We are surrounded by vibrations at all times. Our ears are tuned to receive sound vibrations, our eyes focus on vibrations of light which allow us to see colour, and our noses detect vibrations of aromatic molecules which allow us to become aware of scents. The most important ingredient in Aromatherapy treatment is essential oil.

Aromatherapists and perfumeries use musical language to describe scents. We talk of essential oils being a top, middle, and base note. About a century ago, a perfumery named Piesse arranged scents on a stave, or musical scale, and this went some way to describing vibration of scents.

Aromas were also described by colour. Scents can be described as 'green' or 'blue' or perhaps 'vivid red', and we mix scents as we would, colour on an artist's palette.

Historically, sense of smell has always been important to man and to his survival. A newborn baby recognises his mother mainly by scent until his eyesight improves and he learns to focus.

To early man, his sense of smell was every bit as important as what it is to animals. Humans and animals alike emit pheromones (from Greek 'pherein' to carry and 'hormon' to excite) which attract, repel, identify or mark territory.

Human pheromones are chemicals manufactured by apocrine glands and radiated into air around us. The scent of these are detected by people in our immediate vicinity and play a large part in sexual attraction. Although we are all radiate pheromones and react to other people's pheromones, this function takes place on a subconscious level.

As pheromones we produce are affected by fluctuations in other hormone levels, they can indicate our emotional state. For instance, surge of adrenalin produced in times of anxiety can produce a smell of fear. Animals are highly receptive to scents and can easily detect emotion in humans.

Apocrine glands are also located on soles of feet and pheromone molecules can remain on ground for up to two weeks. Primitive tribes have, until comparatively recently, detected proximity of other people by sniffing ground.

It is only process of 'civilisation' that has blunted our sense of smell and with it our innate knowledge that scents produce profound responses within us.

Although early man used his sense of smell for survival and reproduction in much same way as other animals, our present culture pays little attention to sense of smell in its natural, emotional, feeling sense. We mainly use sense of smell in a cosmetic way. Spraying and powdering ourselves to remove or mask our natural scents. We have for so long subdued our senses by constraints of reason and rational mind, that we have lost touch with our spiritual nature. We no longer give freedom to inner, unseen realms of mind and subtle communications of psyche.