Aum and Alchemy

The first time I set foot into Studio Anya I thought wow, what is this place? ANYA ~ Applied Neo Yogic Awareness ~ yes please, I will have some of that! The header of the webpage says "A Yoga and Pilates Sanctuary".......but for me, this place felt like a sacred sanctuary, as if I had journeyed to some far away, exotic place where I could take "shelter from the storm!"

And then..... I met Courtney and her staff. There is so much I could write, but in an effort to keep my discovery, and analysis of it, precision sharp and clear...... sometimes you just know,.. right? You get that deep, down, in your gut and then your whole body just know feeling that this, THIS, is right! Courtney and I had several mind expanding, soul searching, and awareness illuminating conversations....which drew me to my exploration of the Aum Faculties and Curriculum. As I leaped, with no regrets, into the vast, extraordinary body of work created by Courtney I was mesmerized, and yes actually, I was in LOVE! These Aum Faculities were speaking to me, in a language I understood on a cellular level almost. The pressing desire I had was to show my love for each of these entities, in a way that connected body~mind~spirit and was authentic to the work I do.

And so the journey began. I introduced myself to each Aum Faculty and explained what my desire was, and asked for permission and guidance, to get to know them intimately, so that I could create an Aromatic Expression of each of the 19 different personalities.

There is a plethora of writing on plant wisdom and aromatic plants have been used since the dawn of history by many different cultures and civilizations. Part of my task was to apply this traditional wisdom to aromatherapy. By considering the botanical, traditional and aromatherapeutic uses of each essential oil, I had to distill this inherently complex and dense body of information, which had been collected over the millennia by thousands of "healers", into an "aromatically beautiful and useful tool" that would be truly holistic, and honor body~mind~spirit. Suffice to say, so many different aspects of my own persona/personality were engaged in such a monumental task, and I knew that each of my Aum Faculty devas were guiding my selection of oils and harmony of blends. I understood myself in different times and planes of existence....I was at once a medieval alchemist, an indigenous healer, an ancient Egyptian and me, a woman here now in 2012, with a love of all things rooted in "source". I coasted the energetic plane, and rediscovered what I already knew......we are all vibration, and we are all one.

It is often said that the source of most dis-ease has its roots in the spirit/soul. There are many amazing books on just this concept (my favorite being "Molecules of Emotion" by Candice Pert). The one thing I hold to be true is that there is no separating of the etheric nature of spirit/spiritual and the material nature of our bodies; consider the billions of vibrating molecules that are uniquely you! To treat dis-ease we must look at ourselves as whole, and treat ourselves holistically. Essential oils represent the "physical medium" that is the natural alchemical synergy of plant and sun (G. Mojay) and thus can be considered the messengers of the plants wisdom to us. When we utilize a plant's gifts, that source has given to us, we vibrate in consonance with the universe.

If you meet any of the Aum*Aromas, I hope you feel the wisdom of the ages and love that went in to each and every bottle.

About the Author: Gina Flores

Gina Flores, BA CA CST LMT, holds a BA in Dance Education, performed professionally, taught ballet, modern dance, and rehabilitative exercise, before embarking on her career as a New York State Licensed and Nationally Certified Massage Therapist. She is a Certified Newborn and Infant Massage instructor, and an Upledger Institute Certified CranioSacral Therapist. Before opening her private practice in 1997, Gina was one of the massage therapists for New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theater. In the years that followed, she has been honored to work with a multitude of companies as therapist to their dancers, musicians, singers and stage hands, from companies both nationally and internationally known, on site at her practice, as well as offsite on location. Her private practice includes, and invites, people from all walks of life, all ages including children, and is not exclusive to performers. Since receiving her certification as a Clinical Aromatherapist both in the USA and Canada, Gina is nationally recognized by the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy, and internationally recognized by the Alliance of International Aromatherapists and the Canadian Federation of Aromatherapists. Gina has created the unique line of AUM AROMAS, based on Curriculum AUM’s Atmatypes, which are available at Studio Anya and Essential Body Wisdom.