Mixing Essential Oils for Magic: Aromatic Alchemy for Personal Blends (34 page)

244 Carrier Oil Profiles

Correspondences

Solar System:
Mercury
Element:
fire

Celebrations:
Samhain, Walpurgis

Goddesses:
Athena, Bertha, Brigid, the Fates, Freya, Frigg, Holle, Minerva, the Norns
Grape

Botanical Name
:
Vitis vinifera

Family
:
Vitaceae

The Egyptians wrote about the “two faces” of wine saying that it had the “potential for joy or disaster.”98 Hippocrates’ 4th century BCE recommendation of its importance for good health was later echoed by Galen of Pergamum (131-201 CE) and based on the fact that wine was often safer to drink than water. Wine was also used to treat wounds because of its powerful antiseptic properties. According to legend, Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and vineyards, favored grapes as a child because they were refreshing. Liber, a Roman god who presided over vegetation, was later identified with Dionysus and worshipped as Bacchus, a name that comes from
bacca
meaning berry. Liber/Bacchus became the personification of the blessings of nature, which was later extended to represent the blessings of Autumn.99 Grapevines have thick, woody bases and climb with the aid of tendrils. Their jagged leaves are large and deeply lobed and their familiar fruit grow in inverted pyramidal clusters. Grapes are native to Asia Minor.

About the Oil

Oil is produced from the seeds of various types of wine-making grapes and is usually only available as a refined oil. It is most often called grapeseed oil.

Scent
: faint, nutty

Color
: colorless to pale green

Approximate Shelf Life
: 6 to 12 months

Plant Part
: As Above/So Below—Seeds

98. McGovern,
The Origins and Ancient History of Wine
, 14

99. Berens,
The Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome
, 124

Carrier Oil Profiles 245

Magical Support

The very symbol of abundance and prosperity, grapeseed oil is also closely tied to sex and fertility. In addition, it has strong powers of consecration and healing. Use this oil to encourage clarity of mind for divination as well as creative projects. Supporting growth and inspiration, it increases personal power for self-transformation. Grapeseed oil encourages cycles of change while maintaining balance. This oil foster kindness and happiness. It is also associated with beginnings and money.

Correspondences

Solar System:
Moon

Celebration:
Mabon

Elements:
fire, water

Goddess:
Hathor

Gods:
Bacchus/Liber, Dionysus, Mabon, Saturn, Thor

Hazelnut

Botanical Name
:
Corylus avellana

Family
:
Betulaceae

Also Known As
: cob nut, English hazel

Native to Europe, the genus name for hazelnut comes from the Greek
korys
meaning hood referring to the shape of the husk that covers the nut. Likewise the name hazel, from the Anglo Saxon
haesel
meaning bonnet, also refers to the husk.100 Small, round nuts are called cobs and the larger ones are mistakenly called filberts (
Corylus maxima
). Young catkin-bearing branches of these shrubby trees were commonly called wands, and according to legend Mercury’s winged wand was said to have been made of hazel. Hazelnuts

were associated with the mystic rites of both Mercury and Apollo. Used for divination on Samhain in England, hazelnuts were also featured in Celtic mythology and closely

associated with salmon and water. Although the details of legends differ, the hazelnut was considered a repository of wisdom. When eaten by salmon, hazelnuts would impart

knowledge of all things and the gift of second sight. He (or they, sometimes there were 100. Rosengarten,
The Book of Edible Nuts
, 95

246 Carrier Oil Profiles

five) became known as the salmon of knowledge, inspiration, and wisdom. These properties were passed along to people who ate the salmon.

About the Oil

Hazelnut oil is obtained from the kernel.

