The story of Miwah began a few years ago when Liquid Smudge, now called Chiiyaam, was still our only Native essence. It all started with a request from the ladies working in our office for a more feminine Native Essence. I immediately thought of sweet grass, the most feminine of our sacred plants, often called “the hair of Earth-mother”. This herb is usually braided in a ritual way before being used as incense.
Traditionally, we will first burn sage to purify the space and then sweet grass to attract beneficial energies and favorable circumstances. I remember a Native Elder I met at a book fair. He was there to present his book that had just been translated and published in French. I sat with him a few minutes. He really enjoyed talking with the public. He had a braid of sweet grass hidden under the table. When the influx in front of the kiosk would dwindle, he would discreetly light the braid under the table and sway it a bit to promote the smoldering of the sweet grass. We could smell the beautiful fragrance of this sacred herb and immediately more people would approach the stand and get interested in his book. He was having great fun.
Chiiyaam is a very masculine scent. It contains three varieties of sage and a lot of Canadian cedar (thuya). It is purifying effect is powerful and immediate. It then quickly evaporates leaving a neutral atmosphere.
On the contrary, Miwah’s fragrance will remain on the skin or on clothes much longer. It slowly releases three notes, all of them sweet, citrusy and woodsy. The top note is suggestive of brilliant and light thoughts, the middle note is charming and full of promise and the base note is full and discreet. The dominant herb in all three notes is sweet grass. We developed our unique and proprietary sweet grass extract. Sweet grass does not produce enough essential oils to be feasible. Thus, sweet grass is first macerated in natural solvents. These are then distilled into a concrete, then purified into an absolute and combined to give the same scent and effects as this sacred herb. The absolute is then ready to be combined into our Native Fragrances.
As our other aromatic products, Miwah contains specific intentions encoded by a shamanic ritual. The intentions specially encoded in Miwah are the following: attracting beneficial energies and favorable circumstances, respectfully of all beings. The selection of essential oils and plant extracts used in Miwah creates a synergy that develops in time. The top note, featuring bergamot and mandarin, is light, conveys enthusiasm and stimulates creativity. The middle note, or heart note, with clary sage and vetiver, is floral and slightly heady. It attracts beneficial energies and encourages them to remain. The base note is deeper and persistent. It features sweet grass, oak moss, cistus and vanilla. It will foster favorable circumstances.
The use of Miwah complements that of Chiiyaam. Ideally, it is best to use Chiiyaam first, to purify, appease and soothe. Negativity will be eliminated from one’s energy field. As the universe does not tolerate emptiness, immediately energies will be wanting to come in to fill the vacant spaces that were purified. Using Miwah then will ensure that the energies that come in will be beneficial and favorable to your life path. The shamanic ritual that encodes the fragrance with intention structures the liquid which then becomes crystalline. Thus, it will amplify your intentions. Keep this in mind when using Miwah. Miwah will foster dynamism, enthusiasm and creativity. It will come into effect gradually and its fragrance will develop throughout the day when applied to clothes or directly on the skin. Most of the users on our team feel that it works better when sprayed in the energy field rather than on oneself. I prefer to wear it like a perfume. Test what works best for you.
Miwah is completely pure and natural the 22 essential oils and extracts are 100% of natural origin. 88% of the liquid is organic. Of course, it’s void of synthetic fragrances or preservatives. Conceived as a feminine fragrance, Miwah is also worn by men who appreciate it.
A little ritual came to me as I designed Miwah, producing a state of mind conducive to creativity. To begin, spray Chiiyaam towards the four corners of the room starting with the North, then to the West, the South and the East thus counterclockwise, opposite to the course of the sun in the sky. Also spray Chiiyaam on the palms of your hands and then bring your hand through your energy field. You are purifying all that you no longer need in your life. Focus your mind on your intentions and what you wish to create in your life. Then proceed to spray Miwah clockwise this time, one spray in East, then South, West and North and then face east, following the course of the sun, doing a 360° spin. Then, either spray on your wrists and neck or in your energy field. Visualize calmly what you wish to create in your life: circumstances favoring happiness, the means to carry out your projects, etc. The scent of sweet grass and the other plants will create a synergy that will increase the creative energy of your mind. This ritual is an interesting tool to enhance your creative potential.
Here is my prayer for Miwah:
May every man, woman and child on Earth, like Miwah, develop their potential as co-creators with Great Spirit, of paradise on earth. May each man, woman and child recognize their inner divine essence and contribute to the creation of tomorrow’s free world. I thank my ancestors for their teachings, for they are the ones who enabled and inspired me to create Miwah in the hopes of helping the greatest number of people, that we may foster peace, love and joy in the whole world. Gratitude, Tanethkoumitin, Migwesh, Osada.