Blue Lotus Oil: Symbology and Practice from Ancient Egypt to Today

The Blue Lotus (Nymphaea caerulea) is one of the most enduring symbols of ancient Egypt, appearing in temple art, perfume rituals, and mythic poetry. Rising each morning from the Nile and sinking again at dusk, the blossom became a potent emblem of renewal, beauty, and divine presence. Revered as the earthly manifestation of Nefertem—the god of perfume and healing—the Blue Lotus flower carried both aesthetic and spiritual significance in daily Kemetian life.

Today, the herb and the oil are encountered differently. While the herb is often associated with infusion or smoking traditions, the oil—most often found as an absolute—has its own subtle power. Extraordinary for sleep and particular;y for bringing memories to the fore, it is known to deepen dream states and to open perception through the third eye and crown chakras. It has a delicate antispasmodic nature which is beautiful for gynecological issues as well as being euphoric and aphrodisiac. Within the Aromatic Mystery School, Elizabeth Ashley incorporates Blue Lotus oil into sacred dance as a tool for soul-retrieval work, restoring connection to hidden parts of the self.

This session explores how Blue Lotus bridges ancient symbology and modern practice, offering practitioners a grounded yet profound way to engage with one of history’s most evocative flowers. 

About Elizabeth
Elizabeth Ashley is a clinical aromatherapist, author, and educator with 32 years of professional practice. She is UK Director for the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA) and a former overseas speaker for the International Federation of Aromatherapists. Elizabeth has taught in six countries, with her work translated into five languages. She is the author of 24 books in The Secret Healer series, including 13 category No. 1 bestsellers on Amazon, which explore essential oils from both clinical and spiritual perspectives. Her YouTube channel, The Secret Healer – Elizabeth Ashley, shares accessible and authoritative aromatherapy education with a global audience, continuing her mission to raise professional standards and inspire practitioner excellence. Through The Secret Healer platform and the Aromatic Mystery School, she develops practitioner-focused curricula that blend historical scholarship, chemistry literacy, subtle-energy work, and compliance. Elizabeth’s current projects include indexing authoritative interviews and building resources to strengthen aromatherapy’s digital legacy.

www.thesecrehealer.co.uk

https://aromaticmysteryschool.com/blue-lotus-oil

Talk Synopsis

The primary way we interact with essential oils, or any scent for that matter, is through inhalation. It is also one of the main modes of application used in aromatherapy. However, with the many devices available to facilitate inhalation, deciding on the best way to bring the most benefit - while minimizing the risk - can be a challenge. This talk will provide an overview of the most common therapeutic scenarios where inhalation is most appropriate, accompanied with recommendations on what specific device is best suited for each scenario. 

About HanaHana is the COO of the Tisserand Institute. She supervises our staff of seven, manages our teaching platform, organizes training courses, hosts webinars, commissions blog posts, oversees the creation of infographics and social media content, and writes our newsletters. Somehow, she also finds time to write her own blog posts and she is our go-to IT person. Being raised in a family of doctors and nurses has given her an underlying interest in the workings of the human body, which later manifested in her specialization in medical translation. Hana is a Czech citizen with 7 years of experience in translation and interpreting, her other languages being French and English. Working as an interpreter for politicians, authors, educators and medical professionals has given her a valuable perspective on how to effectively communicate information and avoid dispute. Hana has been working with Robert Tisserand since 2015, and has a unique perspective on how information about essential oils is sourced, processed and communicated.

https://tisserandinstitute.org/

Ancient Wisdom and Modern Healing - Integrating Kotodama and Character Strengths into Aromatherapy Practice to Support Mental Health

This talk explores the fascinating intersection of Kotodama (the Japanese belief in the spiritual power of words), aromatherapy, and character strengths. Discover how integrating these elements into your aromatherapy practice can enhance your mental well-being and foster personal growth.

Learn how specific essential oils and Japanese words can cultivate key character strengths, offering a unique and powerful approach to mental health challenges.

