~ Lavender ‘N Chocolate ~

Autumn brings so many gifts and teachings to help us along our path. Sometimes it just takes opening our eyes, hearts, minds and spirits to our surroundings. My mood seems to fluctuate more during this transitional Season of Autumn/Winter. I also seem to eat a lot more chocolate! My store of this delectable sweet treat is dwindling, and I am on the hunt for something special to satisfy my eternal cravings for chocolate. I have found that lavender is a great companion to chocolate and since I am in a festive mood for giving, I am going to get some Vegan Organic Lavender Dark Chocolate Heart Truffles.They come in an absolutely lovely gift box, so I am adding these lovelies to my list for my daughters and my sister as well.

Vegan Organic Lavender Dark Chocolate Heart Truffles

~ Beautiful Handmade Lavendar Gift Box
~ Lavender Dark Chocolate Truffle Hearts
~ Truffles are individually wrapped in purple foil
~ Certified Organic, Certified Vegan and Fair Trade Certified

A beautiful handmade box is filled with lucious creamy vegan dark chocolate lavender truffles. The truffles come in a heart shape wrapped in lavender foil. They are also a certified Fair Trade product which means by purchasing these products you are directly supporting a better life for farming families through fair trade prices, direct trade community development and enviromental stewardship. (www.fairtradecertified.org)

Well then, all I can say is yummmm! My mouth is watering just thinking about these delicious little truffles, so I think I had better get some, and seek out my secret chocolate stash whilst I am waiting for my Vegan Organic Lavender Dark Chocolate Heart Trufflesto arrive… Enjoy!

As a new year begins, we tend to look at our lives to see where we have been, and where we wish to go. It is always my goal to encourage natural health amongst my family and friends, and personally I am always learning new and exciting ways to accomplish my own goals. In creating a healthy balance I truly enjoy sharing that which I feel brings good feelings of inner peace and tranquility. That which gives us a sense of wellbeing and courage as we move forth through difficult times is a blessing to treasure.

Combating the Winter Blues through Scent

Winter is a time when we enjoy the safe and warm comfort of staying inside our homes. It is the time of year when we may start to feel lethargic, depressed, or irritable. Even though winter brings special holidays that make us want to feel festive and optimistic and you can feel spring coming, we become affected by the lack of sunshine in our lives. To combat the winter blues, we love to surround ourselves with pleasant scents. Essential oils may bring balance to our hearts and peace to our minds. They may help to cleanse, release, and balance our thoughts. Let the aromatherapy shine.

Scent has a great effect on our emotions. Scientists are increasingly interested in the connection between fragrance and memory triggers in the limbic brain. They are also researching pheromones – fragrant substances that may influence physical attraction. Personal attraction or aversion is influenced by odor. Without the ability to smell, there would be very little attraction. Our body has special glands that produce a very personal perfume that changes according to our mood or state of health. Fragrance may create well-being or discomfort. If you have difficulty adapting to a new situation, or letting go of the past, a new fragrance may help create a fresh mood. It may help you change your attitude or find a new positive reaction. A pure essential oil will not create an aggressive feeling; rather it will have a positive, balancing effect.

We each have our own personal reaction to every scent. Smells, moods, and short and long-term memories are all stored in the limbic part of our brain. Dangerous or negative odors set our subconscious in the awareness stage. Positive smells like our babies’ skin or our mothers’ fragrance will bring a pleasant reminder of a positive experience for decades.

Our Ancestors knew the Power of Aromatherapy

Helping our body and psyche with scent has a history stretching back for many centuries. The very beginning of the practice of medicine has been connected with mythical rituals, magic, or religion. We may say that the history of scent began with incense burners and has continued through experience with aromas and essential oils up to the present day. The methods of treatment were based on philosophical ideas that looked at a direct connection between man and nature. In ancient civilizations, medicinal herbs were evaluated by their taste and smell.

An interesting example from the history of essential oils is thyme. The name “Thyme” is derived from the Greek word Thymiama (incense) and means courage, health, or sacrifice. It was a sign of high respect in ancient Greece to say to someone that he “smells of thyme”. Roman soldiers often added thyme to their baths to give themselves strength, health, and courage.

