The days are noticeably longer and the weather is about to become mild. I love the coming of spring with its promise of new life. It’s time to get out the seed catalogues and brainstorm about which seeds to sow, when to sow them and where to sow them. As I sow my seeds indoors or out, I ponder the magic of seeds and how this tiny, seemingly dormant thing will in three or four months yield some big juicy vegetables. Sowing these seeds now will yield very healthful food. Such tiny seeds will transform themselves into a huge sunflowers or perhaps aromatic lavender plants. Seed sowing is certainly a magical activity.

Think about sowing seeds on a mental, emotional and spiritual level as well. With meditation, visualization and contemplation we can sow the seeds for health on a non-physical level. It all starts with the mind and our thoughts. The more I study the brain, the more I am totally fascinated by its power. We have specialized nerve cells that take information in from the environment as well as from internal organs of the body. These nerves send cues about everything around us to organs in the brain to be deciphered and acted upon (or not).

The hypothalamus is one of the organs that helps responds to instinctual urges, visual stimuli, feelings we experience and thoughts that fill our minds. It manufactures several brain chemicals based on the signals it gets from sensory and internal organs. Things that we see, things that we feel and things that we smell can effect the secretions of the hypothalamus. Things that we think about affect the hypothalamus and the release of brain chemicals as well. Our thoughts can affect the way we feel.

Our thoughts and emotions stimulate the production of particular peptides (amino acid chains) that affect the hypothalamus and other organs of the brain. These peptides act like a key in a lock of a cell. Once engaged a cell will start to manufacture its chemicals. If a peptide fits into a receptor of a cell, that cell begins to do whatever it was designed to do in the chain of communication. If there is an excess of a particular peptide (keys), your body will create more receptors (locks). Nerve cells that are alike form networks. This is the same mechanism as that of addiction. After long periods of stress-producing thoughts, we become addicted to the chemicals associated with stress as more and more receptors for the “stress chemicals” are manufactured. It’s not easy to change the pattern of thoughts and eliminate the networks of nerve pathways that rely on these chemicals. Our natural inclination is to resist change in thought patterns. We are more comfortable with what we are accustomed to or addicted to. Changing long ingrained thought patterns requires patience. But in the long run, the receptors for the undesirable chemicals will decrease as the destructive thought patterns become less intense and less frequent.

You can make a gradual, lasting change by creating your own daily ritual. A daily ritual can be as simple as a basic candle-lighting ceremony or as complicated as ancient religious rites. The idea is to change your thought patterns into those that encourage the “happy” brain chemicals. I like the yoga exercise called “Greet the Day.” This simple physical movement combined with the focusing and meditation can make it possible to feel the “universal connection.” Expressions of gratitude can set you up for a day of appreciating every moment resulting in an enjoyable experience. Focus your thoughts and intent on something blissful. Thoughts that remind us of peace, love and joy are good for the body. Consider these thoughts as seeds. These “seeds” will grow into peace, love and joy rather than fear and lack.

Scents can help us to focus our thoughts and assist us in sowing the seeds for good health. Aromas can evoke very powerful responses. They can affect our thoughts and emotions and they can cause the hypothalamus to respond. Lavender, for example, has been shown to help calm and relax. Rosemary, on the other hand, can help us to feel awake and mentally stimulated. Add scent to your daily relaxation or meditation ritual with incense, potpourri, room sprays or aromatherapy diffusers. Aromas can create a wonderful atmosphere for seed sowing on the mental, emotional and spiritual levels.

A daily “seed sowing,” if you will, by way of meditation, visualization and contemplation is a good way to create health in your life. Following is an essential oil blend that can be used in an electric, clay or tea light aromatherapy diffuser. It can also be used to scent potpourri. Only a few drops are needed in the diffuser or on the light bulb ring since these oils are highly concentrated. Geranium, petitgrain, mandarin orange and roman chamomile are all soothing and balancing to the emotions when inhaled. They also help you to focus your intent and aid in meditation and visualization. This blend is 100 percent essential oil and is not diluted. It must be diluted before applying to the body (see suggestions below).

Emotional Balance Blend

Combine the following essential oils in a tiny 1/8 ounce vial.

4 drops geranium essential oil

8 drops petitgrain essential oil

8 drops mandarin orange essential oil

4 drops roman chamomile essential oil

Place a few drops on a light bulb ring in an aromatherapy diffuser to create an atmosphere of balance and healing. This blend must be diluted prior to skin application. For one ounce of carrier lotion or oil, add 20 to 25 drops of the essential oil blend.

Karen Stokes, RN Herbalist is a member of the American Botanical Council and the Michigan Holistic Nurses Association. She can be reached at (248) 515-9863 or via email at karen.stokes@yahoo.com.