Goodbye, Chronos. Hello Kairos.

Enter qualitative time — the unhurried, opportune space where presence deepens and the habitual clutch of stories and roles loosens. Another way to describe this time is ancestral-eternal time, a place where myths and archetypes dwell. Kairos time is where we can dwell in “identity‑free space”. With Myrrh as our guide, a gap opens to release over‑identification with names, titles, and the ego’s stories so we can meet what’s true beneath them.

You will be guided through a guided aromatherapy meditation set to Bach’s Cello Suite No. 5 in C minor, BWV 1011 — Sarabande (Netherlands Bach Society / Suzuki recording) (minute 8:30). The episode includes my original poem “Last Night I Dreamt of Myrrh” (minute 17:15), followed by an exploration of Myrrh (minute 18:30): its ecology and etymology; the aromatic personality of its resin and essential oil; and clinical and ritual therapeutics for nervous system regulation, respiratory support, vulnerary and skin uses, and spiritual practice.

To balance the somberness, we close with an uplifting musical respite: Così fan tutte — “Soave sia il vento” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (minute 29:15).

If you feel the pressure of the year‑end rush — the urgency to buy, perform, and over‑do between Thanksgiving and New Year’s — Myrrh offers a counterweight: gravitas, steadiness, and a practice for making room rather than filling it. Join your host, Amy Anthony, for aromatic-somatic cues, ritual language, and practical aromatherapy guidance you can use to slow the impulse to consume, meet grief or clutter of the heart (and lungs), and enter a Kairos infused holiday season.

Here's the Myrrh article mentioned in the episode: https://nycaromatica.com/plant-talk-myrrh/

Welcome. Patchouli invites you into your body—earthy, sensual, sovereign.

It’s time to celebrate Patchouli—one of my great loves and haloed essential oils in aromatherapy’s pantheon, alongside other jewels such as Lavender and Frankincense. We begin by sinking into Yuliana Kireyeva’s synesthetic composition, an auditory translation of Patchouli’s aromatic chemistry, before sauntering into Lola Ridge’s poem “Potpourri,” a sultry, aromatic remembrance of New Orleans [~ minute 8:00].

With your whole being steeped in Patchouli—body, breath, memory, and energy—I guide you through a “Boundary of Sovereign Light” visualization [~ minute 9:00], a ritual to awaken your luminous boundary, reclaim energetic clarity, and embody your sovereign radiance.

Then words from the photographer Minor White unexpectedly resurfaced while I was recording the episode [~ minute 16:00].

But wait, of course there’s a seasonal theme to explore! Late summer into early autumn is Patchouli’s season: the harvest time of boundaries, reflection, and the thinning veil between worlds. Rooted in humus-rich soil and shaded from the high-heat sun, Patchouli mirrors this liminal space—earthy, sensual, quietly abundant—and supports us in releasing tension, sinking into our bodies, and resting in our own stillness.

In the final segment, I share my personal love affair with Patchouli—from adolescent memories of “bad Patchouli” incense to nurturing Patchouli plants in my garden. Its personality is evoked with words such as sweaty, animalic, wet compost, and “Kundalini at rest”, before going deeper into Patchouli’s power to support self-acceptance, sensuality, sexuality and, yes, boundaries.

Earlier this season we looked at Yarrow and Clary Sage, if Yarrow is a neutral shield and Clary sage is earthy euphoria, then Patchouli is our earth-bound body at-rest, a snake master of itself, able to settle into our true selves, unapologetically wear our own skin, and help us set clear boundaries between what is ours and what is not.

Go deeper:

Patchouli Plant Talk Article and video

Yarrow Plant Talk Article and Video

Find Yuliana on Instagram: @olfactorysounds

This episode is a pause—a breath between cycles, a moment to harvest what’s been growing and begin the slow descent inward. Late summer, often called the “fifth season,” invites us to nourish, digest, and integrate. Governed by the Earth element, this time of year asks us to slow down, savor sweetness, and prepare for the challenges of autumn—not with urgency, but with steadiness.

Join me to explore the energetic themes of late summer through seasonal rhythms and a special essential oil blend intended to support grounding, clarity, and digestion. A majority of this episode is devoted to a guided visualization*—an invitation to turn inward and connect with what truly nourishes us, emotionally, physically, and energetically.

From juicy sweet fruits, the golden glow of the sun to the hum of bees, from the wisdom of spiders, this episode is a love letter to the mellow yellow season of transformation. To close, I share Chopin’s Nocturne No. 17 in B Major alongside a word sequence that calls upon the Earth element’s invitation to pause, integrate and nourish.

Warm. Golden. Integrated.

*Note: The visualization starts at minute 16 & the Chopin infused word sequence starts around minute 30.