Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief
I invited the Natural Perfumers Guild Sr. Perfumers Adam Gottschalk, Anya McCoy, Christi Meshell, Elise Pearlstine and JoAnne Bassett to create natural fragrances and to host a NPG Internet project for the 13th sign aka Ophiuchus; it was because I was born on December 13, 13 days late, 3:13 am, and 6 bs 13 oz (on a Friday of course).
If you believed the ancient Babylonians, I would still be a Sagittarius, as they erased Oephiucus from their calendar- the sign of the serpent. In reading more, the 13th sign is 3000 years old, the sign of the healer, not a hell raiser with distinct personality traits :
* Many people are envious of the Ophiuchan as he/she progresses well throughout life.
* A seeker of wisdom and knowledge
* A flamboyant dressing sense, favoring bright colors.
* Would make a great architect or builder (In ENTP testing by MeyerBriggs Walt Disney is an example of "The Architecht 12 archetypes"; I am an ENTP)
Neil Sternberg, Contributor – Aphelia by Adam Gottschalk (art direction by Michelyn aka Queen Gertrude )
Today, in celebration of the 13th sign, Ophiuchus (the serpent bearer), Neil has asked his favorite redneck character, “Snake” Waters, to do the honors. We join Snake and his urban sophisticate brother, Joey, as they discuss Adam Gottschalk’s latest fragrance, Aphelia, on their public access TV show, Joey and Snake’s Virtual Truckstop of Fragrance Fashion. We join their video review, in progress…..
Joey: Oh, come on, Snake. You can’t be serious. What could possibly be un-American about a solid perfume?
Snake: I ain’t sayin’ it’s un-American. I’m saying that a GUY wearin’ a solid perfume is un-American. An’ that don’t mean it’s wrong. That mean’s it’s un-American. You know. Like European.
Joey: I see. Kinda like French fries and Large Hadron Colliders. God forbid a Yankee be caught with either one of those in his “man bag”.
Snake: Dammit, bro – will you quit goin’ on about that purse? I told you I appreciate the gift, but it’s gonna be a cold day in…..
Joey: So how about we get back on message here, Snake?
Snake: Sure thing. Like I was sayin’, this fragrance is damn good – especially for somethin’ that comes in a girlie tin, and Lord knows a guy can sure as hell pull it off if he hides the damn thing.
Joey: Oh my God. I just had a thought. Do you realize that it’s almost like pomade?
Snake: Hot damn, Joey – you’re right. Heck – pomade is both American AND manly! You’re a genius.
Joey: Glad I could be of service. Now – where were we?
Snake: Yeah. Well, now that I can wear it openly, I gotta say it’s my new holy grail in rose scents. I mean, it’s kinda weird being solid and all-natural and everything, but this stuff rocks. The rose – dammit – it’s just good. It’s so smooth and so together, you’d figure it was made by some big-ass company that spent a million dollars figuring out how to make it just right. But at the same time, it smells complex and harmonious like a natural. Cause it is. Just weird as hell.
Joey: Well, for once we agree. I have to say it’s two big thumbs up on this one. Adam really hit this out of the park. I don’t know if it’s the solid format, or the composition itself, or a little bit of both, but the rose here is supported so well, I almost wouldn’t believe that it was done as an all-natural. The longevity isn’t spectacular, but the ride sure is. It’s the rose equivalent of an amusement park. Where they serve excellent booze, I might add. It’s 100% Adam, but I’ve gotta be blunt – about 15 minutes in, this stuff reaches a magic moment that knocks the socks off of a lot of top designer and niche rose fragrances. And it hangs on for quite a while. Rose lovers simply must try it. No excuses.
Snake: What did he say was in it?
Joey: Thirteen ingredients to be exact. The base is fascinating – orris, vanilla and ambergris oil. The heart is rose and rose gallica, supported by araucaria and hyacinth. It’s a very clear and simple rose, but very beautiful. The top is rosewood, cedar, geranium sur fleur, palmarosa, and pink pepper. Item thirteen is the carrier – jojoba/beeswax. Well, there you go – beeswax – there’s your pomade. Not just manly and American – it’s old-timey and natural, too.
Snake: Damn – I knew there was more reasons I liked it. But I still don’t get why he called it Ophelia.
Joey: It’s Aphelia. Ophelia is a character in Hamlet. “Ἀφέλεια” is the spirit of simplicity in Greek mythology. She was nurse to Athena. A related word is still used today for “naïveté”. Rolling eyes NOW.
Snake: Cool. Simple is good. So how are we going to explain to people just how good this sexy beast is?
Joey: The only way we possibly can. By abusing classic literature. Horribly.
Snake: Hell yeah! Who are we this time?
