The Wellness Wheel
Essential Oil Synergies
Elemental Synergies - Water, Air, Earth, Fire,
Seasonal Synergies - Ostara, Beltane Harvest and Yuletide
When I think of the ways aromatherapy has transformed my life, I feel incredibly grateful. Whether I am hopping into the bath with some Lavender, using Peppermint on a tissue during a road trip, or rubbing a Eucalyptus salve on my chest when I am fighting a cold, I feel very blessed to have these essences in my life.
I was introduced to Aromatherapy during my pregnancy with my son Sage, over 15 years ago. Having limited knowledge as to what essential oils were, I was inspired to learn more about their benefits, and so I embarked on a journey into the world of Aromatherapy. I quickly became enchanted. My attraction to scent takes me back to my childhood and a great love for my scratch-and sniff-sticker collection. I was also given a Christmas Storybook complete with smelly stickers of peppermint candy cane, pine tree, gingerbread cookies and sweet orange. I still have that book in my collection; scratched dry, so to speak.
Aromatherapy is the holistic therapeutic application of genuine essential oils for enhancing the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health of the individual. Genuine essential oils are steam distilled plant essences. Essential oils can also be ‘expressed’ by squeezing the rind of a fruit to obtain their oils. These vital oils are the life force of the plant, their quintessence, whether bark or flower, grass or root, essential oils are the aromatic molecules contained within the plant.
My introduction to these amazing essences, has led me along a path to different healing modalities. It has shaped my life and taught me different ways to balance and heal at various times on my journey. Aromatherapy led me to Herbal medicine, which inspired me to deepen my knowledge of the plants that give forth their medicine and healing spirit. I learned how to use them in teas and tinctures, all the while harvesting and planting, watering and tending the plants themselves.
Essential oils can be used in many different ways to help to balance our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual states, our holistic health.
When I created the Wellness Wheel, it began as a four quadrant medicine wheel, using the four elements: Water, Air, Earth and Fire (The Elemental Collection) four of my ten synergies.
I added my four seasonal synergies Ostara, Beltane, Harvest and Yuletide - my interpretation of what each season might smell like. The Wellness Wheel has become a promotional tool to educate others about my synergies and my philosophy around the wheel.
It is multifaceted, being a medicine wheel, lotus flower and sacred geometric chakra wheel.
Olfaction, our sense of smell, is a pathway into the body;
whereby aromas may exert an influence on the mind, body and spirit.
Our sense of smell is capable of altering the landscape of our perceptions and emotions.
Aromas affect us in many different ways.
Some research findings suggest that aromas can:
Reduce stress and worry
Induce sleep & relaxation
Increase alertness & overall performance
Affect and improve mood
Increase our overall health and well-being
I believe the key to good health is to be balanced in each of our four states -
Using Water, Air, Earth and Fire will support Mental, Emotional, Physical and Spiritual Health.