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Nan’s Personal Message

Scents of December: Make it a Holiday to Remember!

Some of my suggestions for holiday oils are Christmas Spirit, Abundance, Balsam Fir, Douglas Fir and of course Frankincense and Palo Santo (read below). Abundance and Christmas Spirit are my favorites and we can use them as perfume or cologne, or diffuse them to create a warm and inviting environment. I have made fantastic recipes from both of them as well (see below). Be creative and if you come up with any great recipes let me know!

Christmas Spirit contains orange, spruce and cinnamon. Orange is uplifting and helps beat the holiday blues, while spruce grounds the body and opens our heart to the gift of giving and receiving. Animals often lie under spruce trees for protection and rejuvenation. Cinnamon will not only help us fight off infection and depression but emotionally it will help us release our limiting behaviors that enslave us on a very deep unconscious level. All these oils blend perfectly to create an oil that represents the physical, emotional and spiritual essence of the season!

Spiritual Aroma Message for December: Winter Solstice, Birth of Christ and Hanukkah

December not only asks us to prepare, let go and embrace the new things to come but also asks us to accept and love ourselves (and others) for who we are in the moment. We do this traditionally with celebrating and breaking bread with family and friends and remembering what the holidays are really about.

Essential oils will help us as they always do with processing our emotions. For December we want to choose oils that support us through the month in a loving way. The first oil that comes to me is Three Wise Men Blend.

Three Wise Men opens the crown chakra and enables us to stay more connected with the divine or the light. It will also protect against and clear negative emotions. Juniper and Spruce protect and balance while frankincense, myrrh and sandalwood increase spiritual awareness. Frankincense and sandalwood are high in sesquiterpenes (and monoterpenes) which delete harmful information on a cellular level and restore correct information on a DNA level. Wear Three Wise Men as a perfume or cologne, diffuse it and place on the crown of your head.

I like to place a drop of Palo Santo with Three Wise Men as it provides extra grounding and brings the spiritual essence of the Central America Shamans. Both Palo Santo and frankincense come from the resin of the tree and have similar properties since they are in the same botanical family. The most interesting fact about Palo Santo is that the resin comes from the tree that is dead and decaying.

The resin has to be at least two years old to produce the chemistry for the healing effects; and the older the resin the more powerful the healing properties! Once again, nature shows us that duality in the cycle of life is not only part of our existence, but it is necessary! Palo Santo is the end result of such a process!

Animals Scents and Spirits

I am thankful that she only received one very bad wound to the leg and extreme soft tissue damage on her hock! She has been more careful of her surroundings since and I believe she learned something from the incident. I hated to see this happen, but it did!

I used Trauma Life with St. Maries Lavender immediately on her and me to help us release the fear and keep us calm; and began Raindrop and ice treatment on her leg. In a few days she was running around again and able to jump out of the truck on her own and my 30 pound doggy lifting workout was over! :)

So remember to include our animals in our holiday routines! St. Maries Lavender is so gentle that it can be used with all the animals and they are definitely drawn to it. If you haven’t used it before, treat yourself and your pets before the price goes up (see below). Its deep rich aroma reminds me of an Aged Anejo Rum. It is great for cleaning ears, healing wounds and scrapes and anxiety of course. For calming add some Cedarwood...it also helps to deter fleas!

Essential Oil Recipe of the Month

• 4 large yams (cooked, peeled and mashed)

• ¼ to ½ cup maple syrup or Blue Agave (depending on your sweetness level)

• ½ c white wine

• ½ c apple cider

• 2 Tbs. Butter or Substitute (Earth Balance)

• 3 drops Christmas Spirit Oil

• 1 drop Nutmeg Oil

• Marshmallows (optional)

Place the wine, cider, maple syrup in a sauce pan and add the butter or butter substitute. Heat to melt the butter and warm the mixture. Stir the liquid mixture into the yams and place in a casserole dish. Bake at 325 to warm. Place the marshmallows over the top and sprinkle with cinnamon powder. They will only take a few minutes to melt so watch the oven!

You may need more or less liquid depending on the size of your yams. Also I like my food a bit spicy so I add a drop of clove and an extra drop of cinnamon!

News from the Field: Will there be a Lavender Shortage?

The most important thing he spoke of was the conditions of the lavender fields in Provence, France. From 50 to 100% of the lavender in the farms owned by Young Living and others is dead. It has been contributed to the last five years of continual drought followed by some of the “worst rain in history”; and a viral plant infection everyone has been battling for years. His words were “it is shocking and heartbreaking to see”. At the YL farms about 40% of the Lavandin is dead and 100% of the lavender.

The Lavender Growers Association has recommended to all farms that any surviving lavender be harvested immediately so the soil can be sterilized and new crops can be planted for the future. They have estimated that this transition process for re-establishing lavender harvests will take from 3 to 5 years.

Once again, there are no accidents, and I get that this was a necessary process for the lavender to regenerate in a healthy manner and at a higher vibrational level than before. The vibrational level of the St. Maries Lavender is already substantially higher and thus remains healthy and vibrant.

What does this mean to Suppliers and Distributors?

The price of lavender has already gone up this month by 30%. They estimate that lavender will go up 30% in January and subsequent months to follow. The suppliers are speculating that only 50% of the lavender orders on existing customers will be able to be fulfilled for at least the next year and possibly worst the following years.

This ultimately means that there will not only be a shortage of lavender but rampant misuse of lavender and lavandin hybrids in products used commercially. Lavandin contains a higher level of camphor and should not be used for certain applications including burns.

What is the Good News for Young Living Customers and Distributors?

The good news is that Gary has managed to purchase lavender in advance that will be used with our existing lavender in the United States to provide for the companies needs for at least the next two years. He is making other changes to ensure that YL still provides therapeutic grade lavender with no fear of running out.

Many valuable blends and products that I use daily also contain lavender so it is concerning to hear of this news. Unfortunately it does mean for us that prices will be going up. Just the cost of losing the lavender harvest for years to come and having to replace everything on the farm must be mind boggling.

I have to tell everyone that Gary was very choked up and almost in tears as he was telling us the status. It was a very emotional moment for all of us as he shared the information. However, once again, Gary has proved his commitment to his customers and the company by taking actions to do the right thing and be proactive.

My heart goes out to the land and the lavender plant for having to endure its own re-birthing but again it is part of the cycle. It will be interesting to experience the next generation of lavender!

News from the Oil Shop

Next Time in The Essential Oil Well!

Interested in Leaving Behind some Baggage for the New Year?

Thank you all for your Essential Oil Experiences! Have a great Holiday and a Happy New Year!

Peace, love and light for the holidays,

Nan