Ali Arcehelizaga

Journeying through the Magick of Aromatherapy :)

Over the centuries aromatherapy has become a science but this was not always so.  I am going to take you on a journey to explore the part of aromatherapy, plants and flowers that makes my heart sing and my soul feel light, the part of me that wants to know more.

To discover the power of smelling a Rose at twilight, the beauty of Melissa when the dew is still clinging to it, the cleansing scent of Lavender as it brushes against you.  These are all parts of a mystical magickal journey I am taking to discover the magick of aromatherapy.

To discover this magick we need to travel back in time to lands lost in myth and legend, to times when the main recordings are the pictures painted on tombs, the huge monuments and shrines built to honour and worship the ancient pagan Gods and Goddesses.   Back to the great vanished civilisations of the Middle East, Egypt and the Mediterranean, the great empire of China, Greece and Roman Empire and back into the dark ages of Celtic Europe, now long past but not forgotten.

I have put together a series of explorations looking at the magick of Aromatherapy through these powerful societies.  How each has produced its own methods, spells and herbal remedies from each culture.  Bringing together the many herbs and plants, still used today in Aromatherapy and showing you how they were used centuries ago by the peoples who worshiped and honoured the old gods and pathways of nature.

Our journey begins in Egypt…

Egypt during the reign’s of the ancient pharaohs, was the cradle of the sciences in the ancient world.  The Egyptians were the first people to extensively make use of the essential oils and incense produced from many varieties of herbs and included their use in religion, cosmetics, perfumery and medicinal purposes.
There were many temples built to the Gods and Goddesses of Lower and Upper Egypt, deities like Hathor, Bastet, Sekmet, Ra, Maat, Osiris, Isis and Horus, and these Gods demanded daily worship so as to keep the community safe from harm and keep the animals and crops healthy.

Every day the Priests of an Egyptian temple would awaken early to bath in the temple pool to cleanse themselves of impurities and then they would shave each other to make sure there were no hairs on their bodies,  this was a mark of respect to the Gods.  They would then ready themselves to pay homage to the Gods.

The priests would burn many incenses to both cleanse the sacred space of the temple and honour the Gods and Goddesses that the temple was built for.  Among the incense burnt was Frankincense and Myrrh; exported in from far off lands to pay homage to the Gods.  Many of the pharaohs of Egypt would pay for great amounts of these to be shipped in as gifts to present the Gods in return for a long reign as pharaoh.

Below I have listed some of the essential oils and incenses used by the Ancient Egyptians in the temples and places of worship and how we might bring this magick into the 21^st century.

FRANKINCENSE (Boswellia Carterii)
Frankincense is know by many other folk names: Incense; Olibans; Olibanum; Olibanus

Gender:                                   Masculine
Ruling Planet:                          Sun
Magickal Element:                   Fire
Aromatic Element:                    Air

Burned in honour of Ra and Baal
Frankincense would be burned at sunrise to honour Ra

Magickal Effects of both the Essential oil and the Incense include:
Spirituality, Meditation, Protection, Exorcism, Purification and Consecration

• When burned frankincense releases powerful vibrations uplifting the area and driving out unwanted presences and negativity.
• Two drops of essential oil on a tissue or burning incense can be used to induce visions and to aid meditation to produce a lightened awareness of the spiritual realms and to deepen any religious experience.
• It can be added to sachet, poppet or talisman to add good luck, protection and spiritual growth.
• The aroma reduces stress and tension by revealing that our lives are bound up in more that one reality reducing the burden of adversity and hardship.
• Inhaling frankincense calms the physical form and awakens the high self.
• Using frankincense in past life rituals can induce great visions and healing.

As we travel away from Egypt across the Middle East, we come to a land shrouded in sands of time, full of ancient learning and magick, the land of India.

India is a land also known as the ‘Mother of Fragrance’ and for millennia, has burned incense as a devotional practice, both to purify temples and in worshipping the divas or divine archetypes, the Gods and Goddesses.

Over thousands of years, these temples have perfected the art of hand rolling incense.  Nag Champa, a hand-rolled incense, carries this tradition into the 21st century and into our temples, being burned for ritual and mantra, combining the power of sound and scent together to awaken the kundalini, allowing the snakes to rise upwards and connect us to a higher place.

