Mixing Essential Oils for Magic: Aromatic Alchemy for Personal Blends (33 page)

Solar System
: Jupiter, Mercury, Sun

Celebration
: Beltane

Elements
: air, fire

Gods
: Attis, Hermes, Mercury, Thoth

Goddess
: Venus

Apricot

Botanical Name
:
Prunus armeniaca

Family
:
Rosaceae

Throughout their indigenous area of northeastern China, apricots were believed to bestow the power of prophecy. The fruit is similar to the peach in that it is often slightly fuzzy with yellow to deep orange colored flesh. White to pink flowers that bloom before leaves appear and often in the snow, made this tree a symbol of purity and perseverance in Japan. As a valuable trade item, the fruit was introduced into Europe through Armenia and became known as the Armenian plum. The Romans called them
praecocium
meaning precious because apricots ripened earlier than other fruit.94 Apricots were taken to America in the early 1700s and by the end of the century they were being grown at the Spanish missions in California.

94. Green,
Field Guide to Produce
, 6

Carrier Oil Profiles 237

About the Oil

Oil is produced from the apricot kernel.

Scent
: faintly nutty

Color
: light to deep golden

Approximate Shelf Life
: 6–12 months

Plant Part
: As Above/So Below—Seeds

Magical Support

Well known for its connection with love, apricot is instrumental for binding lovers together, increasing passion, and supporting relationships. It aids in opening the mind for divination as well as receiving knowledge. Use it for magic involving the elements and whenever you need to boost your defenses. Although its energy is gentle, apricot can be a catalyst for change that ushers in renewal or a fresh start. Use it to foster creativity that brings balance and peace. Apricot is also associated with cycles, determination, fertility, longevity, and purification.

Correspondences

Zodiac
: Taurus

Solar System
: Neptune, Sun, Venus

Elements
: fire, water

Goddess
: Venus

Avocado

Botanical Name
:
Persea americana

Family
:
Lauraceae

Also Known As
: aguacate (to Spanish speakers), alligator pear, butter pear

Native to Central Mexico, the avocado is an evergreen tree with lance-shaped leaves and small, pale green to yellowish-green flowers that grow at the ends of branches. The pear-shaped fruit is green, fleshy, and bears one large seed. The Inca called avocados
palta
and the Aztec called them
ahuacatl
.95 In addition, the Aztec considered it a fruit for fertility because it resembled a certain part of the male anatomy. Not only did 16th century Euro-95. Paull and Duarte,
Tropical Fruit
, 153

238 Carrier Oil Profiles

pean explorers find avocados under cultivation when they arrived in the New World, but archaeological evidence shows that avocados were an important food to the earlier Me-so-American Indians (4000–2800 BCE). Avocado’s genus name reflects the fact that at one time it was believed to have come from Persia. Changing the species name to
americana
was meant to fix the error.

About the Oil

Oil is produced from the avocado fruit.

Scent
: herbaceous

Color
: dark green

Approximate Shelf Life
: 6 months

Plant Part
: As Above—Fruit

Magical Support

Almost everything about the avocado is earthy. Use this carrier oil in blends involving love, fertility, and sex magic. It is instrumental for manifesting beauty and passion in your life as well as comfort and success. Use it in spells to attract abundance and increase wealth.

Avocado is also associated with happiness, healing, and longevity.

Correspondences

Zodiac
: Libra

Solar System
: Venus

Elements
: earth, water

Borage

Botanical Name
:
Borago officinalis

Family
:
Boraginaceae

Also Known As
: bee bread, bugloss, burrage, star flower

Drooping clusters of blue, star-shaped flowers yield a rich honey, which is the source of borage’s nickname bee bread. This bushy native of southern Europe has gray-green leaves and hollow stems that are covered with rough hairs. The name bugloss comes from the

Carrier Oil Profiles 239

Greek
bous-glossa
meaning ox tongue, which describes the shape of its leaves.96 Recommended by Dioscorides and Pliny, borage was used for courage and strength by both

Roman and Celtic warriors. Borage for courage was a belief held for over a thousand years up to the time of the Crusades when knights mixed it in their wine to bolster brav-ery. Reinforcing this was the motif of a borage blossom and a bee embroidered on scarves given to husbands and lovers going off to the crusades. Medieval herbalists used borage for a range of ailments and today it is sometimes used as an alternative to evening primrose oil.

