ÇaFleureBon Profiles in American Perfumery: Marcus Riley McCoy of House of Orpheus + Occult, Alchemy and Shamanry Perfume Draw

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Marcus Riley McCoy

Profile: I was born in Coos Bay Oregon in seventy five. A small coastal town, covered in fog. There I grew up on a small cattle farm far out in the Cascadian wilderness. I spent most of my days working on the farm, playing in the streams and forest and reading. Nature, which I lived so close to always fascinated me.  At a very young age I started to learn which plants where edible and which were medicinal.  As I became older I learned plants had an association with the mythic world of folk magic, which I was fascinated with as a young adult.

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Young Marcus

The foggy coastline was my best friend and I wandered the cliffs engaged in a deeper vision of the world. There is nothing more driving of ones desire to explore the mysteries of this world than standing on an ocean cliff at night, staring at where the stars meet the ocean. I was compelled to explore, and so I explored within and without.

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Guru Deva

This led me to a college education in transpersonal anthropology, and psychopharmacology, which in turn led me to working with a Bolivian shaman for six years. It was through working with him that I was introduced to perfumerismo, a specialized practice of Vegetalismo shamanry in the Amazon. Perfumeros work with the wild jungle aromatic plants to do a large assortment of healing and magical practices.

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Marcus distilling sage

I wanted to localize the practice as well as work with the vast pharmacopeia of aromatic plants worldwide. I became a distiller learning the art from Robert Seidel, owner of The Essential Oil Company in Portland, Oregon.  I started a small boutique essential oil distillery focusing on the highest level of quality we could achieve in small batches. We built our own stills and worked with Iberian copper alembics. I learned tincturing and soxhlet extraction, teaching myself the basics and just exploring in our lab. One cannot do lab work without getting inspired with the origins of chemistry, the art of alchemy.  As I began to explore alchemy I recognized the liminal depths of scent went deeper and stretched farther than I could imagine.

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House of Orpheus Perfumes

My explorations into scent led me to my greatest muse, my love and partner Catamara Rosarium who is a master herbalist, incense artist, alchemist and blender of incense oils. We started making perfumes together for her existing business, which was inline with my practice of perfumerismo. A few years after we had been together she inspired me to start my own perfume line. I wanted to bring what I had learned from my Bolivian shaman teacher to a new audience by combining it with western/eastern mystery traditions and inspire a new sense of depth and beauty in the perfuming world. My biggest hope is to inspire a movement of an art form I call ‘Liminal Perfuming’, perfume that allows us to be a part of the mystery of life so we can perpetuate that mystery. I currently live in Olympia, Washington in a small cottage in the woods making perfume in our shared apothecary.

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Alchemy, magic and American artisan perfumery

On American Perfumery: Being an American perfumer to me is interesting. We are those that went west towards the direction of the setting sun, the horizon, and seemingly far from perfumes origins. I say only seemingly because perfume has its origins in incense. In the Americas we have a vast heritage among the indigenous peoples here who work with aromatic plants.  Much like we have in other parts of the world where we associate the art of perfuming from originating from Europe. Much of my inspiration comes from the indigenous peoples of the America’s, which was my introduction to perfume. The burning of sage and copal in sacred ceremonies and the use of perfume in South American Curanderismo practice are deep traditions within the Americas that showed me perfume has many vast depths to explore. Being an indie perfumer allows me some freedom to explore those depths and share what I have learned with others through what I consider a high art form.

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Sage distillation

I believe what I am doing as an indie perfumer in America challenges a lot of our previously conceived notions of perfume as an art form.  As well, it changes the traditional ideas of what perfume can mean to the wearer as well as the perfumer. At times I really feel as if my perspective has created some challenges in adapting to the current culture of perfume, but it’s a beautiful challenge and one that I’ve really enjoyed tackling.  America is the product of revolution, being revolutionary and rebelling against current aesthetics and philosophies within is what has become more of a science and industry and less of an art, this seems very American to me.

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Soriah

Favorite American Artist: I believe I am inspired as much by artisans as I am by fine artists. I’ve always been inspired by those who apply their artistic integrity to produce something that will be used by another.  I hold high regard for artisans such as wood workers and textile makers who create it all by hand as well as people like my good friend Dan Riegler who knows the science of making the base components of a perfume. I am also very influenced by ritual performance artist and throat singer Soriah from Portland, Oregon. I am also a musician and find music, like scent tells the audience stories that trigger emotions of great depth within us. Soriah, creates the same level of depth that I hope to bring with my perfume. His performances touch upon the shamanic, mystical, and liminal realms.  The very place our dreams come from, where gods and the spirits of our ancestors live and continue to inform our lives. The synergy of these things influence my work a great deal. The ability to make something with my own hands that open doorways and access to parts of ourselves and to the world around us inspires the hell out of me.  To me that seems a perfect synergy of my love of the work of the artisan and the ritual performance artists.

Marcus Riley McCoy, Perfumer and Founder of House of Orpheus

house of orpheus sample set perfumes

Thanks to Marcus we have an international draw for a sample set of Djinn, Seraph, Arktos,  Enodia and Guru Deva. To be eligible please leave a comment noting what you found fascinating about Marcus and where you live. If you ever had a "supernatural experience" tell us.  Draw ends February 4, 2015

Please like CaFleureBon Profiles in American Perfumery and your entry will count  twice.

