Ṛta

ऋत

in rhythm with the earth

Ṛta is the Vedic word for the natural order of the cosmos: the rhythm that turns the seasons, moves the rivers and keeps the stars on their course. To live in ṛta is to live in step with that order, as the earth herself does.

pAra is Reiki-infused beauty medicine, crafted by hand amidst the Pennsylvania mountains. In our work we intertwine human spirit, plant spirit and the divine, guided by intuition, by our ancestors, and by the backing of scientific research.

We are made of the same elements as the earth

Ayurveda, India's ancient science of life, teaches that everything in nature is woven from five great elements: earth, water, fire, air and ether. The mountains, the rain and the wind are made of them, and so are we. In our bodies they gather into three energies, or doshas. Vāta is air and ether, light and moving. Pitta is fire and water, warm and bright. Kapha is earth and water, steady and soft. Each of us carries all three in our own balance, and our skin shows that balance on its surface.

Our potions aren't meant to be classically Ayurvedic. They're Ayurvedically inspired, a living guide for tending ourselves in rhythm with the earth, rather than a set of rules to follow perfectly.

Living with the Seasons

ritucharya · ऋतुचर्या

The same elements move through the year. Late autumn and early winter turn cold, dry and windy, Vāta's season, when skin asks for oil and warmth. Summer brings Pitta's heat, when skin wants cooling and calm. Late winter into spring grows damp and heavy with Kapha, when skin wants clearing and lightness. Ayurveda calls this ritucharya, seasonal living: shifting how we eat, rest and care for ourselves as the world around us shifts.

We find great comfort in this. Modern life asks us to stay the same every day of the year, under the same light, in the same climate, with the same routine. But our bodies were never meant to live apart from the earth's rhythms. When we change our rituals with the seasons — richer oils as the air grows cold, cooling waters as summer warms — we come back into conversation with the land. Our skin softens, our breath slows, and we remember that we belong to the earth rather than standing outside of it.

Our potions are made to walk this path with you. They are especially devoted to Vāta and Pitta skin, the dry, delicate and sensitive natures that so often feel the seasons most. Find your skin's dosha →

From seed to bottle

We put our beautiful home, our great Mother Earth, first among our concerns. We grow some of our herbs ourselves on our land. The rest come from small organic farmers and careful wildcrafters who tend their plants from seed to harvest and gather them at their peak. We believe a plant's life force shrinks away when she's mass-produced and treated without care. So we hand-batch every potion in our small studio, to the sound of birdsong, flutes and chimes, among smoke and essences, infusing each batch with healing intention and Shamanic Reiki. About Shamanic Reiki →

Take a moment to notice the scent and vibration as you unscrew your cap. Open yourself to the care that's arriving just for you.

Our potions are made without

Synthetic fragrance, color or preservatives · parabens · phthalates · sulfates · petrochemicals · PEGs · BHA · phenoxyethanol · any ingredient tested on animals, or animal-derived (except honey and beeswax)

It is a gift to me to be in your service. May you feel the restorative vitality of our work and go forth in your utmost vibrancy.