Rosemary played an important part in the Roman tradition of eliminating evil spirits. In the Middle Ages, it was a part of Hungarian water, a distillate of rosemary, lavender, and turpentine. According to alchemistic understanding, this was the first water of life. Many preserving properties were attributed to Carmelite water, a distillate of lemon balm, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

The seductive power of scent has always been known. The sense of smell may help create love and desire. Smell influences us much more than we think. The natural scent of flowers, essential oils, and compositions in the form of perfume, are more than just a pleasant smell. They can promote relaxation, sensuality, or spiritual depth. According to research on flowers by P. Jellinek, “esters of phenylacetic acids, fatty aldehydes, and alcohols are responsible for the aphrodisiac effect of various flower scents (jasmine, neroli).”

Essential Oils to Balance out our busy Lifestyles

Extensive studies by occupational psychologists have shown that lemon or rosemary scent may help with concentration, nutmeg may reduce stress, and lavender, interestingly, promotes a desire to buy things. Large Japanese companies are using scent throughout their employees’ workstations to help improve their performance – lemon in the morning for pick-me-up feelings, rose at lunch time for relaxation, and wood scents in the evening for stimulation and refreshment.

Another interesting discussion would focus on stress levels in our civilization. More and more studies are being done to prove that essential oils interact well with the receptors of the psychosomatic network and they may, in a soft and gentle way, restore harmony in our systems. This is especially essential to help people balance out the fast pace in the modern world of technology.

Aromatherapy is using the knowledge of the effect of scents on the body and mind. With the help of the purest essential oils we may influence our stage of mood or form of somatic anomalies. Compared with synthetic products, aromatherapy has a much higher risk-free profile. Nature provides all that we need, and the amazing and near magical powers of these scents are gifs that we should be aware of so we can utilize them to our greatest advantage. Caring for the Earth and her treasures should be high on our list of priorities as we step forth on our Paths with care and love for all which surrounds us.

Note – Information and statements regarding Aromatherapy have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health condition or disease. Contact your Health Care provider or Naturapathic immediately if you suspect that you have a medical problem, or may be prone to an allergic reaction.

We love to play in the snow! Funny thing is we were wondering when we would get a chance to head on up to the mountain to play… well we didn’t have to go anyplace at all to get our wish. The snow came to us, and our area in Oregon is a white and magical place. What started out as a small snowstorm turned into a huge snowstorm (at least by our local standards), and we now have two feet of the white and wonderful stuff surrounding our home. This is indeed a delightful Dream come True for my little S and myself!!

It truly is beautiful, and what a special treat to walk outside and see the world transformed into a beautiful Winter Wonderland! I am in awe of how quickly nature transformed our early winter landscape from brown and grey to a sparkling white, oh so lovely place to play. Everywhere I look I am amazed at the beauty and keep finding images I wish to capture with my digital camera, and my daughter and I are having a great time just traveling through the neighborhood, totally fascinated everywhere we go. People laugh at our childlike wonder, and this change in climate seems to bring the neighborhood alive, and folks are friendly and full of high spirits.

We have had such fun playing, although I was only able to make one little snowgirl at the beginning of the storm, as the snow is just too light to form. Our little Chihuahua liked the snow at first, yet when it rose to above her head she would have no more to do with it. It was funny to see her jumping like a deer, but she absolutely refused to go far once she discovered the hazard of disappearing beneath the white stuff filling her world. She dug and dug to find the grass, as she was very particular of where to do her business…

Of course it took us HOURS to get to the store and back today, and it seems the whole city had the same idea of shopping before the storm worsens, and to catch up on last minute holiday ideas. But it was pretty exciting to journey through a white landscape, as the world looks so clean and pure! Now we have plenty of supplies, and as long as the power stays on we will enjoy a truly white holiday season, as we have everything we need to stay cozy, warm, entertained and well fed. What a great and wonderful feeling… everything is as it should be, and I am most happy in this moment.

To all those living and traveling through natures storms, I wish you safe travels and much joy in the time you spend with your loved ones. I also wish to send out my heartfelt prayers to those around the world who are not so lucky as I in this moment. I do know what it is to suffer, and feel very blessed and thankful to be safe in my home with my family surrounding me.

Happy Holidays and much Joy of the Season!

Teri
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