The Art of Spiritual PhytoEssencing
Deep Soul-Level Healing Work with Essential Oils
The basic premise of Spiritual PhytoEssencing is: In order to be able to ameliorate soul-level disharmony, the essential oil blender must engage with the archetypes embedded within the fabric of the soul rather than with the archetypal images which manifest as emotional and physical symptoms.
Spiritual PhytoEssencing is a synthesis of certain aspects of: aromatherapy, doctrine of signatures, classical homeopathy, modern physiology, Kabbalah, philosophy, anthroposophical science, Chinese medicine, herbal medicine and folklore, depth psychology, gemstone healing and color therapy.
Dr. Berkowsky has used this synthesis to develop individualized portraits of the inner soul nature of each of the oils used in Spiritual PhytoEssencing blending. Thus far he has elaborated highly detailed portraits of 110 different oils.
Since each soul is characterized by an array of archetypal patterns, soul-level healing work is best approached with a customized blend of essential oils rather than a single oil. In Spiritual PhytoEssencing, the construction of a custom essential oil blend is similar to painting a portrait. Accordingly, the custom blend development process can be characterized as “painting a portrait in oils.”
The relative effectiveness of a custom oil blend will depend upon the degree of congruence there is between a person’s inner soul image and the soul image constructed by the combination of plant souls within the blend. It is this congruence that will encourage the person’s soul to absorb the soul-force generated by the plant soul combination and use it to reorient toward its divine source.
Given the wherewithal, the soul’s first priority is to overcome the estrangement between the self-conscious personal self and the higher self. When these aspects of soul existence are reintegrated, the latter reassumes its natural hierarchical superiority and once again contextualizes and guides the operations of daily existence. Clearly, this wholeness of being is a crucial component of mind/body wellness.
Currently available SPE resources include the Synthesis Materia Medica/Spiritualis of Essential Oils and Repertory Of Essential Oils which are the required material to practice SPE. Individual Chapters from Synthesis Materia Medica / Spiritualis of Essential Oils are also available.

Articles on Spiritual PhytoEssencing
The Neutral Bath: A Relaxing Bath for 21st Century Stress
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Neutral Bath—a type of full-bath—served as an important sedative therapy for institutionalized, emotionally agitated individuals. In this era of unrelenting emotional and physical stresses, the Neutral Bath may be effectively used to soothe and relax the mind/body organism, affording it the opportunity to restore equilibrium. Learn how to take a Neutral Bath and the complementary essential oils for the Neutral Bath.
What Inspired Me to Develop the Art of Spiritual Phytoessencing
In the mid-1990s, after nearly 20 years of clinical practice, I came to two crucial conclusions. The first is that all chronic disease, and to a great extent human unhappiness, is characterized by inertia or “stuckness.” The second is that disharmony on both physical...
The Inner Nature of Essential Oils
Essential oils are both biochemical and bioenergetic entities. The practice of Spiritual PhytoEssencing involves the use of phytoessences (i.e., plant essential oils) that are generated and stored by the plant in specialized cells. Virtually every part of the plant...
The Self-Actualizing Tendency, Real Self and Ideal Self
The self-actualizing drive is the innate creative force within the soul regarding the actualization of one’s potentials. A person who is continually evolving on a deep psychospiritual level is someone whose self-actualizing drive is active and sustaining its...
Homeopathic-Style Potentized Dilution of the Custom Blend
Given my background as, among other things, a classical homeopath, and my focus upon the bioenergetic potential of essential oils, the use of a homeopathic-style potentized dilution is prepared from a customized essential oil blend (in addition to the use of the blend...
Miasms
In Spiritual PhytoEssencing, one of the central archetypes that needs to be determined in each case are the miasms. A miasm is the homeopathic concept that I have adapted into Spiritual PhytoEssencing, of an archetype with a characteristic pattern of archetypal images...
Archetypal Blending
In Spiritual PhytoEssencing, the practitioner is taught how to identify the archetypal pattern that characterizes a particular individual’s soul dynamics. Various components of this pattern are then proficiently matched with corresponding essential oils. The resultant...
Essential Oils, Fearfulness and the Arrow of Time
The faster the pace of one’s daily life, the shorter the duration of periods of time seem to be. Learn how to prepare
deep-acting, soul-level healing blends for individuals whose lives seem to be caught up in the racing river of entropy and whose perceptual filters, reactional tendencies and decision-making processes are strongly influenced by the awareness of the acceleration of the arrow of time.
