Rooted in storytelling, aromatherapy, and the essential oil of Scots Pine, this final episode of Season 4 explores seasonal wellness through themes of ancestors, darkness, the will to live, and wisdom of our conifer friends to celebrate the winter solstice.

Join me as we reflect on winter as a time to rest, conserve energy, nourish the waters within, and honor lineage and continuity. The aromatic medicine of noble green beings—the conifers—is both symbolic and practical, supporting immunity, respiration, clarity, and our connection to the cycles of the year.

A key feature of this episode is the Seneca story “How the Conifers Flaunt the Promise of Spring,” a reminder of resilience, the will to live and endure. Join me to slow down and participate in the turning of the year, as generations have before us.

Sources: Storytelling + Research = LoiS: Parker - How the Conifers Flaunt the Promise of Spring - Keeping the Public in Public Domain

Article on Scots Pine: Plant Talk: Scots Pine Essential Oil - NYC Aromatica

Goodbye, Chronos. Hello Kairos.

Enter qualitative time — the unhurried, opportune space where presence deepens and the habitual clutch of stories and roles loosens. Another way to describe this time is ancestral-eternal time, a place where myths and archetypes dwell. Kairos time is where we can dwell in “identity‑free space”. With Myrrh as our guide, a gap opens to release over‑identification with names, titles, and the ego’s stories so we can meet what’s true beneath them.

You will be guided through a guided aromatherapy meditation set to Bach’s Cello Suite No. 5 in C minor, BWV 1011 — Sarabande (Netherlands Bach Society / Suzuki recording) (minute 8:30). The episode includes my original poem “Last Night I Dreamt of Myrrh” (minute 17:15), followed by an exploration of Myrrh (minute 18:30): its ecology and etymology; the aromatic personality of its resin and essential oil; and clinical and ritual therapeutics for nervous system regulation, respiratory support, vulnerary and skin uses, and spiritual practice.

To balance the somberness, we close with an uplifting musical respite: Così fan tutte — “Soave sia il vento” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (minute 29:15).

If you feel the pressure of the year‑end rush — the urgency to buy, perform, and over‑do between Thanksgiving and New Year’s — Myrrh offers a counterweight: gravitas, steadiness, and a practice for making room rather than filling it. Join your host, Amy Anthony, for aromatic-somatic cues, ritual language, and practical aromatherapy guidance you can use to slow the impulse to consume, meet grief or clutter of the heart (and lungs), and enter a Kairos infused holiday season.

Here's the Myrrh article mentioned in the episode: https://nycaromatica.com/plant-talk-myrrh/

Welcome. Patchouli invites you into your body—earthy, sensual, sovereign.

It’s time to celebrate Patchouli—one of my great loves and haloed essential oils in aromatherapy’s pantheon, alongside other jewels such as Lavender and Frankincense. We begin by sinking into Yuliana Kireyeva’s synesthetic composition, an auditory translation of Patchouli’s aromatic chemistry, before sauntering into Lola Ridge’s poem “Potpourri,” a sultry, aromatic remembrance of New Orleans [~ minute 8:00].

With your whole being steeped in Patchouli—body, breath, memory, and energy—I guide you through a “Boundary of Sovereign Light” visualization [~ minute 9:00], a ritual to awaken your luminous boundary, reclaim energetic clarity, and embody your sovereign radiance.

Then words from the photographer Minor White unexpectedly resurfaced while I was recording the episode [~ minute 16:00].

But wait, of course there’s a seasonal theme to explore! Late summer into early autumn is Patchouli’s season: the harvest time of boundaries, reflection, and the thinning veil between worlds. Rooted in humus-rich soil and shaded from the high-heat sun, Patchouli mirrors this liminal space—earthy, sensual, quietly abundant—and supports us in releasing tension, sinking into our bodies, and resting in our own stillness.

