Defeat the Patriarchy by Allowing Pleasure
As we begin our exploration of the Allowing Pleasure formula I am made aware of how disowned pleasure is by dominant American culture. Pleasure and sex seem to be one and the same from this viewpoint, especially if you are a man. Women are welcome to enjoy the pleasure of wearing colorful soft fabrics, the touch of children and other women, beautiful scents and sensual movement but men are often maligned for any form of sensuality that is not explicitly sexual.
As I looked for images and art to represent pleasure I had to expand my query beyond the word pleasure which exclusively offered up sexy or sex-adjacent images.
It is clear to me that to embrace and relish pleasure in an everyday way is an essential step in moving beyond patriarchal conditioning and healing what ails our precious world.
Manzanita flower essence is all about this! Deepening into the body is an essential component of our embodied spiritual and sensual life! It is the epitome of a spiritual being having a human experience. I like to think of it as if you want to explore undersea you would put on a scuba suit and if you want to explore the Earth you have to put on a human suit. Manzanita helps you settle in to your human suit, so it feels a bit more comfortable and natural. Thus allowing you a fuller range of pleasure and ease in the body.
While the flower essence Manzanita helps us be here, the flower essence Impatiens brings us into the now, the unfolding moment. It does this by cooling and quieting our inner tension so that we might experience the more gentle and subtle interchanges and flows of life.
With patriarchal perspective dominating it can feel nearly impossible to find our grounded, flowing, love-filled sensual and sexual nature. Our sexual selves are completely unique with a W I D E range of healthy expression. The Hibiscus flower essence comes in to support this expression, specifically our ability to bring together the warmth and authenticity of the soul with bodily passion and enthusiasm.
Dogwood flower essence treats hardening of the body and the emotions. It gently restores innocence by connecting us back to our grace-filled inner self which may have been lost in previous trauma. It brings openness and ease in life, especially with emotions and bodily movements. The Allowing Pleasure spray relies heavily on its ability to dissolve inner resistance, deepen our connection to ourselves and to the beauty around us.
Ylang Ylang essential oil soothes the heart, inviting you to safely unfold into a less shielded and more open way with life. It encourages the softening of emotional walls and helps us connect with our sensual nature. It reminds us of the importance of pleasure and is especially indicated for those of us who put our to do list before our humanness. It’s a natural addition to the Allowing Pleasure spray: it helps dissolve barriers to intimacy and encourages a calm, openhearted state where pleasure and connection can naturally unfold.
Patchouli brings a sense of emotional and sensual warmth to the Allowing Pleasure formula. Its gentle yet persistent, rooted softness encourages us to accept the body’s needs and rest in the present moment. Its scent is mossy, sweet and earthy drawing awareness down and in, helping us release overthinking and reconnect with the richness of physical life.
I knew I had to make a change in the Allowing Pleasure formula when I found out that the Sandalwood tree is being over-harvested and facing the loss of habitat. While I was so sad to lose sandalwood, when I tried Amyris in its place, it was a lovely match. Amyris is also a tropical tree but faster growing and can be ethically sourced. Its scent is soft, creamy with a slightly smoky woodiness and vanilla and amber undertones. Energetically it promotes inner stillness, supports, emotional grounding and aids in transitions to help us slow down when life feels fast and jagged.
I have to say if it has Jasmine in it, I probably want it. What’s not to love? It is floral and sweet and warm. Euphoric. Just the smell of it makes me want to open up and take more in. Perfect for the Allowing Pleasure formula, it softens our field in a way that makes us want to connect by amplifying trust and warmth and sensuousness. Its sweet, nourishing, regenerating effect is especially indicated for emotional or sexual inhibition, repression or insecurity. This oil is an excellent restorative for trauma of all sorts as it is able to gently melt deeply held resistance.
Of course Rose would be included in the Allowing Pleasure spray! What other flower brings more pleasure than the queen of flowers. Across cultures roses are tied to goddesses of love and pleasure: Aphrodite, Oshun, Lakshmi, Ishtar, Mary, Isis. Rose bridges spirit and body, reminding us that pleasure can be holy. Rose essential oil has been shown to reduce cortisol, increase oxytocin and calm the parasympathetic nervous system. She helps us feel safe enough to feel good. Rose takes us into pleasure through its deep, radiant, reverent allyship with the heart and body.
Lavender seems an unlikely candidate in the Allowing Pleasure formula however not only does it’s scent add a nice bright contrast to the overall heavy sweetness of the formula, but it also does some beautiful work at supporting the inner quiet necessary to be able to slow down enough and actually open to the pleasure that is around us all the time.
Grapefruit essential oil is a splash of sparkle in the scent profile of the formula. With all the other oils in this spray being so soothing and opening, it needed something to lift and lighten it. Grapefruit brings a playful and joyful energetic quality that leaves us feeling more optimistic and aware of the light-bearing capacities within us.
Joyce Netishen at Fire Rose Farm makes a Rose Petal Elixir that is like magic in a bottle. It smells amazing. It tastes amazing. And it is perfect for the Allowing Pleasure spray as it carries that frequency through and through. I like to think it also carries some of Joyce’s yumminess into the formula.
The final ingredient in the Allowing Pleasure spray was a surprise to me. You see, when I’m making a new formulation first I usually have a personal need for it so the call is from inside. Then I pull together what I think may be a good match energetically. Then I ask the guides to add in their suggestions. Finally I test through everything until it comes out strong and clear, nothing else to be added or taken away. With the Allowing Pleasure spray something was missing but I didn’t know what. I went into meditation with the formula and it said it needed Fire! So each flower essence blend gets an infusion of fire by sitting with a candle flame for an hour or so. Makes sense the element of fire would make its way into the pleasure spray!