Many plants and flowers were used to make up these divine scents, among these is Sandalwood, which were also very tradable overseas bringing prosperity to India. The Lotus (the Indian national flower) was thought to have magickal properties, awakening the crown chakra – Sahasrara (means thousandfold) – and connecting you with the whole universe, especially powerful when used with the Chant AUM.  Cinnamon is another spice used to awaken energy and also for trading.

SANDALWOOD (Santalum Album)
Sandalwood is known by many other folk names: Sandal, Santal, White Sandalwood, White Saunders, Yellow Sandalwood

Gender:                                   Feminine
Ruling Planet:                          Moon
Magickal Element:                   Water
Aromatic Element:                    Water

Magickal Effects of both the Essential oil and the Incense:
Protection, Exorcism, Wishes, Healing, Spirituality and Visualisation

• Mix Sandalwood with Lavender to conjure spirits to you.
• It possesses very high spiritual vibrations and is used at full moon rituals.
• It is used in meditation to awaken sexual desires and can help to heal frigidity.
• Sandalwood oils are used to cleanse and awaken the throat chakra allowing cleansing voice to flow.

In India they believed in exploration of feeling into your body and the bodies of your lovers as written in the Karma Sutra.  Oils were used to supple the skin and to soothe and feed the whole mind, body and soul.

Offerings were also made to the Ayurvedic God of Healing, Dhanwantari, who ruled all health and was the physician to the Gods.

LOTUS (Nelumbium Nelumbo)
Gender:                                   Feminine
Ruling Planet:                          Moon
Magickal Element:                   Water
Aromatic Element:                    Water

Magickal Effects of both the Essential oil and the Incense:
Protection, Lock Opening, Love and Good Luck

The Lotus was also sacred in Egypt and was used a on offering to appease the Gods and ask them to grant life and spirituality to all.  It was also thought to be the centre of the universe in the East.

• Lotus oil is used today in many love potions and spells to ensure the blessing of the Gods and to bring good luck to the person wearing the scent.
• The Lotus flower is the symbol used to awaken the crown chakras connecting you to spirit, very useful in Mediumship.
• Also used as a symbol of protection.

CINNAMON (Cinnamomum Zeylanicum)
Gender:                                   Masculine
Ruling Planet:                          Sun
Magickal Element:                   Fire
Aromatic Element:                    Fire

Goddesses associated with cinnamon are Venus and Aphrodite

Used in the Egyptian mummification process to smooth the journey to the next life

Magickal Effects of both the Essential oil and the Incense:
Protection, Lust, Love, Healing, Spirituality, Psychic Powers, Success and Power

• Cinnamon when burned raises spiritual vibrations and stimulates your psychic powers to produce positive vibrations.
• Use it to raise energy during esbat or Moon rituals.
• When you breath in the aroma it can be used to visualise increased financial power and freedom as it produces money energy.
• Stimulates the Sacral Chakra – Svaddisthana (means sweetness) – connecting us to Mother Earth and her sacred community.
• Stimulates sentimental memory when the oil is burned.

As we move away from the East and India our journey takes us to a land not yet explored in the ancient known world.  A land where nature is the ruler, a land of high,  rough mountains and clear blue skies where the Condor flies.  A land where sacrifices were a way to appease the sun Gods and the people lived off the land.

One of the main parts of their religion was their belief in many gods and goddesses. The Aztec people were a polynomial society and believed in over a hundred different gods and goddesses. These gods and goddesses each ruled separate human activities or aspects of nature. Since their society was based mainly on agriculture and farming, they had many gods and goddesses for agriculture, which were made up of 15 main ones that held most of the power.

Two of the crops grown were diviner’s sage used mainly for divination and the curing of ailments and avocado were grown to eat as an offering to the Gods.  Also grown by the Aztecs was the ancient copal tree, which was sacred to the Aztec’s who burned its incense at the sites of the many sacrifices made to their Gods at the top of their pyramids.