Scent
: faint, nutty

Color
: pale to golden yellow

Approximate Shelf Life
: 12 months

Plant Part
: As Above/So Below—Seeds

Magical Support

Familiar to many Pagans for Samhain divination, hazelnut is a powerful aid for contacting the Otherworld during this sabbat. As a symbol of knowledge, wisdom, and cycles, hazelnut is instrumental in developing the mind as well as intuition. Use it in all forms of magic and when practicing the art of clairvoyance. It is effective in spells for attaining luck, beauty, and desires. This oil provides protection, especially when dealing with problems, and can be employed for many types of defense. Use it to build security through abundance, and strength through healing. Hazelnut provides inspiration for creative projects, initiating changes, and all forms of communication. It is also associated with balance, beginnings, fertility, longevity, and marriage.

Correspondences

Zodiac:
Gemini, Leo, Libra, Virgo

Solar System:
Mercury, Sun

Celebration:
Mabon

Elements:
air, fire, water

Gods:
Apollo, Manannan, Mercury, Ogma, Thor

Goddesses:
Aphrodite, Arianrhod, Artemis, Boann, Danu, Diana, Venus

Carrier Oil Profiles 247

Jojoba

Botanical Name
:
Simmondsia chinensis

Family
:
Simmondsiaceae

Also Known As
: coffee bush, deer nut, goat nut, pig nut, wild hazel

Jojoba is a multi-trunked evergreen shrub that thrives in its native deserts of California where it can live more than 100 years. Jojoba’s oval leaves are gray-green and its fruit capsules contain one to three nuts. The species was erroneously named
chinensis
(designat-ing that it came from China) when a botanist’s specimens were shipped to England and mixed up with plants he had collected in Asia. Its common name comes
Hohowi
, the Native American name for the plant.101 Mainly used for food, the Coahuila tribe made a drink from jojoba nuts, which European settlers adapted as a substitute for coffee. There was little commercial interest in the plant until in the 1930s when the oil was discovered to actually be a liquid wax that could be substituted for whale oil with a lot less processing.

About the Oil

As mentioned, jojoba is actually a liquid wax that is extracted from the bean. It is particularly good for use on the skin as it is similar to the body’s natural oil. Jojoba oil is highly stable and has a long shelf life.

Scent
: soft nutty, slightly sweet

Color
: golden to brownish yellow

Approximate Shelf Life
: Indefinite

Plant Part
: As Above—Fruit

Magical Support

Jojoba is a bringer of beauty, comfort, and healing. Use it to get relationships back on track or for any aspect of life that needs stimulation. Its powers of purification are instrumental for renewal as well as breaking hexes. Building strength and determination, jojoba aids in success of purpose. Use this oil to for spells to increase abundance and money.

Jojoba helps to ground and balance energy after ritual. It is also associated with cycles and longevity.

101. Nugent,
Permaculture Plants
, 45

248 Carrier Oil Profiles

Correspondences

Solar System
: Jupiter

Element
: water

God
: Adonis

Olive

Botanical Name
:
Olea europaea

Family
:
Oleaceae

This slow growing evergreen tree was
the
fruit tree of classical ancient civilizations. It can live and bear fruit for more than 1000 years, with some sources indicating up to 2000

years. Originating in the eastern Mediterranean region, its genus name comes from the Greek
elaia
and its common name from the Latin
oliva
.102 To ancient Egyptians, olives symbolized regeneration and immortality because if a tree burned down, the roots often survived and sprouted new growth. With this in mind, crowns of olive branches were

placed within mummy cases as aids for the afterlife. According to legend, Athena planted the first olive on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece where this tree came to be associated with peace, security, and wisdom. In Spain olive oil was used to make the high-quality Castile soap, which became the must-have luxury item of the 8th century. The California mission olives were so named because they were first grown in the United States by the Spanish padres at their missions.

About the Oil

Oil is extracted from the fruit. Because the oil is fairly thick, it is often mixed with a lighter one.

