Learn more about Aromatherapy and Essential Oils
as well as how to use them
in your Feng Shui and with The Chakra System Essence of Feng Shui
"I highly recommend this book as a way to share the
ultimate pleasure of fragrance to attain
knowledge, fortune, pure heart, and good karma." ~Feng Shui Grand Master Lin Yun
Pure essential oil is the life-chi of plants. When used properly, they have a subtle, yet profound mind, body, and spiritual effect. While I fragrantly incorporated their use in my life and Feng Shui (The Essence of Feng Shui: Balancing Your Body, Home and Your Life with Fragrance: Hay House 1998), I was so glad to have my oils in China accompanying Helen and James Jay on their wonderful sacred pilgrimage.
Hungry for Feng Shui knowledge and the spiritual experience, even with being a seasoned traveler, I wasn't mentally prepared for the physical challenge.....
The very loooooooong plane ride. Even on short flights, it is a good idea to carry an essential spray bottle during air travel to keep your skin hydrated. In a one-ounce bottle of purified water, add approximately 18 drops of such "skin oils" as rose, chamomile, sandalwood, and/or carrot with 18 drops of aloe vera oil, and spray your face periodically. Additionally, because you are in restrictive space with re-circulating air, you are experiencing the sha of the "ultimate sick building." Consider adding some lavender (which is a good skin and relaxing oil) for the anti-bacterial and anti-toxifying properties which will help protect you from recycling germs.
Sleeping on a plane is always a challenge so spritz with such relaxing woodies as frankincense and cedarwood. My favorite calming, skin-nourishing, plane blend is lavender with the higher vibrational, spiritual energies of sandalwood and frankincense along with a splurge of chamomile. Deliciously yummy!
This butterfly was too excited to sleep on the plane so of course, I had serious jet lag Hitting the Beijing ground running, I didn't want to miss a thing or waste one minute! For a good oil pick-me-up, combine basil, peppermint, and lemon in one-third proportions. You can either make a spray with approx 18 drops in a one-ounce bottle of purified water or breathe a few drops of the blend through a cloth. This formula is also helpful to prevent motion sickness so bring a spray on your next cruise or cross-country car trip.
Unfortunately, I brushed my teeth with the water and got severe tummy jitters (I should have known having "delicately" spent time in Mexico). Make a spray or inhale a combination of clary sage, peppermint, and ginger to soothe your stomach. With rice, rice, and more rice, there was never an over-indulgence problem, however when you celebrate to the culinary extreme, this blend will also help you feel less bloated.
Thirteen million people and no pollution control. You thought getting run over by a bicycle was a problem? You thought Los Angeles has smog? The air looked as if the city was on fire and I couldn't breathe. "Jesse James syndrome" (sitting with your back to the door) was redefined! While I always carry a few bandanas (for a hanky, brow wipe, compress or inhaler used with oils, bad hair day, food "accident & mishap," or as a TV/secret arrow cover in the hotel room), wearing a lavender and eucalyptus dotted bandana to cover the nose and mouth became my new fashion statement. Tres elegante....pleeeeeeease, no photos! James still teases me.
When climbing the dragon's back on the Great Wall, or any other strenuous hiking, you may strain or pull a muscle. Give your self a massage (or better yet, ask your partner to give you one) with a carrier oil such as jojoba (which will not spoil like many of the others) and a blend of sage, clary sage, and lavender for better circulation and to mitigate inflammation. Whether or not you are very active in your travels, most likely you spend a lot of time on your feet. Nothing is more decadently soothing than soaking tootsies in cold Peppermint water in a bidet in Paris (which by the way has incredible Feng Shui: Paris....not the bidet)!
When traveling, most of us have a hard time controlling our diets. (Skip this section for China travel!) To keep terrestrial pleasure from getting out of control, make a appetite-suppressant inhaler which is a convenient way to keep oils sniff accessible. In a one-half ounce bottle, put a few drops of fennel on rock salt to minimize hunger. You can even add such citrus oils as orange, bergamot and/or tangerine. Those of us battling the bulge may also want to keep a bottle on our desk, bag, or by the frig.