In the final segment, I share my personal love affair with Patchouli—from adolescent memories of “bad Patchouli” incense to nurturing Patchouli plants in my garden. Its personality is evoked with words such as sweaty, animalic, wet compost, and “Kundalini at rest”, before going deeper into Patchouli’s power to support self-acceptance, sensuality, sexuality and, yes, boundaries.

Earlier this season we looked at Yarrow and Clary Sage, if Yarrow is a neutral shield and Clary sage is earthy euphoria, then Patchouli is our earth-bound body at-rest, a snake master of itself, able to settle into our true selves, unapologetically wear our own skin, and help us set clear boundaries between what is ours and what is not.

Go deeper:

Patchouli Plant Talk Article and video

Yarrow Plant Talk Article and Video

Find Yuliana on Instagram: @olfactorysounds

This episode is a pause—a breath between cycles, a moment to harvest what’s been growing and begin the slow descent inward. Late summer, often called the “fifth season,” invites us to nourish, digest, and integrate. Governed by the Earth element, this time of year asks us to slow down, savor sweetness, and prepare for the challenges of autumn—not with urgency, but with steadiness.

Join me to explore the energetic themes of late summer through seasonal rhythms and a special essential oil blend intended to support grounding, clarity, and digestion. A majority of this episode is devoted to a guided visualization*—an invitation to turn inward and connect with what truly nourishes us, emotionally, physically, and energetically.

From juicy sweet fruits, the golden glow of the sun to the hum of bees, from the wisdom of spiders, this episode is a love letter to the mellow yellow season of transformation. To close, I share Chopin’s Nocturne No. 17 in B Major alongside a word sequence that calls upon the Earth element’s invitation to pause, integrate and nourish.

Warm. Golden. Integrated.

*Note: The visualization starts at minute 16 & the Chopin infused word sequence starts around minute 30.

Clary Sage and its powerful essential oil supports euphoria, sensuality, womanhood and cyclical wisdom. How’s that for a bold statement about an essential oil?

A different title for this episode could be: "Exploring Clary Sage through molecules, music, and the slow fire of feminine truth."

This episode explores Clary Sage’s bold personality—earthy, euphoric, and sensual—through its aromatic molecules, story and synesthetic sound. Featuring @olfactorysounds’ musical interpretation, you’re invited to experience this aromatic beyond the textbook. What does Clary Sage feel like? What does empowered stillness sound like? What can we do, globally, to honor and respect half of the human population?

Join me in this refection on menstruation, moon days, and honoring natural cycles rather than overriding them. Clary Sage is a guide for tuning into body-time, sensual energy—an aromatic ally reminding us that womanhood is not a set of fragmented roles, but a full, embodied rhythm.

Lunar cycles are sacred. Sensuality is wise. Initiation rites matter. Lilith meets Hekate. Medusa and Athena become one. These archetypes don’t compete—they merge, whole and wild, ready to rewrite the narrative. We remember: womanhood cries out in pain when it is not respected. Supported womanhood is rhythmic, sensual and discerning. Grounded and luminous. It is something to work with, not against.

Get your bottle of Clary Sage essential oil and settle in, breathe deep, and join me. To smell is to feel—to remember, not only memories, but the body’s holistic wisdom.

Video of Clary Sage Distillation: Plant Talk Video Series - NYC Aromatica

Instagram: Yuliana@olfactorysounds & and Amy @nycaromatica

Episode Highlights:

~8:40 -- Yuliana's Olfactory Sound Composition.

~17:48 -- "Humans are human. Women are not impure, and they are not inferior to or better than men—we are different, but equal. Human to human."~20:40 -- A solution for honoring the feminine cycle.

~26:08 -- Clary Sage's personality.

~32:00 -- Direct palm inhalation and Yuliana's Olfactory Sound Composition.

This episode explores Chamomile’s personality through aromatic molecules, sound, and the wisdom of not doing.

How do we come to know German Chamomile—not just as a calming aromatic, but as a companion with personality, rhythm, and message? In this episode, we explore the quiet intelligence of German Chamomile through scent, sound, and reflective pause. You’re invited to meet Chamomile beyond “this is good for that,” and instead experience what Chamomile feels like—what its stillness sounds like.