SAGE (Salvia Divanorum)
Sage is known by many other folk names: Ska Maria, Sawge, Diviner’s Sage, Mountain Sage, White Sage

Gender:                                   Masculine
Ruling Planet:                          Jupiter
Magickal Element:                   Air
Aromatic Element:                    Air

Magickal Effects of both the Essential oil and the Incense:
Divination, Healing, Immortality, Longevity, Wisdom, Protection, Memory and Conscious Mind

The Aztecs would use Sage in many of their religious rituals to cleanse and purify the space.

• Used to aid the memory and help with visualisation techniques.
• Used in many money spells and to bring luck to the grower, although you should get someone else to plant it for you.
• Used to clear a sacred path to the ritual site and to ensure protection or the rite to be performed.

AVOCADO (Persea Americana Miller)
Avocado is known by many other folk names: Alligator Pear, Ahuacolt (known to the Aztec’s as the ‘Testicle Tree’), Persea, Zaboca

Gender:                                   Feminine
Ruling Planet:                          Venus
Magickal Element:                   Water
Aromatic Element:                    Water

Magickal Effects of both the Essential oil and the Incense:
Protection, Beauty, Love & Lust

The ancient Aztecs used to eat the avocado to induce lust and several parts of the tree were used to help cure ailments.  It was also used to protect their skins from the parching, hot, dry winds of Central America.  Legend says that it was also used on their hair to promote growth.

• If you grow a plant from the pit of an avocado, it will promote love, beauty and peace in your household.
• Used to make wands as an all purpose tool for ritual.
• Carry the pit of an Avocado to promote beauty in yourself and your life.

COPAL (Bursera Odorata)
Gender:                                   Masculine
Ruling Planet:                          Sun
Magickal Element:                   Fire
Aromatic Element:                    Fire

Magickal Effects of both the Essential oil and the Incense:
Purification and Love

The ancient Aztecs used to burn copal on their ritual sites on the top of the Aztec pyramids to purify the space for sacrifice.  Copal was known to the Aztecs as the food of the Gods and links closely to maize, which was also an offering made to the Gods.

• Used today in many love spells, skrying and divination.
• Use the resin of copal to purify a ritual space and stare into its smoke to see you future.

Leaving that land of the Sun behind us we catch a ride on the back of Pegasus and continue our journey back over the Atlantic Ocean across the Mediterranean Sea to a land of giants, centaurs, minotaur’s and titans, where the Gods of Mount Olympus were worshiped and feared.  Where the Goddesses of hearth and home were worshiped with fresh flowers and scented woods.

We travel now to the ancient land of Olympians in Greece.

The medicinal wisdom of the Egyptians were taken over and absorbed by the ancient Greeks.  They used resins, oils and incense in similar religious ways to the Egyptians, in the worship of their Gods and in the burial process of their people.   The Gods demanded offerings and the people used incense and oils to anoint and purify themselves before sacrificing a goat or sheep to appease the Gods.

When someone had died the Greeks would use cypress wood and burn it to help them find their way to the halls of Hades when they died and would also be used in the burning of incense at rituals to the Gods and Goddesses.

CYPRESS (Cupressus Sempervirens)
Cypress is known by other folk names: Tree of Death

Gender:                                   Feminine
Ruling Planet:                          Saturn
Magickal Element:                   Earth
Aromatic Element:                    Earth

Magickal Effects of both the Essential oil and the Incense:
Longevity, Healing, Protection, Comfort, Eternity and Immortality

In ancient Greece the cult of the Cypress spread from Crete to Cyprus to mainland Greece where it was worshipped as a divine symbol.  Symbolising the descent of the soul to Hades.

• Cypress is used today to ease and calm the mind especially in times of crisis and mourning, when a loved one has died.
• Wands are made from cypress to assist in healing damaged limbs and wounds by searing the afflicted area with the heated tip of the wand.
• When cypress is grown near the home it is said to bring protection and blessing to the household.

Other herbs and flowers used to appease both the Gods and heal the ailments of man were roses, lavender and marjoram.

