Not doing nothing much, I remember those Sundays in my childhood. Got a bit older, and Sunday afternoons would be a family foursome round of golf with high tea in the club house. A beautiful bit of prose.... have a read, so much wisdom, particularly this part... "I have noticed that even the language has changed. We no longer spend an afternoon doing nothing. We are *recharging our batteries*, *taking some personal time* or *prioritising self-care*. Everything must have a purpose, even rest." Copied and pasted from Facebook, written by Kevin McManus. "The Lost Art of Doing Nothing There was a time, not so very long ago, when doing nothing was a perfectly respectable way of passing an afternoon. People sat in chairs and looked out windows. They watched the rain falling on the fields, the occasional car passing along the road, or a neighbour making his way home from the village. They might comment on the weather, although there was rarely anything new to report. Sometimes they said nothing at all. And nobody thought there was anything particularly wrong with this. In the Ireland of my childhood, doing nothing was almost an art form. An elderly man could spend the better part of a Sunday afternoon sitting beside the fire, occasionally stirring the ashes with a poker, without feeling the slightest obligation to improve himself. He wasn't practising mindfulness or taking time out for his mental health. He was simply sitting there. There was no app involved. I remember visiting houses where the clock ticked loudly on the mantelpiece, the fire crackled in the grate, and the conversation moved at a pace that would be considered dangerously slow today. Someone might remark that there was a touch of frost coming. Another person would agree. A third might recall a particularly hard winter sometime in the 1960s. And that could keep everyone occupied for twenty minutes. Silence was never regarded as a failure of conversation. It was simply a natural part of it. People could sit together without feeling the need to fill every moment with words.

..... to make room for the new. For us, that's what Autumn is all about. Time for reflection, acceptance and recalibration. Following on from my post about Clementine below, I'd like to add Black Spruce to our Autumn EO's. Oh, and they both smell fabulous together! This is what I wrote about Black Spruce's personality and its magical relationship with us many yeaars ago. " Now this is what I would call a Spruce smell, as opposed to the smell of Hemlock Spruce which smells more ‘piney’. First, I felt as though the tree itself was giving me a hug, a ‘hug in a bottle’. I then found myself knee deep in snow with spruce trees all around me. Not too far off I could see a log cabin with smoke coming out of the chimney. I knew the cabin was meant for me and me alone. I trundle through the snow and go inside the cabin. I make myself a mug of hot chocolate (I never drink it, I don’t really do milk) and settle down in front of the log fire in a rocking chair, with my feet up on a stool and a blanket over my back and shoulders, sipping my hot chocolate. Suddenly I started remembering memories from my childhood. Wonderful memories, sad memories, happy memories. I just allowed them to flow, I was enjoying the experience, when suddenly I was brought back to reality when I realised how few memories there really were, how many gaps there were between each ‘episode’ or year of my childhood. Oh gosh, where was this going? I now felt quite upset! I ended up asking for Victoria’s help here. Victoria is my dowser that helps me with individual oils, not blends. What she told me was, the gaps in our memories are irrelevant as they did not serve our higher purpose. They were just part of us being human and experiencing human life. The memories we do recall, good, bad and the ugly is because they were experiences, we were destined to have to teach us lessons, to test us to see if we have learnt from our past lives, and were fore-written in our Akashic Records! Well, I wasn’t expecting that at all!