Scent
: faint olive smell

Color
: greenish

Approximate Shelf Life
: 1 to 2 years

Plant Part
: As Above—Fruit

102. Dalby,
Food in the Ancient World
, 238

Carrier Oil Profiles 249

Magical Support

A symbol of peace, hope, and prosperity, olive oil’s real powers encompass all things sexual: from energy, attraction, and magic to lust, love, and passion. It covers fertility, fidelity, and marriage, too. Olive is also an oil of the home and healing that enhances vitality and longevity. Use it to manifest success, protection, and well-being for the family. Its connection with spirituality and powers of purification make it ideal for consecrating anything used in ritual or magic. Additionally, it aids in contacting the spirit realm. Use olive in spells to increase abundance, luck, and money. This oil is also associated with the mind, renewal, security, and wealth.

Correspondences

Zodiac:
Aquarius, Aries, Leo

Element:
water

Solar System:
Jupiter, Mercury, Moon, Sun

Goddesses:
Amaterasu, Athena, Fides, Flora, Minerva, Pele

Gods:
Amun, Apollo, Brahma, Horus, Indra, Jupiter, Poseidon, Ra, Zeus

Pecan

Botanical Name
:
Carya pecan

Family
:
Juglandaceae

Cousin to hickory and walnut, the pecan is a long-lived tree with a broad, rounded crown.

It has lance-shaped leaves and greenish flowers/catkins. Its genus name comes from the Greek
karya
meaning nut-bearing tree. The name pecan comes from Native American
pacane
meaning “a hard nut that needs a stone to crack.”103 Native to the Mississippi River Valley in North America, pecans have been found with grave goods that date to 8900 BCE.

These nuts were a major food source, medicine, and trade item for Native Americans.

Archaeological evidence shows that some tribes even cultivated the trees. In addition, the cream-like liquid from the nut kernel was used to make an intoxicating drink called
Pow-cohicora
.104

103. Rieger,
Introduction to Fruit Crops
, 337

104. Murray,
Encyclopedia of Healing Foods
, 441

250 Carrier Oil Profiles

About the Oil

Oil is extracted from the nut. It is somewhat more oily than most and works best when mixed with another carrier.

Scent
: slightly nutty

Color
: almost clear

Approximate Shelf Life
: 12 months

Plant Part
: As Above/So Below—Seeds

Magical Support

Pecan brings abundance, comfort, and balance to oil blends. Use it when seeking financial security especially for protecting employment. Also use it to draw money and prosperity into your life. Pecan supports element magic and helps make wishes come true. This oil is also associated with changes, cycles, and longevity.

Correspondences

Zodiac
: Gemini, Virgo

Solar System
: Mercury

Elements
: air, fire

Pomegranate

Botanical Name
:
Punica granatum
syn.
Malum punicum

Family
:
Lythraceae
, formerly it had its own family
Punicaceae

Originating in the Middle East, the pomegranate is a shrubby tree that can live up to 200

years. Its narrow leaves are usually light green but sometimes reddish. The fruit and flowers, which range from white to red, grow on short spurs near the ends of branches. While pomegranate’s outdated botanical name of
Malum punicum
meant apple of Carthage, its present genus name comes from
Poeni
, the name of the Phoenician ancestors of Carthage.
Granatum
means many seeds.105 With a wide range of applications, pomegranates were used for cosmetics and medicines, the juice was fermented into a wine, the flowers were used to dye hair red, and the rinds to dye leather a yellowish color. Some scholars believe it could have been the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden rather than the 105. Clay,
Tropical Shrubs
, 126

Carrier Oil Profiles 251

apple, which was unknown in that region at that time.106 To the Greeks, pomegranates symbolized eternal fruitfulness as well as the mysteries of death and rebirth. Myths told of their growing in the Underworld and that they were the food of the dead. Hades used them to trick Persephone because having partaken of food in the Underworld, she was bound to that realm.

About the Oil

Oil is produced from the seeds of the pomegranate.

Scent
: fairly odorless

Color
: yellow

Approximate Shelf Life
: 12 months

Plant Part
: As Above/So Below—Seeds

Magical Support