Simply Scentsational Synthesis

I've been called a Renaissance Spirit. My mother’s simplistic version is that I’m a good multi-tasker. I tried doing just one thing, and learned that just wasn't me. I’ve collected education, healing and spiritual training, enrichment experiences, and adventures like some people collect coins, stamps, and shoes. And my ministry reflects a beautiful integration of it all. On any given day, I may be offering individual or corporate Sacred Healing sessions; planning, promoting, or facilitating a workshop or retreat; supporting someone else's retreat or event; menu planning, promoting or cooking for Soup/Salad of the Month Club or special clients; working on a writing project like my blog, books, short stories or articles; booking radio show guests as well as producing and hosting the show; and listening for the myriad of inspirations that come and deciding which are to be brought to life and which will be put on hold or gifted to someone else.

As you can imagine, fitting in family, friends, fun, mind-body-spirit-financial self-care (including stillness), and honing my craft can be challenging. But I wouldn't have it any other way. So I’m in my element when I can combine different aspects of who I am and what I love. That way, my work transforms into play. Enter stage left, Creating a Signature Scent with Aromatherapy, or CSSA. This funshop is just chock fulla for me. It includes healing, creating, teaching, writing, meditation, dousing, food, and more. Plus, it’s just so much fun!

I have taken mini-workshops on Aromatherapy and apprenticed with other practitioners over the years. Several years ago I took the plunge and invested in an intensive Medicinal Aromatherapy certification course. I’ve been using delicious essential essences ever since in my healing practice, my personal and family self-care and healing, house-cleaning, and more. I carry oils around like doctors on house calls carry little black bags. So creating workshops around Aromatherapy made sense.

CSSA was lots of fun to create and tweak. It has puzzles, games, and door prizes, all making for fun learning. It is interactive by design, so I get to enjoy the serendipity of also learning from my students. But I’m not the only one creating. Each participant will leave having made a set of personal care products lovingly created using their signature scent!

Additionally, Spirit is a welcome guest as we learn. Participants connect through guided meditation, scanning, and/or dousing via pendulum or body as they discover the scents that “speak” to them. Whether you resonate with God, Goddess, Spirit, Infinite Intelligence, Earth Mother, Creator, All that Is, or your angels, guides, or ancestors, we open our hearts and minds so they can inspire and inform our experience.

Finally, there’s food involved. Good food. A student once told me she didn’t care what I was teaching, as long as I provided the food. I love to cook, and my cooking is conscious, honoring Earth Mother and some of her other gifts—fresh, whole foods. And I have it on good authority that Her essential essences don’t mind sharing attention during this funshop.

Somehow, in the midst of it all, there is laughter intermingling with the learning, snorts blending in with the scents, chuckles calling forth the creations. It’s called a funshop for a reason. And long after the last participant has left out of the door, my smile lingers, giving thanks for the simply scentsational synthesis that left its aromatic aftermath playing hide-and-seek in the nooks and crannies of the air.

If you are interested in Creating a Signature Scent with Aromatherapy on Saturday 9/24/17 from 1-5 PM in Laurel, MD, as well as other sacred events, go to http://www.meetup.com/Laurel-Mind-Body-Soul-Food-Meetup/ and http://www.sacredsojourns.space.  To find out about my other holistic offerings, visit my website at www.mindbodyandspiritworks.com. To listen to my podcast, Mind, Body & Soul Food, visit www.blogtalkradio.com/tonyaparker. Purchase a Kindle or audio version of Diary of a Witch’s Daughter, my young adult novel with holistic and metaphysical themes at http://tinyurl.com/diaryofawitchsdaughteronamazon.