Introducing a Unique, Highly Sustainable Frankincense Essential Oil from Wisdom of the Earth

Excerpted from the poem by Michael Valentine, "The Day before my Birthday"

…the city smelled like frankincense this morning
oh so familiar tangy-pine aroma of magic
and mystery and mastery…

the city smelled like frankincense this morning
and when I breathed it in I knew
I could read the sign
I knew which way to go
I knew what I had been waiting for
and why I had been wanting

I knew

I recently found a wonderful supplier in Kenya who is doing greatly needed work to provide sustainable Frankincense essential oil.  He works with the local Kenyan people to harvest the resin from this particular variety, Boswellia neglecta, and produce the exquisite oil from the raw material.  There are several aspects of this process that cause me to describe this oil as unique.

• The resin, unlike the resins of the other more commercially available Frankincense varieties - like our beautiful Boswellia carterii, which we have offered for over 20 years - is black in color, instead of yellow to greenish hues.  This really caught my attention, as we offer a number of essential oils that are black in color, or come from varieties of their species that are named Black, including Black Spruce, Black Pine, Black Cardamom, and Cade (the black, smoky one from Spain).  We love using these essences to work with negative energies or deep meditative practice.
• The resin is usually "bled" from the Frankincense tree...a long knife is actually used to slice the bark of the tree to create an opening for the resin to bleed through, where it is then collected (much like "tapping" a maple tree to access its sap to make maple syrup).  In the case of Boswellia neglecta, however, the resin seeps naturally from the trees without harm or tapping, thanks to the coexistence with beetles that feed on the monoterpene-rich inner bark (creating openings for the resin to flow) – making it truly one of the most sustainable frankincense resins available.
• When I asked why the botanical name included the variety designation of "neglecta", the owner answered that this species has been a "late bloomer", so to speak...hardly known and misunderstood.  But it is truly a neglected "gem", being rich with phyto-chemicals like alpha-pinene, alpha-thujene  and terpinen-4-ol...all of which have been shown in research, according to the farmer, to be associated with anti-cancer activity, including apoptosis (death of cells that are dangerous to the rest of the organism).
• When we explored the oil among ourselves in the office, we felt a depth of stillness similar to that of our Somalian Frankincense.  The same powerful insight, the ability to deeply contemplate a subject, or a desire, or the void.  We applied it to our crown chakra, to our heart or heart chakra, and we personally experienced the pure, uplifting and humble energy of this beautiful tree.

So, I was eager to introduce this beauty to our customers, and I have not been disappointed.  Boswellia neglecta was a hit at our recent Level 2 Sacred Aromatherapy Retreat, and I have already had to re-order it because of its warm reception by our students and clients.  While we continue to offer the beautiful Frankincense from Somalia that we have offered since our inception, we are excited to have her joined by this new offering from Kenya.  Pricing is 5 ml $20; 15 ml $52.

You can order her here:  https://wisdomoftheearth.com/product/frankincense-rare-black-essential-oil/

Important Announcement

Effective Friday, December 16, 2022, I will be closing the ecommerce functionality on my Shining Sun Aromatherapy website.  It has been wonderful and beautiful experience, but it is time to simplify the management of my business and retire my Shining Sun Aromatherapy (my private practice in Santa Fe) on-line store, as I closed that practice when I moved full-time to AZ in the Fall of 2021.   Orders can now be placed via the wisdomoftheearth.com website, which has identical products, and has been fulfilling the Shining Sun orders since I relocated and assumed full ownership of Wisdom of the Earth.

There is a lot of great information on the Shining Sun site, so the general site will remain up until the end of the year.  I will begin introducing unique content from that site to my Wisdom of the Earth website over the next several months.  I want to thank all of you who were part of my wonderful student and client audience there, and I trust you will find the Wisdom of the Earth site interesting and easy to use, as well.  If you are one of my certified aromatherapy students, please call the Wisdom of the Earth office (928-649-9968) for information regarding how to register on the WOTE site and receive your 22% Wholesale Distributor (Certified Level 1 Student) discount.

Let me take this opportunity to wish you and yours a beautiful, healthy, and joyous holiday season.  We at Wisdom of the Earth give heart-felt thanks, each and every day, for your business, for the trust you place in us, and for your friendship and camaraderie.  We appreciate your notes, your feedback, and your kind and heart-warming comments.  Please know that we take your satisfaction -- as well as your suggestions for how to make WOTE even better --  seriously and personally.  Thank you for being part of the Wisdom of the Earth family.

Love, Audre Gutierrez

Owner, Wisdom of the Earth