Mixing Essential Oils for Magic: Aromatic Alchemy for Personal Blends (16 page)

balance. In addition, pomegranate is connected with protection. Either of these carrier oils work well with this blend because they both cover the most important intention: to ground and center energy with the added intention of coming into balance. With all three of the essential oils being associated with protection, my feeling is that it would not be necessary to have the carrier oil do this, too. Another consideration is cost: pomegranate is usually twice as expensive as jojoba. Consider all the factors and base your decision on what is right for you. Also, like essential oils carriers can be mixed so you can use less of a more expensive oil while reaping the benefits of its magical associations. The oil I used most often for this blend is jojoba.

My prosperity and well-being blend from Chapter 2 was offered as an example of the

botanical family method of selecting oils. All five of the essential oils are associated with Carrier Oils for Magic 105

well-being and strength. In addition, grapefruit, lemon, and orange are associated with abundance, and bergamot and mandarin with prosperity. As mentioned, I like to use this blend indoors with a tea light diffuser, especially in the winter to freshen the house and get energy moving. Bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, and orange are associated with energy and mandarin with happiness, which nicely rounds out my intentions.

When considering carrier oils for this blend we find that almond and olive are associated with abundance, prosperity, and well-being. Olive has the added advantage of being associated with energy, manifestation, and the home, which can boost the intentions

of this blend. On the other hand, sunflower is associated with energy, well-being, and strength, and it works equally well. Don’t discount a carrier oil because it may have fewer associations that directly align with your intention. For example, sesame is associated with prosperity and dealing with negativity. As a result, this oil can emphasize drawing prosperity into the home while pushing negative energy away. For this reason I like to use sesame as the carrier oil when I dab this blend on door wreaths.

In Chapter 3 I shared my psychic purification blend, which uses the botanical family method of selection. I chose lavender, marjoram, and rosemary from the
Lamiaceae
family.

All three essential oils are associated with focus and psychic abilities as well as with balance. As with my prosperity and well-being blend, I could not stay with the botanical family selection method for the carrier oil as none of them come from this family. As a result, I used oils based solely on their magical associations. Borage is especially potent for this blend because it is connected with psychic work, inner purification, and balance. Another oil that works well is sesame, which is associated with balance and purification. It has the added aspect of banishing negativity. I tend to alternate between these two carrier oils.

Galadriel’s dream from Chapter 4 is a blend I use for dream work because it is down-

to-earth yet ethereal. I created this using the opposite scent group blending method. It contains cedarwood, jasmine, and ylang-ylang which are members of the woody and floral scent groups. All three oils are associated with dream work and peace. In addition, cedarwood and jasmine are associated with spirits, and ylang-ylang communicating with them.

Carrier oils that work well for this blend are rosehip and sunflower, either singly or together. Both are associated with dream work and peace. If protection during dream work is important, both oils are also linked with this, and rosehip specifically with emotional protection. In addition, rosehip is associated with messages and omens, which can enhance the effectiveness of the blend. Almond is another candidate for the carrier oil as 106 Carrier Oils for Magic

it is associated with peace, prophecy, protection, and spirits. I most often use a mix of sunflower and rosehip for this blend.

Offered in Chapter 5, I created my psychic focus blend for divination using the per-

fume note method. It contains the essential oils bergamot, clary sage, and geranium, all of which help sustain concentration. In addition, geranium supports psychic energy as well as work in the astral realm. Bergamot brings psychic protection, heightened awareness, and communication with spirits. Clary sage, which I use as the base note, supports psychic abilities, divination, and clairvoyance.

There are several carrier oils to consider for this blend. Hazelnut is powerful because of its association with communication, divination, wisdom, and the mind. Also, hazelnuts are used specifically on Samhain for divination. Flax oil is also a candidate because it is connected with divination and psychic work. Almond is another because of its association with divination, knowledge, and spirits. A combination of pomegranate and sunflower oils would work well, too, because both are associated with clarity. In addition, pomegranate is connected with divination, and sunflower with wisdom. I have not settled on a specific one, yet. Trying a different carrier oil when repeating a blend is good way to experiment and extend your knowledge.

My Samhain remembrance blend from Chapter 6 was created using the As Above, So

Below method. This can be applied to the selection of the carrier oil as well. The essential oils for this blend—myrrh, niaouli, and ginger—come from the So Below group. As a resin oil, myrrh has the attribute of healing. It is also associated with the dead and the afterlife.

Niaouli’s attribute as a twigs & leaves oil is balance. It is also connected with the emotions and healing. As a root oil ginger is associated with the Otherworld/Underworld as well as stability. It is also linked with memories. In addition, the scent of ginger brings an uplifting quality to this blend.

Of course, the most symbolic carrier oil is pomegranate because of its importance

at Samhain. It is also connected with ancestors, the dead, the afterlife, cycles, and love.

Another effective choice is olive oil because of its associations with family, making peace, blessings, and spirits. These are both seed oils, linked with the As Above and So Below groups of oils. As seed oils pomegranate and olive speak of cycles and continuity, which are also themes for Samhain. Combining the above and below realms aids in connecting us with those in the Otherworld. I use olive oil for this because I especially like its link to family.

Carrier Oils for Magic 107

Extending Botanical Family Selection to Carrier Oils

Although using the botanical family method of selection for essential and carrier oils did not work for the two blends I included as sample blends in earlier chapters, this method can actually work. Table 7.1 lists the botanical families that include both essential and carrier oils to show where commonality exists.

