Book Details

• Publisher : Aeon Books

• Published : September 2026

• Cover : Paperback

• Pages : 194

• Size : 152mm(w) x 229mm(h)

• Catalogue No : 95444

• ISBN 13 : 9781801522540

“This book is a wonderful merging of the spiritual and the scientific. Such integration is challenging but Kamila Aubre succeeds, making the text a highly refreshing read. I’m delighted to see that she has taken on board the message of safety, which is important for any use of essential oils, and yet it is uncommon when writing about their spiritual properties. Most essential oils are not pharmacologically psychoactive, but they can still influence our state of mind, especially when linked to meditation and ritual. The emerging field of aromapsychology is perhaps a different aspect of this, but in the ritualistic context of a therapy session. It has always fascinated me how ‘essential oil’ derives from ‘quintessence’ – the fifth element, often called ether, being the most subtle, and therefore the one that connects us most directly with the divine. In some European languages, essential oils are “ethereal oils”. Thank you, Kamila, for bringing me back to this place, but with a new context.” 

- Robert Tisserand, author of Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals

"Working with non-ordinary states is both science and art — it depends on knowledge, but also on a sensitivity to the invisible threads that hold a session together, and scent is one of them. I have incorporated aromatics into my facilitation work for years, guided mostly by intuition rather than formal understanding, and Kamila Aubre’s work finally gives depth, context, and language to a dimension of practice that has long deserved more attention. Aubre invites us into the world of sacred scent, where fragrance and subtle perception become supports for deeper unfolding. Sacred Aromatics beautifully expands our understanding of how carefully chosen aromas can enhance therapeutic and ceremonial spaces.”

- Marc Aixalà, author of Psychedelic Integration: Psychotherapy for Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness

FR
"Avec l’avènement de l’ère industrielle, s’est produit un changement profond dans le rôle tenu par les parfums. En même temps qu’ils s’éloignaient de leur ancrage dans la nature et se démocratisaient, en raison de l’apparition des molécules de synthèse, se sont effacées les fonctions sacrées, prophylactiques, curatives et parfois même magiques qu’ils assumaient depuis des temps immémoriaux.
La période contemporaine connaît cependant un regain d’intérêt pour l’olfaction, revalorisée grâce aux travaux d’historiens, anthropologues, philosophes 1 et, plus récemment, de scientifiques intéressés, notamment, par les liens de l’odorat avec les zones du cerveau impliquées dans les émotions et la mémoire. Parallèlement, les anciennes fonctions des parfums sont remises à l’honneur, en particulier avec l’essor de l’aromathérapie scientifique initiée, au XXe siècle, par le parfumeur chimiste René Maurice Gattefossé et par le médecin chirurgien Jean Valnet. Les formidables pouvoirs des huiles essentielles, capables de pénétrer la peau, de passer dans le sang et d’atteindre les organes du corps humain sont aujourd’hui de plus en plus utilisés dans les hôpitaux et les EHPAD.
C’est dans ce mouvement général prometteur d’une réappropriation moderne par les parfums de territoires naguère encore abandonnés, que s‘inscrivent les recherches de Kamila Aubre concernant l’impact des aromatiques naturelles sur l’activité sensorielle et psychique.”

- Annick Le Guérer, author of Scent: The Mysterious and Essential Powers of Smell

EN (translated via google translate with the permission of the author, feel free to adjust the translation for clarity)

“With the advent of the industrial era, a profound shift occurred in the role of perfumes. As they drifted away from their roots in nature and became democratized through the emergence of synthetic molecules, the sacred, prophylactic, healing, and sometimes even magical functions they had carried since time immemorial gradually disappeared.

In recent times, however, there has been a renewed interest in olfaction, revitalized thanks to the work of historians, anthropologists, philosophers, and, more recently, scientists exploring the connections between the sense of smell and the areas of the brain involved in emotion and memory. At the same time, the ancient functions of perfumes are being rediscovered, particularly with the rise of scientific aromatherapy initiated in the 20th century by the chemist-perfumer René Maurice Gattefossé and the surgeon Jean Valnet. The remarkable powers of essential oils, capable of penetrating the skin, entering the bloodstream, and reaching the organs of the human body, are now increasingly used in hospitals and care homes.

It is within this promising movement of modern reappropriation of territories long abandoned by perfumery that we find the research of Kamila Aubre, whose work explores the impact of natural aromatics on sensory and psychic activity.”

- Annick Le Guérer, author of Scent: The Mysterious and Essential Powers of Smell

"Sacred Aromatics: Ritual, Healing, and Consciousness in Non-Ordinary States is a rare and luminous treasure. Kamila Aubre has created the shamanic companion I’ve been waiting for—an elegant, deeply researched guide to how aromas, botanicals, and essential oils can shape consciousness, transform ritual, and enhance visionary experience. This remarkable volume fills a long-neglected gap in entheogenic literature. With clarity, beauty, and scholarly depth, Aubre maps the subtle yet profound ways that scent influences psychology, neurochemistry, and the spiritual imagination. She catalogues sacred and psychoactive aromatic allies with exquisite care, weaving together ancient ritual practice, modern therapeutic insight, and the experiential wisdom of a seasoned practitioner. More than an encyclopedic compendium, this book is an

initiatory guide—an indispensable companion for psychonautic exploration, ceremonial work, integrative healing, and anyone seeking to deepen their relationship with the plant world. Most highly recommended.”

- David Jay Brown, author of Dreaming Wide Awake and The Illustrated Field Guide to DMT Entities