Manipura

[alicia_stardust]

MANIPURA: THE SOLAR PLEXUS

The Howl of Rudra, The City of Jewels

The Ten-Petaled Lotus.

Dynamic energy, willpower, autonomy, self-esteem, self-expression, ambition, analytical thought, intellectual activity, astral force, the fire of the spirit, assertiveness, laughter, rage.

 

Manipura controls the radiation and distribution of prana throughout the system, and contains a protective energy that helps shield the soul from negative activity that may occur in the other chakras.

 

 

In the bottle: Oh this is a gorgeous scent. It's still slightly herbal like the other Chakra blends, and I'm still curious about the possibility of the Chakras having a common blend much like some of the Lunar oils do. Other than the slight herbal tone, I mostly detect "sunshine" and the color yellow, with a bit of spicyness.

 

Just applied: This get's a slightly golden yellow fruit smell and it reminds me very much of Sol for a while.

 

After 30 minutes: Whoah! There's a warm, gentle spice that comes forward at about the 30 minute mark, and it's amazing! The spice does not seem to be cinnamon because my skin did not go red at all, but it's definitely spicy. It's blends really well with the sunshine yellow aspect to this. Overall I get a yellow color but the spiciness brings in a bit more orange/red to it. It's an excellent blend for such an important chakra!

 

Rating: For working purposes, I give this 5 out of 5 stars. For scent alone, I give this 4.5 out of 5 stars. I think this is my favoirite chakra blend so far. Beth has done an amazing job with all of this, and this one is a work of art!

[fallow deer]

Manipura returns to the spiciness of Muladhara, but lightened somewhat. I did quite a bit of work with my solar plexus chakra a while back, and I remember using the image of a golden bowl in my tummy. Because of the associations in my mind, I saw this chakra a bit like a Tibetan singing bowl, beaten in that way and resonating roundly. Muladhara has a kind of shiny, metallic aspect - not harsh or bitter but like the taste of brass and round like a bowl. It's like a singing bowl.

[aidenraine]

Manipura is a cherry red oil that looks a bit like the syrup used in fountain sodas.

This is an interesting chakra and I would love to harness some of the positive elements of working with it.

 

Immediately on my skin I smell new sneakers. It smells like shoe store, like fresh rubber. I kind of like the smell, because it reminds me of back-to-school shopping as a kid. I always loved getting new shoes. There is definitely a strong herby component to this that I can't quite place. It's very familar too... perhaps a touch of something cherry under here (dragon's blood?)

 

As it sits this develops a greater "spicy" presence. It's reassuring and comforting, like ginger tea. It calms the senses and I imagine would be great for an upset tummy.

 

The note that reminds me of dragon's blood is what's keeping me from enjoying this as a perfume. It remains to be seen whether this will be helpful with chakra meditation, but I'm not sure I enjoy the smell enough to get into the right mindset.

[Lycanthrope]

Very pungent in the bottle, must be another streak of vetiver or dark woods. I bet there’s black pepper in this, because it’s positively spicy in a beautiful, warm way. I love black pepper. So, this is a very pointed, angular scent (if that makes sense), which does immediately warm my skin where it’s anointed. Now I’m getting pepper and ginger, on a base of dry cassia and sandalwood. Manipura deals with the ability to express oneself in a crowd, in social situations, and perhaps this is the spicy kick I need to get myself chatting. I think if you like spicy fragrances you’ll love Manipura. Can’t… stop… sniffing… solar plexus… heh heh.

[Blood onmy hands]

(Disclaimer of sorts: My Chakra work is, uh, minimal at best... so these will be more purely scent-based reviews, not reviews on effectiveness... as I imagine that would vary from person to person.)

 

Manipura is a wonderful, rich spicy scent. My mother said that it smelled like vanilla and ginger to her in the drydown, and I concur. It’s very warming, comforting, and lovely. Scent-wise, this is one of my favorites of the Chakra blends.

[yeahbutnobut]

Manipura: the Solar Plexus

 

In the imp: pepper! This smells very spicy, and almost citrusy or tea like.

Wet on skin: still black pepper, and a hint of something bittersweet like citrus peel. I think there's saffron here as well?

Dry on skin: mmm, interesting! The predominant note here is pepper, but I also smell other spices, almost like a dry chai tea scent. I think there may be a little bit of saffron too? Underneath that I also get some citrus notes like orange and lemon and this smells like citrus peel in here, quite bitter, and possibly a little bit of amber or something sweet which reminds me of other solar themed oils. I also get a little tinge of greenish vetiver, and a gritty wood note. This scent is very dry, and also very warm and fiery. It makes me think of the sun's fiercer aspects.

After a while: eventually that bitter edge that the scent had before tones down a lot, and sweetens nicely. The scent I now get is of candied citrus peels lying on a bed of vetiver and either cedar or sandalwood (I'm thinking it's the former here) sprinkled with spices like saffron, pepper, maybe a little pinch of cinnamon and cardamom or cloves, all lying under the midday sun. It's a dry, hot, greenish-yellow-orange kind of scent. Almost like a sunnier version of Muladhara.

Over time, the vetiver note strengthens with remains of sweet sherbet lemons skimming on the surface of the scent. It's also a little bit soapy, which makes me wonder if the lemon note is verbena (which sometimes goes soapy, but not always.)

By the end of the scent, the scent of vetiver is all that remains, and it's a particularly lemony variety.

