Vishuddha

[alicia_stardust]

VISHUDDHA: THE THROAT

The Joy of Sarasvati, The Akashic Essence

The Sixteen-Petaled Lotus.

Creativity, self-expression, communication, sound, vibration, and the wisdom to know right from wrong.

 

Vishuddha confers the gift of speech, and thereby the ability to determine and pursue your desires and aspirations.

 

The activity of this chakra also confers the ability to understand how to learn from life's pain, suffering and hardship, and with work, grants the knowledge and strength to transform our trials into growth.

 

When Vishuddha is closed, we suffer from spiritual entropy. When it is open and utilized, our sorrow blossoms into wisdom.

 

 

In the bottle: I definitely get some sort of soft lemon. Not sharp and tangy, though! Slight herbals in the background, maybe?

 

Just applied: This starts out the same as it smelled in the vial, then it sort of spreads out and softens a bit. I definitely get some florals in the background. It's slightly sweet, too. And strangely, despite the lemony quality I probably wouldn't call this a "yellow" scent. It's different. Also, lemon haters don't be turned off until you try this! It's much different than a lot of the lemon blends I've tried.

 

After 30 minutes: Wow, this really turns very creamy. It's a soft, creamy lemon floral that's very stabilizing, calming, and comforting. It's amazing!

 

Rating: For chakra work I rate this 5 out of 5. For scent alone, I rate this 4 out of 5 stars. Great job, Beth!

[Lycanthrope]

A breezy, airy and sweet floral from the bottle. On my skin, definitely a hit of frankincense that then sweeps into something like a fruit rind, maybe orange or grapefruit, with an apparent base of lemongrass or lemon. On top of this there is a fruity floral sweetness that may or may not be lotus, or possibly a powdery lavender. Overall I’d call this a bright, sparkling citrus floral. I don’t know how effective this is, I wore it out once over my throat chakra but didn’t speak up more than usual, but I’m an introvert anyways.

[Little Bird]

On me, Vishuddha is all sweet lemon citrus and powdery spices. It is more like lemon head candies than a fresh lemon smell. After a half hour or so, still sweet lemon candies and a slight powdery scent, but it loses a lot of its spiciness. Overall, Vishuddha is very pleasant. This one isn’t as long lasting and doesn’t have as much throw as most of the other blends. I don’t notice it much after the first hour on my skin.

[mandragora]

In the imp, refreshing citrus, lemon I think. Wet on my skin, soft lemon and herbs. The lemon mellows and develops a creamy quality. Later on it turned slightly powdery on me but still remained nice. This scent stays quite close to the skin as all the other Chakras do and does not have a lot of throw. It's refreshing yet calming at the same time.

[PurringPulsar]

Vishuddha: the Throat

 

In the imp: spicy herbs, warm and soothing.

Wet on skin: now a sweet, resinous note peeks out, but I don't know what it is…I also get a herbal note which I think is thyme. It's still spicy.

Dry on skin: ooh, this is gorgeous. I think I can now smell smoky frankincense here-or myrrh? Maybe both? I get a dry smoky note here that may be opium but I'm not certain. The scent is sweet and deep, yet with tangy/piercing accents of herbs-I can smell thyme and rosemary here, maybe some fennel or anise. I think there's lavender here but I'm not sure if it's lavender now…it may be a lemon herb (lemon balm?) or geranium. It's a mixture reminiscent of La Fee Verte. There's a definite incense feel to it though, but it's herbal incense, which is interesting. A warm hint of peppery spice-which I think is the special 'secret spicy chakra blend' common to all the Chakra oils, is also in here. It's hard to tell exactly what's in this, because it's very well blended!

After a while: ah, I think I get amber now. Sweet, golden amber punctuating the deep, smoky herbal scent. It may be benzoin or ambergris too, which sometimes smell amber-y. It's also a lot lighter and sweeter, which may be due to the amber or another sweet note, possibly vanilla, heliotrope or tonka? Wisps of smoky incense still linger with the sunny herbs around the edges.

Over time, the amber scent gets replaced by the sharp, dark, aged, smokier scent of myrrh. It's not as sweet but it's wonderfully resinous now, almost like one of the BPAL resin-incense scents. However, it's a dry incense as opposed to the slightly sticky feel this scent had before. I still get herbs at the edges of the scent.

However, at other times, the sharpness of the myrrh smoothes out and I get the lemony note the other reviews mention…and I think it's lemon balm-as lemon balm is the lemon scent that lasts longest on me without fading or going soapy.

Then there's a final stage where it has a sweet creamy smoothness, before turning into a lovely frankincense-herb scent with a hint of creamy, smoky musk at the back.