Once again, we’re joined by the synesthetic soundscapes of Yuliana Kireyeva, who transforms aromatic essence into auditory impressions. Through musical-sound, storytelling, shared correspondence, and a minimalist free-verse progression, we consider what it means to not do, and how Chamomile whispers to both children and adults alike: You can let go now. Prepare your tea or essential oil, find a quiet moment, and join me for this reflective, sensory meditation. To smell is, after all, to feel and to be.

Episode Highlights:

Minute 2'20": Olfactory Sounds & Chamomile

Minute 6'20": Children, Anxiety, Aromatherapy & "Not Doing"

Minute 16': Chamomile's Virtues

Minute 22'20": Poetry & Olfactory Sounds

References & Social Media:

Article & video on German Chamomile: https://nycaromatica.com/german-chamomile-matricaria-recutita/

Instagram: Yuliana @olfactorysounds & and Amy @nycaromatica

How can we meet an aromatic plant and its essential oil on a deeper level beyond chemical constituents, reading reference books and a “this is good for that” viewpoint?

This episode, and new series, considers the qualitative appreciation of aromatic plants and their essential oils. For instance, what do Lavender’s qualities sound like, feel like?

You guessed it, this episode features Lavender...

Explore how Lavender transforms into sound through the synesthetic talent of Yuliana Kireyeva. Further inspired by the evocative works of James McNeill Whistler and the gentle melodies of Erik Satie, you’re invited to feel the qualitative nature, the personality, of Lavender. Look forward to a guided body scan accompanied by Satie’s Gymnopédie no. 1.

And remember, to smell is to feel.

The Lavenders Class: https://nycaromatica.com/online-classes/exploring-all-of-the-lavenders/

Lavender Plant Talk Video: https://youtu.be/ykb9zRSILps

Follow Yuliana on Instagram: @olfactorysounds

Welcome back to another episode of Essential Aromatica! This episode is a bit different—I’m taking a moment to say hello again, reconnect with you, and reflect on why I started this podcast in the first place. From gaps created by the pandemic to a deep desire to share knowledge and cultivate connection, this podcast has been a personal project of passion and purpose.

I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Reverend Ben DeHart, a guide in my foray into podcasting, co-host of Our Triune Pod, and someone whose encouragement made all the difference.

This episode is an opportunity to revisit the core reasons behind Essential Aromatica:

• Rebuilding connection through shared passion – The aromatherapy school I taught at shut down soon after the pandemic started, I felt the loss deeply. My podcast became a way to continue sharing, to reach others, and to keep inspiring—even without an in-person classroom.
• Connection to nature – A personal story on how aromatherapy became my path.
• Making aromatherapy accessible – It’s about connecting with nature, plants, everything that is bigger than and includes us. (Go for a walk outside!!!!)

Along the way, I’ll share insights from my newly published article on Rhododendron anthopogon, a gem of an essential oil I’ve come to think of as Nepal’s Frankincense. Its ability to bring clarity, lightheartedness, and mental stillness makes it invaluable when we seek lucidity amidst overwhelm.

Plus, in the spirit of balancing bitterness and sweetness, I have to bring up Hecate, a guide through liminal spaces, and introduce Lilith into the mix. These gloriously “dark” archetypes are juxtaposed against Jasmine and Yuliana Kireyeva’s mesmerizing olfactory sound composition.

Chapter highlights:

~1'40" Shout out to Reverend Ben DeHart

~2'20" Why Essential Aromatica was brought into existence

~11'55" Notes on Rhododendron Essential Oil: Lucidity, Nepal's Frankincense

~15'15" Dr. Kurt Schaubelt on the interchangeability of essential oils and "less is more"

~18'10" The Bitter: When Lilith Met Hecate (a poem)

~20'30" The Sweet: Jasmine and Yuliana Kireyeva's olfactory sound composition