Mixing Essential Oils for Magic: Aromatic Alchemy for Personal Blends (28 page)

198 Essential Oil Profiles

Strength
: 4

Scent Group
: floral

Perfume Note
: middle

Plant Part
: As Above/Flowers

Magical Uses

Neroli is instrumental for attracting love and promoting a long, happy marriage. Its association with sexuality works to cultivate one’s unique beauty and build confidence. This oil aids in expressing inner truths and opens the door to psychic awareness as well as other realms. Use it for night magic and to communicate with the spirit world. Neroli fosters kindness as well as a peaceful home. This oil is also associated with creativity, fertility, strength, and well-being.

Correspondences

Zodiac
: Aries, Leo

Solar System
: Sun, Uranus

Elements
: air, fire

Orange, Bitter

Botanical Name
:
Citrus aurantium

Also Known As
: Seville orange, sour orange

Native to China and India, bitter orange has been used as food and medicine for thousands of years. In Chinese medicine it is used to regulate the flow of energy. As a trade commodity, Arabs transported these oranges from the East to the Mediterranean region in the 10th century and by the Middles Ages this fruit was known throughout Europe. Its wide culinary uses include marmalade, a Belgian beer called Orange Muscat, and liquors such as Triple Sec.

Oil and Blending Information

Cold pressing the outer peel produces a dark or brownish yellow oil. Unlike its name suggests, it has a fresh citrus scent similar to grapefruit with an almost floral undertone
Strength
: 3

Scent Group
: citrus

Perfume Note
: top

Essential Oil Profiles 199

Plant Part
: As Above/Fruit

Warnings
: may cause skin irritation; causes photosensitivity

Orange, Sweet

Botanical Name
:
Citrus sinensis
syn.
C. dulcis

Also Known As
: China orange, Portugal orange

Originating in China, this tree resembles the bitter orange, but is slightly smaller. Sweet orange was introduced into Europe from the Middle East in the 18th century and was

quickly adopted as an ingredient for mulling wine. It became a fashionable luxury for large estates to have an
orangerie
, a special greenhouse in which to grow citrus plants in cooler climates.

Oil and Blending Information

The entire fruit is cold pressed producing an oil that is yellow-orange to dark orange. Its scent is a sweet, fresh-fruity citrus.

Strength
: 3

Scent Group
: citrus

Perfume Note
: middle

Plant Part
: As Above/Fruit

Warning
: may cause skin irritation

Magical Uses

Both bitter and sweet orange aid in self-awareness, stimulate creativity, and support those who follow a different drummer. These oils redirect energy into positive thinking and emotional clarity to build confidence and a sense of well-being. They are also helpful to manifest love, peace, and fidelity. Use them for pre-ritual purification and to provide focus for divination, dream work, and communication with spirits. The oranges can increase the success of spells for abundance, happiness, and money. They are also associated with fertility and strength.

Correspondences

Solar System
: Sun
Zodiac
: Leo, Sagittarius

Elements
: fire, water
Goddesses
: Fortuna, Gaia

God
: Zeus

200 Essential Oil Profiles

Petitigrain

Botanical Name
:
Citrus aurantium

The name petitgrain means little grains and comes from a time when tiny, unripe oranges were used for making oil.

Oil and Blending Information

The leaves and twigs of the bitter orange tree are steam distilled to create an oil that is pale yellow to amber in color. It has a floral-citrus scent with a woody-herbaceous undertone.

Strength
: 3

Scent Group
: spicy

Perfume Note
: top

Plant Part
: So Below/Twigs & Leaves

Magical Uses

Petitgrain promotes confidence and trust in self and others. It sharpens the mind increasing awareness and bringing clarity of inner vision. Use it for focus and protection when channeling or engaging in other psychic work. Petitgrain helps to awaken deep memories that lead the way to personal growth and well-being. This oil fosters balance, kindness, and strength.