ROSE (Rosa Damascena)Gen
der:                       Feminine
Ruling Planet:              Venus
Magickal Element:       Water
Aromatic Element:        Water

Magickal Effects of both the Essential oil and the Incense:
Love, Healing, Protection, Luck, Psychic Powers, Divination, Peace and Beauty

Some of the Deities that Rose is used to honour are Hathor, Demeter, Isis, Adonis, Aurora, Eros, Harpocrates, Hulda, Cupid, Venus, Bacchus

• Roses are the symbol of love and as such are used in many magickal practices associated with finding a romantic partner to stimulating loving energy in the home and aiding the romance of an already linked partnership.
• The scent of roses will bring happiness and peace into your home and are used in spells to alleviate sexual problems.
• Through using the aroma of the rose and visualisation you can enhance your internal beauty thereby enhancing you external beauty also.

LAVENDER (Lavendula Officinalis)
Lavender is known by many other folk names: Elf Leaf, Nard, Nardus, Spike

Gender:                                   Masculine
Ruling Planet:                          Mercury
Magickal Element:                   Air
Aromatic Element:                    Air

Magickal Effects of both the Essential oil and the Incense:
Love, Happiness, Peace, Chastity, Purification, Longevity, Protection and Health

In Ancient Greece Lavender was burned in offering to the Gods and Goddesses.

• Lavender is used to promote spiritual love, peace and is known to dispel depression.  Used in ritual to balance and purify a working space against negativity.
• Lavender is used for wish divination by placing it under your pillow whilst your asleep and if you have dreamt of anything like you wish then is will come true.

MARJORAM (Origanum Marjorana)
Marjoram is known by many other folk names: Joy of the Mountain, Knotted Marjoram, Marjorlaine, Mountain Mint, Pot Marjoram, Sweet Marjoram, Wintersweet

Gender:                                   Masculine
Ruling Planet:                          Mercury
Magickal Element:                   Air
Aromatic Element:                    Ai

Magickal Effects of both the Essential oil and the Incense:
Love, Happiness, Protection, Health, Wealth and Money

Marjoram was used to honour the deities Venus and Aphrodite

Used in ancient Greece for its healing and analgesic properties and also placed around a household and renewed every month too shield the household from evil.

• Marjoram is added to food to strengthen love and is often used in love spells.
• If you carry Marjoram it can shield you from negativity and also cold weather.
• Often used for depression to bring the person wearing it happiness.
• Sometimes it is used to attract money when mixed with other herbs.

Many other herbs, woods and flowers where used in the worship of the Greek Gods and Goddesses to ask for the gifts of health, wealth and the continue growth of crops.

The Greek God of healing, Asclepius, would often be invoked in to a persons dreams to tell them what herbs to mix in order to treat their ailment correctly.  Asclepius inspired many great Greek physicians among them were Hippocrates and Plato who understood the values of herbs and the oils derived from them.  They understood the properties of marjoram were sedative, the properties of juniper were diuretic, the properties of costus were aphrodisiac  and the properties of cypress were astringent.

From Greece we continue our travels north over huge mountain ranges and across great stretches of water.  Travelling the way of the Nomads, Gypsies and Celts.  Through the great lands of the Norse Gods and on to distant shores.  Here are druids, the wise women,  witches and pagans who live by and call upon the natural ways of the land.

Here we find ourselves at our last destination in our travels through the Ancient World, the land of Britain.

Before the Romans came to Britain, it was a land separated into many small settlements, people lived in caves and stone dwellings.  They saw their homes as shields protecting them from the forces of nature and from the powers that forced the moon and sun across the sky, delivering fires and warmth in winter.  Homes became sacred dwellings and sacrifices were made to the Gods and Goddesses of the household, including fruits and grains, and the home would be guarded  by hanging garlands of garlic at the threshold to attract positive energy and repel negative energies.

GARLIC (Allium Sativum)
Garlic is known by many other folk names: Ajo, Poor Man’s Treacle, Stinkweed

Gender:                                   Masculine
Ruling Planet:                          Mars
Magickal Element:                   Fire
Aromatic Element:                    Fire

Magickal Effects of both the Essential oil and the Incense:
Exorcism, Lust, Protection, Healing, Anti-Theft and Courage

• Garlic was and is used to guard against illness, by either wearing a clove of garlic of rubbing it into the afflicted are of the body.
• Said to give courage and protection to soldiers who would eat it before going into battle.
• When evil spirits are about bite into a clove of garlic to send them away and brides would carry a clove of garlic in their pockets to keep evil at bay on her wedding day.

