She had proven elusive - sometimes just a hint of her fragrance in an excellent martini, and I remember seeing her in passing on the hillsides around Delfi, Loutraki and Itea in Greece. But the moments had been fleeting.
So I was surprised to see the Lady Juniper included in a recent gift.
And I must confess that again she languished at the back whilst the others clamoured and grasped my attention. Perhaps my focus on using local flora and herbs has stopped me from learning, and therefore appreciating, her magnificence.
My friend, Kate, brought me some newly distilled essential oils from her former husband's Herbal Distillery in Crete. Yiannis was still experimenting and she had grabbed these, literally with no labels, and brought them to me here in Thailand. A stunning Cretan Sage oil, a Lavender oil distilled from the stalks only that is SO MAGNIFICENT that I have already ordered more - it has an almost piney, crisp, special something that I've never caught or smelled anywhere else. And, of course, the Lovely Lady Juniper.
Perhaps it was that we were not well acquainted, but again she literally languished at the back of the group on my nightstand - just quietly waiting.
Until, my deeper-inner-knowing-self simply took over, like a matter-of-fact-match-maker who is irritated by coy looks and non contact when there is a marriage to be consummated. So, in a moment of haste and complete certainty (as certain as only a very watery Scorpio can be) - certain that I was grabbing the luscious lavender stalk oil - I grabbed the bottle while my foot was DRIPPING with magnesium oil, splashed about 6 drops into my palm and rubbed it into the sole of my foot.
Oh. My. Sweet. Goddess. Where have you been all my life?
The pungent, lilting, intensity of the Lady Juniper literally overwhelmed me. And I was besotted.
I had NO idea why my intuitive self had drawn me towards Juniper, nor what important gift I was receiving from her sacred herbal self. And so I started to read and trawl and research, as is my wont.
The physical healing properties of Juniper are many - almost too many - and I wonder that she has eluded me for so long. But it was THIS attribute that resonated with me immediately: Relaxing juniper oil can help relieve mental and emotional issues, such as anxiety and mental fatigue. Yup - the over-thinker's oil!! Perfect!
Additionally it fights arthritis, relieves cramps, purifies the blood and promotes sweating. And yes, within 5 mins of massaging Juniper into the soles of my feet with some Magnesium Oil, I was POURING SWEAT. There is so much incredibly useful information out there on Juniper, but what leaped out at me from my reading (and as was evidenced by the immediate sweating response), is that Juniper is a profound anti-oxidant - a scavenger oil, if you will, which cleans up and removes so much that is unwanted from the body. You can read one of the anti-oxidant studies HERE if science is your thing.
But it niggled at me that the Lady Juniper had chosen this moment to connect, not so much for physical healing but more so for magical and spiritual reasons. And so I read some more and dug a little deeper. Until I felt that AHA surge of resonance and affirmation! Juniper is sacred to Apollo (suddenly understanding it all over the hillsides at Apollo's temple in Delfi!) and is predominantly about sacred space, finding that which s lost, and preventing-protecting once's energies and items from theft.
And then I felt a deep sense of peace, rightness and connection.
So the Lady Juniper and I are very much exploring things - I enjoy her energy after my magnesium foot baths most days and during my alone times right now. I feel BLESSED that the herbal, magical world unfolds and reveals itself when we are ready, and that physical healing is intrinsically bound up in the sacred, spiritual and witchy world.
Where to get this amazing Juniper oil, hand-distilled in Crete? My friend Yiannis can be found on facebook through his page Cretan Distillery and Herbs - don't let the Greek language put you off - he speaks and writes perfect English and can ship his AMAZING essential oils anywhere.
Leaving you with a gorgeous picture of the temple of Apollo in Delfi with the Juniper trees scattered all over the surrounding hills - one of my favourite global places and and yes, I'd probably be living in Delfi if I wasn't settled here in Thailand right now.
I have a sudden craving for local Delfi honey with roasted hazelnuts, yummy Greek feta cheese, fresh bread and a generous hint of the Lady Juniper in my martini. With some superb Kalamata olives on the side, of course.
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