Essential Oil Blending, Magic Drops Alchemy Technique and the Archetypal Nature of Tea Tree Oil
Today’s article is a follow-up to my previous article in which I discussed the surrounding essence, an alchemy technique that I have developed for the Spiritual PhytoEssencing (SPE) blending. In this article, I describe another blending SPE alchemy technique called...
Essential Oil Blending, Surrounding Essence Alchemy Technique and Copaiba Oil
Copyright 2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., H.M.C.Founder and Teacher of Spiritual PhytoEssencing Note: Dr. Berkowsky’s 2018 Spiritual PhytoEssencing Webinar-Based Training Intensive(Course begins April 10th) Spiritual...
Essential Oils and the Chakras: Understanding the Inner Nature of Champaca Oil via its Chakra Affinities
Copyright 2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., H.M.C.Founder and Teacher of Spiritual PhytoEssencing Note: Dr. Berkowsky 2017 Spiritual PhytoEssencing Webinar-Based Training Intensive Introduction Anthroposophical science...
Gingergrass and Palmarosa Oils: Differentiation via Gemstone Synchronicities
Copyright 2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., H.M.C.Founder and Teacher of Spiritual PhytoEssencing Note: Dr. Berkowsky 2017 Spiritual PhytoEssencing Webinar-Based Training Intensive Palmarosa Gingergrass Gingergrass essential...
Spiritual PhytoEssencing Light-Glow Emitter Technique
Copyright 2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., H.M.C. Note: If resonate with the discussion and details below, please pass this document along to any likeminded individual that you know who also works with and loves essential...
Gandhi Root, Camel Jasper and the Long, Rewarding Journey of Self-Actualization
Copyright 2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., H.M.C. Self-realization...is not a new faculty;it is only the removal of all camouflage.—Ramana Maharshi Special Note: Learn more about Dr. Berkowsky's 2016...
Essential Oils And The Divine Feminine
Modern life features an ongoing degenerative process, whose impact on a soul level is comparable to the destructive effect climate change exerts upon our planet. This degenerative process is fueled by the disappearing influence of the Divine Feminine. In fact, climate...
Peppermint Oil and The Phosphorescent Personality
Copyright 2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., H.M.C. Special Note: Learn more about Dr. Berkowsky's webinar-based 2015 Spiritual PhytoEssencing Training Intensive Archetypes and Archetypal Images Plants are...
Mind/Body “Wholing” Precedes True Healing
Introduction Psychoanalyst Bill Plotkin, Ph.D. in Wild Mind, writes: "Wholing [cultivation of wholeness of being] is the foundation for true healing. Some degree of personal wholing must precede any deep healing, not the other way around. We must...
Pine Oil and the Aftermath of the Death of a ‘GLADIATOR’: The theme of guilt feelings associated with unintentional harm
Copyright 2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., H.M.C. Special Note: Learn more about Dr. Berkowsky's webinar-based 2015 Spiritual PhytoEssencing Training Intensive It was 1961 and I was 11 years old. A boy my...
Roman Chamomile and the Theme of Ambiguous Loss
Copyright 2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., H.M.C. Dr. Berkowsky's August 2014 Webinar-Based Client Interview Training Course Recently, I read about the remarkable work of a man (who for many years has spent all of his spare...
Marjoram Oil and the Perception of Threat to One’s Self-Concept
Copyright 2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., H.M.C. Dr. Berkowsky's Spiritual PhytoEssencing (webinar-based) Training Intensive In the past year, I have spent a good deal of time studying the writings of the great humanistic...
Humble Radiance: The Central Importance of Humility in Soul-Level Blending
Copyright 2013-2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., H.M.C. Brief Overview of the Art of Spiritual PhytoEssencing Spiritual PhytoEssencing (SPE), a system of soul-level healing work with essential oils that I began...
Prelude To A Kiss: Jasmine Oil And Overcoming The Fear Of Intimacy
The fear of intimacy may be the product of a diverse array of causative factors. Learn how and where Jasmine oil can be utilized in SPE for overcoming this fear.
