Spica is the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo and one of the 20 brightest stars in the night sky. According to Wikipedia. To me, Spica is the brightest, strongest and without question my all time favourite type of lavender essential oil. This one specifically. Organically grown and “cultivated” as it was wild by Gill Leonard & Derek W Pearce at The Lavender Way of Crete. (See my article at The Lavender Way: Growth of the Soul)
Last night was a perfect constellation, some would say I was at the right place at the right time, others simply say Divine timing. Distillation at its best from the master distillers Babis Psaroudakis and Janina Sorensen at Wild Herbs of Crete in an amazing melting pot with other sweet souls. Meaning we were representing various countries from Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Norway, Jamaica, England and Belgium.
Dried Lavandula spica plants from The Lavender Way were being distilled in one of the 600l coloumns at the mountain distillery. For some of the audience it was one of a lifetime experience, at least the first. Whether new or old to essential oil distillations, every one of us got super excited before the final scene of the special lavender spike distillation. Eyes wide open, nostrils likewise. Seeing the result of a distillation is one of those magical moments. Amazed by the scent, colour and the yield, the atmosphere was as hot as the steam in the pipes. See my photo essay how the evening unfolded, while the hydrosol kept running until the essential oil was collected.
