A planetary Product

There are sixteen botanical species which compose our formulation. Each of the herbs used in INVOCATION has a particular purpose and meaning. Let us take a moment together to look at certain blessings offered by these plants. 

The wild sage or white sage, also called buffalo sage, (salvia apiana) is a very masculine plant. It is the strongest of the purifying plants in this blend. Sage dispenses a strong earthy smell. The significance of its English name, sage, also means wise old man. Many sage varieties contain hormones. It is probably one of the reasons Native Americans consider it as a masculine species.  In fact herbalists will often use the garden variety to harmonize the hormonal balance in women. This sage is a very sturdy plant.  It grows freely in the desert, wild and pungent. Its leaves contain a good percentage of oils, which helps it to survive in the dry hot sand of the desert.  These oils also offer excellent combustion when we burn it as incense.  Sage is a part of all First Nation ceremonies. The smoke purification that it offers is so powerful that it sometimes causes respiratory discomfort in those who have lung diseases due to excess mucus. We often surround our sacred objects with sage before storing them so that they are constantly protected against any evil or negative influence. 

We also add another sage, artemisia tridentata, or in English, sagebrush, also called desert herb. This sage is extremely powerful and we use only a very small quantity.  It acts to cleanse any unhealthy and evil influence which may have corrupted our spiritual energies. Our Spirit is so powerful.  Most devils and demons were created by humans. It is from inside us that they take their force and their very existence. This sage is useful to chase away the thoughts-forms that gave birth to these tendencies in our psyche.  It can help us to refine our thoughts, our words and our actions so that we avoid all disharmonies and inappropriate energies. 

Sweet grass is the most feminine herb in INVOCATION.  We also call sweet grass the hair of the Earth-mother.  Like long hair it is most often seen braided in long plaits.  Often, medicine people will burn sage to clear the air and then sweet grass to attract beneficial energies. It is used as purification but its energies are more of an inviting, welcoming nature.  It calls out the best in people and creates a soothing, comforting ambiance. 

Sweet grass has a unique, sweet and very inspiring smell.  The braids of sweet grass are often placed over the door of houses, suspended from the rear-view mirror of the automobile or on spiritual objects so that their beneficial energy can protect them. Sweet grass is often used in the weaving of Native American baskets. We find it on the altars and in sacred spaces of all Indian nations.  It is used in numerous rites and ceremonies. 

Canadian cedar (thuya occidentalis) represents the perfect balance of feminine and male polarities.  It is also called the Tree the Peace, because of Deganawidah, a very important messianic figure in North America.[1]  Deganawidah brought the great Law of Peace to the Iroquoian people and formed what is now known as the League of Six Nations, one of the first forms of United Nations to exist on earth.  Everywhere he went, Deganawidah planted a cedar as a symbol of Unity and Peace for the people.  Cedar brings balance and healing.  It’s one of the most important medicines of the Native American people.  The leaves of Thuya, as it is called in Europe, is used in many therapies, in herbal teas, in ritual medicine baths, in the sweat lodge and as an incense or smudge. This tree is among the most important for the First Nations of the Northeast. Many healing ceremonies use cedar. The oil which we use is prepared in a special way.  It dominates our formulation.  Its influence favors balance, peace and serenity.  It cleanses the air and eliminates pollutants and acaroids. It is a vermifuge, destroying physical and psychic parasites.  Cedar enhances physical health and favors longevity.  Its blessings are uncountable and we are very grateful for all its gifts.

Juniper is used to cleanse the rooms where we sleep.  It will bring beautiful dreams and enhance the ability to remember them.  Juniper has an influence on the brain which predisposes to sleep and promotes a enlightened state of consciousness during dreamtime. It’s a very spiritual incense which is also used a lot by Tibetan Buddhists.  It favors inspiration and will center consciousness on high ideals. 

Corn spirits are obtained by the fermentation of corn in water.  The fermented liquid obtained is then distilled. This gives a product called ethanol which is used for manufacturing perfume and many other products.  We use food grade natural corn spirits that is purified through a special filtering process before being integrated into INVOCATION.  Corn spirits allows INVOCATION to deliver an immediate burst of fragrance into the air.  This is essential for the purification that we receive when we use INVOCATION. 