You can follow Marcus on instagram: house_of_orpheus #occultperfume

 We announce the winners on our site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize wil be just spilled perfume

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36 comments

  • Laura Matheson says:

    Wow, where to begin? I’ve been following natural perfumery for over 5 years now and simply adore it. I was fascinated by your perfuming story and the journey you have undertaken thusfar. I would be honoured to try these perfumes and thank you very much for the opportunity. I live in Perth, Western Australia. I love the idea of living in a small cottage in the woods, creating perfume (that’s just awesome)

  • Marcus is just inetersting. nevermind he studied transpersonal anthropology and worked with a shaman for 6 years. if you saw him walking down the street, your chakras would notice.

    Nevermind he listens to LOCAL (?!?!?) throat artists and is partnered to a master herbalism, incense and together they make purposeful perfume (awwww!)- the guy has great hair.

    this line which is not blurred, but we call it as such- between spiritual/psychological and esthetic is unified in the alchemy House of Orpheus presents.

    A short trip round the sephriot? a full rose in bloom? perhaps trying to ward off the evil eye? i want to smell good. this is what they do.

    wonderful profile!!

    i live in the us, and at some point, supernatural experiences are just… tuesday. 😉

  • I live in denver, co.

    Most fascinating: the cross discipline approach he takes, combining science and spirituality, magic and mundania. His aesthetic, influenced by Catamara no doubt, is beautiful and deep too.

    Supernatural experience: daily? I make an effort to have these, but I’ve been seeing spirits since I was a child.

  • Breathtaking photos! I like the mysterious atmosphere that Marcus brings in their creations.
    I’m in Russia. Thanks!

  • Reading this article really helped me to see where Marcus’ perfumes come from. I recently learned of them and was intrigued. I smelled some samples when I was in Seattle a couple weeks ago, and now I know what fuels them.

    Being a creator of perfumes, and a lifelong student of scent, I love to read of the paths that other perfumers walk, and to see the many similarities in our experiences.

    I live a mile down a dirt road on the shores of Vashon Island, in the Salish Sea.

    Supernatural experiences? Far too many to count. They really are just a part of everyday life. Seeing through dimensions, connecting in dream time, being closely psychically connected with several other people – it makes life full and rich.

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    Anthropology was one of the best courses I took in college but i never knew there is also something called transpersonal anthropology so this is new piece of information i have gained. I like the fact one of Marcus’ inspiration is a throat singer because throat singing is a really rare art few can master. I have never had any supernatural experience even though almost everyone i meet claims to have at least one. I am in the US. Best of luck Marcus on your new journey.

  • Some very interesting keywords here : nature, perfumerismo, magical practices, chemistry, alchemy, music, spirits…
    But the part which makes me even more curious about Marcus work (besides his background & profile) is : “The ability to make something with my own hands that open doorways and access to parts of ourselves and to the world around us inspires the hell out of me.” With a such philosophy, he creates for sure great and unique scents.
    I’m in France – no supernatural experiences here ;).
    Thanks for the opportunity to sample this American brand in Europe too!

  • It is interesting that he is inspired by shamanism aromatics. I had a supernatural experience after when i joined a demonic pentecostal church in the past. I could hear the demons hoarse voices and even saw a demon. he had pale grey skin with long black hair and dressed on black. He spoke something and smirked. I left the church and had not experoenced any supernatural things since.

  • I liked reading about his muse, but I don’t think I’ve ever had a supernatural experience. Sounds like interesting fragrances. I’m in the US.

  • Very interesting article. It was really amusing to read. I would very like to try these samples.
    I live in Europe.

  • Returning scent to it’s origin, transporting us out of the mundane. When I graduated medical school my graduation present to myself was a natural perfume from a small house, a scent called Oud Laban. When I wear it I am filled with a sense of purpose and excitement around my practice, that same feeling I had as I stepped out of school and into the world. That to me is a mystical experience.

  • What I found fascinating about Marcus’ profile is his assimilation of indigenous incenses in his work.

    I am very interested in seeing what his line is like, so I am glad for this entry as I was oblivious to the House of Orpheus.

    I am in the US. Thanks for the draw.

    PS: I am a “liker” of “CaFleurBon Profiles in American Perfumery”on facebook. 🙂

  • I loved reading about Marcus’s upbringing. That early childhood, so formative and his rapport with nature. It very brave, nature is so profound yet sometimes so unforgiving. Its wonderful he has brought us these translations of nature and shared his gifts with us. Thank you for the draw. It would be awesome to savour these creations. I’m international

  • His is a very complex and nuanced approach with a dark and spiritual air to it that is refreshing and intriguing. I would love to see what his perfumes inspire in me. i am in the U.S.. Thank you for the draw.