In these times and for many centuries since the people of a settlement would turn to the local wise woman to aid in healing and cures for many ailments or even problems with their live.  She would help by using herbs, plants and woods in potions to aid with recovery.  These women would live by the natural cycles of the earth and would pick their herbs at the right point in the moon cycle and plant them at the right part of the day for them to be imbued with healing and spiritual properties.

The ancient Celts had a very extensive knowledge and reverence for the magickal and healing properties of herbs.  Like many cultures before and after them, the Celts believed that there was an energy flow contained within each herb which could be tapped into and used for a higher purpose.  Amongst the herbs used in these practices were Mugwort,  Mint and Juniper to create potions for love and healing.

MUGWORT (Artemisia Vulgaris)
Mugwort is known by many other folk names: Artemis Herb, Artemisia, Felon Herb, Muggons, Naughty       Man, Old Man, Old Uncle Henry, Sailors tobacco, St.Johns Plant

Gender:                                   Feminine
Ruling Planet:                          Venus
Magickal Element:                   Earth
Aromatic Element:                    Earth

Magickal Effects of both the Essential oil and the Incense:
Prophetic Dreams, Astral Projection, Protection, Strength,Healing and Psychic Powers

Mugwort was used at celebrations of the moon to take the seerer to the shadowy world of the deep consciousness.

• Mugwort when burnt, drank as tea and inhaled will produce the right mood for skrying, astral projection and divination.
• Carrying Mugwort will protect you from harm by poison or wild animals.
• Mugwort should always be picked before sunrise to be effect at strengthening.
• Used to help cure disease, madness and increase lust and fertility.

Mugwort is only used in its herb form as the essential oil is considered a hazard to health.

MINT (Mentha)
Gender:                                   Masculine
Ruling Planet:                          Mercury
Magickal Element:                   Air
Aromatic Element:                    Air

Magickal Effects of both the Essential oil and the Incense:
Healing, Protection, Money, Travel, Exorcism and Lust

Mint was used by the Celts to protect the traveller on his journey

• Used in many healing potions known to help with stomach pains and headaches and if you wear mint on your wrist this will assure that you will not be ill.
• Keep some mint in you wallet or purse to ensure that it will attract money.
• Fresh mint used in ritual will ensure the presence of good spirits to aid you in your magick.

JUNIPER (Juniperus Communis)
Juniper is known by many other folk names: Enebro, Gemeiner Wachholder, Geneva, Gin Berry, Ginepro, Gin Plant

Gender:                                   Masculine
Ruling Planet:                          Sun
Magickal Element:                   Fire
Aromatic Element:                    Fire

Magickal Effects of both the Essential oil and the Incense:
Health, Protection, Love, Purification, Exorcism and Anti-theft

Juniper was burned to the Gods and Goddess of ancient Sumer and Babylon and was sacred to the Goddess Inanna.  It was exported to Britain and smouldered in the fields to release protective energies to guard the livestock and crops.

• Detoxing and purifying for homes and peoples to guard against negativity and harm.  Used in visualisation techniques to ward of danger and negativity.
• The aroma of Juniper helps you visualise good health and eating habits and exercising properly.

Moving away from the ancient world through the centuries we see the world change in many ways, new religions sweep the land, industry and farming are modernised, people start to group together in larger and larger settlements but constant throughout all these changes is nature itself, the seasons remain and with them the plants, trees and flowers.  We see medicines developed and scientific research done into plant oils and the benefits they have on the mind and body.

Although the religions of the world have come and gone and revived, there have always been traits and similarities passed from one religions to another from Paganism, Witchcraft, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism to Judaism and many, many more.  To many the old Gods and Goddesses have still remained and there are still men and women who practice the craft of the wise, using herbs and natural remedies, burning incense in worship of the Gods and using oils in amulets and lockets for love and protection.

Aromatic herbs have been the domain of priests, Goddesses and Gods since ancient times.  They have been used in religion to cleanse and purify the temples before, during and after rituals in the form of incense and essential oils, also used to anoint the priest or priestess during or before a ritual and they have been used in the form of perfume, for the daily purification of the priests and priestesses who lived and worshiped the deities of those temples.

