Catamara

PROFILE: I was born in Phoenix Arizona, 8 September 1971. I spent most of my childhood as a girly tomboy, proving I could do anything the neighborhood boys could do and often times better. I liked riding bikes, climbing trees, playing with bugs and skinning knees. I sang in the Phoenix Girls Choir for several years and played the violin and softball for 8 years. My Mother was a schoolteacher and father a lawyer.

Catamara at the beach

I was adopted at 3 days of birth and never found myself to fit in perfectly with my family. They embraced my unusual quirks, love for all things dark and macabre including my desire to dress in all black and gothic lifestyle. They humored me in the beginning but realized at one point this was not a fad I would grow out of. Once this became obvious they learned to accept me truly for who I am and supported my growth, whatever that may be. All the while, I loathed the heat of the desert and sprawl of the expansive strip mall covered city, only truly ever being at peace when it rained or when I was in nature. I was fortunate as a child to travel a lot with my Mother and spent a fair amount of time in nature with my Father. It was at this time he taught me to listen to the wind, though I cannot pinpoint how, I believe this impacted my spiritual growth in years that follow.  When I was 15 years old I awoke one day stating “I’m moving to Seattle when I graduate from college” having never visited prior. I held on to this prophetic message and did so after graduating from the Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Special Education in 1997.

My arrival in the emerald city was life changing. In fact if anyone had told me I would end up doing the majority of the things that followed, I would have laughed maniacally!!

 

Divination

My journey here began with an overwhelming and unexpected outward expression of creativity that included things that deeply challenged me as well as my fear of being seen in the public eye!  Over the span of nearly two decades I found myself fire dancing, performing in a professional tribal belly dance troupe, and becoming an internationally known dj and promoter at Goth/Industrial/Electronic dance clubs in both the USA and Canada.

The Rosarium

Also weaving threads amongst this spiral of creativity was a profound immersion of various occult and esoteric herbal studies and praxis, resulting in ritual art and my passion for making herbal concoctions. Inevitably I also became deeply obsessed with the ancient arts and sciences of alchemy and esoteric herbal arts and became a master herbalist and master in the wortcunning tradition of incense. This great tapestry also led me to the birthing and success of my business Rosarium Blends, now seven years old.

Gurudeva Marcus Riley House of Orpheus

Co-founder and Organizer (2008-2015) of the Esoteric Book Conference held in Seattle, Washington and to my newest endeavor with my love and muse of my life perfumer, Marcus McCoy Co-founder and Organizer of the Viridis Genii Symposium, an herbal symposium with focus of esoteric herbalism, folklore and the ethno-botony of plant magic.

Aromatic Tools of a Witch

ON AMERICAN PERFUMERY: My path upon the art of perfuming differs greatly from that of popular perfumery. All of my formulas are magical charms and are talismanic. They have been created with very specific intentions and formulated using magical theory, correspondences and astrological and lunar timing specific to the energy they embody. They will work on a subtle level even if worn without intention.

Catamara at her aromatics and perfume organ

Every plant has specific energies that can be worked with magically.  My formulas are first determined by researching all plants I want to include in the charm. I then consider the planetary influences, any folklore and mythology and how they specifically related (in varying ways) to the formula I wish to create.  I do not simply mix scents together because they smell nice together or work in accordance of the perfume organ. I focus first on the energy I want to alchemicalize by combining what I know of each ingredient with the other. The process of knowing how much of each herb or oil I select to blend thereafter is an intuitive process and based upon a myriad of other esoteric correspondences.

Manifestation

I was the first to coin the term Talismanic Perfume, while discussing the subject with my partner, who started his own line of talismanic perfumes. Since then the word has gone viral and the concept of perfumes made as talismans seems to have spread. It feels good to have inspired others to integrate or at the very least see the magic available to us through perfumes and scent.

Into the Woods

The beautiful thing about scent is that it is linked to our brain and connects to our memory.  It is deeply connected to our emotional state and has an impact on our behavior whether we realize it or not. Once we have made a connection with it, scent can instantaneously transport us to times past and give us a feeling of comfort, arousal, love, hate, rage, etc.  Scent can have positive effects on our mood, reduce stress, trigger arousal, and increase self-confidence and much more.  This is truly amazing and I believe that any scent whether hand crafted by a witch or artisan perfumer, or mass-produced in the corporate world, has the ability to effect people and trigger emotion or feelings within. Though when made with specific ability and knowledge in the ways previously mentioned will have a much deeper and greater impact to the recipient who wears my perfumes, especially when worn with intention.

Sacred Heart, by Benjamin Veirling

FAVORITE AMERICAN ARTIST: Benjamin A. Vierling is among one of the most important contemporary artists in todays esoteric art field. His herbal compositions are awe-inspiring and invoke great knowledge for those who listen. Each a masterpiece in their own right, he orchestrates rich botanical imagery and reveals the occult mysteries of the plants and the spirits that inhabits them. Truly a master at capturing the very essence needed to convey these relationships to the open eye and transmission of this knowledge.  His paintings and illustrations inspire my work by giving me a tapestry of imagery to get lost within the coils and caverns of each dimension and layer of information I both study and weave and craft into each of my talismanic charms of incense, oils and perfumes.

–Catamara, Founder and perfumer for Rosarium Natural Blends

Editor’s Note:  Catamara is our 115th American Perfumer and her partner Marcus McCoy of House of Orpheus also has been a Contributor for CaFleureBon and featured in this American Perfumer Series. The numerical value of the Hebrew word GhILE, meaning celestial or coming from the sky, is 115.

Thanks to Catamara we have an international draw for a  registered  reader’s choice of Chthonic,Dom, Agua de Flora, HermAprodite, Agua de Palo Santo,Manifestation, Pirowica,

The Rosarium, Satyr or Van Van. OR choose four samples.  To be eligible please leave a comment noting what you found fascinating about Catamara’s path to perfumery, your choice should you win and where you live. Draw ends November 15, 2016

Please like CaFleureBon Profiles in American Perfumery and your entry will count  twice.

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