Neroli ............. 1 drop
Ho Leaf .......... 1 or 2 mls (smell and decide)

Feeling adventurous? Add 1 drop Angelica.

You may substitute the Bergamot with any other citrus. Blood Orange is a wonderful perfume note. It is in between sweet orange and bitter orange, and has more staying power than other citruses

Grapefruit is wonderful with Jasmine, but you will have to "tweak" the recipe a bit in order to balance sweet and sour notes. This is well worth your efforts. Grapefruit & Ho Leaf/Howood are lovely together.

Accord #2 (middle heart notes):
Rose absolute ....... 1 drop
Rose Otto ...............1 drop
Jasmine Sambac ...1 or 2 drops

Other Exotic options:
* Ylang-Ylang Extra (be careful here, you might want to use a dilution of Ylang which will give a more interesting influence to the rose/jasmine accord)

Accord #3 (Base note):
This is what will be finally left along with the florals and will invite your beloved into your personal aura.

- 1 drop Labdanum 5 or 10%
- 1 drop either Vetiver or Sandalwood (decide which one is most appropriate)
- and for an unsuspecting touch.... either 1 or 2 drops Black Pepper or again 1 drop Angelica

Other luscious notes that will perform as a base:
- Labdanum Absolute
- Clary Sage in a tiny amount will influence the base and not really be recognized unless you put that one drop too many in!
- Vanilla Absolute
- Orange Flower Absolute (This ingredient always sends me back to my former life in the Court of Versailles!)

A note on diluting for perfume:
Perfume is generally 10 to 15 per cent into a carrier:

1 part to 9 parts =10%
1 part to 14 parts =15% etc.

Cologne is generally 5 to 10%
1 part to 20 parts is 5%
again, 1 part to 9 parts is 10%

You can also create a lovely body spray with 1 to 3% dilutions.

So, go out and play in the fields of love! Then, invite your soul mate in and enjoy the fruits of your aromatic labor.

Ethereal Journey
Your life story, expressed in a personal perfume composed of rare and unusual aromatic materials, and housed in a delicate glass flacon. For more information please call!

Valentines Day Specialty Services
All natural "chocolate milkshake" cream facial treatment Couples Foot Reflexology Treatments (For residents of New Jersey)

Gail Adrian, Fragranceur^TM Licensed Cosmetologist
Traditionnal Artisan Perfumer ~ (201) 444-3628
scentart@aol.com
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5. Rhassoul Hearts ~ Anastasia's Ideas

Happy Valentines Day ~ pamper yourself and loved ones with handmade products by Anastasia.

Valentine's Day, with its roots in the ancient fertility rites of the Lupercalia, and in the love of Cupid for Psyche, is a celebration of the Heart.

Specials at Anastasia's Ideas ~
***Rhassoul Hearts made with Organic Bergamot & Ylang Ylang complete.

Visit her website : Anastasia's Ideas ******************************************
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SunRose Aromatics Essential Oils and Aromatherapy Products.

visit us: http://www.sunrosearomatics.com
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Rosanne Tartaro
Owner | SunRose Aromatics, LLC
roe@sunrosearomatics.com
http://www.sunrosearomatics.com