A Touch of Home

Greetings from Audre Gutierrez at Wisdom of the Earth!  As many of you know, I recently sold my home in Santa Fe and moved full time to my cottage in Arizona.  While complex, tiring and challenging (I was moving the contents of the house, and the guest Casita to Cornville, where I have a 900 sq. ft. cottage...already fully furnished), it feels really good to have found a wonderful buyer for my beloved NM property, coordinated several stages of a very complicated move, and arrived safe and sound to my sweet and welcoming cottage just two minutes from the Wisdom of the Earth office (pictured above)..definitely my second home!

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I continued what will likely be a many-months process of unpacking boxes and deciding what to do with the contents...sell, donate, gift or store. Today, basking in the energy of gratitude from a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends, and lovely, long conversations with both of my children, I found myself walking through the house and the outside areas placing a favorite chair here, a sentimental picture there, and placing a silver hummingbird against a picture of my Aunt Audre, taken in the late 1930s just before she was killed in a car accident.  My mother worshipped her, and named me after her...which has been such an honor for me.  As I tucked a beautiful citrine crystal next to a picture of my late husband, Leonardo, these words went through my mind...A Touch of Home.  All of these things had been treasured items in my Santa Fe home and I felt such a sense of gratitude to be able to bring little touches from my life there into my life here.  It represented that I didn't totally leave my home in Santa Fe, but brought some of it with me, which was really comforting and uplifting.

A sense of Home has always been important and very meaningful to me.  What is so amazing is how scent can be such a huge part of that "sense".  So many people who come to Wisdom of the Earth (physically or via phone or on line) will say that they love a particular essential oil because it reminds them of where they grew up, a family member whom they loved, or an area of the country that they have lived in or visited that was very meaningful to them.  Violet reminds so many of their grandmother's cologne.  Certain Conifers often bring back recollections of a childhood home or a particularly memorable Holiday season.  The scent of Rose brings a connection to Mother Mary for many, and Sweet Basil reminded one of my students of cooking with her Italian grandmother when she was a child.

Whether it is a place, a feeling, a person, or a time in your life that speaks "home" to your heart, take a moment to think about the aromas of any plants, flowers and/or trees that evoke or capture that sense of home. See if something comes to mind that calls forth that "feeling", those memories. The old saying "home is where the heart is" affirms that it is the sense of home we hold in our heart, as much as the actual home itself, that offers profound meaning for us.

Essential oils, when they are pure and in their integrity (not mixed with other oils), have a powerful effect on our psyche and emotions.  They can literally change our chemistry, mood and perspective.  They can flood us with emotion or comfort us with their familiarity. My husband, Leonardo, loved that particular Bulgarian Lavender that we have named Leonardo's Lavender in his memory.  I keep a bottle in my bedroom and feel his presence so strongly when I anoint my heart with this beautiful essence.

So I am very grateful for those physical "touches of home" that now grace my little country cottage; they embrace me every time I look at them.  I am also grateful for the opportunity to infuse my home with the scents of my place in Santa Fe....the rosemary I grew in my garden, the sage that proliferated in my front yard, and the poplars (cottonwoods) that towered over my home and office.  I use Poplar Bud over my heart to remind me of their protection and inspiring beauty.

We receive many orders this time of year for essences to be gifted to spouses, children, parents or friends who either have expressed their love for a particular essential oil that we offer, or one that commemorates a place, experience or plant that has special meaning to them.  So keep that in mind when thinking about that special gift for someone who has "everything"!

And, I would like to close this section of the newsletter with a huge "thank you" to those of you who support Wisdom of the Earth through your purchases, your referrals, your friendship and your trust in us.  We are so grateful for your wonderful notes and comments about what our essences have meant to your health and happiness, and your support for our small, female-owned business with an amazing team who comes to work each day committed to serving you with excellence and sincerity.

With love, Audre

Announcements

NEW WOTE WEBSITE!
This is a "soft" announcement of our new Wisdom of the Earth website, meaning that this is just Phase One of what will be several iterations to take place over the next year.  Though we are still "tweaking" it, www.wisdomoftheearth.com  is now up and running, offering information about our philosophies, products, and the classes and events offered by our wonderful Master Distributors and WOTE Level 1 Certification Class Teachers, as well as Wisdom of the Earth (Audre & Cynthia, or each of us individually).  There are also pictures and profiles of all of our master distributors in the US and globally, presented alphabetically and also by state or country.  Take a look at the wonderful WOTE "family" and the incredible knowledge, skills and compassion they offer.  We are so proud of them!

Eventually, retail customers will be able to place WOTE orders via an on-line store.  WOTE distributors will continue to order through the office until their special order portal is complete.

We are also looking forward to adding functionality which will allow those interested in classes or events offered by WOTE and WOTE Master Distributors and Level 1 Teachers to register via the website.  So, more to come!

UPCOMING CLASSES at WOTE
Level I Medicinal Aromatherapy Certification Class (in person) with Audre and Cynthia,  December 4-5. 2021 at the WOTE office in Cornvillle, AZ.  Visit the WOTE website for details   or call Cynthia Olivera at 928-649-9968 to register or with any questions you might have.  Still room for a few more!

Level II Advanced Aromatherapy Retreat (via Zoom) with Audre and Cynthia and some very special guests.  This six day sacred retreat will be held over two successive weeks, February 3-5 and February 10-12.  This retreat is only offered two times a year, and is a requirement for eligibility for WOTE Master Distributor.  A deep and expansive immersion into the world of essential oils, sacred anointing, and your own personal gifts and calling with regard to The Art of Aromatherapy.   The tuition includes three Level II Aromakits, which contain all of the essential oils taught in the Retreat and used in the ceremonies.  Visit the WOTE website for details.  

That is all for now!  Stay safe and keep that feeling of home in your heart!