The Art of the Blend Part II: The Zen State Required For Soul-Level Blending
Copyright 2013-2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., H.M.C. Note: Dr. Berkowsky's Spiritual PhytoEssencing Webinar-Based Training Intensive. In Part I of this series, I presented an introductory discussion...
The Art of the Blend Part I: Creating a Customized Blend for Deep Soul-Level Healing
Copyright 2013-2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., H.M.C. Note: Dr. Berkowsky's Spiritual PhytoEssencing Training Intensive. Spiritual PhytoEssencing, a system of soul-level healing work with essential oils that I began...
Loss And Remembrance: An Essential Oil Blend For Those Who Have Been Deeply Affected By The Loss Of Children
Copyright 2012-2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., NCTMB Like most other Americans, I was stunned by the news of the massacre of twenty young children and their teachers in Connecticut. Later that day I drove to town, and by...
My Encounter with the Spirit of Cora: A Transitional Journey Using Essential Oils
In the process of writing the Douglas-fir chapter for my Synthesis Materia Medica/Spiritualis of Essential Oils, I have discovered that paternal nurturing is one of the central themes of the inner nature of Douglas-fir oil. Elaborating this theme rekindled a vivid...
Essential Oils Fall Webinar Training Intensive: Live Distance-Learning Training with Dr. Berkowsky
Copyright 2012-2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., NCTMB Learn the Art of Soul-Level Healing with Essential Oils in the Comfort of Your Own Home For many years I taught an annual in-person training intensive in my home state of...
Pemou Oil and Life Here in the Going, Going, Gone
Copyright 2012-2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., NCTMB Looking Back Through The Mists I remember when I heard that Dick Clark had passed on and my mind wandered back through the mists to a different world. On Saturday...
Why The Spiritually Sensitive Person Is Prone To Physical Ailments: The Life-Path Of The Clove Oil Individual
Learn about the the spiritual consciousness/physical-suffering conundrum and about clove oil that has relevance regarding soul-level disharmony in certain spiritual, sensitive, physically vulnerable individuals.
The Art of Using Essential Oils To Integrate the Higher Soul and Personal Self
Copyright 2011-2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., NCTMB Theoretically, this being the holiday season, people should be turning more of their attention toward divine reality while decreasing their preoccupation with the...
Essential Oils and the Transition from Life to Afterlife: The Art of Dying
Copyright 2011-2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., NCTMB One of the most egregious ways that modern medicine has gone astray is in its firm establishment of the idea that disease is simply a functional, or organic, disturbance...
After The Tornado: Creating a Soul-Healing Essential Oil Blend for the Survivors
Copyright 2011-2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., NCTMB Like most Americans, I was dismayed this past week by the scenes of utter destruction and despair left in the wake of the tornadoes that, like malevolent mythological...
Essential Oils and the Transition from Life to Afterlife
Copyright 2011-2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., NCTMB I am going to devote this issue of the Journal Of Spiritual PhytoEssencing to some of the important insights I gained through my all too brief work with Eve Rosenbloom, a...
The Trauma of Birth, Separation anxiety and Essential Oils: Part II
Copyright 2011-2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., NCTMB Review of Part I Otto Rank and the Trauma of Birth Part I of this article began with a discussion of psychoanalyst Otto Rank’s hypothesis, framed in his...
The Trauma of Birth, Separation anxiety and Essential Oils: Part I
Copyright 2011-2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., NCTMB Otto Rank and Birth Trauma Some people claim to remember their birth. I have unsuccessfully tried a few times to go deep into my archived memories and establish contact...
Essential Oils, Soul Archetypes and the Six Element Paradigm
Copyright 2010-2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., NCTMB In Spiritual PhytoEssencing (SPE), the term archetype refers to a unique intangible construct of the soul that is a storehouse and generator of a specific...
Essential Oils and Soul-Level Healing 3-Class Webinar Series
Copyright 2010-2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., NCTMB Dr. Bruce Berkowsky will be presenting a 3-class Essential Oils And Soul-Level Healing Teleseminar Series with the first 2-hour teleseminar class scheduled for Wednesday,...
Anxiety, Solar Plexus and Essential Oil
Read this article to learn about anxiety; it’s connection to the solar plexus chakra; essential oils, gemstone and homeopathic remedies for anxiety based on the spiritual phytoessencing.