Verdict: this was another interesting and surprising chakra scent. To me, this is the sunnier equivalent of Muladhara, it has that same woody-vetiver-spice background, but this one is warmer, spicier, and with citrus accents. It's like sun warmed vetiver and dry spices (pepper is the main one, I'm also guessing saffron and possibly an aromatic spice like cinnamon or cardamom) on a wooden background, with hints of sweet and bitter orange and lemon juice, peel and lemon-herbs scattered throughout. A very unique scent-it definitely has a feel of heat to it, it's almost a more intense, and also more grounded, variation on the solar oil theme. It's not something I would wear as perfume though-there are times when it goes soapy on me…I'll stick to Ra as my solar themed perfume, but I think as a meditation/working oil this scent will be very effective.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Manipura, "where your fire dwells" (so saith my Yogini), is indeed fiery red in the vial. It smells aggressive, with the notes that I've found tend to signal "aggression" in BPAL shorthand--vetiver and pepper. It's a little scary on me initially, although the drydown is milder. A more masculine blend on me than some of the other Chakras. I'm not crazy about it, but this is a Chakra I need to work with more. It'll be ritual-use only.

[edenssixthday]

Chakra - Manipura: The Solar Plexus - My first impression upon sniffing this blend wet on my skin is that there's most definitely Dragon's Blood in this blend and it seems to be a nice blend. The Dragon's Blood is distinctly present, and while it dominates over any other notes in this blend, it doesn't feel like it's a powerful note. It's gentle and humble. There is some spiciness in the scent, too, but there's only a modicum of it, and is basically just enough to keep the overall scent interesting. I also think I detect a hint of lilac, but that could just be the Dragon's Blood playing tricks on me. This blend does not change upon the drydown or afterward, it stays fairly close to my skin, and it is very pretty and long-lasting.

[LiberAmoris]

Manipura is fierce! I smell Dragon's Blood, thick woods, pepper, and lotus. This definitely smells like 'fire of the spirit'! As it dries down, it becomes less assertive but never loses the fiery, peppery edge. It's a very active and outgoing blend, and would be great for work with this chakra, as it absolutely embodies it, in my opinion.

[filigree_shadow]

I have no idea how to use the chakra oils, so I'm just commenting on the scents.

 

In the imp, it smells spicy and unusual.

 

On, at first it smells interesting and spicy. It has kind of a gingerbread scent to it a little bit. Not quite though, it's not that foody. Definitely spicy. I like this scent.

[Diana]

wet: slightly earthy/spicy, i can't put my finger on what this note is. it's almost like vetiver + cinnamon.

 

drydown: must be ginger; it's gone all spicy-soap on me. it's the only thing i can smell out of it now.

[Lanet]

In the bottle: the greenest smell I'm ever experienced.

 

On the skin: still very herbal and green.

 

I thought I could tolerate the smell since I bought this more to work on my solar plexus than anything else. I just can't stand smelling myself when I wear this whether it works or not.

[fiddledragon]

I'm getting quite a bit of vetiver in this; at first it's like a higher, more resiny Muladhara. I think there might be ginger or pepper in it. It's warmer on the drydown...possibly a touch of vanilla or tonka? And there's some kind of very soft resin. Also as someone else mentioned, a rubbery note that on me isn't unpleasant, but is a bit weird. It's medicinal and almost metallic, but warm and spicy. It's definitely got a kick to it. I'm more comfortable with fire as an external thing than as internal, so this might be very good for me to work with. It's not wearable as perfume for me.

[supremegoddessofall]

Cinnamon granola, with a touch of something sharp. Vetiver? The granola-ish note is not my favorite - I didn't like it in Queen of Sheba and I don't like it here.

[Shollin]

First sniff: A bit darker than the Heart. Still resiny-sweet, but more serious.

 

Wearing: This has quite a bit of spice to it. Alas, as it dried it turned to straight swampy vetiver.

[The_Merf]

In the decant: Wow, this is really herbal and astringent. With its red color, I was expecting some warmth to the blend, but I don't detect any here.

 

Wet: Immediately some sort of vetiver/wood note jumps out at me and overwhelms all the other notes. However, that initial blast lasts for a minute at most.

 

Drydown and wear: This returns to the herbal stage I smelled in the imp, though it is not as astringent as it was before. The herbs muddle together, and I can't pick out anything in particular.

[hkhm]

imp: sandalwood and ginger, a very warm sunny scent.

 

wet: there's a smoky scent here that can only be vetiver but i also smell spices like ginger and... cinnamon?

 

dry: i still get a hint of spices and vetiver but there's a nice bit of sandalwood and something herby.

[Czarina]

Ginger-lemon smell.

 

Worked with this chakra today, using this oil before I went out in the morning. Had an important meeting, was told I was really masterful. Hm. Coincidence?

[zankoku_zen]

Hmmm... I have to say that at first I get a citrusy Dragon's Blood. As it dries, the DB is still prominent and I get hints of smoky vetiver, which just adds a kind of 'dirt' component to the blend.

 

I'm not fond of the smell itself. But I haven't used it for it's intended purpose either.

[Lethran]

In bottle: Yummy. This is sweet and heady with a touch of sharpness. It is fittingly warm and bright, yet strangely comforting. Elements are familiar, but hard to place. It has a floral element that may contain sunflower and a spiciness that suggests carnation, but may not be. I’m not particularly good with florals. It’s got a dominant incense I’m not placing, but I do detect sandalwood. I do think it’s got similar herbal content though. I’m suspecting pepper, but I’m not placing some of the other spices. Wet: Okay, now I’m getting cassia instead of carnation. The florals are softer on the skin and ply really well with the incense. The underlying herbs are a bit acrid here. Dry: A faintly floral, chalky, incense blend. Not bad, but not stunning.