Perfumery Witches

I want to write a little bit about trusting yourself, God/the Universe/whatever you choose, and others. I want to tell you about the benefits to doing so. I want to show you what life can be like when you accept yourself, open up, and just walk by faith in all around you.

I wish I could use my words to explain what I’m looking at right now, but no matter how many wonderful adjectives I use, they would all fall short of the glory and beauty that sits before my eyes in this moment. So, for that purpose, I will include some photos, and let them do all the talking for me.

Yesterday was not the beginning of my Slovenian Adventure, but in a big way, it was. I’d said bye to Casey the day before, which meant the end of my traveling-with-friends, and the start of my time alone. Of course, it’s not going to be much time, but the longest stretch of time I’ve had to face myself in a great, great while. But, as fate would have it, I wasn’t meant to be alone for long.

I decided not to hitchhike from Maribor to Ljuljbana (Slovenia and Slovenia), because a ride would only cost me 5 euros, and there was no uncertainty in my departure/arrival times. So my Couch Surfing host from Ptuj organized a lift for me, and that’s how I found myself in a car with four Slovenian people. One of whom would end up proposing an adventure to me I could not resist…

When we arrived to Ljubljana, she and I were the last to be dropped off, and we got to talking. She asked where I was going, then offered to walk me part of the way there, because it was “kind of” on her way. Before we parted ways, we exchanged contact information, and she said to me, “You know, tomorrow I’m going with my coworker into the forest to harvest samples of young spruce shoots if you’d like to come.” Formerly a fashion designer, Davorkna is now starting an organic perfume company, Alkamista, and since it’s Spring, it’s time to collect plants and flowers to extract essential oils from for their scents. Well, this whole idea was far too intriguing and rare for me to pass up, so I signed up!

The next morning, she and her friends picked me up, took me to the airport so I could pick up my rental car, and then I followed them into the mountains and hills of Slovenia to go harvest different shoots of this and bits of that. It was a beautiful adventure, complete with cows blocking the road, hands smelling wildly good like nature, and making some new friends in the forest. I didn’t go back to the capital city of Ljubljana with them to watch the distilling process, but I was sent a photo, and it looks like something I’ll have to participate in the next time.

I wish I had a video of the reaction of the rental car guy when, upon asking me where I was planning on going next, heard, “Well, yesterday I met a gal who makes organic perfumes, so I’m going to go with her to harvest some samples in the forest.” Not the kind of answer you get every day, which is exactly why it suits me so well. And now, here I sit next to Bohinj Lake by myself, on a wooden bench among the trees, watching the rain fall on the lake, while the last bits of sunlight barely illuminate the blue, cloud-covered sky.

I am full of gratitude and facing so much emotion, but I am full nonetheless, and know I’m not really alone. My contact with other people has been fairly limited the last day and a half, but I know that is the way it needs to be, is meant to be. This week is a chance for me to face myself, face my fears, and face my addictions. It sounds and feels a bit like a suicide mission, but I know it has to be done. So far, I like the results, and am feeling incredibly optimistic about what it will produce in and around me.

Today, I have spent all my time near lakes and trees, breathing deeply, eating slowly, and smiling widely. I paddle boarded for a couple hours, and had a beautiful and deep meditation on the water. I walked to a waterfall, and let its incredible power make me feel weak and strong all at once. And now, I embrace the shapes around me, the emotions within me, and let my being mesh with all that surrounds me in this moment. Soon I will slip away into the darkness and curl up in the car to sleep, but for now, I finish with this:

There is so much in this world that is good, so many blessings that are waiting to be received. When you close yourself off because of fear, nothing has a chance to get through to you. And while this might be part of the point, what you (we) don’t realize, is that it also prevents any of the positive from getting through. So, while it may be incredibly terrifying, try to open up. Work on accepting and loving yourself, all your bits and pieces, and then begin to work on sorting out how to share them openly with the world around you. By doing so, and giving thanks all along the way, you will step into a you you’ve never known, and the world will open up for you in return. It’s an incredibly hard, dedicated, long process, but if you were looking at what I’m looking at these days, and feeling what I’m feeling, you’d not hesitate at all to begin doing so. Give it a shot, and let me know how things start to change. I’ll be praying for you.

Speak to you soon beloved family, sending you all my love on this wonderful new night.

Blessings, Love, Light and Wonder to all,

Allie-Sun <3