About the Oil

Oil is obtained from the seeds. Borage oil is often mixed with a lighter-textured one such as almond.

Scent
: light, sweet

Color
: light yellow

Approximate Shelf Life
: 6 months

Plant Part
: As Above/So Below—Seeds

Magical Support

With a long history of boosting courage, borage is also supportive of physical and spiritual strength. Use it to expand awareness for clairvoyance, general psychic work, and when calling on the angels for protection. This oil helps to soothe the mind during times of sorrow as well as when healing from destructive relationships. Use it for inner purification to foster beauty and when developing trust in someone. The power of borage is instrumental for initiating changes that bring balance and happiness. It is also associated with beginnings, cycles, and money.

Correspondences

Zodiac
: Gemini, Leo, Pisces, Sagittarius

Solar System
: Jupiter

Elements
: air, fire

96. Fernie,
Herbal Simples
, 48

240 Carrier Oil Profiles

Camellia

Botanical Name
:
Camellia sinensis
and
C. oleifera

Family
:
Theaceae

Camellia was named in honor of amateur botanist Georg Joseph Kamel, a 17th century

German missionary in the Philippines. The species name
sinensis
means from China and
oleifera
means produces oil.97 Cultivated in China for over 3000 years, oil is obtained from these two woody, evergreen shrubs. Both have serrated, dark green leaves, and flowers that can be white or reddish with five to ten petals. The round fruit bears two to five trian-gular seeds. Camellia seed oil has been used in Chinese medicine for centuries and was a favored beauty oil of the geishas. In addition to oil from the seeds, camellia leaves are used to produce green, white, and black tea.

About the Oil

Oil is produced from the seeds and is sometimes called tea oil.

Scent
: herbaceous, slightly sweet

Color
: pale to golden yellow

Approximate Shelf Life
: 1–2 years

Plant Part
: As Above/So Below—Seeds

Magical Support

Abundance and beauty are the hallmarks of camellia. Employ this oil to attract love, comfort, and prosperity. It is instrumental in opening awareness for matters pertaining to all levels of the self especially spirituality. Use it for element magic and when striving to make your wishes come true. This oil boosts confidence and provides protection. As a healer, camellia encourages balance and supports fertility. Camellia is also associated with beginnings, changes, cycles, money, and wealth.

Correspondences

Solar System
: Moon, Venus

Elements
: fire, water

97. Johnson and Foster,
National Geographic Desk Reference to Nature’s Medicine
, 217

Carrier Oil Profiles 241

Cranberry

Botanical Name
:
Vaccinium macrocarpon

Family
:
Ericaceae

Also Known As
: crane berry, goldsmith’s berry

The cranberry represented abundance to the Delaware Indians of New Jersey and to many other tribes it was a symbol of peace and friendship. On the practical side, the berries were used for food and medicine and the juice to dye cloth. Like strawberries, cranberries grow on vines that trail along the ground. Native to northeastern United States and southern Canada, the cranberry plant has small, oval leaves and upright shoots that produce white to pink flowers and fruit. The name crane berry is said to have come from early European settlers who thought the cranberry flower resembled the head, neck, and beak of a crane. Other sources report that it was so named because it was a favorite food of cranes. Cranberry was also known as goldsmith’s berry because its acidity made it effective for cleaning silverware.

After commercial cultivation of cranberries began on Cape Cod in the early 19th century, they became standard cargo on American whaling ships to help prevent scurvy.

About the Oil

Oil is obtained from the seeds.