Verdict: I like this a lot. Although I can't tell exactly what's in here apart from 'herbal spicy incense', I love the feel and scent of this. Well blended, deep, mystical and meditative is what this smells like. I get herbal notes (lemon balm, thyme and rosemary are clearest) mingling with resins-amber and myrrh, most probably- and a sweet note. I also get a spicy pepper-based undertone which I have noticed in other Chakra scents. It's a very complex scent-and it's also very mercurial in the way it morphs and shifts constantly, but the notes are very well balanced though so nothing stands out, so everything is blended well. I also think this will be brilliant as a meditation aid, it has that 'feel' to it, very calming, soothing and centring, and warm, like a sunny herb garden, but also a unique scent to wear as perfume. I think this is one of my favourite Chakra oils so far.

Edited April 9, 2006 by yeahbutnobut

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Vishudda is golden in the vial. It's soft and beautiful on me. I get warm amber topnotes, and then sure enough it blooms into citrus and a touch of spice. Still very soft, but the citrus has a clean "throat-clearing" edge to it--I would say this smells like a deluxe BPAL-scented cough lozenge.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 2/5

Efficacy (if applicable): N/A

Summarised in a word or two: Lemon, herbs and amber.

 

In the imp: A weird lemon candy and herbs.

 

On skin, wet: Lemon, amber powder and herbs. If it weren't for the lemon, I think I'd love this. Soft and powdery, but with that sharp lemony edge.

 

On skin, dry: Amber and herbs! Lovely, this one. The lemon still lingers below. Again, if not for the lemon. It gets a fair bit... musky? further into the drydown.

 

Conclusion: Nice. Kind of smells like a Vanilla Canelle roll-on I have from an etailer, but lemony. Just not my thing, because I don't usually care for lemon. I haven't yet given this one's intended purpose a go, but I plan to.

[edenssixthday]

Chakra - Vishuddha: The Throat - This is a really pretty, soft, lemon scent. It's not the bright, crisp lemon I usually get that smells like lemon drops or Pledge. Rather, it's soft around the edges, and melds gently with the lovely floral notes that surround the lemon. It's gently fresh and clean and very positive and uplifting without being shockingly so. It stays somewhat close to my skin, but has really good staying power.

[LiberAmoris]

Vishuddha is my favorite chakra, both in terms of meaning and scent. It smells like lemon-lavender on me with some lovely floral in there as well. It's beautiful and gentle, and has a herbal creamy-dreamy quality that I adore.

 

I'll definitely be picking up a bottle of this in order to work with this chakra. That it happens to smell divine is just a big bonus.

[filigree_shadow]

I have no idea how to use the chakra oils, so I'm just commenting on the scents.

 

In the imp, it smells a little like cleaning products.

 

On, the oil smells lemony and kind of sugary. Not totally like candy, more like lemonade. It definitely seems clean and fresh. This scent actually reminds me of a drink I'd want to drink if my throat hurt. Kind of like a lemony herbal tea with a little bit of honey.

[Caltha]

Vishuddha

Herbal and medicinal, with a citrusy freshness and a musty sweetness common to many BPALs. If I did use scents for magical purposes I would keep it, since I like the properties listed, but as a perfume I won't.

[Diana]

wet: sweet lemon candy

 

dry: almost disappears in the drydown; it's similar to the Vortex, but much softer. This also loses much of the pretty citrus note and becomes a bit more bitter. Not particularly long-lasting.

[Miss Lynx]

Kettu dabbed this one me after I tried Mercury, for comparison. And they do indeed seem to have a fair bit in common, which makes sense, as this is the throat chakra, and thus associated with communication, which is a very mercurial trait.

 

But Vishuddha has more sweetness to it -- it has the same sharp hot/cold herbal/spice notes as Mercury, but layered over a much stronger floral backdrop which goes a bit powdery on my skin -- violet maybe? Or orchid? Whatever it is, it rapidly turns to baby powder once the top notes fade, though there's still a touch of spice there as well.

 

Definitely not something I'd wear as a perfume, but maybe for working with the chakra in question.

 

Grade: C+

[for_the_nonce]

wet: i got bubblegum and apples.

dry: still bubblegum and apples. after a pretty long time, it just smells powdery and sweet.

 

i didn't get any lemon, like everyone else. however, i love the way this smells, especially while wet. very juicy, sweet, and carefree. i can't really attest to the actual speaking bit, but i feel like i expressed myself pretty well on the essay test i took while wearing this

 

heck, even if it did nothing for my chakra, i'm still going to wear it for the scent.