Correspondences

Zodiac
: Aries, Leo

Solar System
: Sun

Elements
: earth, fire

Oregano

Botanical Name
:
Origanum vulgare

Family
:
Lamiaceae

Also Known As
: common oregano, joy of the mountain, shepherd’s thyme, wild marjoram Although it shares the nickname joy of the mountain with its close cousin marjoram, this is more apropos for the name oregano, which is a combination of the Greek words Essential Oil Profiles 201

oros
for mountain and
ganos
meaning joy.68 Native to Europe, this bushy herb has dark green leaves and pinkish-purple flowers. It was considered a general cure-all by the ancient Greeks, and according to legend, Aphrodite employed it to heal Aeneas’ wounds after the battle of Troy. As a decorative feature at Greek and Roman weddings, the oregano wreath was a symbol of happiness. Long before hops came into vogue, this herb was popular for flavoring ales and beers. In addition to flavoring food in colonial American, oregano flower tops were used to dye wool a purplish color and linen a reddish-brown.

Oil and Blending Information

A pale yellow oil with a spicy-herbaceous scent is produced by steam distilling the flowers.

Strength
: 5

Scent Group
: herbaceous

Perfume Note
: middle

Plant Part
: As Above/Flowers

Warnings
: avaoid during pregnancy; hazardous if used on the skin

Magical Uses

Use oregano to bring peace as well as to foster happiness and security in relationships. By encouraging focus and clarity of thought, it provides support for psychic work. It is instrumental in black and defensive magic, especially for providing protection against hexes.

Associated with the afterlife, this oil brings comfort during sorrow and helps retain memories of loved ones. Oregano’s purification properties provide balance for healing emotional turmoil laying the groundwork for positive change. Use this oil in spells to attract beauty and prosperity to the home. Oregano helps to increase vitality for fertility as well as a more satisfying sex life. It is also associated with truth and the Otherworld.

Correspondences

Zodiac
: Aries, Gemini, Libra, Virgo

Solar System
: Mars, Mercury

Elements
: air, fire

Goddesses
: Aphrodite, Kupala, Venus

68. Dobelis,
Magic and Medicine of Plants
, 243

202 Essential Oil Profiles

Palmarosa

Botanical Name
:
Cymbopogon martinii
var.
motia

Family
:
Poaceae

Also Known As
: East Indian geranium, Indian rosha, Turkish geranium

Palmarosa is a wild herbaceous plant indigenous to India and Pakistan. It has long, flower-topped stems and grass-like leaves. The words Indian and Turkish in its names date to a time when this plant was shipped from Bombay (now Mumbai) India to various places on the Red Sea. Geranium became part of its name, too, because its scent is similar to rose geranium. Palmarosa has been used for culinary and medicinal purposes, as well as to flavor tobacco. With its rosy-like scent, it has even been used to adulterate otto (oil) of rose.

Oil and Blending Information

A pale yellow to olive colored oil is produced by steam or water distillation of the leaves. It has a sweet, floral, rosy-like scent.

Strength
: 3

Scent Group
: floral

Perfume Note
: middle

Plant Part
: As Above/Leaves

Magical Uses

Palmarosa’s stimulating properties help to clear the mind and enhance the ability to focus for decision-making. Encouraging personal growth, it aids in finding one’s purpose as well as overcoming problems. It is helpful whenever you need to ground and center energy.

A healer on all levels, this oil provides emotional strength and courage when recovering from lost love. Use it for elf magic and for seeking their blessings. Palmarosa is also associated with relationships, peace, and spirituality.