SCENE I. A room in the castle
LORD POLONIUM: (To APHELIA): Read on this Kindle, fair child of Sir Luca Turin and his bride that show of such an exercise may cover your all-naturalness. We are oft to blame in this,–'Tis too much proved–that with devotion's visage and pious action we do layer o'er the devil’s stench itself.
ROSENFRANCE: Oh, PUHLEASE. If the eyes of man should fall upon maid, then let her eyes fall upon something of virtue for even constellations have more than two star for unlike the Chance Flanker, better named Polaris.
GUILTENSTERNBERG: Bro – this worketh not. Let’s move on. Polonium? Exit stage left, amigo.
LORD POLONIUM: I hear his n00bness coming: let's withdraw, my lord.
Exeunt KING JEAN-CLAUDIUS and POLONIUM
Enter GLAMLET
GLAMLET:To be, or not to be: fragrant. That is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the nose to suffer…
ROSENFRANCE: No, no, no. Glamlet – if brothers can we be sharing more than what flows in our veinst hence would not a brother confide that your Bleu de Chanel is TOTALLY WRONG?This is a period piece. What WERE you thinking?
GLAMLET: I’m being unexpected! Smell, smell, smell!
GUILTENSTERNBERG: Cut! Cut! Cut! Look, Romeo,i f you’re going with the ad-libs, let’s get it on. Your honey is a hottie and she smells like a million bucks. What’s not to love?
ROSENFRANCE: OK, people. New cue cards! Let’s mix it up. And…..GO!
GLAMLET: O Aphelia, Aphelia! wherefore art thou an all-natural in a traditionally feminine format? Deny thy father and refuse thy packaging; or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a boy in Chanel Bleu.
APHELIA: [Aside] Shall I hear more, pray tell, or shall I LOL?
GLAMLET:'Tis but thy format that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself art, though not a solid.
What's a solid? it is nor flower, nor root,
Nor leaf, nor seed, nor any other part
Belonging to a macho dude. O, be some other format!
What's in a concentration? that which we call a rose
In any other scent would smell as sweet;
So Aphelia would, were not Aphelia so applied,
Retain that dear perfection which it owes
Without jojoba. Aphelia, doff thy phase,
And for that beeswax which is no significant part of thy odor
Take all myself.
APHELIA: I take thee at thy word: Call me but thy awesome new rose frag, and I'll be new baptized; henceforth I never will be Aphelia.
ROSENFRANCE: Cut! Cut! Cut! It’s a wrap. Aphelia – you were awesome. Trust me – you’ve got a big future in fragrance.
GUILTENSTERNBERG: OK, peeps. Take five and look alive. We’re doing the big sex scene next. Biebs! Hello Kitty! You’re on!
Tama Blough, Editor- Timeless by Joanne Bassett
The constellation Ophiuchus has also been known as Serpentarius – wouldn’t you rather be a Serpentarian than a Ophiuchan for your Astrological sign? I have to look that up to spell it every time – and how do you even pronounce it? (Editor's note: OH-FEE-U-CKUS, Don't say it too fast) Figuratively, the constellation is drawn as a man with a SERPENT.
JoAnne Bassett created the scent Timeless for the 13th Sign Project during the Autumn Equinox. After researching the meaning of Ophiuchus and finding much relating to Egyptian history and the god Imhotep, she says:
“The words that resonated for me were healer, Egyptian, serpent, high priest, and anointing oil. I felt the word peace. I saw a cobra snake coming out of an Egyptian's third eye. I was reminded of an Egyptian wearing a headdress with a cobra head sticking up from the top. The words enlightenment and deity came to mind. I heard this is made for the temple for a purpose. The purpose is to surrender. With that information I began to choose essential oils, absolutes, and resins.”
She used sixteen oils in the composition, including vetiver, elemi, cassie, balsam fir, holy basil, spikenard, frankincense, Egyptian damask rose, and angelica.
I was once told that in a past life I was an Egyptian, and have always been attracted to that time in history. The Egyptian connection of Ophiuchus to Imhotep, the great Egyptian healer, seemed to be the component of the 13th Sign that sang the most loudly to Joanne. The notes she has used in Timeless speak of ancient arts. As I wore the perfume, I very much related to her Egyptian imagery and her thoughts on the anointing oil as something used in the temple to aid in divine surrender. I also felt a more sensual nature in the perfume that spoke to me as much of the surrender in earthly pleasures as divine ones.
The clarifying opening, featuring evergreen and herbal scents, creates a sense of alertness based in calm. When one truly surrenders, one wants to maintain one’s sense of mind and presence in the act of the surrender, while still remaining malleable in all senses. As the scent matures on the skin, the vetiver and incenses are more present, creating a relaxing feeling. The surrender has taken hold, the senses can exist in a more languid state.