During the 4^th century in Europe there was a decline in the use of herbs and essential oils, this was due to the growth in Christianity.   Early Christians feared the old Gods and due to ignorance  began to ban the practises of ritual and worship in Europe and incense, oils, perfumes and scents were denounced as decadent.  Nobody during this time was allowed to grow herbs or make essential oils for medicinal purposes or otherwise and this saw a significant reduction in the medicinal and perfume industry.  There was one group of people still allowed to grow and produce medicinal treatments for the local people, the local Christian monks who would sell these to the villagers causing the old wise women of the villages to hide their skills for fear of persecution.  These monks, being allowed this freedom, actually discovered many of the restorative properties of herbs, flowers and plants that we know today.

Moving further on through the centuries to the 16^th to 18^th centuries when there were many plagues in Europe caused by the foul smell of the cities, this belief was backed up by the fact that plague victims smelt foul too.  There were many superstitions about at this time and this fuelled a desire to clean and purify the air so authorities came up with some interesting ways of combating the stench and disease.  They would light bonfires of aromatic woods, physicians would wear a nose bag containing herbs like rosemary, thyme and sage to stop them from getting infected by the plague, people would carry an orange stuffed with cloves for protection and sickrooms would have herbs placed at the window, rose water and vinegar sprinkled on the floor and an aromatic fire burning.

It was during these times that saw the beginning of doctors carrying herbs, which became more commonplace and most herbalists would have some essential oils remedies with them when working i.e. rosemary and lavender

ORANGE (Citrus Sinesis)
Gender:                                   Masculine
Ruling Planet:                          Sun
Magickal Element:                   Fire
Aromatic Element:                    Fire

Magickal Effects of both the Essential oil and the Incense:
Love, Money, Divination, Luck, Purification, Joy, Physical Energy and Magickal Energy

• Used for purifying the mind, body and spirit of all ills and transforming energies from negative depression to positive peace and joy.
• If you have a question to be answered, think of it then cut the orange open and count the seeds, if there are an even number then the answer is yes and an odd number means no.
• Orange is added to incense to bring prosperity and luck.

ROSEMARY (Rosmarinus Officinalis)
Rosemary is known by many other folk names: Compass Weed, Dew of the Sea, Elf Leaf, Guardrope, Incensier, Libanotis, Polar Plant, Sea Dew

Gender:                                   Masculine
Ruling Planet:                          Sun
Magickal Element:                   Fire
Aromatic Element:                    Fire

Magickal Effects of both the Essential oil and the Incense:
Love, Healing, Protection, Purification, Exorcism, Sleep, Mental Powers, Youth, Longevity and Memory

• Rosemary has a long folk magick association with love and was used in the bridal wreaths to promote lasting love in a marriage.
• When placed on the pillow it drives away nightmares and promotes a good nights sleep.
• Used in ritual to disperse negativity prior to performing magick.
• Said to ensure youthfulness and aid the memory.

As I bring our journey to a close, having travelled back in time to lost civilisations, past beliefs and a time of ancient ritual.  I have shown you the magick that is imbued in nature, the wonder that is creation, the life force that runs throughout history, the power of herbs, plants, trees and flowers and what they have to offer us.  Working with essential oils and incense’s in magick has shown me that they not only have a part to play in the medical and scientific part of society but also in universal energies of the world and the magickal energies that is all around us every day of our lives.

There are many ways to tap into this magick and use it in your every day lives as well as in ritual.

• When you are selling your house you could brew a cup of coffee, bake pies or bread to create the feeling of home and entice the smell sense of a potential buyer, regardless of whether or not that buyer’s home life actually involved home made pies or not.
• You should burn some sage incense making sure it passes into every corner of the house, this will encourage positive energies and banish negative feelings and emotions making the home more harmonious again.
• Sage is used in its herb form as both a healer and cleanser and has been used in magic for many centuries, often used in ancient ceremonies to cleanse the temple before the rituals began or burnt to inspire good health in the place it is used.
• Anointing the four posts of my bed with sandalwood oil for protection and a good nights sleep
• Burning lemon oil in the house for protection against bacteria
• Using salt in all my cooking as a protection against poisons in the food
• Burning sage and myrrh to cleanse and bring peace to my home
• Using eucalyptus oil in the bath when I have allergies or a cold
• Sprinkling lavender on the carpet to cleanse and refresh it

