Aromatherapy and The Heart Chakra

The fourth chakra, the heart chakra,rests in the center of the chakra system, at the core of our spirit. Its physical location is the heart, upper chest, and upper back. The fourth is the balance point, integrating the world of matter (the lower three chakras) with the world of spirit (the upper three chakras). Through the heart chakra, we open to and connect with harmony and peace. The health of our heart center registers the quality and power of love in our life. In Sanskrit, the heart chakra is called Anahata, which means "unstruck" or "unhurt." Its name implies that deep beneath our personal stories of brokenness and the pain in our heart, wholeness, boundless love, and a wellspring of compassion reside.

How does a blocked and unbalanced heart chakra feel? 

It is a black patch of emptiness in an otherwise healthy impeccable aura. 

It’s a weight you carry around day and night.

It’s a dull constant pain in the chest, almost physical, reminding you that the heart that was shattered into a thousand fragments has not become totally whole again, maybe it never will.

It’s shortness of breath, undisclosed emotions and fear to feel what was once suppressed.

Oils we will be using to balance this chakra are: 

Bergamot

Chamomile Roman

Rosewood

Palmarosa

Bergamot

Latin Name: Citrus Bergamia

Country Of Origin: Italy, Ivory Coast

Obtained by: Expressed fresh outer peel

Scent: Fresh, sweet, spicy, Lemony

Safety Data: Limited shelf life, phototoxic – avoid exposure to UV rays for 12hrs after application. 

Action: Relaxing, Balancing, Uplifting

Benefits: Excellent Anti depressant and enhances immunity. Soothes spasms, helps fight infection, anti viral. Perfect for treatment of stress, nervous indigestion, lack of appetite, psoriasis, herpes and urinary tract infections. 

The Oil and The Chakra: Bergamot helps release blockages thus opening the heart chakra.

Chamomile Roman

Latin Name: Chamomelium Nobile

Country Of Origin: France, England, Belgium, USA

Obtained by: Steam distillation of flower heads

Scent: Warm, fruity, apple like

Safety Data: Non-toxic, Non- Irritant, Can cause dermatitis in rare cases. Avoid in pregnancy

Action: Deeply soothing and comforting

Benefits: insomnia, asthma, indigestion, psoriasis, scanty or painful periods, teething, earache. Calms nerves, spasms, pain and inflammation, gentle, excellent for children or frail individuals

The Oil and The Chakra: Roman chamomile is harmonizing, peaceful and nurturing. It promotes feelings of love and compassion for the self and others. It cultivates acceptance and appreciation for one’s own limitations.

Palmarosa

Latin Name: Cymbopogon Martinii var. martinii

Country Of Origin: India, Pakistan

Obtained by: Steam or water distillation of fresh or dried grass

Scent: Fresh, floral, rosy

Safety Data: Non-toxic, Non- Irritant, Non-Sensitizing

Action: Antiseptic, bactericidal, digestive, hydrating, tonic

Benefits: This oil in invaluable for treatment of skin conditions as it moisturizes the skin, helps in regeneration of scar tissue, thus very good for scar healing, and regulates sebum production. Palmarosa is also precious when dealing with issues of the digestive system. It is beneficial for treatment of nervous exhaustion and stress related conditions. 

The Oil and the chakra:It promotes love, compassion, hope and an ability to experience deeper, more honest and meaningful relationships. It cultivates nurturing and self love. Rose also instills an appreciation for beauty.

Rosewood

Latin Name: Aniba rosaeodora

Country Of Origin: Amazon Region; Brazil and Peru

Obtained by: Steam Distillation of wood chippings

Scent: very sweet, woody-floral

Safety Data: Non-toxic, Non- Irritant, Non-Sensitizing

Action: Analgesic, Antidepressant, anti-microbial, aphrodisiac, deodorant, immune system stimulant, tissue regenerator

Benefits: This oil in invaluable for treatment of skin conditions as it moisturizes the skin, helps ilike acne, dermatitis, scars, wounds, wrinkles due to it’s skin regeneration properties. Being an immune system stimulant it is beneficial for treatment of coughs, colds, fever and infections. Helps in treatment of headaches, nausea, nervous tension and stress related conditions.

The Oil and The Chakra: Rosewood soothes the pains of separation or abandonment and abates loneliness and sorrow, all emotions commonly experienced in the heart chakra

What do I imagine a balanced and unblocked heart chakra feels like? 

I imagine weightlessness 

Laughter without constraints

Ability to love without fear of rejection or loss

Ability to breathe freely, loving and cherishing each breath

Ability to feel whole

To feel free

Maltese Flora - Part II - Berwieq

Branched Asphodel - Berwieq - Asphodelus aestivus

The Lotos-Eaters - Alfred Tennyson

Sow the seed, and reap the harvest with enduring toil,

Storing yearly little dues of wheat, and wine and oil;

Till they perish and they suffer—some, ’tis whisper’d—down in hell

Suffer endless anguish, others in Elysian valleys dwell,

Resting weary limbs at last on beds of asphodel. 

This plant has one of the earliest recorded histories of any species. It has been given a detailed description in Opera et Dies in the 8th century B. C. Homer knew the plant as well. in The Odyssey Homer describes it as covering the great meadow, the haunt of the dead.

It was planted on graves, and is often connected with Persephone. In Greek mythology Persephone, also called Kore is the daughter of Zeus and the harvest-goddess Demeter. She is the Queen of the Underworld. Homer describes her as the formidable, venerable majestic queen of the underworld, who carries into effect the curses of men upon the souls of the dead.

The roots were eaten by the poorer Greeks; hence such food was thought good enough for the shades. The asphodel was also supposed to be a remedy for poisonous snake-bites and a specific against sorcery.

Greeks and Romans used different parts of the plant in the treatment of several diseases, but in modern medicine, the Asphodel does not seem to be used any longer. The tuberous root, gathered at the end of its first year, is said to be acrid, antispasmodic, and diuretic.

The asphodel though has many other uses other then medicinal. In Italy the leaves are used to wrap burrata, an Italian cheese. The leaves and the cheese last about the same time, three or four days, and thus fresh leaves are a sign of a fresh cheese, while dried out leaves indicate that the cheese is past its prime. 

In Sardinia, honey produced from bees who have fed on the plant is highly favored for its delicate taste. In Puglia, the unopened buds of the plant are collected, blanched in boiling water and preserved in olive-oil. This is used as a condiment. In some areas of Sardinia, the stems are used to weave baskets used in bread-making. At one time, these were an indispensable part of the trousseau of a bride-to-be and women in Elizabethan Lancashire used it as a yellow hair dye.

In Mallorca, shoemakers find the pulverized plant’s dried tuber rhizomes useful for making a strong glue when mixed with cold water. The same glue is also used in the process of bookbinding.

The Asphodel fibre is furthermore used in the making of cord for seat coverings of chairs and stools.

Parts of the plant are edible as well. The root is rich in starch. Dried and boiled in water it yields a mucilaginous matter which can be mixed with grain to make a nutritious bread.

Since time immemorial this plant was connected with the dead and the underworld. That's ironic as when I was walking through fields of asphodel what the plant was expressing to me was resilience and strength through adversity. To me The Asphodel does not signify death : 

It signifies Resurrection and Spiritual Awakening.