Essential Oils and Faith, Maternal Love, I-Thou Relation and Creating Angels
Copyright 2009-2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., NCTMB The substance and tone of the following article, while not strictly holiday-season specific, nevertheless dovetails nicely with the import and essence of this time of...
Douglas-Fir Essenital Oil: Primal Fear, Inferiority Complex and the Themes of Paternal Nurturing and Protection
Copyright 2009-2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., NCTMB Last night a hard wind blowing off the Cascade Mountains gusted through the forest with the sound of cresting waves breaking upon a stony shore. The night sky was a thick...
The Last Of Dass: Essential Oils and PTSD, Courage, Duty and Clairvoyance
It was late afternoon in November of 1984 when I heard someone enter through the front door of my combination office/natural apothecary. The office, where I conducted my practice was at the back; and, fronting the street, was the store that primarily served my clients...
Maternal Essence: Mother’s Day Essential Oil Blend Project
Copyright 2009-2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., NCTMB I have designed a collaborative blending project for the attendees of my upcoming Essential Oils And Soul 3-Class Teleseminar Series that is certain to be a...
The True Nature of Eve of the Garden of Eden and Relevant Essential Oils
Copyright 2009-2022 by Joseph Ben Hil-Meyer Research, Inc.By Bruce Berkowsky, N.M.D., M.H., NCTMB This article is Part II of a series of articles (Part I) in which I will demonstrate how I am taking scriptural archetypal maternal figures such as Eve (of the Garden of...
Spiritual PhytoEssencing Repertory of Essential Oils: An Invaluable Tool When Preparing Soul-Healing Blends
I began developing the art of Spiritual PhytoEssencing (SPE) in the 1990′s. Having studied and taught scientific disciplines for many years, I naturally wanted SPE to be a very organized and disciplined approach to soul-level healing work. It is my strong belief that,...
Maternal Essence Essential Oil Blend Part I: Corrrelating Mystical Qualities and Symbolism of Scriptural Maternal Figures With Specific Essential Oils
This article is Part I of a series of articles in which I will demonstrate how I am taking certain mystical qualities and symbolism associated with scriptural archetypal maternal figures such as Eve (of Adam and Eve) and translating these into essential oil selections...
A Holiday Miracle, Santa Claus and Douglas-Fir Essential Oil
We’ve been snowed in for the last few days, and while it is a restricting circumstance, on a deep soul level, the isolation and white quiet helps one to return to the sanctuary of one’s true self. Yesterday, when evening darkened the sky, I poured a glass of organic...
Interpretation of Rose Oil’s Plant Signatures
Imaginative Consciousness: Developing “Pure Relation” With Essential Oils Philosopher J.N. Findlay in The Transcendence of the Cave remarks: “The other world [i.e., spiritual world] is, in fact, not so much another world as another half of one world, which two halves...
Coming of Age Memories, Miasms and Essential Oils
Summer, like any of the seasons, elicits certain memories—in this case, of a summer past. A few weeks ago, a summer memory sprang unbidden out of the mists and into my view. After this one-reel movie ran its course in my mind, I wondered why this particular memory...
Remembering a “True” Holiday Gift
When I was young I enjoyed the Christmas season even though I'm Jewish and never celebrated it. The Christmas season coincides with the Jewish holiday of Chanukah, the Festival Of Lights. However, it went beyond that for me because the 1950s and 1960s Christmas had a...
Essential Oils and Birth-Family Relationships
What Is A Soul-Print? Just like each of us has unique fingerprints, we also have unique soul-prints. From a spiritual perspective, the reason we are born is to actualize our unique soul-prints in this world. We are here to become who we truly are and have this true...
Archetypal images, Juniper Oil and Cowboy Jack
In June of 1973 I was teaching biology and general science in a very rough school in Brooklyn. Like many people who eventually became practitioners of the natural healing arts, I am driven by a strong Tubercular miasm current. Thus, like a fire-horse straining at the...
Basil Oil and the Scorpion-Type Individual
Imaginative Consciousness Imaginative consciousness is an important element in the art of Spiritual PhytoEssencing. In the context of this discussion, the term imaginative consciousness refers to overcoming the limitations of analysis of the material aspects of an...
The Soul-Nature of Essential Oils
Phytoessences (plant essential oils) exert emotional and physical effects via the perception of their respective scents. The olfactory nerves: nerves related to the sense of smell are directly connected to cerebral centers, including the hypothalamus: a crucial...