When I want to know more about something, I often start a discussion group with people who are interested in the topic or already know something. Then, we learn more about it together. Some of the topics I like to meet about include homeschooling, religion and essential oils.
In the fall of 2011, I invited some friends over who enjoy living naturally that might be interested in essential oils along with a lady who posted about oils on Facebook post lived in my community because I had heard about oils, but didn’t know what they were. I invited her to come over to help us get started on our individual journeys. We learned from her where oils came from and what they could do. I specifically asked her to show us how to make our own cleaning products with oils and to share with us what the benefits are.
One of the best ways to get to know more about something is to have some first hand experiences. I bought some oils and some books about oils. I experimented on my family. I wrote down what I was doing during the first month or so in an oil journal.
I learned how to soothe aches and pains in situations like kids getting hurt at the park as well as after a strenuous workout. I’ve learned how to manage emotions, calm the experiences that come naturally during women’s reproductive cycles, open the airways when someone gets a respiratory bug, calm the digestive tract after someone over eats or has other digestive distress, boost immune systems, and more.
I was inspired partly from my personal successes and because some friends and family saw a change in my family and wondered what were doing. So I started having regular discussion groups where we could learn how we each use the oils. We met at varying frequencies. Most times, it was once a month, other times it was once a week. The times when it was more frequent, it was because we started a discussion on a topic that we were really excited about and wanted to continue the discussion right away.
Most of the members of our group are moms, so we usually have kids playing at our feet. Some of the people reading this might think that’s crazy. Why not leave them at home with dad or a babysitter so there wouldn’t be interruptions? The kids have played an integral part of our meetings, as you’ll see in the paragraphs below. There are times when we meet without the kids.
One time, a friend of mine was sharing how she used oils on her dogs after an injury. Another friend’s teenage daughter became visibly upset because the dogs were hurt. Her mom pulled out an oil that calmed and uplifted her. The transformation was immediate. One of the gals that was there was not so sure about oils, but came to find out if it was something for her. Seeing the events unfold before her eyes made a difference.
I believe that having the kids present at our meetings have helped people who haven’t decided if oils are voodoo magic or actually effective to lean more toward the possibility that they are effective, if not inspire them to learn more and to come back. I also believe that involving my kids has helped them to be inspired to learn more about oils for themselves.
My 13 year old son is an aspiring chef. He likes to research cooking with oils. Several times, he made the refreshments and shared the process he used. He has also lead some of the discussions about cooking with oils.
My 15 year old son has convinced the skeptics that have attended to they are effective. My other kids, as well as my friends’ kids, have come into the room and asked for their favorite oils.
We’ve had a variety other topics come up such as detoxing with oils, Essential Oils of the Bible, emotions and essential oils, essential oils for skin care, cleaning around the house with essential oils, and we’ve discussed essential oils in school and home school.
Now, I am passionate about sharing what I know and how to start researching about essential oils. I’ve been passionate enough about it that I’ve traveled to different states to share what I’ve learned because people have seen my posts on my Facebook wall and wanted to create their own discussion groups. My goal is to inspire them to create their own groups, I just get them started. I don’t travel all the time because family time, homeschooling, community involvement and my discussion groups on other topics are also high priorities. When there is enough interest in your circle of friends, and I’ve had enough time to save up to travel to you, I’ll help you start your own essential oil group.
In the mean time, you can join one of our discussions in the Colorado Springs, CO area in person or my next online discussion, contact me using the form below. I’ll get back to you with the schedule of local and online events. If you tell me you would like me to visit your area, I’ll let you know what we need to do to make that happen.
P.S. If you are wondering about the lady who helped me get started on my oil journey, not long after our meeting, she moved to Germany when her husband was stationed there by the Army. She came to some of our meetings prior to going abroad.
