Aromatherapy for Moods and Emotions

How essential oils affect our moods and feelings

Essential oils are living and dynamic rather than inert substances because they contain the active life force of the plant from which they come. Experiments with Kirlian photography have revealed this active principle as an aura of light around the plant - similar to our own auras (the aura being the subtle energy field around the physical body, also known as the etheric body). Plants and humans are all children of Nature, sustained by the same life force. The fine, delicate complexity of essential oils cannot be duplicated synthetically with inorganic chemicals. This is why essential oils affect our moods and emotions and synthetic perfumes do not.

Our ancestors had an acute sense of smell, much like that of dogs. They could smell danger, dinner and a mate because their lives depended on it, and what they smelled caused commensurate feelings of fear, hunger and sexual attraction. Modern humans have lost some olfactory awareness through the evolution of civilization, but we still have a reasonable sense of smell that can be developed through training.

Soothing the mind and balancing the body with essential oils

Essential oils affect your feelings because they have a dual action. When you smell an essential oil that you find pleasant, this is attractive to and soothes the mind. At the same time as you smell the oil through inhalation, there is a physiological action on your body, independent of the sense of smell. This demonstrates the importance of using essential oils that you find pleasing; if you dislike an oil's aroma, despite its potentially beneficial physical action on your body, the overall effect will be lessened.

The action of essential oils on the mind and feelings is complex and subtle. The oils tend to balance and normalize the body, rather than just stimulate or sedate it, and there is a similar action on the feelings. Essential oils have a complementary affinity with certain parts of the body, mind and emotions.

For example, a person with a 'hard heart', who tends to be harsh and mean, often develops heart problems such as hardening of the arteries. Treating this person with rose has a tonic action on the physical heart, while simultaneously softening the emotions and uplifting the mind.

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