Corn is a spiritual and material legacy for the Indian people. For many nations it was the main food stable, supporting the people with a nourishing cereal that could be cultivated and was easy to store.  Other than being the most important food source for those nations who practiced agriculture it was also a spiritual sacrament.  Corn flour and corn pollen are used in countless rituals and ceremonies.  All people of the world have a cereal that is considered sacred: the sacred Eucharist of the Christians is made of wheat; the Buddhists have rice, the Africans millet, etc.  Corn is the sacred cereal of the Americas.  It represents the gifts and countless blessings that we receive from the Earth-mother.  It plays the same role here in INVOCATION. It is the support, the vehicle which quickly carries the subtle fragrances through the air.  Corn was given to the Amerindians by the Woman from the Stars also called Sky Woman.  It many Native American myths Sky Woman gives birth to humanity.  Upon departing from earth the gift she gives to her children who were to become the Indian nations are four plants; corn, beans, squash and tobacco.  

As a rule, when an organic essential oil is available we privilege it, even at a superior cost. So, most of the oils used in INVOCATION are either organic or wild crafted. We continue our research so that we can one day have a 100 % organic product.  In the various manufacturing stages of INVOCATION, we have several ways to purify the product which eliminates many disharmonious substances.

Another sacred plant for the Amerindians is tobacco.

The tobacco is a plant which allows special communion and communication with the spiritual world. It is an offering, a medium by which we testify of our gratitude for life and the beauty of the world.  Tobacco originally came from the Americas.

Westerners have no idea what they are doing when they light a cigarette. By misusing a sacred sacrament, and tobacco is exactly that for traditional Native Americans, they harm their spirit and body.  This is typical of the misuse of all sacred substances.  When a teaching plant as we call these special plants that can alter ordinary perception and lead to superior consciousness, is misused, it has an opposite, perverse effect. The spiritual energy which can not release itself because the personal gratification intention with which the tobacco is used will turn against the person and cause a decrease of the vital energy and poisoning which can eventually lead to disease and death.  Furthermore, Westerners, by their thirst for profit, have filled tobacco with chemicals and by-products to increase certain cosmetic, addictive and commercial qualities.  To traditional philosophy this is blasphemous. If the European invaders of the Americas has spent more time listening to our wisdom, wisdom which persists even today, we would not have this horrible situation where thousands of persons suffer from a plant which properly used could lead them towards a better understanding of spirit, religious community and unity with nature. In fact, tobacco was even sometimes used as a medicine for certain health problems.

In INVOCATION, tobacco sings a small earthy end note which offers our spirit a special inspiration to hear Divine will in us.  It pleases the ancestors and allows for the use of INVOCATION as an offering.

Let’s explain the notions of top note, heart note and end note in perfumery.  A perfume is a little like music which develops a theme in three variations. So, the first burst of fragrance in called the top note.  It is quickly followed by the heart note which then is slowly replaced by the long end note. It is characteristic of a good perfume to hold or last for several hours once applied to the skin.  It’s the coherence of the various variations of these notes and their beauty that defines a wonderful perfume. 

In INVOCATION, we voluntarily emphasized the top note. The heart and end notes are very weak in comparison with the top note. We have here a therapeutic product used by healers and spiritual practitioners for whom purification is the essential reason they use INVOCATION. It is the top note that cleanses and purifies. We voluntarily decreased the impact of the of heart and end notes. Indeed, a strong heart or end note would color the olfactory universe of the practitioner or the patient during treatment.  This is not the purpose of this specific product.  So, INVOCATION acts at once and then dissipates very fast. There is a small imperceptible heart and end note which lives on and which many people find very pleasant, but it's rather weak.  We have several ongoing projects which would offer stronger and more balanced perfume products.  To be continued!

Mandarin was added to the formula to soften the head note which contains a lot of strong and camphorated essences.  Mandarin bestows a beautiful sweet and warm color to the olfactory presentation of INVOCATION.  Its antiseptic and tonic qualities also increase the beneficial effects of INVOCATION.

