Sandra Kynes - Mixing Essential Oils for Magic: Aromatic Alchemy for Personal Blends

Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

Copyright Information

Mixing Essential Oils for Magic: Aromatic Alchemy for Personal Blends 2013 by Sandra Kynes.

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First e-book edition 2013

E-book ISBN: 9780738737157

Book design by Donna Burch

Cover art : iStockphoto.com/20562797/kandserg
SuperStock.com/4269-19548/Garo/Phanie

Cover design by Adrienne Zimiga

Interior art: Llewellyn Art Department

Interior part page art: iStockphoto.com/20562797/kandserg

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Llewellyn Publications

Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

2143 Wooddale Drive

Woodbury, MN 55125

www.llewellyn.com

Manufactured in the United States of America

In memory of my grandmother, whose house and gardens
were a magical, aromatic wonderland

Contents

Section One: Background and Blending

: Scent in History and Modern Magic

: Getting Started

: Blending by Botanical Family

: Blending by Scent Group

: Blending by Perfume Note

: As Above, So Below

: Carrier Oils for Magic .

Section Two: Oil Profiles

: Essential Oil Profiles

: Carrier Oil Profiles

Appendices

: Cross-Reference by Magical Intent

: Cross-Reference by the Elements

: Cross-Reference by Zodiac Signs

: Cross-Reference by Planets/Solar System

: Cross-Reference by Sabbats

Introduction

Aromatic Alchemy

Scents can stimulate, inspire, and enchant us. Because our sense of smell is so closely linked with memory and emotion, scent and the power of place go hand in hand. The most vivid memories I have of early childhood are linked with my grandmothers house. It was a place of wonder, full of plants and big old furniture. Most of all I remember the smells. With her potpourris, gardens, and big kitchen, Nannys house was a wonderland of fragrance, full of life and magic.

While my Nan was a Christian, her folkways with plants and midwifery whispered of a more complex and multifaceted set of beliefs. Of course, as a child I didnt realize it, but I think her way of looking at, questioning, and exploring the world was the seed of Paganism that took root in me. By the time I reached my early teens, I asked far too many questions for my parents and Sunday school teachers to adequately answer. As a result, I was drawn to the notion hinted at by my grandmother that a different power existed everywhere in naturewe just had to open ourselves to it.

I have been fortunate to meet people who seemed to show up at the right time to help me learn about magic and Paganism. I have practiced ritual with several loose-knit covens and led a group at a Unitarian church, where as part of the lay clergy I regularly conducted several annual Pagan-based Sunday services. Although I am a member of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids and have done OBOD coursework, I mostly follow a solitary, eclectic path through the Druidic woods.

I am a perpetual student. I love learning and studying, a great deal of which I do on my own, along with the occasional class or workshop. This holds true for my spirituality as well as my other interests, and sometimes the two overlap, as is the case with essential oils. Being a fragrance freak, I was attracted to using scented oils to prepare my altar candles for rituals and magic. Combining some of the oils did not work as well as I had hoped so I went in search of information. I found lots of recipes, and while these were fun for a while, I wanted to know more and to understand what I was doing. This coincided with my inter est in making potpourri, which also involves the use of essential oils. I jumped at the chance to take a Saturday-afternoon potpourri workshop where I hoped to learn more about mixing essential oils.

Unfortunately, my thirst for a deeper understanding was not satisfied. I enjoy tinkering and learning, but I was having trouble making headway beyond doing what other people had done. I wanted to understand why certain oils work well together and others do not. I wanted to know how to go about making intelligent choices not only because essential oils can be expensive, but also for my own satisfaction. I dont only want to know how to do something; I want to know why what Im doing works.

I wanted to learn how to choose oils for blending. That seemed simple enough, but it became a quest that led to frustration. I found details about different essential oils, lists of magical associations, and information on perfumery categories and notes, but I could not find a source to help me connect the dots. I couldnt figure out what I was missing. There seemed to be such a mystique around blending essential oils, and I began to think that unless I could come up with the right abracadabra, I was doomed to be an outsider. I kept dabbling and longed to be initiated into the club.

I believe that the Goddess helps me to cross paths with certain people at particular times, and this was another one of those times. A woman I knew was looking for subjects on whom she could practice as she went through massage-therapy training. I was an enthusiastic guinea pig and as I got to know Elizabeth, she shared more of her other studies with me. As it turned out, she was also working on her certification in aromatherapy and was happy to become my guide. She helped to fill in the gaps and gave me a lot of encouragement. I was in heaven because I finally had a good foundation and understood what I was doing. Following in Elizabeths footsteps, I went through massage-therapy training and employed oil blends in my own practice. Unfortunately, due to a wrist injury, my massage work was cut short, but it didnt dampen my pursuit of oil blending for magic work.