Holy Neroli

She says a prayer in the morning before getting out of bed and says grace before breakfast, lunch and dinner. Then she gives thanks and rejoices at the end of every day. Sister Neroli, only wants to please God. She's bright, cheerful and squeaky clean. She follows a strict no-toxin diet and it shows in her skin. At the age of 12 she decided to live a chaste life, admiring the way the sisters at her convent school were able to live their lives without needing to follow fashion trends or get attention from men. Since joining the Poor Clare's cloistered convent she has not seen her family or friends, except once during her Fathers funeral.

The sisters in the convent are self sufficient. They grow organic vegetables and keep chickens and goats in their large walled garden. Neroli, like the other sisters sleep in a tiny room which is furnished sparsely with a bed, a chest of drawers, a wardrobe and a kneeling prayer bench. There are no mirrors anywhere in the convent and Neroli hasn't seen her reflection clearly in over 10 years. She loves sewing and tending the flowers in the garden and arranges the flowers for the small chapel in the convent. Neroli has never in her life kissed a boy and never missed it, at times she yearns to have children especially when she's in the garden and hears the squeals and laughter of school children as they walk home from school. Instead of pining however Neroli looks up to heaven and says a prayer of thanks for all the beauty God gifted to the Earth.

Neroli

Neroli is the essential oil distilled from the flowers of the orange blossom tree. Orange blossom absolute is the extraction from the same flowers...read more

© 2008 - Natures Nexus

The Three Angels of Lavender

This story was inspired by three lavender concretes I received from Marcia Elston of Samara Botane.

There was once a heavenly white angel of Lavender. He wore robes as pure and as white as the driven snow. He was a giant of an angel, with arms that could encircle the whole of the Earth in a single embrace. His breath was the sweetest breath in heaven and when he spoke a soft sweet breeze would float through the meadows and towns and past the homes of the people of Lavender and everyone who breathed it would stand still in wonder with eyes closed. Their hearts would open and wherever they stood and wherever they were the truth would come out of their mouths and they would not be able to contain it. So powerful was the white angel of Lavender.

Underneath the flowing silk robes of the white angel there was hiding the small delicate violet angel of Lavender. He was hiding because he was so innocent and vulnerable that even the lightest negative vibration would cause him to weep uncontrollably. When the violet angel saw saddness or suffering he would grieve and tears would stream from his eyes and form rivers and floods. The tears would saturate the cloaks of the other angels and make their clothing heavy.
He had skin that was so soft that to the touch it felt as if it was not even there at all.

Every evening as the sun set the blue angel of Lavender would begin to sing. Her voice rang out and was heard all around the world. The birds in the trees and the beasts on the land would stop and listen. Her voice made tears sprout from the eyes of everyone who heard it and lumps come to their throats and they couldn't understand why. Gradually night would fall and the sky would turn to darkness. The stars in the heavens would hear the voice of the blue angel of Lavender and come closer to hear. The moon would rise over the mountain tops to get closer to her voice. The night that was once dark would suddenly be a twinkle of lights and all through the hours the blue angel of Lavender would hum her songs, lulling the world and all her children to sleep.

The three angels stay nearby always the white, violet and blue angels of Lavender.

Amen.