  • These in-depth interviews are a great way to discover the artisan perfumers, and I agree with Marcus that it is an art form.
    How unusual that he looked inwards as well as outwards even as a young child! The search seems to have driven him all his life.
    The only supernatural things that I have experienced have been many dreams which later came to pass.
    I am in Australia

  • Donna Spiegel says:

    I enjoyed reading this profile. I could just imagine myself had I been in that same environment growing up. Fog, mist etc can be very soothing and expanding to the mind and soul. Following his journey in perfumery was very interesting to read and I find that sometimes I feel I am in the story being told rather than just reading it. This was one of those. Quite captivating. As to supernatural experiences. Many. My mom and dad speak to me often from the other side through signs and dreams. Others have seen some of these too so it’s cool. I’ve had other experiences as well. All just part of our journeys if we are open to them. I’m in US.

  • Very interesting how he lives, in a small cottage, creating fragrances. As for having a supernatural experience, I have seen and heard a ghost… I have experienced deja vu several times, one time dreaming I had an older sister which I didn’t understand for several years, until my mom, ten days before passing away, told me that I had an older half sister she’d given up for adoption. I’m in the US, thanks for the draw!

  • What an exciting life he’s led! The fantastic adventures are the kind you read about in an adventure novel. To take those experiences and use them in creating fragrances is just too cool.

    One thing that happened to me was I knew when my grandmother passed away before anyone told me about it. I had this urgent feeling I had to get home and call her, and raced home to do so, only to find that she’d died. I was very close to her, and it was an experience that has stayed with me.

    US resident – thank you for a compelling review!

  • I would call Marcus a trailblazer. It seems well deserved. “Liminal Perfuming” sounds like a new and vast field to be explored. Though it is surely well forgotten old practices by the ancient tribes all around the world. I have never heard the words “Vegetalismo” and “perfumerismo”, though I know something about the Amazon shamanry. I am beyond excited to try any of House of Orpheus range!!!
    I already like CaFleureBon Profiles in American Perfumery on Facebook.
    I am in Bulgaria (EU). Thanks for the chance!

  • I find fascinating his whole way of living the fact that he went to live in a cottage and create his own perfume line and that he was living for some time with a Bolivian shaman teacher in order to learn the secrets of perfumery.
    I have up till now no supernatural experience only dreams that foretell the future but not always very accurate.
    I live in EU.

  • Wonderful story and approach to the wide and wild world and natural aromatics. To be in tune with each can be quite supernatural. US here.

  • I enjoy finding artists and creators who are consciously and intentionally living alchemical lives. Thank you!

  • I feel the elements of the unseen here. Undercurrents of nature that are brought to us here in the material form of Perfume. I am in the US. It would be wonderful to experience the work of this artist, Marcus. What an interesting life he leads. Thanks for the generous draw and a fantastic review!

  • Cynthia Richardson says:

    I found it fascinating that much of Marcus’ inspiration comes from the indigenous peoples of the Americas. I live in the US and am totally open to having a “supernatural experience” – but nothing yet.

  • Wow. What WASN’t interesting about this story? I would love to see his resume….working with a Bolivian shaman, gathering plants from the Amazon rainforest….love it! I really believe perfumes can have “healing” properties, although I only experience this with naturals. This is a fascinating line I will have to explore further. I like in Texas and sadly have not had any supernatural experiences. Well, does it count that I was touring at a Hari Krishna temple in Bombay, back before it was Mumbai, 12 weeks pregrant with triplets. This guy starts to trumpet out of a sea shell and I suddenly start bleeding and had to rush home and keep my feet up for three weeks. Very Victorian, swooming and such, like that wretched girl in Passage to India. Maybe not Supernatural;. but it felt very weird at the time!

  • What an interesting life path! Very intriguing and it sounds like it could have been mine in the right circumstances. Wonderful way of filling ones life.

    As for supernatural experiences I can say that I had a few. Some were nice and others not so much. I will mention one. During a year or maybe even a little bit longer (many years ago) every night I woke up in the middle of the night and I saw “things” sometimes it was an old man, other times a woman and even objects. One day I saw my whole bedroom filled with sheets. I felt like someone or something tried to tell me something, but I cannot imagine what that could be. It was very disturbing because it startled me every time. If someone has a deeper insight of this phenomenon please let me know.

    I live in the Netherlands. Thank you Marcus and ÇaFleureBon for this lovely draw.

  • I found it fascinating that Marcus grew up in Oregon and went to the Amazon to learn from a shaman.

    I live in the US. I have “supernatural experiences”daily….being a natural perfumer working with nature spirits and more…it is bound to happen!

  • What I found fascinating about Marcus? Obviously his background! It’s extremely interesting, and also that he distilles some of his raw materials, I love when a perfumer does this.
    I never had a supernatural experience, but would be awesome.

    I’m from Spain (EU)

    Thank you for the draw!

  • Wow, I found pretty much everything fascinating! His whole approach to scent is so infused with an approach to the spiritual that is both very rooted in local, indigenous lore, but also one which recognizes the universality of the truth and goodness that flows from each unique approach. If that makes sense. Also liked the connection to throat-singing, which I have only ever heard in movies/recordings.

    I have never really had a supernatural experience, apart from being spooked in certain places. But sometimes being out in nature can feel gently transcendent.
    USA
    Thanks for the article and draw!