A Spirit, Katie

[armeleia]

On my arrival (June 5) all appeared fair enough. I found the mediums established on the second floor of a small house in Ninth Street near Arch. There were but two rooms on the floor, a front parlor and a bedroom; the lower floor under both rooms being occupied as a shop for the sale of musical instruments. In a back corner of the parlor was a walnut cabinet, seven feet wide and eight feet high, with a door that opened into the parlor, and two apertures, five and six feet high respectively, both curtained with black cloth. We had lamp-light, shaded but sufficient to enable us to recognize faces and to see everything that passed in the room. After we had examined the cabinet, the medium entered it, closing the door.

Soon at one of the apertures appeared a fair, thoughtful young face, a girl of eighteen apparently, by whom I was cordially welcomed in a low, pleasant voice. She returned and spoke to us several times. At the close of the sitting she twice appeared, robed in white, just within the cabinet door; not coming out, however, into the room: the first time (so I was told) that she had ever shown herself in full form.

It was evidently a living, moving, thinking being. Yet I suspended judgment. One of the mediums was out of our sight. Then there was a door locked, padlocked, and otherwise effectually secured, it seemed, but yet a door from the cabinet into the bedroom adjoining. The possibility of a confederate suggested itself.

Forty memorable sittings followed. Gradually test conditions were perfected, and every imaginable ground for suspecting deception was removed; and then, instead of failure, all the phenomena came out in greater perfection than before. I select the more remarkable; to copy my notes in full would involve tedious repetition.

June 7. Katie allowed Dr. Child to feel her pulse; its beats were distinct, about seventy-two a minute. A lady offered her a gold ring, and asked me to put it on her finger. I did so. The hand, beautifully formed, was like that of a mortal woman, nearly of the same temperature as my own, and slightly moist. At the close of the sitting she advanced into the room, dropped a finger on my head, and touched several other persons.

June 9. I gave her a long chain, composed of Violets hair, a present to myself more than forty-five years ago: hoping, as I told Katie, thereby to attract Violet herself in accordance with her promise. I observed that Katie wore the gold ring. But when, at the close of the sitting, examined with a light every nook and corner in the cabinet, neither ring nor chain was to be found.

June 10. Katie called me up to the aperture, handed me back the hair chain, and said: Violet wishes you to keep this, in memory of her, until you are called to meet her in her spirit-home.

Touching Visitants From a Higher Life, Robert Dale Owen

In memory of her: green cognac, rose water, and Italian bergamot.

In the bottle, its a beautiful, sweet green scent. The first few hours, it is a well-balanced blend of the bergamot and the cognac, with just the faintest bit of rose to keep it from being foody or boozy. It has a slightly sparkling feel to it, and it is really wonderful... I feel like is almost more like something you could get at a store, except that it isnt artificial-smelling or overpowering. I cant think of how to describe it exactly? Its just gentle and sweet but still unique. As time passed, the rose came out more... and the balance shifted to be more rose-bergamot with the cognac sweetness but no distinct cognac-ness. At the end it was just rose, which turned a little powdery.

 

Overall I really like this one a lot and really recommend it. Its also the type of scent that I think would make a nice gift because I feel like a lot of people would enjoy it.

[lizabelle]

As with several of the other Yules I picked up this year, this is not what I expected. That's not necessarily bad, but it was definitely a surprise! I find that most rose blends are very rose-dominant, but that actually isn't the case here. This is much more of a fresh/green scent than a rosey one, and I find it to be surprisingly unisex.

 

The bergamot is front and center in this, much greener and less orangey than I'm used to but still lovely. Bergamot is a favorite of mine in any form. The cognac is more perfumey than boozy and gives the bergamot some depth and spice. As the citrus fades the rose comes in and is shockingly true to life for being "rosewater." If anything it smells like a rose that's been recently dried; there's a papery quality to it. Overall this is a really interesting and elegant scent.

[dramedy65]

Smells like soft fruity bergamot, with a hint of dried roses. it opens into a non cloying version of my Italian grandma's potpurri, like a soft blend of happier times, fading. I love it. It's very unisex?

 

I bought 3 bottles+, because grief is weird, and I will probably wear this a lot more during the spring or fall. It's not warm enough for winter and I sweat too much in Summer but it's perfect soft scent for fall or spring... Anyway, big fan.

