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Post by Azar

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NAHA Conference – 2014 – Beyond Aromatics

Hello APJ,

Our Summer 2014 was a whirlwind of road trips, building projects and extended visits from family and long, lost friends. One of the highlights that Brad and I enjoyed together was a day at the National Holistic Aromatherapy Association’s (NAHA) Seventh World Conference, “Beyond Aromatics”. This three-day event, Sept. 12 – 14, was held at the campus of Bastyr University, a naturopathic institute located on the grounds of a converted monastery near the shores of Lake Washington east of Seattle. We attended as guests of one of the presenters, the talented and beautiful botanical perfumer Roxana Villa.

Saturday, September 13th, was an exceptional day in the PNW. The air was slightly cool, the sky cloudless, bright blue with a light breeze. We signed in at the conference desk at 8:00 am and immediately tracked down Roxana at the Illuminated Perfume booth in the exhibition hall.

At the booth we tried a couple of new fragrances as well as old favorites. Brad was especially taken with the old/new fragrance Bay Rum (the small dark bottle in the back of the photo). Watch for this Bay Rum cologne as part of Roxana’s Fan/Funding event on her blog http://journal.illuminatedperfume.com/ in the next week or so.

We visited several other vendors and then set out with Roxana for Bastyr University’s Medicinal Garden. The garden is organized by application, for example a “Sleep Garden” for plants used to promote rest and relaxation”. Here we have Licorice Mint in the “Digestive Garden”.

A shadowy hand is reaching for relief in the “Musculo-Skeletal” garden.

A spider left a web in the “Four Elements Garden”.

Cramp Bark (Viburnum opulus) berries in the “Woman’s Garden”.

Artichokes in the late summer sun.

Fennel.

After our tour of the gardens Brad and I attended a fascinating lecture by Dr. Florian Birkmayer, MD entitled “Essential Oils for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder”. And then, at 1:45, the highlight of our day, Roxana Villa’s presentation The Tree of Life: A Mystical Approach to the Art of Botanical Perfumery.

Please take time to enjoy this beautiful video put together by Roxana’s husband, artist Greg Spalenka, using his own and Roxana’s original art work and text, very much like the presentation at the NAHA conference.

VIDEO: Roxana Villa: The Tree of Life: A Mystical Approach to the Art of Botanical Perfumery <<<JUMP

Many thanks to Roxana for this beautiful and memorable day!

Azar xx

All photos donated by Azar and video produced and donated by Greg Spalenka.