Ahhhh..... Autumn! My favourite essential oil for Autumn is Clementine. A warming oil to our emotions, wrapped up in a snuggly blanket or chunky cardigan/sweater giving us emotional support with a smile. Clears the mind relieving anxiety and stress. Where there is mild insomnia and broken sleep, Clementine helps you get a restful night’s sleep and leaves you feeling rejuvenated in the morning. It helps where focus and attention are required. Said to help memory too! Clementine lies between Summer and Autumn, where the days are still warm but we need an extra layer for the cooler nights. When sunsets are glorious and hold the promise of a wonderful new day. A time where we start putting away our happy summer memories and prepare ourselves for Autumn when the shedding of everything that no longer serve us or are needed really begins. So how does Clementine help our relationships? In our relationships with others, it is a transient oil where we have reached the point where we have wonderful memories but we know deep down the relationship has run its course. But when we look forwards to a life without that relationship, it brings a little chill and gentle fear of a future unknown which is also mixed in with a sense of excitement of new beginnings. This is when we reach for that familiar snuggly sweater as we watch the setting sun and remember who we are as an individual and where our strengths lie. It reminds you of all those plans you had but put your life ‘on hold’ that you had forgotten about but now have the time and space as you enter Autumn to retrieve and organise the life you want. This is not from a selfish place; this comes from a place of gratitude for the life lessons a relationship has taught you and made you stronger to manifest what is really important to you. A decluttering is at hand for your emotions and mind. New paths become visible and your excitement begins to rise. A fabulous bridge between Mandarin’s sweet childlike qualities and entering maturity of Autumn…. your teenage years where you were full of hope and dreams.

Robin Kessler CCA and RBK Aromatherapy LLC Proudly presents each month, free webinars from distinguished herbalist and aromatherapists. These webinars are live on WebEx This month on Oct 22 , 4 PM EST will be Angela Sidlo Her lecture will be on The Five Element Aromatherapy Practitioner Using TCM Five Element Theory + Essential Oils + Acupressure Points Join Angela Sidlo for an inspiring and practical introduction to becoming a Five Element Aromatherapy Practitioner—a way of looking beyond individual symptoms and exploring the relationships between emotions, seasons, body systems, energetic patterns, essential oils, and acupressure points. In this webinar, you'll discover how the five elements—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water—can provide a new lens for understanding your clients and creating more intentional aromatherapy experiences. A bit about Angelia: Angela Sidlo, AAT, CHA, CR Angela Sidlo is an author, educator, speaker, and visionary in the field of holistic health, best known as facilitator of AcuAroma Therapy, an innovative approach that integrates the wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine with the therapeutic and energetic properties of essential oils. A lifelong student of natural medicine, Angela believes that true healing happens when ancient wisdom meets modern understanding. Her mission AcuAroma Therapy Level 1 Certification Program, the first certification of its kind designed to train facilitators to lead AcuAroma Learning Circles and bring this unique modality into their communities. She also developed the AcuAroma Reiki Certification Program, expanding opportunities for practitioners to integrate aromatic plant medicine with energy-based healing practices. She is a Certified Holistic Aromatherapist, AcuAroma Therapist, Certified Reflexologist, Reiki Master Teacher, and Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. Angela is the creator of the AcuAroma Therapy Card Deck and companion eBook, educational resources now used in more than 18countries, and is the publisher and contributing author to Drops of

To @Tracey Duncan @Sonal Sachdeva and Sakeeb Saleheen on completing their Treating the Sciatic & 12Cranial Nerves with Reflexology yesterday. I met Tracey 9 years ago when she volunteered for CSTUK which was set up by myself to help the survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire. We have remained firm friends ever since. Tracey has a clinic in Bournemouth called Mother Muthi which is a nod to her South African heritage. Sonal and I are also long standing friends. Sonal contacted me again, 9 years ago, when she asked me if we could do a series of 7 short videos about the blends of EO’s she had put together for each day of the week you were born on. You can watch them here: thenatural approach.biz/astrological-aromatherapy/ Sonal is a Ayurvedic Astrologer. As to Sakeeb, we met almost 4 years ago on Spiros’ Orthopedic Reflexology course in Athens. He is a very busy reflexologist based in Enfield. He not only has private clients but also spends time at dedicated clinics for cancer patients as one example. We had an absolutely lovely day not just learning but also reminiscing. For me it was lovely watching these three wonderful people forge new friendships. Well done guys, you made an old lady very happy yesterday ❤️ The photos below are of Tracey before and after treatment.