Salvatore Battaglia is a visionary leader in the world of aromatherapy, with over 40 years of experience harnessing the power of essential oils for natural health. His passion and lifelong commitment to natural healing has profoundly influenced the standards of professional aromatherapy education .

He is qualified in naturopathy, herbal medicine, acupuncture and aromatherapy, has a longstanding passion for naturopathy and is actively involved in professional associations and government committees to maintain and improve the quality of aromatherapy education.

She has been involved in aromatherapy education since 1988 and is frequently invited to speak at international conferences on aromatherapy, running a holistic and ethical business, and the importance of going natural and organic.

He has also served as an advisor to hospital and elderly care committees, helping to introduce clinical trials in pain management, intensive care, depression, dementia and elderly care.

In 1991, Salvatore founded Perfect Potion with the mission to naturally improve people's lives through certified organic aromatherapy products, natural skincare and essential oils. Perfect Potion has been recognised by government and industry regulators as the company that has set the benchmark for aromatherapy products in Australia.

Perfect Potion allows him to unleash his creativity and realize his dream of helping people take ownership of their health through natural healing through a wide range of holistic products and innovative educational programs.

Along with his wife Carolyn Stubbin, his beagle Lucy, and his cat Abby, he shares his passion for the world, natural remedies, and aromatherapy every day.

With 40 years of experience in the aromatherapy, education, natural health and wellbeing industries, Salvatore looks forward to taking you on an incredible journey to unlock the incredible potential and benefits of essential oils through his soon-to-be-launched online education platform.

Germaine Rich was one of the founding members of the IFA, served on the Board of Directors in various roles for five years, and was awarded the title of IFA Fellow in 2000. She will speak about the early days of the IFA and its achievements to date.

Germaine's first encounter with aromatherapy began in 1966, when she met Micheline Arcier, one of the pioneers of modern aromatherapy. She spent eight years working at her iconic clinic in Knightsbridge, London, during which time she also had the opportunity to work with aromatherapy legend Dr. Jean Valnet. This experience gave her profound insight into the potential for collaboration between medicine and therapy.

Synopsis

“In 6 Scalable Income Streams for Aromatherapists, I’ll share the insights I wish I’d known in those early days at my kitchen sink. I know how it feels to care deeply about helping people but still lie awake at night wondering how to pay the bills. This session is about changing that story. I’ll show you practical and creative ways to scale your business — through digital products, memberships, licensing your blends, and forming partnerships — so you can step off the hamster wheel of trading hours for income. When you build financial strength, you create the freedom to reach more people, make a bigger impact, and truly thrive.”

About

When I started my entrepreneurial journey I was a single mum with three, under twos, very little education and no money.  I built my businesses because that was my only choice but as a serial entrepreneur, author of 32 internationally published books, living in the South of France with three six figure businesses under my belt I can tell you it was a great choice !   

I live with Doris, (my very large poodle), Raphy, a lunatic puppy and truffle hunter,four cats and two chickens who often attend my coaching sessions. I am also a grandma to seven and a matriarch/taskmaster/friend and supporter to all my clients whom, without exception, I adore.  When it comes to building a skincare business, believe me I know my stuff and I am tough, pragmatic, informed and fully invested in my clients' successes.   My sweet spot is the ability to set you up with a strategy, connections, creative ideas, practical know how and, most importantly the mindset to succeed.

www.melindacoss.com

www.melindacoss.com/powerbrand

 Aromasticks – an application not to be sniffed at

Intranasal aromatherapy involves the use of nasal sticks to deliver concentrated essential oil aromas directly to the olfactory system, producing fast, measurable therapeutic effects. This talk will discuss the research that has been conducted by Aromastick, looking at some of the 12 peer-reviewed publications investigating stress reduction, cognitive performance, blood oxygenation, allergy symptoms, and pain relief. The research emphasizes that effectiveness depends on three factors: high concentration of odor molecules, brief exposure to prevent habituation, and active sniffing. Using pure, natural oils, the inhalers outperform numerous alternative interventions, while remaining safe, portable, and side-effect free. Beyond clinical results, the talk will briefly cover the collaborations with charities, demonstrating their real-world impact in helping people manage stress and emotional distress.

