Kewra Attar

Description

Kewra Attar (Pandanus odoratissimus L.)  is made from the aromatic male flowers harvested in the mornings from the Kewra plant, known in English as screwpine.  It grow wild along the east coast of India and its leaves look very similar to agave. As it is an attar, the flowers are distilled directly into sandalwood essential oil and we can smell the sandalwood at the base of the scent holding up the floral, slightly fruity kewra aroma. Reputed to be one of the most popular perfume aromas in India, it is also used to scent clothes and saris.

In our work with this oil, we have noticed that it expands the inner space, allowing connection with one’s soul directly. The usual frictions and inner conflicts we are confronted with in life can more easily dissolve in the spaciousness that this oil provides.

This sense of spaciousness is also felt between ourselves and others leaving room for the safe and abundant expression of each other. Rather than being about boundaries, it stops us cramping or crowding each other through bringing in a feeling of expansiveness. On the other side of this, this beautifully spiritual oil also fills the inner hunger for self, the emptiness that modern life often brings within. Supported by and enveloped in the sandalwood, kewra resonates gently throughout the psyche  (physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies) pushing through blockages and tensions and bringing a sense of clarity and mindfulness.