Here are some of the more traditional incense and spell combinations that are used to attract the desired circumstances, to you:

• Myrrh and peace
• Sage and health
• Cedar and cleansing
• Bay and increased spell power
• Rose and love
• lemon and cleansing
• Shaman and healing
• Ocean and peace
• Dragon’s Blood and love/sex

When I burn incense, oils or even light herbs, when performing magick, I am allowing my subconscious memories of the Goddess to come forth, connecting to a place inside me where both my dark and light aspects dwell.   Burning the right incense, using the right oils and herbs with the properties needed for enhancing a particular spell can put you in the right frame of mind and spirit to welcome the Goddess.

LEMON (Citrus Limon)
Gender:                                   Feminine
Ruling Planet:                          Moon
Magickal Element:                   Water
Aromatic Element:                    Water

Magickal Effects of both the Essential oil and the Incense:
Health, Healing, Love, Purification, Friendship, longevity, Physical Energy

• Used for purification of amulets, ritual tools and other objects obtained second hand.  Clears negative vibrations from the household and yourself.
• Used in cooking to ensure a lasting friendship and to purify the food.
• Lemons are natures natural cleansers and their magick can be used in nearly every household job, cooking and cleaning, purifying and cleansing.

EUCALYPTUS (Eucalyptus Globulus)
Eucalyptus is known by many other folk names: Blue Gum Tree, Stringy Bark Tree

Gender:                                   Feminine
Ruling Planet:                          Moon, Mercury
Magickal Element:                   Water
Aromatic Element:                    Air

Magickal Effects of both the Essential oil and the Incense:
Healing, Health, Protection and Purification

• Used in candle magick with visualisation to relieve cols and bring the person concerned back to health.
• You can also hang a branch of eucalyptus over a persons sick bed and carry some with you to ward away colds and sore throats.
• Protection against negativity and evil.

BAY (Laurus Nobilis)
Bay is known by many other folk names: Baie, Bay Laurel, Bay tree, Daphne, Grecian Laurel, Laurel, Laurier D’Apollon, Laurier Sauce, Lorbeer, Noble Laurel, Roman Laurel, Sweet Bay

Gender:                                   Masculine
Ruling Planet:                          Sun
Magickal Element:                   Fire
Aromatic Element:                    Fire

Magickal Effects of both the Essential oil and the Incense:
Healing, Strength, Protection, Purification, Psychic Powers

Honour would be paid with Bay to Aesculapius, Apollo, Ceres, Faunus, Eros

The ancient Priestesses of Apollo would chew the bay leaves to induce a prophetic state of mind.

• Used a lot in clairvoyance and wisdom brews and to induce prophetic dreams and visions.
• Bay is worn as an amulet to ward off evil spirits and negativity and scattered to exorcise a ritual space.
• Used to break hexes or curses and to ensure strength in the face of competition.
• Wishes are written on Bay leaves, which when burned will come true.

CEDAR (Cedrus Atlantica)
Gender:                                   Masculine
Ruling Planet:                          Sun
Magickal Element:                   Fire
Aromatic Element:                    Fire

Magickal Effects of both the Essential oil and the Incense:
Healing, Spirituality, Protection, Purification, Self-control, Money

• The wood smoke of cedar is very purifying and can help to clear bad dreams.
• Keep cedar in your wallet or purse to draw money to you.
• Place a carved three pronged fork of cedar near your home to ward away evil spirits and attract positive spirits to your home.
• Cedar is a safe place for storing ritual tools and is also used for storing herbs and spices.
• The fragrance of cedar when inhaled before ritual will deepen your connection to the Gods.

I hope you have enjoyed our magickal journey through the ages, learning about many magickal herbs, plants, flowers and trees from many different lands and eras.  Travelling great distances and leaping across centuries only to discover that these herbs and trees and plants and flowers are still all around today and if we look at their magickal properties and their medicinal properties, I think you would agree that they are very similar even today.

I leave you with this thought:

“In our infinite diversity we travel the same path,
let us help each other along the way.”

Sheldon Kopp