Rosemary is a very purifying essence. Very strong, this essential oil is camphorated and typical of the strong smell of evergreen essences.  Some of our customers say there is eucalyptus in our formulation, what is not the case. It's the rosemary that gives this impression.  The rosemary is used by some Cherokee spiritual elders to cleanse and purify objects and indoor environments.  For example we might add a few drops of rosemary in the dishwater for dishes and in the water to wash floors and walls. This practice is often used when there are spiritual Elders in gatherings and as guests.  Out of respect for our Elders and to protect them from any useless pollution, we wash their dishes as well as the tables and chairs that they will use with water to which rosemary essential oil was added.  Now we can also use INVOCATION.

Eastern hemlock is another essence coming from a coniferous tree that grows in the Northeast. The deep natural forest smell so appreciated by the users of INVOCATION, comes partly from this essence. Here is another plant used for its purifying qualities and especially for the psychic protection which it grants to those who use it.   Because of this essence INVOCATION confers a special protection, very appreciated by those who have acute psychic sensitivity. 

Spearmint was added to soften camphor-like notes of rosemary and eastern hemlock. It adds freshness to the top note. Its therapeutic action favors the integration and the synergy of the other essences.

Rose absolute was added to offer a feeling of warmth and love to the heart note.  It is the little small touch of rose that favors acceptance of self and openness to healing. It is an essence which helps in the transformation of mood swings and negative feelings.

Lavender is a plant that has be used for a long time for purification by the European people. Lavender is a panacea for a lot of physical disorders. The list of its characteristics is very impressive. She can serve to re-harmonize almost all the organ and energy systems of the body.  Amongst those often treated by lavender are: the muscles and joints, the respiratory system, the digestive system, the genital and urinary system, the immune system and the nervous system. Almost all soaps on the market have a lavender smell. Amongst the characteristics lavender has which was of interest to us in INVOCATION, was its antimicrobial, antiseptic, antitoxic, insecticide and stimulating qualities.  We chose this essence to represent the numerous qualities of the white race. In certain Native American philosophies the white race represents the spirit of invention. Indeed, every race on earth comes with a responsibility and a gift.  The Native Americans or red race are the guardians of the Earth-mother. The Asiatic or yellow race are builders of the social order and other mechanisms of community welfare. The Africans or black race are guardians of the rhythms of the world.  Lavender, besides containing characteristics which are in synergy with the other essences, represents well all that the white race can bring us with its spirit of invention.

Sandalwood is associated with spirituality and represents in INVOCATION the yellow race. As the Asiatic have a long history, sandalwood is also an essence that has been used in perfumery for a very long time.   It has been used as incense, perfume and as a cosmetic product throughout the Asian countries for more than 4000 years. Sandalwood brings a feeling of serenity, harmony and peace.  It symbolizes well Hindu, Buddhist and Taoist spiritualities.

Frankincense represents, in INVOCATION, the black race. This plant grows in the African Northeast. The essence which we have comes from Somalia. We chose Frankincense because it invokes peace and prayer.  Its smell is rich and suggestive. In INVOCATION it symbolizes the complexity of the African rhythms which are so important in our planetary inheritance. We shall speak a little more about the importance of the rhythm in the second part of this volume on music therapy.  

Cist, which is a rich and enveloping fragrance, is often used for the healing of scars. In our liquid smudge, it’s function is to close all the energetic gaps that may have occurred with the departure of unwanted elements, chased away by the purifying effect of our liquid smudge. Its fragrance adds an end note that evokes comfortable well being.

Spikenard is a complement to the heart note.  It comes to give a very spiritual and very ancient touch to this olfactory harmony. All nations of the Middle East have used this oil since antiquity.  It’s mentioned on scrolls from ancient Egypt, has been used in the rejuvenation cosmetics of the Empress of Mughal, Nur Jehan, as well as by the Romans. In the Bible, we find mention of spikenard in the songs of Salomon of the Old Testament, and, in the New Testament, we read that Jesus was perfumed by this oil during the Last Supper. Spikenard thus comes to add a smell which binds together many nations and spiritualities with that of the Native American people.