While traveling, we all experience unavoidable transportation, cab strikes, check-in, and lost luggage delays. You can either get cranky or use "stress-less" oils, individually or in combination. Fragrantly play with marjoram, orange, ylang ylang (a delicious "helpful-people" oil and an aphrodisiac), cedar, rose, chamomile, lavender, bergamot, and/ or frankincense. Great for relaxing after a fun-filled day or taxing day at the office, my favorite way to use stress blends is to relax with 20 drops in the bath and/or put a few drops on my pillow case or jamms for sweet dreams.
It is hard to relax and sleep in our hotel room if it has bad Feng Shui, so we already know to move the bed from under beams, hang crystals or scarves to mitigate secret arrows and to direct chi. But what about other yuckies?
On our China pilgrimage, we adventured off the beaten path to many sacred Buddhist sites along the country side. Through the rice patties, traditional villages, open air markets, and grave sites auspiciously nested between the dragon and tiger, there were very few hotels. While the journey met all spiritual and "self-cultivation" expectation, in my not-so-spoiled opinion, we ventured beyond western physical comfort. High humidity and no air-conditioning left the rooms full of mildew and stale smoke. Cleanliness tolerance was also different than I was accustomed. With my fragile stomach and in-vogue face gear, I made a anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, and anti-toxifying spray of thyme (which also kills mildew), lavender, and lemon. To maintain the conscious beneficial effect of breathing fragrance, I made a diffuser with a bandana and the oil combination and placed it on the shade of an illuminated lamp. Om ma ne pad me om, I am no longer grossed out! This blend is also a wonderful holistic substitute for the many personal and planetary harmful household cleaning products that we (unfortunately) use daily.
As you see, it is good "scents" to carry your essential oils when you travel. Here are a few more conditions that you may want to be fragrantly ready for:
Spending the day in the sun: Sesame is a natural sunscreen and carrier oil. Add ylang ylang for natural bronzing and carrot seed to reflect radiation along with and any "skin oil" that you fragrantly enjoy.
Over done: cooked with too much sun? Take a cold bath in lavender, geranium rose, and a drop of chamomile to help take out the heat.
Buggy? Make a spray with citronella and tea tree...you may not smell good but it beats getting bitten!
Too late, you didn't have your bug spray? Rub some lavender, tea tree, or myrrh on your bites. While it is not typically suggested using oils neet or straight, you can also rub these oils directly on rashes, cuts, and bruises to help them heal quickly.
Lady problems, did your "moon" catch you off guard? Spray, rub with a carrier oil, or bathe in such oils as juniper, ylang ylang, geranium rose, and fennel to help balance hormones, make you less irritable, and minimize water bloat.
More travel infirmities, spray, massage, or bathe with a blend of any pine (pine needle), eucalyptus, and lavender for sinus problems, cough, or cold, a combination of clary sage, lavender, and peppermint for a headache, and eucalyptus, lemon, and lavender for a fever.
Serious fragrant problem! Did you forget your deodorant? Blend a few drops of cypress, a natural deodorizer that kills bacteria, and patchouli in some cornstarch instead of talc (which is speculated to be carcinogenic). I put it to the test in my dance class, not only did I remember how I smelled when "officially" a hippie-chick, it really works!
Now that you are ready to use your essential oils when traveling, even more fragrantly important, use your essential oils all the time. Incorporate them in your Feng Shui to make profound beneficial life changes. I personally invite you read my new "Essence of Feng Shui" book and/or come to my presentation in Monterey to discover how to incorporate using oils with the energy centers of your home and body. When you work your Bagua energies and Chakras together in tandem with specific Bagua/Chakra oils, your Feng Shui manifestation will accelerate. Deliciously, have fun exploring all the spiritual, healing, and life-enhancing properties of aromatherapy in your Feng Shui.
