Aromatic substances—herbs, plants, and essential oils— work on the non-physical self via different avenues. The deepest, most ingrained level of response is that of instinct. Nature has gifted all animals, humans and other species, with an instinct for survival. One of the keys to unleash this natural function is scent. Whether survival translates as the continuation of the individual life or the propagation of the race, there is a specific aroma-response system at work that serves as a catalyst to awaken the inborn facility. During the courting or arousal stages of sexual activity, hormones (in this case, pheromones) are secreted to accompany the ritual. A reaction to the scent of the natural aromas helps build the emotional state to a crescendo and the physical act of sexual congress to consummation. Essential oil blends can be produced to emulate the fragrance of natural hormones. On a therapeutic level, such remedies can be used to minister to frigidity and impotence. On a magickal level, we have the development of the well-known love oils or love potions that enrich the folklore and folk practices of many cultures throughout the world.
Again, if we can refer to the primitive beast for our knowledge, there is another faculty that is intimately tied with the instinct for survival. The animal is alerted to the approach of impending danger. If a predator nears, it is the scent of the predator that may first alert the animal to the situation. To capture this scent and expose it to the animal, it would set the animal on edge.
Considering this in a therapeutic application, the scent of danger might well be a cure for apathy or awaken the importance of individual worth in one suffering from low self-esteem. It could be enlisted to tone down conceit or to interject a sober note to one who is over the edge. It could give a touch of reality to those who are prone to living in fantasy. Overall, enlisting the reaction to scents of danger would tend to lend a sobering, stabilizing force to the psyche.
While these reactions to scent are universal and very ingrained in the two-legged and four-legged beasts, as well as the creatures of water and air, there are yet other response facilities that can be tapped in the case of the human animal. While many of these are commonly shared, some are exclusive to a certain individual or group of individuals. These are the responses that are dictated by experience rather than by natural instinct.
Most flower scents evoke pleasant memories. There may be the treasured memories of youth—times spent with friends and lovers in fields of wildflowers or the cultured gardens of a favorite quiet place. The smell of hickory may be reminiscent of barbecues with friends and family. Rosemary or sage may evoke thoughts of kitchen times. The spicy fullness of Grandma’s homemade spaghetti sauce may also bring the certain feeling that we are loved and secured against all the world’s ills.
On the converse side, scent can bring back dreaded times of the past. The fragrance of wiidflowers, while it is likely to be pleasing to most, could have a markedly different effect on one who was lost in such a field as a child. Where many of us would find love and friendship carried with the fragrance, this individual might be carried to fear and loneliness. The hickory scent that reminds many of us of wonderful times spent with beloved family members may represent the outdoor flame that was ignited to cook a favorite pet rabbit when the family’s need overtook the special bond of love that a child knew with the furry friend. The spices that remind us of our kindly grandmother may well be the same scent that evokes visions of a grandmother who was not so kindly and who I did not make her grandchildren feel secure and loved. ‘
So it is with the art of aromatherapy. Whether directed toward therapeutic or magickal purposes, it should be remembered that, in addition to the inborn facilities of response to scent, the human animal has a whole world of individual experiences that will affect response to aroma. Herein lies one of the greatest cautions—and the greatest responsibilities—of the aromatherapist: know your patient!
While it is possible to suggest the probable response to a given fragrance for the general masses, when applying the principles of aromatherapy we are not dealing with the masses but with specific individuals. Therefore, we must be ready to monitor response to a remedy every step of the way, and willing to alter our formulas to custom-suit them to the individual. Although the standard formulas may prove very effective for some, not everyone will be positively responsive to the over-the-counter brand of therapy. In fact, in some, the traditional blends could prove counterproductive.
Humankind is a living, thinking, feeling race of being. While we can capture and control certain responses for the betterment of the individual, aromatherapy is an uncertain science in that the practitioner must be always aware and adaptable. While yellow and blue will always make green on the canvas of the artist, it is the task of the painter to be certain that it is the right shade of green for the particular scene.
Likewise, it is the responsibility of the fragrance artist to monitor and ascertain that a particular blend is properly fitting to the given situation. Although undeniably artistic in their thrust, both painter and aromatherapist are motivated by the end result. It matters little how pretty or how fragrant the medium but how it affects the overall picture—the whole individual.