Once,
I lived for six months next to 4 acres of lavender. Beginning in
May, the plants were already purple and their scent was delicate on the
air. As the summer progressed, their color and scent intensified
until the August harvest. The owners distilled the plants into
essential oils right out in the field, so the beautiful process of turning
wagon load after wagon load of lavender blossoms into a few gallons of
essential oil was my pleasure to witness. And to smell. Much
to my delight, the perfume in the air and its natural power to calm and
soothe were abundant. During this time, as I walked in the woods
surrounding the lavender field, my bond and my respect for the lavender
plants deepened. I had gone to that woods (unaware of the existence
of the adjacent lavender field) seeking serenity and healing. Walk
through a field of lavender and notice how you feel as though you've
walked into the classroom for Serenity and Healing 101. Of course, a
field of lavender is a field of beauty made visible. And touchable.
And smellable. And tasteable. But my sense is that the
lavender plant is also modeling and perhaps even actively asserting many
more facets of beauty into your own body, mind, and soul.
I
had first become interested in lavender in my studies in Aromatherapy in
1990. The scent was very pleasing to me and I learned that lavender
is perhaps the safest of all essential oils and also the most powerfully
versatile. I keep lavender essential oil in all my first aid kits,
including my purse, and my hiking pack. It is a great disinfectant.
It takes the sting out of mosquito bites. It heals a burn almost
immediately. It can reduce menstrual cramps. And it turns a
hot bath into a spa experience. 
On
a trip to southern France in 1993, I bonded even more to the lavender
kingdom. The French have long been lavender fans. As we
wandered through the art galleries in San Tropez, we saw many beautiful
paintings of the hillsides of lavender (and just had to buy one for
ourselves). In Gras, we wandered through the myriad perfumeries.
Even in the public restrooms in France, the scent of lavender is all
around.
As
I write to you today, I keep a large bouquet of dried lavender from this
field by my side. Yesterday I was stung by some mystery creature as
I hiked through the woods. The lavender in my pack cooled the heat
from the bite. Last night a took a long, luxurious soak in a hot tub
to which I had added a few drops of lavender oil This morning after
my shower, I used an aromatherapy body oil for moisturizing that I make
from apricot kernel seed oil and the essential oils of lavender and
vanilla. Today I plan to make a fresh jar of lavender lemonade for
some visitors coming by. These are just the occasions I can think of
off the top of my head. All in all, lavender is a beautifully
integrated part of my life.
Read
more about the many varieties and biochemical properties of lavender at
www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/l/lavend13.html.
And find some wonderful all-organic lavender products including culinary
lavender at the Hood River
Lavender website.
