Lilac Magic
the ones that tenderly shuffle time to and fro; almost time traveling
Lilacs emerge seemingly suddenly. They are bare sticks, dark and leafless and then all at once there are dark purple bunches that burst into color with brilliant green leaves- a flush of vitality and saturation that permeates the path with such a gorgeous particular aroma. This arrival is one as sudden and penetrating as a fragrance that triggers the most vivid long-ago memories. Like when you pass someone in the grocery store wearing a perfume so specifically oriented in your being as someone dear to you that it stops the world from spinning for a second. Blooms with a texture as familiar as your grandmother’s hands.
Nostalgia is a tricky thing. This year as much as any, I take time to realize that no matter what we are going through, there is an essence to this moment that will imprint and come back wistfully, vividly at a later point in this life.
The lessons of Lilac are numerous. They are the keepers of time, the ones that tenderly shuffle time to and fro- almost time traveling, the memory of our hearts and our bones and our bloodlines that go hazy for a while but appear when we need them. They are the harmonizer of intergenerational experiences and the gut-wrenching crescendo of these fleeting moments, right here and now. Lilac shows up for you as specifically or as softly as necessary- subtle reminders here, powerfully potent ones there.
Lilac isn’t a fragrance you can easily pin down or capture. The only true way is one that takes an enormous effort of patience, consistency, and a method of the olden days. Until there is a scent-o-gram kind of device that can take a photo of a fragrance, it cannot be done well and anything trying to market itself as Lilac-scented is so obviously not it. There is no way to hasten or modernize this process properly. I find that beautiful. It speaks to the magic of this flower, the imitable authenticity of this scent, and its unique way of landing in each of our stories.
Part of my desire in making flower essences of Violet, Lilac, and Rose is to bring the association and teachings of these flowers to you in your lives and let them linger beyond the days they are affixed to the plants outside. I describe my effort to capture the “smell-taste” in some way even if it can’t be as entirely as when you’re holding the flowers in your hands and bringing them to your nose. I’m grateful to have succeeded in this effort and that it’s become such an integral meaningful part of my cycle of the year. Violet Day, Lilac Day, and Rose Day have essentially become holidays dear to me just like Rosh Hashanah or Chanukah or Pesach. Which makes sense because these flowers have been with us and our ancestors in various ways for just as long. These flowers indeed are our ancestors. And they come back year after year just as the seasons do, the miracle of time and the turning of the wheel.
May Lilac hold you. May Lilac transport you. May Lilac bring you closer to the ones beyond, and thereby closer to yourself. May Lilac bring you harmonious pleasure in this very moment.
