What's in a Name ?

Phoenix
The Phoenix is a symbol of transformation for many cultures - transformation from within, transformation at a profound level, which flows through to all areas of life. My favourite Phoenix story is "The Phoenix Bird" written in 1872 by Hans Christian Anderson:

"In the Garden of Paradise, beneath the Tree of Knowledge, bloomed a rose bush. Here, in the first rose, a bird was born. His flight was like the flashing of light, his plumage was beauteous, and his song ravishing. But when Eve plucked the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, when she and Adam were driven from Paradise, there fell from the flaming sword of the cherub a spark into the nest of the bird, which blazed up forthwith. The bird perished in the flames; but from the red egg in the nest, there flutterered aloft a new one - the one solitary Phoenix bird. The fable tells that he dwells in Arabia, and that every hundred years, he burns himself to death in his nest; but each time a new Phoenix, the only one inthe world, rises up from the red egg."

Rose
Rosa Damascena - Queen of Flowers, Queen of Scents - the Heart of Phoenix Rose Scentsorium

"She loved flowers on the alter. Roses especially reminded her of who she was and of what she must become. They were so tight in the beginning, and then slowly, imperceptibly they opened up and surrendered themselves to whatever lay about them. Even in dying they dropped their petals gracefully; and if you listened quietly enough, you could hear the silence of their falling. All that was left was the centre, naked and free of all the pampering satin petals it held so closely at the start. And the centre held in perfect poverty."

from "A Light in the Garden" by : Murray Bodo - The story of St Clare of Assisi

Scentsorium
"Sensorium" is an old word for the seat of sensation within the brain ... that part of the brain which we call the Limbic System. This is the oldest part of the brain, in an evolutionary sense. It attaches our sense of smell to our memories, making it the most profound of our senses, as more than any other sense, it can take us back into our memories. Many of our thinking patterns are seated in our forgotten memories - our fears, our loves, our preferences in life - these things develop with us as we grow and we are often quite unaware of the origin of those things which determine how we see ourselves in relation the our world. Certain aromas can evoke feelings emotions & thoughts from yesteryear. Just as easily, we create anew feelings emotions & thoughts to to take with us into the future. Aromas entering our limbic system, via the olfactory nerve, can stimulate the production of chemicals within the brain that effect our moods and bodily functions. Understanding the part played by aromas allows us to use essential oils to stimulate & uplife, calm & balance, relax & soothe our body mind & spirit.