Plants and the oils they produce are magical, as is the universe we evolved with. Essential oils are a personal journey, aroma is subjective, and the science behind them is anything but simple. We simplify in concious awareness.

Guiding Principles

Direct Experience Over Hype

• Trust your senses and your own experience with oils, not just what suppliers say.
• Less is more-until it isn't. Balance is everything.
• Respect all life; we are all connected.

Marketing Myths: "Therapeutic Grade"

• "Therapeutic grade" is just marketing hype.
• What matters is whether an oil is real: steam/hydro-distilled or cold-pressed from genuine plants.
• If an oil is pure and properly processed, it's the best it can be. No need for fancy labels.

Internal Use: Proceed With Caution

Personal note: I buy Aloe Juice as food grade and drink it myself, but we don't sell it as such due to shipping and regulations. I've tasted Neroli, Peppermint, and Rose Hydrolats, but if you do, it's at your own risk. Rose Otto and Neroli are the best on the market. I've used a drop in cakes, but again, we don't sell them for internal use. Rose Otto has a long history of use in Turkish delight (only the very expensive product).

Eating Oils: My Experience

• I occasionally eat our vegetable and nut oils (hemp, flax, sunflower, grape-seed, coconut MCT, etc.).
• Any oil, even from vegetables, should be consumed in the smallest possible quantities.
• I wouldn't hesitate to use Sea-buckthorn oil on my gums if needed.
• I have occasionally ingested essential oils like lemon, peppermint, and other herb/citrus oils: always diluted (e.g., one drop in 100ml carrier oil for salad dressing).
• Kobashi Ltd.'s stance: Our oils are not for internal use.

The Science & Context

• Essential oils are complex: one oil can have hundreds of components.
• The yield and composition vary by plant, harvest, and conditions.
• For example, a large lemon contains about 0.0065ml of essential oil.
• The science is evolving, search for "scholarly peer reviewed articles essential oils" for more.

Mind, Body, Spirit: A Lifelong Discovery

Understanding essential oils is a journey. They've been used for thousands of years, but modern science is just catching up. Most modern drugs are inspired by nature, but isolating chemicals doesn't always improve on what nature provides.

Balance and harmony are the ultimate goals. The process is a real-time unfolding of who we are and what works for us.

How to Explore Essential Oils: A Self-Discovery Exercise

• Personal Inventory: Ask yourself how you feel: physically, emotionally, mentally. Speak your thoughts aloud to avoid overthinking.
• Relaxation:
  • Deep breathing
  • Letting your body relax
  • Self-massage
  • Tensing and relaxing muscles
• Scent Exploration:
  • Notice the bottle's weight and texture
  • Smell the oil, but don't try to name it - just experience it
  • Keep a stream-of-consciousness journal of your reactions
• Be Present: Your experience is unique and valid. The more specific you are, the more you'll learn.

Balance and harmony are our ultimate goals. Process is a real-time unfolding of who we are in the truth of what works.

A ROAD OF SELF-DISCOVERY IN RELATIONSHIP TO ESSENTIAL OILS

It has taken life billions of years to evolve from the simple gases of hydrogen and helium to the complex structures they are today. Today, an essential oil can have hundreds of chemical components. We and essential oils have evolved together over billions of years. We have a certain affinity with each other. Time as paradoxical enigma in a non-linear/linear process is adaptation over time is association with evolution.

We must see the mind, body, and spirit for what they are. We must know illusion from reality and the mix. We can then experience the true nature of all things. Of course, this is a process. A process we have already started. It doesn't reveal itself through a magic pill. There may be one. In fact, reliance on the outside can reduce our ability to perceive and control our true nature. In contrast we must know the external in relationship to the internal. Knowing they are one in what can be worded as quantum, god or universe. Our senses are what they are and existence also in essence frequency and sound. Ground yourself I'm flying. What's your reality. A composite of memory, hopes and dreams. Maybe? Take it to the next level.