Biography:

Nick Singer is co-owner of AromaStick AG, a company which seeks to reinvent aspects of aromatherapy and provide the public as well as the health care segment with a non-invasive, research-backed nasal inhaler. He quickly became interested in the scientific aspects of essential oils, and particularly the use of aromas in therapy and has been heavily involved in the research side of the AromaStick project. This interest has led him to work closely with researchers and therapists who have been investigating intranasal scent delivery, its applications, and its effects on various biomarkers. Nick has written numerous scientific papers and articles on the topic and has been guest speaker at various international conferences on the topic of aromatherapy.

The Art of N.A.V.E.L Gazing

The Abdominal Therapy Collective teaches a massage sequence as developed by Dr Rosita Arvigo. We like to think of ourselves as N.A.V.E.L gazers - this stands for Nerves, Arteries, Veins, Energy and Lymph. When we direct our gaze and attention to each of these systems we support full body balance and optimal health for our clients.

Our massage seeks to improve 'flow' throughout the body and focuses on the Abdomen as the pathway to health. Deep massage into the diaphragm can have a profound effect on all the systems of the body and when it is balanced with an understanding of pelvic organs we can positively affect digestion, bladder issues, menstrual health, fertility, menopause and much more.

Our Practitioners are taught to listen with hands, eyes and ears. We feel into the abdomen, watch for client responses and listen with compassion. Our favourite part of the treatment is that each client gets a 'going home' present. During their appointment clients will learn our unique form of self-care massage specifically developed by Dr Arvigo and known as 'Your Abdominal Massage' or 'YAM', allowing them to take their own health into their own hands.

In this talk you will learn a little of the history of this work, look at some basic anatomy and physiology and hear some stories as to why we love our work so much!

About Hilary
Hilary Lewin is Director, Educator and Practitioner at the Abdominal Therapy Collective and one of the original founders of Doula U.K. Hilary works with people throughout all stages of life and loves nothing better than the look of wonder as clients learn about their bodies. She is a firm believer in laughter as the best medicine and brings her unique blend of compassion and humour to all her work.

www.abdominaltherapycollective.com

Synopsis:

My interest in olfaction and creativity has definitely been influenced during my 25+ years of clinical aromatherapy practice, but also through my nose dive into fragrance work, olfactive events and teaching over the past 10 years.

Each aroma is a collaborator, a muse in its own right and for the purpose of my presentation we shall explore how we can engage our sense of smell more intentionally; to recapture our innate creative spirit, dispel blocks and encourage a healthy, consistent expression of everything you are.  A playful, curious approach is encouraged!

There are infinite ways of doing, thinking, creating, learning, problem-solving and using our sense of smell is simply one very instinctive tool that can help lift limiting states, shift blocks and enrich creative practices of all kinds.

I will also present on how fragrance and the use of smell is becoming an increasing popular cross-modal tool in the cultural landscape; used by galleries, museums and historic sites to encourage sensory engagement, perception and discussion and of course to enhance the immersive experience.

About

Tanya is a clinical aromatherapist and reiki master, having developed her business in private clinics and the corporate wellbeing space, before specialising in palliative care and oncology. She currently works part-time within NHS cancer services as Complementary Therapy Team Lead.

She is an educator (previously Course Director of Aromatherapy 2005-2010 & Senior Massage Tutor 2010-2015 for Essentials for Heath Massage School; CPD workshop provider for ITHMA between 2012-2019), occasional writer, a botanical perfumer and curator of immersive sensory events for museums, cultural institutions, and public spaces.  

She brings her signature curious, exploratory and playful approach to delivering public workshops on olfaction, botanical blending and historical perfumery; exploring fragrance as a tool for wellbeing, creativity, cultural connection and storytelling.

Tanya has recently launched an olfactory-inspired bookclub; @scent_sationalbooks_uk meeting monthly in London and is offering a series of masterclasses on Olfaction and Creativity in London next year.  Details will be on her website soon. 

The Perfume Mistress – https://www.theperfumemistress.com

@perfumemistress

@scent_sationalbooks_uk