Scent
: fruity, slightly bitter

Color
: golden

Approximate Shelf Life
: 2 years

Plant Part
: As Above/So Below—Seeds

Magical Support

The humble cranberry is an ally for determination, defense, and protection. It supports binding spells and element magic. Also use cranberry in spells that invite abundance, comfort, and peace into your life. Its powers of purification are instrumental for healing as well as consecrating ritual space and objects. This oil fosters inspiration and friendship.

Cranberry is also associated with balance, beginnings, changes, and cycles.

Correspondences

Zodiac
: Mars

Elements
: fire, water

242 Carrier Oil Profiles

Evening Primrose

Botanical Name
:
Oenothera biennis

Family
:
Onagraceae

Also Known As
: evening star, king’s cure all, night light, night willow herb, scabish This prairie wildflower from North America has a rosette of large basal leaves and an erect stem that can reach three to five feet tall. The species name means that it takes two growing seasons to come into bloom and fruit. Blooming only at night, its fragrant, yellow flowers give way to clusters of oblong seed capsules. Although not a true primrose, it was so named because of its resemblance to the smaller plant that grows in England.

The common name night light comes from the slight phosphorescence of the blossoms

that emit a faint light which is visible on dark nights. Native Americans used the roots for a medicinal tea and various other parts of the plant for other remedies. For hunting success, they rubbed the plant on their feet to mask their human smell. English settlers used the lemon-scented leaves as a culinary herb for more than a century before medicinal use began in the 18th century.

About the Oil

Oil is extracted from the seeds.

Scent
: sweet, slightly nutty

Color
: pale to golden yellow

Approximate Shelf Life
: 6 months

Plant Part
: As Above/So Below—Seeds

Magical Support

This plant’s name bespeaks its powers for night magic. Additionally, evening primrose is instrumental for banishing spells and the protection of children. It brings hope and builds security through love and well-being. While it is helpful in finding truth it also encourages us to question it. As a healer, evening primrose provides balance during times of change or new beginnings. It is also associated with beauty, cycles, and successful hunting.

Correspondences

Solar System
: Venus

Element
: fire

Carrier Oil Profiles 243

Flax

Botanical Name
:
Linum usitaatussimun

Family
:
Linaceae

Also Known As
: common flax, linseed, lint bells

Defining a type of cloth, the word linen comes from this plant’s genus name. Flax is a tall, upright plant with lance-shaped leaves and pale blue, five-petaled flowers. It is native to the eastern Mediterranean and parts of India. Contained in round capsules, the seeds are reddish-brown, small, and flat. Flax was cultivated in Syria as early as 6250 to 5950 BCE, but archaeological evidence shows that it was used even earlier. The Egyptians cultivated it to make lamp wicks for lighting but more importantly cloth for clothing and mummy wrappings. Flax has been closely associated with spinning and spinning has been considered a magical art. Transforming plant fibers into thread and then into cloth (the conversion of raw material into useful objects) was the domain of women who took care of the spinning, cooking, and all transforming processes that brought order and the basic necessities of comfort to the family. It is no surprise that the divining fate goddesses were associated with spinning because it is a process that can mesmerize and produce a trance-like state.

About the Oil

Oil is produced from the flax seeds.

Scent
: reminiscent of melted butter

Color
: pale to golden yellow

Approximate Shelf Life
: 6 months

Plant Part
: As Above/So Below—Seeds

Magical Support

This plant’s connection with spinning makes it ideal for divination and psychic work. It brings strength to angel and moon magic, and aids in transformation. Flax is helpful in issues relating to sexuality. Use it in spells that bind or charms to attract abundance, money, and prosperity. In addition, this oil promotes awareness and healing. Flax can be a powerhouse for strength and protection, and is instrumental in keeping secrets. Use it to invite beauty and comfort into your life as well as kindness. Its link with spinning also associates it with balance, beginnings, changes, cycles, and renewal.