[lookingglass]

Lemony herbal wet, this dries out quite ambery. I won't wear it as perfume but for its intent and purpose.

[Mountaingrrl00]

In the bottle, it's a mishmash of notes - and yeah, rather medicinal. On me, it's earthy ginger root! A pleasant surprise, to be sure.

 

The mood I associate with this one is fiery and outspoken, so it does fit. So much so, in fact, that it might actually be good to balance this with other chakra oils.

[supremegoddessofall]

In bottle: Sharp florals.

 

On me: Very, very sharp. Maybe a bit lemony? Sharply astringent. Also some benzoin, I believe.

[hkhm]

imp: lemon and... myrrh?

 

wet: much more lemony once on but i'm still getting a whiff of something like frankincense or myrrh (or both).

 

dry: this dries to a much sweeter lemon, probably the nicest bpal lemon i've tried yet. the other notes are all a backdrop to this lovely citrus.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Lavender incense? It’s definitely resinous, but there’s something softer draped across the top.

 

Wearing: Soft incense and lavender. It’s very soothing; I’m glad I put it on just before bed.

[othelloperrello]

Sweet!

 

First skin:

Yes, definitely citrus & lavendar, with something comforting in the back like hanging sheets in a vanilla afternoon. There is fruit in there as well, sweet & fresh. Very pleasant on my skin.

 

 

In All:

I quit smoking 6 days ago, so there has been a lot going on with me in the throat chakra lately. Been breathing, singing, and using scents to open those blockages, but there's a lot of cleansing to happen.

I feel this scent is very comforting in this time. I put a bit right into the the notch of my neck and cover up with thick new york winter scarves; on the train, I'll catch a tiny sniff from within, and it's like an inner wrapping, sweet and nurturing.

 

I love this scent. Ordered the set of Chakra imps to see how the set correlates with my experience (I'm into yoga & that sort of stuff). It's going to takea bit to find out how they work energetically (I'll repost) but the is one chakra I will definitely order a full bottle of, to keep as an excellent soft base oil.

[Czarina]

The scent of this is an herbal lemon: pleasant, but unexceptional.

 

I have started my review of the Chakra scents with Vishuddha because of all my chakras, this is the one that needs the most support, and I see these oils as being, among other things, for chakra repair and maintenance (I note that the instructions for the TAL White Light recommend application to all the chakras, but the purpose, although somewhat related, is not the same). A large part of my career involves speaking, both to individuals and to groups. I do it well--yet I am very prone to laryngitis when I catch cold, and suffer from periodic flareups of cough asthma. At the same time, I've found it difficult in the past to speak up in my personal life. I have read that the throat chakra is a particularly vulnerable one because it is "located" close to the surface of the skin. I have wondered if I just don't know how to shield it properly.

 

Accordingly, I applied the oil to my throat while fixing the intent of strengthening and protecting this chakra. I am not expecting quick or dramatic results, frankly, but something more subtle. Interestingly, my throat feels very warm to the touch now when I put my hand on it.

 

If I notice any identifiable long-term effects, I'll update this review.

Edited August 31, 2008 by Czarina

[zankoku_zen]

This one is a softly lemon herbal. Kinda like a Ricola cough drop. It doesn't last long.

 

I am however, going to actually use it in the throat chakra and see what it does.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Sweet and oddly sexy over the usual herbal background. I’m getting a strong musk as the dominant note, with maybe some amber support. There is a floral I’m not placing at all as a secondary. It’s a gentle floral, and not any of the usual suspects. There is a touch of something tangy, that I’m suspecting would have been in the lemon range in a younger sample. Wet: The citrus is likely lemon grass or maybe lemon verbena, as I’m not amping it as I do true citrus. It’s still fairly faint, but blending well with the musk to give it a tangy edge. The herbs are particularly strong in this blend and provide good support for the musk, which remains dominant. This is not ideal with my skin chemistry, but should be rich and sexy opn someone with less natural musk. This is very well blended. Dry: Much more strongly herbal now, with the musk blending in.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - A bright green lemony citrus note. Like lemon verbena on acid

 

Wet on me - An almost lemony geranium scent

 

Dry on me - Faint hints of light green musk

 

Overall - Not really for me

[Lucchesa]

Vishuddha on me is a lemony herbal, like a lemon verbena or lemongrass, with something dry and resiny, a little sharp, maybe even astringent.  It dries down much softer, though it never becomes something I would pick out for the scent.  However, as my profession intimately involves my voice, I will try working with Vishuddha in the context of the throat chakra and see what develops.  This was an exceptionally thoughtful frimp from a lovely forumite!