Essential Aromatica is an aromatherapy podcast exploring aromatic plants, essential oils, seasonal rhythms, and the intelligence of the natural world. I’m Amy Anthony of NYC Aromatica — aromatherapy practitioner, educator, and lifelong observer of the subtle — inviting you into a space where plants, cycles, and our inner and outer worlds meet.

This podcast isn’t about “an oil for that.” It’s about perceiving. Attuning. Remembering that our nervous system and emotions are the meeting point between mind‑body‑spirit and the wider world — and that aromatherapy can support that relationship.

Episodes explore aromatic plants, story, ecology, and lunar and seasonal themes. We sit with plants like Myrrh, Juniper, Lavender, and Scots Pine not as tools, but as allies and teachers. We tap into folklore, archetypes, and the liminal places where transformation becomes possible.

You’ll also hear from practitioners, distillers, and aromatic thinkers who share their lived relationships with plants and practice.

Whether you’re an aromatherapy practitioner, a curious seeker, or someone drawn to deepening your relationship with the natural world, Essential Aromatica offers a place to slow down, breathe, and connect — with me and the essential oils as your guides.

Learn more at nycaromatica.com.

Aromatherapy and attentive observation of nature’s rhythms can support us through times of loss and transition. In this cold month of January, Fox wisdom and Juniper Berry have helped me sit with change, loss, and the quiet work of letting go.

This episode is dedicated to Nikki, the beloved Shiba Inu who was a beloved companion and family member for nearly sixteen years. Her passing brought forward themes of non‑attachment and sitting with grief — threads that intersect with Fox magic and the Juniper tree.

Fox magic teaches the art of moving through the world with alert curiosity and sovereign clarity: staying connected without clinging, canvasing the edges and observing, and taking action or being involved when needed.

Juniper and Juniper Berry essential oil bring lessons of protection, transformation and boundary keeping. I explore these qualities through sound and story, showcasing Yuliana Kireyeva’s olfactory sound composition of Juniper berry essential oil and the folktale “The Juniper Tree” to meet Juniper as sanctuary, truth‑teller, and threshold guide.

Read more about Juniper Berry essential oil: https://nycaromatica.com/plant-talk-juniper-berry-essential-oil/

Rooted in storytelling, aromatherapy, and the essential oil of Scots Pine, this final episode of Season 4 explores seasonal wellness through themes of ancestors, darkness, the will to live, and wisdom of our conifer friends to celebrate the winter solstice.

Join me as we reflect on winter as a time to rest, conserve energy, nourish the waters within, and honor lineage and continuity. The aromatic medicine of noble green beings—the conifers—is both symbolic and practical, supporting immunity, respiration, clarity, and our connection to the cycles of the year.

A key feature of this episode is the Seneca story “How the Conifers Flaunt the Promise of Spring,” a reminder of resilience, the will to live and endure. Join me to slow down and participate in the turning of the year, as generations have before us.

Sources: Storytelling + Research = LoiS: Parker - How the Conifers Flaunt the Promise of Spring - Keeping the Public in Public Domain

Article on Scots Pine: Plant Talk: Scots Pine Essential Oil - NYC Aromatica