Timeless is almost more an experience than a perfume. It would be perfect for the end of a hard day when you want to relax but are not ready for sleep. It would also be beautiful in an environment of sensual interaction, as anointing oil that would heighten the senses and create an atmosphere of awareness. Of course, it would be wondrous as a tool for meditation and worship, to clarify the mind and bring release and enlightenment, just as in those ancient Egyptian temples. Surrender to it…
Mark Behnke, Managing Editor- Forbidden by Christi Meshell
I’m not a big believer in the signs; that’s the scientist in me speaking of course. When they announced there was an adjustment being made and a 13th sign was being added I was more interested in the astronomical reasons over the astrological ones. Then I found out this new sign was called Oephiucus besides having to be careful on how you pronounce it; it is a snake sign and snakes and I go way back. I kept water snakes as pets when I was a boy and have always been fascinated by them.
Christi Meshell the perfumer behind the House of Matriarch found inspiration for her 13th sign fragrance, Forbidden, in forbidden art. Specifically a Gustav Klimt painting which was burned by the Nazis in 1945. There is still a picture remaining of the one titled Hygeia which depicts the serpent-wielding Goddess of Good Health and daughter of Ascielpus.
Ms. Meshell asks in her material she sent with Forbidden “Potion or Perfume?” Forbidden has a powerful presence but at least for me I think it is a perfume. Ms. Meshell brings to life the vibrancy of Klimt’s painting like a phoenix from the ashes.
Forbidden opens up with the boozy licorice quality of absinthe paired with the herbal resin damiana. This is an exotic opening and I found myself enjoying it each time I wore it. The floral heart is tuberose and unlike other fragrances where that note takes over, in Forbidden it is not the cornerstone of the fragrance it just adds its sweet floralcy in contrast to the top notes. The base is a mix of animalic and woods. This is where Ms. Meshell and my childhood intersect. The base feels like something alive over light woods and the feeling of earth. This is the smell of my snake cage as there were branches and soil along with the snakes and when I would open it up the base smells a lot like I remember that to smell like. If you’re thinking that description is off-putting it is much better than it sounds. It feels like a raw leather with a bit of cypress and an earth accord. Does that sound better?
Forbidden has above average longevity and average sillage.
Every time I am asked to participate in one of The Natural Perfumers Guild projects I am delighted at the creativity I encounter. Ms. Meshell takes her artisitic inspiration and creates a perfumed potion of exceptional quality.
Ida Meister, Natural Perfume & Senior Editor- Saffre by Elise Pearlstine and White Smoke by Anya McCoy
Our Editor-in-Chief Michelyn Camen found herself all a-flutter earlier this year, when the re-introduction [this time, more vehemently] of a 13th sign was presented for our occult consideration.
She discovered that her birthday fell under this astrological umbrella.
This was a fine opportunity to explore the theme as a botanical project in collaboration with the Natural Perfumers Guild.
Lordy, there is a great deal to read – and be read – on this subject.
[Anya herself admits to having felt overwhelmed by the massive body of information available- small wonder!]
The sources harken all the way back- from Imhotep, of 27th C BCE Egypt / Aesclepius of the ancient Greeks, to Old Testament patriarch Jacob’s son Joseph.
Healers all, they are represented by the snake– ever present in the caduceus of the medical profession.
There are multiple attributes assigned to the 13th sign- [November 29th – December 18th] Ophiuchus, the Serpent-Bearer/ Snake Wrestler.
Among them are the following: psychic healing, naturopathy, seeker of higher wisdom, fame, intuition, astrological talents, secret enemies, lofty ideals.
Often these young children are the apple of their father’s eye, and the father is a primary formative force. They frequently feel misunderstood and are appreciated later in life or after their demise.
How was this interpreted by our Guild perfumers?
Anya McCoy and Elise Pearlstine fell to my lot, and their renditions and approaches to this challenge are as unique as the perfumers themselves.
Saffre: Bellyflowers
Elise immediately seized upon the serpent connection, and went rooting about the earthy aspects, quite literally: what sort of plants and grasses, herbs and spices “hug the ground “ [direct quote from Elise !]? What are their healing properties?
Ginger’s tonic kick gets the aromatherapeutic ball going followed by the partnership of saffron and orange blossom.
The medicinal- spicy / floral heart is alluringly quirky and pleasing.
Vetiver root oil and patchouli provide a loamy grassiness, enhanced by a musky ambrette seed note.
Frankincense and myrrh are powerfully resinous and base-heavy.
Therapeutically speaking, ginger is cleansing and a fine digestive, wonderful for circulation and purification of the blood.