Correspondences

Zodiac
: Cancer, Pisces

Solar System
: Venus

Elements
: air, water

Essential Oil Profiles 203

Parsley

Botanical Name
:
Petroselinum sativum

Family
:
Apaiaceae

Also Known As
: common or garden parsley

This biennial herb with its familiar crinkly leaves and greenish-yellow flowers is best known for removing the smell of onion and garlic from the breath. Its genus name means stone celery, which is attributed to parsley’s ability to grow in rocky soil in its native Mediterranean region.69 According to legend, Hercules adorned himself with the plant thus making it a symbol of strength and vigor. The Greeks used it medicinally but not as a culinary herb because it was believed to be sacred to the dead. The Romans associated it with Persephone and the Underworld and used it in funeral rites. During the Middle Ages there was a folk belief that parsley grew especially well where a woman was in charge of the household. In addition, it was customary in some parts of England to plant parsley on certain days such as Good Friday and Midsummer’s Day because of the belief that it would keep fairies away from crops.

Oil and Blending Information

Steam distilling the seeds produces an oil that can be yellow, amber, or brownish in color.

It has a woody-spicy, herbaceous scent.

Strength
: 3

Scent Group
: herbaceous

Perfume Note
: middle

Plant Part
: As Above & So Below/Seeds

Warnings
: avoid during pregnancy; may cause skin irritation; use in moderation
Magical Uses

Parsley’s association with the afterlife and funerary rituals makes it appropriate to honor and remember loved ones at Samhain. It is a potent ally for element magic, ritual purification, and protection in general. Supporting concentration and balance, this oil is instrumental in astral work. Use it to foster kindness when feeling emotionally fragile during 69. Arrowsmith,
Essential Herbal Wisdom
, 193

204 Essential Oil Profiles

times of change. Parsley is instrumental for keeping cycles turning, initiating renewal, and ushering in fresh new beginnings.It is also associated with lust and money.

Correspondences

Zodiac
: Aquarius, Gemini, Libra

Solar System
: Mercury, Pluto

Celebrations
: Midsummer’s Day, Samhain

Elements
: air, fire

Goddess
: Persephone

Patchouli

Botanical Name
:
Pogostemon cablin

Family
:
Lamiaceae

Also Known As
: patchouly, puchaput

Patchouli’s genus name comes from the Hindustani words for leaf and green.70 The bright green leaves of this bushy plant are large and fuzzy, and the white flowers have a hint of purple. Native to tropical Asia, it was used medicinally throughout Asia and the Middle East. Arabian travelers stuffed pillows with patchouli leaves for protection against illness as well as to promote longevity. Patchouli gained notice in Europe during the early 1800s from the sachets that were tucked into shipments of handmade shawls to protect them from insects during their passage from India. This fragrance was the hallmark of authentic Indian silks, and more than a century later it became
the
scent for the counterculture of the 1960s/70s.

Oil and Blending Information

Patchouli leaves are steam distilled producing an amber or dark orange oil. It has a rich, herbaceous-earthy scent that gets stronger and deeper as it ages.

Strength
: 4

Scent Group
: woody

Perfume Note
: base

Plant Part
: As Above/Leaves

70. Johnson and Foster,
National Geographic Desk Reference to Nature’s Medicine
, 282

Essential Oil Profiles 205

Magical Uses

Grounding yet enlightening, patchouli aids in transcending boundaries, and connecting with the Otherworld. Associated with spirituality, patchouli fosters growth and is ideal for blessings, This oil is especially supportive for clairvoyance and divination. Use it for magic especially when defense is needed as it provides strong psychic protection. It is known for increasing the power of spells and breaking hexes, however, if patchouli is used to place a hex it will backfire. Employ it to attract love, prosperity, and money as well as for purification and renewal. Patchouli’s earthiness intensifies the senses increasing fertility and lust. Known for engendering happiness, it dispels negativity, and brings peace to the home.

This oil can help manifest your wishes and bring success. Patchouli also aids in communicating with spirits as well as banishing them. It sharpens the mind for gaining knowledge, working out problems, and enhancing creativity. When dealing with the death of a loved one, patchouli helps to hold on to memories as well as release bonds that may keep a spirit from moving on to the next world. Patchouli is also associated with justice, luck, passion, and purpose.