In my work with essential oils, I’ve noticed that I don’t always choose a scent for the properties people usually associate with it. When I’m surrounded by too much information, I gravitate towards evergreen scents. They help me focus and put my thoughts in order. Patchouli gives me a sense of grounding. And sometimes jasmine brings on such a rush of creativity that I want to pick up a paintbrush or start composing music there and then.
For me, aromatherapy has long been about more than making a home smell beautiful. I turn to it when I’m looking for direction, making decisions, thinking about my family and considering what I want to contribute to the world. I think of this as creative, life-affirming energy: a state in which it’s easier not to get caught up in irritation, to listen to a different point of view and still remain true to myself.
I am also fascinated by how closely scent can be tied to our sense of space and time. Open a bottle, and a room can suddenly feel different. A familiar note brings back a memory. An aroma that accompanies an important ritual gradually becomes a marker of a new chapter in life. Of course, an essential oil cannot turn back time or alter the walls around us. But it can change how we experience both.
In Indian philosophy, Pancha Mahabhuta describes the world through five elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Aether, or Space. What I find particularly fascinating is that in this tradition, the sense of smell is associated with Earth. To me, it is a beautiful image: our encounter with the unseen begins with something deeply tangible, a plant with its roots, leaves and flowers. Throughout its life, the plant is nourished by earth, water, air and sunlight, which symbolises Fire. And from the union of these elements, sacred Aether is born.
I see the elements as a language for spiritual practice. Essential oils can become part of an inner conversation, but they cannot tell us who we should be.
I’d like to invite you to explore the five elements through scent of essential oils and your own sensations. There is no need to try every practice in one sitting. Begin with whichever one draws you in today.
Earth: The Energy of Manifestation
Aromatic palette: vetiver, cedarwood, patchouli.
Patchouli is the scent I return to when I feel I’ve lost my footing. Vetiver, with its deep, root-like earthiness, and the woody warmth of cedarwood carry that feeling further. To me, Earth is not only about calm. It is also about the ability to make an idea real.
The Roots Ritual
Hold a smooth stone or a small wooden object in your palm. Sit with both feet firmly on the floor. Apply one drop of vetiver, patchouli or cedarwood essential oils to a separate scent strip or to the palms of your hands, and take a moment to get to know its aroma. Feel the weight of the object and the support beneath your feet. Imagine roots symbolically connecting you to the Earth and to everything you have lived through. In your mind, let your scattered attention move down towards your feet, as though you were finding your inner steadiness again. Ask yourself: “What already supports me? What am I ready to bring into being?”
Afterwards, take one tangible step. Finish something you’ve been putting off, bring order to a corner of your home, or make the first move towards a goal that matters. Let the action stand for the support you are building within yourself. Earth reminds us not only of the ground we stand on, but also of what we can create with our own hands. Sometimes spiritual work begins with a very practical decision.
Water: The Energy of Acceptance
Aromatic palette: rose, neroli, geranium.
Water makes me think of feelings we cannot always explain, much less control. Rose, neroli, and geranium essential oils speak differently to everyone. One person may find tenderness in them; another may be taken straight back to childhood. There is no correct response. What matters is yours.
The Flow Ritual
Place a clear bowl of fresh water in front of you. There is no need to add essential oil to it. Apply your chosen essential oil to your wrists, or prepare a scent strip with rose, neroli or geranium. As you breathe in the aroma, notice the play of light across the water’s surface. As you get to know the scent more deeply, ask yourself: ‘Which feeling am I trying to hold on to? Which one am I not allowing to flow freely?’ Don’t rush to explain the answer. Imagine an inner wave moving gently through the feeling, neither carrying it away nor demanding that it disappear. You can simply name the emotion to yourself or write it down.
End with a symbolic gesture: touch the surface of the water with your fingertips and give yourself permission not to control everything at once. Acceptance is not the same as inaction. It means meeting what is there with honesty.
Fire: The Energy of Transformation
Aromatic palette: ginger, cardamom, sweet orange.
To me, these essential oils unmistakably belong to Fire. There is so much warmth and character in them. But Fire here is not about a storm of emotion. It is about the moment we finally stop postponing a decision.
The Spark Ritual
Light a small candle in front of you, or sit by a fireplace. Place a bottle of ginger, sweet orange or cardamom essential oil nearby, separately from the light source. Watch the light for a few moments. Then inhale the aroma of the essential oil and ask yourself: ‘What change have I been putting off? Which part of that change is up to me?’ Imagine not a huge blaze of transformation, but a small, controlled spark. Gather your resolve around it in your mind, without trying to summon physical warmth or any particular sensation. Write down one action you can realistically take within the next twenty-four hours.
Fire finds its purpose when it warms our lives rather than consuming them.
Air: The Energy of Freedom
Aromatic palette: bergamot, petitgrain, rosemary.
The green notes of petitgrain and rosemary evoke freedom of thought for me. Sometimes what we need is not another answer, but the chance to see a situation from a wider perspective.
The Horizon Ritual
Open a window slightly or step outside. Notice the temperature of the air against your skin, the movement around you and the sounds you hear. Breathe naturally, without forcing deep breaths. Get to know the aroma of petitgrain, rosemary or bergamot. Think of a belief that has recently sounded like a final verdict: “I have no choice,” or “There is no other way.” Imagine the moving air creating a little more space between you and that thought. Ask yourself: “What other way might there be to see this?”
The answer doesn’t need to be perfect. One new possibility is enough. Freedom sometimes begins not with an open door, but with the realisation that a door is there.
Aether: The Energy of Presence
Aromatic palette: frankincense, sandalwood, myrrh.
In ancient Indian thought, Akasha means Space. I love this idea: the possibility of pausing long enough to hear myself beneath the constant stream of tasks. Frankincense, sandalwood and myrrh evoke a long history of contemplative rituals, but there is no need to chase an extraordinary experience.
The Space of Silence Ritual
Switch off your notifications. Sit somewhere quiet. Put a drop of frankincense, myrrh or sandalwood essential oil onto the palm of your hand and briefly breathe in its aroma. Listen to the sounds nearby, then those farther away, and finally to the silence between them. Let your attention expand from your body to the space around you, without trying to feel anything unusual. Allow thoughts to come and go. Ask yourself: ‘What remains important to me when I stop rushing and trying to meet other people’s expectations?’
Don’t look for the right answer. Spend a little time with the question.
What Remains After the Ritual?
For me, this is the question that matters most. You can spend a beautiful evening with an aroma and change nothing. Or you can leave the Earth practice and finally take a step you’ve been avoiding; leave Water and allow yourself an honest conversation; leave Fire and dare to begin something new. Everyday life reveals what meaning we have given our inner experience.
I don’t believe in a single universal scent of essential oils that works for everyone. I love getting to know people through their associations, observing how they respond to different plants and finding essential oils that genuinely resonate with them.
If this resonates with you, perhaps it’s worth exploring how a specialist could help you find the oils and rituals best suited to your needs. Start with one bottle and one question. And pay attention not only to the scent, but to what you notice in yourself when you meet it.
Text by Kristina Bobyleva, aromatherapy expert and private consultant. Kristina explores fragrance as a subtle medium through which we connect with our inner state. With more than six years of professional practice in aromatherapy, she brings together modern aromatherapy, plant biochemistry and the neurophysiology of smell with scent culture and the art of conscious living.
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