Knowing how we really feel before coming in contact with an essential oil gives us a more objective knowledge of an oil. Of course, we can compartmentalize in science or the senses which can be fragments of reality. All said, all valid upon the focus and and action of stimulus response and reaction. Projections of our learned self gathered in the mirror of destiny

When reading and practicing this technique, be aware that your individual, moment-to-moment reality is different from mine. What I am saying in this article is my truthful, moment-to-moment stream of consciousness. Although in words your experience more valid to you. I could be more general from a depersonalized point of view; you may not be able to relate to what I am saying, but this is not so important and secondary, or perhaps thirdary, I know not a word..

What is important is knowing how you feel, moment to moment. The final outcome of this exercise is the growing ability to recognize and remember the tonal-aroma depth and your psychophysical response to an oil.

Step one: Do a personal inventory. Ask yourself how you feel. Verbally say, through a stream of consciousness, anything you are feeling. Verbalizing helps stop the exercise from becoming cerebral. To get to one's instincts, one must not just intellectualize; one must incorporate one's feelings, no matter what they are, even if it means stopping reading this because you're bored. Example (my stream of consciousness): "I want you to understand how to do this exercise, my neck and shoulders are a little stiff, I'm thinking of the next thing to type (say), I winked my right eye, I'm wondering if I'm communicating this clearly, my hands are warm, my back is a little stiff."

Ask yourself how you feel. Begin to speak aloud, letting your thoughts flow in a stream of consciousness. For example, my own stream of consciousness might sound like: "I feel a little more relaxed. I hear the computer fan. I feel warm. My sense of hearing seems more sensitive. The touch of the keyboard feels like silky plastic, alive with the memory of all the days spent communicating through it. I feel calm. I'm not angry. I remember being angry yesterday. I'm a little tired. I feel positive about my future."

Ask yourself many questions. Once you have a clear sense of how you feel, pick up a bottle of Kobashi Essential Oil. I mention Kobashi because I can vouch for the purity of our oils, though I can't say the same for other brands.

Now, you're ready to explore an essential oil. Hold the bottle, notice its weight, grasp it firmly, and roll it gently in your hand. The more specific you are in your observations, the more your instincts will connect with the oil. Keep your stream of consciousness going. For example:;I have an itch in my nose. I remember it started when I was sitting in the back of the theatre. I’m back from that memory, trying to return to the present. Hold on, I really feel this is important, and I believe you'll understand."; Before opening the bottle, notice any scents in the room. Take a moment to identify and separate them.

Move to a room with minimal odours, where the temperature and humidity are comfortable. Unscrew the lid and feel its texture between your fingers. Did you notice any scent before the bottle was even open? At first, don't try to name the aroma. Just use your nose as you would your eyes when looking at colours - don’t name them, just experience them. Keep your personal inventory going:";The vapours went up my right nostril more than my left. I’ve noticed my left nostril is congested. The oil has a cooling effect. I like the aroma; it’s one I want to return to and smell again. There’s no change in the congestion of my left nostril. I feel a little more alert. Picking up the bottle, it felt cool against my warm hands. My eyes feel lighter. I’m beginning to feel happier. I wonder if this happiness comes from the oil or from the act of teaching. I take two more deep breaths of the oil. I feel like sitting back and watching this event unfold. I’m back to typing. The oil smells herbaceous, camphorous, sweet, with a prominent eucalyptol note. It feels clean, refreshing, and grounding.”

This oil had a stimulating and refreshing effect on me; the journey continues. As you can see, this kind of exploration can lead you in many directions. It’s about engaging all your senses and being honest with yourself about your moment-to-moment responses. That's what brings you closer to the truth. If you don't begin by knowing your here-and-now state of being, it will be difficult to discern the objective and subjective responses to the oil. The next steps involve using testing strips and then vaporising the oil.

Best regards,
Scott Ballard

Further Exploration