Ever since I was little, I had a strong desire to smell everything around me. My fascination with scents and aromas led me to study aromatherapy. As a diligent learner, I quickly became acquainted with the volatile pure essences. As I continued to experiment with both single and blended essences, I observed that the fragrances I used had a noticeable impact on my overall mood, for instance, a single essence or a blend of essential oils can change, trigger or enhance various emotions and sensations. Definition: I use the word essence as a reference to the sentient consciousness of essential oils.
As I learned and experimented more, I realized that I wasn't just dealing with plant chemistry and molecules, but the pure essence of the essential oil I was studying. Years of working as an aromatherapist practitioner taught me that taking a meditative and ritualistic approach while handling essential oils can elevate my blending skills to a higher level. My experiments with different essential oil blends led me to the understanding that when mixing/blending certain essences together, something unique and magical can happen. It is not just that our mood is changing, but there is a shift in our consciousness and with the right atmosphere, a meditative kind of ritual - a bath in our case, we can enter through the doors of perception and experience altered states of mind, albeit subtle ones.
As part of my initiation into AMOOKOS, an East-West Kaula Mystery School, I dedicated a big chunk of my studies to learning about the Kala sequence. Kala, meaning part, perhaps "lunar perfume or flower". Each Kala corresponds to a different phase of the moon, and a different body part. It didn't take long for the concept of 'Lunar Perfume' to evolve to a whole new way of working with the Kala sequence.
In the second part of the book, I deal with the Eight Witches Sabbaths of the Ritual Year and how they resonate with the Eight Magics and the corresponding colours and scented essences.