Thank you for your sharing about the difficulties in learning to receive and benefitting from the ability to wholly receive from others. The essences teach us in so many ways, and at so many levels, that it is truly multi-dimensional.

Blessings, Audre

Thankyou for your generousity in sharing this information with loving kindness. The piece was beautiful and reflects the beauty you carry doing this work.

Best, Bia

I’ve been consciously working with this concept of receiving, or being in a yin state, for months. And let me tell you, it has not been easy. In our culture we are taught from a young age that we only have value if we are DOING something, and we have even greater value if we are doing something for someone else. If we are still, if we seek to be receptive and tend to our own inner needs, then we are so easily labeled selfish, lazy, a time-waster. But how can we effectively give of our selves and our energy if we can not guiltlessly replenish and refresh our inner resources? After a time, there will not be anything left to give. And that can only lead to exhaustion, sickness, depression and even anger.

In his book Wisdom of the Earth Speaks, Barry Kapp relates the story of the birth of one of his children. As he was assisting the birth, he saw an angel breathe the Breath of Life into his newborn child and then watched the child take that breath in — he says that at that moment he realized that with our first breath we are taught the value of receiving. I had full-body chills when I read this story — my personal signal that what I am seeing/hearing is a Truth for me — and I have been meditating on this Truth ever since. It struck me that in our quest to be respected “productive” members of society, something so basic to our well-being — our birthright as children of Earth Mother — has been minimized and even frowned upon.

Everything we need to live a life of health, beauty and abundance is right here, ready and waiting for us — if only we can accept and allow it in!

Your comment about St. John’s Wort is right on. I think one does not need to “feel blue” to benefit…yet what I am realizing is that I had (have) a certain “low level of feeling blue” that does not break the threshold of my actually FEELING blue, but it is more of an undercurrent. Like, you may not feel angry, but when any little thing sets you off…it may be because there is a low level undercurrent of anger that is easily tapped into.

Same with sadness or depression. I am realizing that I am still experiencing sadness about a loss I experienced about 5 years ago…I thought I had worked completely through it, but having a couple of experiences recently that reminded me of this friend in Albuquerque made me realize that I still hold some sorrow about the loss of our relationship. The St. John’s Wort helped lift that, and made me realize, by its removal, that that sadness was still there, though to a lesser degree.

So, the essences teach me more about myself and life every day…Blessings to you! Audre

Several essences that could help with your weight loss program would be grapefruit and/or spearmint on the soles of your feet, on your stomach, and even in your water (a squirt water bottle is the best). Also, Black Cumin, taken internally by mouth, is great to help satisfy cravings. It is nutritionally robust, and really has a high satiety value. Black Cumin is also wonderful as a general tonic (I take about 40 drops a day), and greatly supports the immune system!

Thanks again for your note…warm regards, Audre

One note about St. John’s Wort. I have heard it said that when we suffer from depression, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by even the simplest choices. It seems St. John’s Wort can pierce that fog with a ray of sunshine so that the healing process can begin. And apparently, one does not need to feel blue to experience a powerful shift!

This essence has just been added to my “must try” list!

In all cases, I prefer to use an essence that is constituted exactly as it comes from the plant (in this case, fruit rind) itself, not one which has certain chemistries removed for safety or other reasons. Nature creates an incredibly dynamic, delicately balanced chemistry in each essential oil, and removing one or more components of that chemistry upsets the balance; so, I believe we can most effectively ensure safety by conscious, mindful use of the essential oils. (Not that you suggested removing any of the chemistry…I am referring to a relatively common practice of removing certain elements from some essences to “improve” their safety, smell, etc.) We rarely dilute essences at Wisdom of the Earth…instead, we teach people to layer them with complementary essences, for example, cool essences sandwiching a hot one, or apply them to the soles of the feet.

Since people have such different chemistry, due to their genetic makeup, their lifestyle, and use of pharmaceutical drugs, we always suggest doing a test patch when applying an unfamiliar essence, or one from an unfamiliar source. This is even more important when an essence is known to be photosensitive, skin sensitive, or hot (temperature). What can cause a noticable irritation on one person’s skin may have no negative effect what so ever on another’s. So, it is good to be aware of the typical sensitivity of one’s own skin, as well as to be mindful when introducing new essences to the body.

Thus, I agree it is important to be aware of this aspect of Bergamot essential oil (which is why I mentioned the story of the tanning bed disaster, and also mentioned its skin sensitivity when discussing its use on the skin), but I do stop short of recommending that it always be diluted, even though it is considered to be on the high end of the photosensitivity scale. Personally, I have many years of experience using the citruses undiluted, including Bergamot, safely and without incidence, on the soles of my feet. A typical number of drops I would use (again, factoring in my body mass and skin sensitivity history) would be 3-5 on the sole of each foot. Because of its prolonged and extensive use in the perfume industry, there are many levels of quality of Bergamot out on the aromatherapy market. (This is noted in Kurt Schnaubelt’s Medical Aromatherapy book) So, knowing your supplier and seeking a medicinal grade of Bergamot is important in minimizing side effects, also.

Medicinal aromatherapy is the medicine of the people. And, that being said, it also requires educated, mindful and responsible use when it is in its purity. It is powerful, but compared to the reported side effects of virtually every pharmaceutical drug out there (just listen to the murmuring voice in every commercial), the few associated with the essences (e.g., the photosensitivity associated with many citrus essences) are readily managed.

Thank you for citing an important reference for folks to be aware of, and an important factor to consider when using Bergamot. Warm regards, Audre