[LiberAmoris]

A Spirit, Katie is really beautiful. It's reminiscent of Razors in a Doll's House with the shared rose water and cognac notes. But this is greener and fresher, with the 'green' cognac and bergamot giving this a fresh, tart, citrusy feel. It dries down to a green, fresh, cucumbery, slightly tangy rose water. This really does smell like a springtime perfume.

[roseus]

The lightness of the rose water makes me think of floaty chiffon dresses. The cognac is fresh and green and the bergamot adds more brightness and keeps the cognac from pushing sharp on me. Very romantic and wistful.

[marared]

I don't know what I expected of this - I ordered it as an oddball, considering my usual tastes. Bergamot is usually too sharp, liquor notes tend to go sour, and I amp the crap out of rose. But every now and then I've been surprised by things I shouldn't like, and this is one of them. I ended up liking it the best of ALL the decants I tried, and went straight to the site and bought a bottle.

 

I have no idea why I smell vanilla, but I do. Sweet, feminine, girly rose vanilla. I have to inhale deeply to get an undercurrent of sharp greenness. This is a LOT like Symmakhia, which is the only other BPAL rose blend I like enough to order, except without the pear.

 

Edit to add that after 20-30 minutes, I start getting that sour tang from the cognac, but it's not too offensive. I think maybe it'll let up with some age.

Edited January 12, 2018 by marared

[annaham]

I get sugared rose and a bit of fresh greenery, which fades to a light citrus. This is very unique and wintery scent!

[zankoku_zen]

Sugared rose, greenery, and its very feminine. Soft, feminine roses with a touch of citrus. Medium wear length and throw.

[Lucchesa]

A Spirit, Katie is really lovely. Pale in color, gossamer. Rosewater is the primary note on me, with the cognac not a warm boozy scent but a delicate hint of the contents of a snifter now empty. Bergamot is one of my favorite notes and I have to confess I didn't recognize it here (testing blind), just a gentle touch of citrus. It's not the bergamot note that screams Earl Grey but something much more subtle.

 

Unfortunately, as is the case with so many light, ethereal springtime blends, my skin just drinks this one up. Two hours later there is just the faintest ghost of scent left. Beautiful, and not for me.

[SophieCedar]

Huh! I'm loving this scent for spring.

 

Smells a bit like a sweetened, white musk, white & green tea blend with sexy syrupy-ness in the background. Guessing that's the rosewater and cognac combining. The bergamot is bubbly and leaves that citrus poof tang on my tongue, when wet.

 

Drydown? OMG... Its glorious. This almost smells like white/saturn peach single note, on me. Ok let me get a grip here and try to explain the unexplainable... Green cognac is glowingly showcased here. Reminds me of a memory of mine: sipping chartreuse in an ancient dockside lounge during summertime in Newport, RI. Not kidding. The way the rosewater develops on drydown is to die for! A Spirit Katie is refined, non-cloyingly clean, sweet, perfumey and luxurious.

 

Getting a bottle.

[mishi-bear]

2018 version.

 

Quite sour smelling at first, though that aspect becomes more mild with wear time. 

 

The rose initially starts off as sour, but gets more floral after a moment and its sweetness shines through. Definitely has a bit of an aquatic tinge to it as well, and some sort of greenery.

 

The bergamot also contributes to that bit of sourness. It does smell almost lemony fresh here, definitely has a sort of citrus smell going for it.

 

The cognac is hard to pin down. There is a bit of booziness but it's mild. I'll be honest and say cognac is kind of weird and elusive to me

 

Overall not a bad smell. Not something worth a full bottle to me, but very refreshing.

[Alisha_SBC]

Delicate is the first word that comes to mind with this scent.

It's sweet, but not cloying.

Floral, but not heady.

 

The rosewater is such a gentle note, present when first applied but tempered by the others scents. I had no idea what to expect from green cognac. It's definitely not boozy, but I think it lends this perfume a perfect mellowness. The bergamot isn't sharp, instead it's a twist of citrus but doesn't take over.

 

Overall I love this. It seems to keep close to my skin and would make a gorgeous Springtime scent. It's also very nice at bedtime for just relaxing.

 

Edit: The rose really came out to play after about an hour or two on my skin. It was rose and lemon for awhile, but still not overpowering. I prefer the scent I get when I very first apply, but the dry down is still wearable and great for Spring and early Summer, imho.

Edited February 27, 2019 by Alisha_SBC
updated as I wore the perfume through the evening