Saffron was utilized as an antispasmodic, anticonvulsant, and antidepressant- while relieving kidney stones and stomach ailments.
Citrus is used for snakebite and has uplifting qualities, while vetiver is called the “Oil of Tranquillity”.
Frankincense and myrrh are used in spiritual ceremonies and for meditative purposes. They are also used topically for the skin, arthritis, female hormonal balance, and digestion- among myriad other uses.
The complete impression of this exquisitely odd fragrance is truly what Elise had set out to accomplish-
That of a snake wending its slithery path through the moist undergrowth, its olfactory footprint evoked by the faintly musky trail which marks its passage.
White Smoke: Introduction to Anya’s Garden Prima Aroma Line
Anya’s response to the Ophiuchus information overload was to meditate.
Her first meditation revolved around a parable which my Managing Editor and dear friend Mark B. and I have often pondered:
That of the blind men examining different parts of an elephant, and coming up with wildly divergent opinions 😉
Anya found the effects of all this astrological/ mythical/ legendary data upon the other Guild members equally fascinating-
As they each interpreted the elephant from their explorations of the topic.
After all her deep reflection, it was frankincense which continued to haunt Anya’s consciousness- the primordial substance she utilized to facilitate her practice.
The restorative, meditative aspect which ties healing and humans.
Through the medium of “per fumum “- through smoke- pungent resins have been set alight or distilled via alembic, for thousands of years’ duration.
Labdanum, frankincense, opoponax [sweet myrrh] omumbiri [a myrrh-like resin found in Mumbai and Namibia] , myrrh and benzoin provided the all -resin lineup.
100 % liquid resin [not such a simple task- very sticky 😉 ] and softly but resolutely tenacious, White Smoke supplies an excellent foundation upon which to build other perfumes. (MC <3 this one)
It is lovely solo, too- when the heart and soul benefit from the deeply soothing, contemplative nature of such ancient, venerable substances.
All these resins in joyful combination are deeply satisfying, lingering lovingly on the skin, albeit a tad sticky at first; I can see how challenging it is to render these gems usable 😉
Anya will be debuting a line of healing perfumes soon, called Prima Aroma- of which White Smoke will be the first.
[Actually, this concept had been on the back burner for almost two years; it was the Ophiuchus project which rekindled her desire and focus]
Thank you, Anya and Elise- for your intriguing perfumed inspirations!
Thanks to our roster of talented perfumers we have a draw for each of the fragrances in the project:
A 20mL jar of Aphelia solid from Lord's Jester
A 5mL bottle of Timeless from JoAnne Bassett
A 60mL( 2oz.) bottle of Forbidden from House of Matriarch
Two 5mL roll-on bottles of Saffre from Bellyflowers
A 30mL bottle of White Smoke from Anya's Garden
To be eligible leave a comment about the perfumes first; whether you believe in the 13th sign or if you want to give a shout out to anyone born between November 28-December 18. The draw is random but eloquence is appreciated and feel free to compliment our reviewers. Draw ends December 2, 2011 (Maria Callas' Birthday, whose chart and MC's were eerily alike (as well as their intitials)
We announce the winners only onsite or on our Facebook page, so "Like" CaFleureBon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be spilled perfume.
Editor's Note: Happy Birthday for all those born November 28- Dec 18; you are in good company (some famous Ophiuchus include King Imhotep who was the progenitor of the 13th sign, Jon Stewart of the Daily Show, Author Madeleine D'Engle, Billy Idol, Woody Allen, Maria Callas, Jay-Z, Walt Disney, Dave Brubeck, Boston Celtic Larry Bird, artist Diego Rivera, Douglas Fairbanks jr., Emily Dickinson, Fiorello la Guardia, Mayor of New York, Frank Sinatra, Jamie Foxx, Bette Davis, Steven Spielberg, Brad Pitt, Spike Jones, Margaret Mead, Noel Coward, Dick Van Dyke,Christopher Plummer and Nostradamus (PS. I pronounce Ophiuchus "Oh F*&K us"; we have an outlaw sign; you read this piece carefully one of our writer's names appears in an unexpected place, can you find it ?)
The New Dates:
Capricorn: Jan. 20 – Feb. 16
Aquarius: Feb. 16 – March 11
Pisces: March 11- April 18
Aries: April 18 – May 13
Taurus: May 13 – June 21
Gemini: June 21 – July 20
Cancer: July 20 – Aug. 10
Leo: Aug. 10 – Sept. 16
Virgo: Sept. 16 – Oct. 30
Libra: Oct. 30 – Nov. 23
Scorpio: Nov. 23 – Nov. 29
Ophiuchus: Nov. 29 – Dec. 17
Sagittarius: Dec. 17 – Jan. 20