Table 7.1 Botanical Families with Essential and Carrier Oils

Botanical Family

Essential Oils

Carrier Oils

Asteraceae

chamomile, helichrysum,

sunflower

mugwort, tagetes, tarragon,

yarrow

Betulaceae

birch

hazelnut

Lauraceae

bay, camphor, cassia, cinnamon,

avocado

litsea

Oleaceae

jasmine

olive

Rosaceae

rose

almond, apricot, rosehip

As we have seen, some botanical families have too few oils with which to create magical blends. In the case of
Rosaceae
, the carrier oils outnumber the essential oils of Damask and Maroc rose. However, remember that carrier oils can be mixed and if you are looking to create a powerful blend for love magic, four or all five of these oils together pack a punch. It will be the sample blend at the end of this chapter.

Let’s also consider the
Asteraceae
family to see what type of blends can be created. One blend can be based on the fact that all the oils are associated with dream work and most with divination, psychic work, and protection. For another type of blend consider the oils’

connection with balance and the fact that most of them are also linked with healing. A third and fourth type of blend can be based on the prevalent associations with abundance, prosperity, and well-being as well as spirituality. In addition to sharing most of these associations, sunflower as the carrier oil also brings clarity and energy to boost the intentions of blends made with it.

108 Carrier Oils for Magic

Extending the As Above So Below Selection to Carrier Oils

Although carrier oils are not obtained from the full range of plant parts that we explored in the previous chapter, they can fit into this method of selecting oils. The two plant part categories for carrier oils are fruit and seeds.

Table 7.2 Oils and Plant Parts

Carrier Oils

Essential Oils

Oils from Fruit (As Above)

avocado, jojoba, olive

bergamot, grapefruit, juniper, litsea,

lemon, lime, mandarin, orange, star anise

Oils from Seeds (So Below)

almond, apricot, borage, camellia,

anise, caraway, cardamom, carrot, celery,

cranberry, evening primrose, flax, grape,

coriander, cumin, dill, fennel (
sweet
),

hazelnut, pecan, pomegranate, rosehip,

nutmeg, parsley

sesame, sunflower

Fruit represents manifestation and achievement. Blends of fruit oils are instrumental for increasing what you have and manifesting what you seek. This category has three carrier oils, all of which provide strong support for these intentions. Blends from these oils are also good for instilling a sense of confidence and happiness. They support the ability to banish negativity while building long-lasting comfort and abundance. You may also want to explore how these carrier oils work with other As Above oils.

The category of seeds includes kernels and nuts. As mentioned in the previous chap-

ter, seeds symbolize the wheel of the year as a fulcrum that balances the duality of the world. The magical associations of these plant parts also include cycles, changes, and transitions as well as beginnings. The carrier oils from seeds support these connections while sharing others. Like the botanical family
Rosaceae
, carriers outnumber the essential oils giving us plenty of choices.

All of the oils—essential and carrier—in the seed category are powerful for blends

focused on creating a solid, safe home environment. They share at least one of the following associations: abundance, blessings, healing, home/family, money, peace, prosperity, protection, and well-being. With very few exceptions these oils relate to astral and psychic work, and many forms of prophecy and divination including dream work and clairvoy-Carrier Oils for Magic 109

ance. They are also powerful allies for breaking hexes and supporting magic in general.

The seed oils also aid in connecting with spirits. Almost any combination of these oils will enhance and support this work.

Seed oils also relate strongly to affairs of the heart and sex. They cover the range from affection and attraction to desire, lust, and passion. Marriage, fertility, and fidelity are also associated with them, as are magic relating to love and passion. As members of the seed category, these carrier oils are supportive of all the essential oils in both the As Above and So Below groups. You may want to explore them further when working with plant parts.

Sample Blend

As mentioned earlier, the five oils from the
Rosaceae
botanical family can create a wonderful blend for love spells. Because they all come from roses, the two essential oils and rosehip carrier oil share the associations of affection, sexual attraction, fidelity, happiness, love, and magic. Almond is linked specifically with love magic as well as true love, beauty, and joy. Also associated with love, apricot is further connected with increasing passion as well as binding lovers.

In addition to having the botanical family in common, both rose essential oils are also members of the floral scent group. Damask is a top note and Maroc is a middle to base note and together they create a nice little bouquet of roses.

Love Potion Number 5

Rose (
Damask
): 2 drops

Rose (
Maroc
): 2 drops

Almond, apricot, and rosehip carrier oils: 5 ml each

This creates a 1% dilution which is perfect for anointing on or around the face.

Summary

I hope this sojourn into aromatic alchemy and the world of scent has provided you with knowledge and inspiration. As we have seen, the use of perfumery has been an integral part of spiritual and magical practices since the earliest civilizations. People long ago discovered that the green world provided more than food—it also gifted humans with amazing flavors and aromas. These simple aspects of plants not only enrich everyday life but touches our souls. We also took a look at alchemy and learned that it was more than the notion of using wizardry to transmute metals. In the past, a great deal of alchemy was focused on the medicinal and spiritual uses of plants. Dealing with plants and the soul, aromatic alchemy can bring the power of the green world to our spiritual and magical practices.

With the ability to bring memories and past feelings to the forefront, scent is an ally for accessing other realms. It supports psychic work on so many levels and provides access to something beyond ourselves that results in more meaningful magic and ritual. Scent also offers a bridge between these practices and mundane activities helping us to integrate all parts of the self. It helps us bring that special part of who we are in ritual out into the world, making us whole and in many cases healing us as well.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this book, I like to know the
how
and
why
of what I’m doing. I want to understand things, which is why we started by learning the difference between an essential oil and other aromatic extracts. Examining how oils are produced helps us make informed decisions about what products we want to use. In addition, know-ing the nitty-gritty of measuring, mixing, and assessing oil blends provides us with the fundamental basics that we can build on.