Carrier Oil Profiles
Almond, Sweet
Botanical Name: Prunus amygdalus var. dulcis
Family: Rosaceae
Some botanists believe that the sweet almond was a natural hybrid of wild species from western Asia.93 This tree has a bushy, round crown and finely toothed, lance-shaped leaves. Its peach-like fruit produces the familiar edible seed. Evidence of human use has been found in Bronze Age (3300–1200 BCE) sites in Greece and Cyprus. In Greek mythology, the god Attis was said to have been born of the almond. By the fourteenth century, almonds were an important trade commodity in the Mediterranean region, which the Knights Templar capitalized on by requiring almonds as tithes. For medieval magicians, an almond branch was the rod of choice, and in Tuscany they were important as divining rods. Throughout Europe, almonds symbolized good luck and were given at weddings for long life and happiness. Dulcis in its name means “sweet” or “mild.”
About the Oil
Produced from the nut kernel, almond is considered an all-purpose carrier oil.
Scent: faintly almond, nutty
Color: pale yellow
Approximate Shelf Life: 12 months
Plant Part: As Above and So Below/Seeds
Magical Support
Sweet almond is instrumental in opening awareness for clairvoyance, divination, and connecting with spirits. Use it in spells when seeking abundance, knowledge, and prosperity, as well as for finding your true love. It is especially helpful in blends for blessings and consecrating ritual space. Almond boosts protection spells and aids in bringing happiness and peace. It also aids in creativity and communication. Almond’s link with cycles and beginnings makes it a powerful carrier oil for springtime blends and any time renewal or change is sought. This oil fosters beauty, hope, and well-being. Almond is also associated with balance, fertility, longevity, luck, money, and wealth.
Correspondences
Zodiac: Aquarius, Gemini, Virgo
Solar System: Jupiter, Mercury, Sun
Elements: air, fire
Celebration: Beltane
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, which 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 “ripe before its time,” 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.
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 and 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 sixteenth-century European explorers find avocados under cultivation when they arrived in the New World, but archaeological evidence also shows that avocados were an important food to the earlier Meso-American Indians (4000–2800 BCE). Avocado’s genus name reflects the fact that at one time the avocado 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 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 bravery. 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 and 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, for 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
Camellia
Botanical Name: Camellia sinensis and C. oleifera
Family: Theaceae
Camellia was named in honor of amateur botanist Georg Joseph Kamel, a seventeenth-
century German missionary in the Philippines. The species name sinensis means “from China,” and oleifera means “produces oil.”97 Cultivated in China for over 3,000 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 triangular 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 and 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
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 the 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 nineteenth 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 and 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
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 Britain. The common name night light comes from the slight phosphorescence of the blossoms that emit a faint light that 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 1700s.
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 and 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
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 trancelike 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 and 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.
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’s fourth-century BCE recommendation of its importance for good health was later echoed by Galen of Pergamum (c. 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 and So Below/Seeds
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 fosters 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
Hazelnuts are native to Europe; their genus name 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 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 and 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
Elements: air, fire, water
Celebration: Mabon
Gods: Apollo, Manannan, Mercury, Ogma, Thor
Goddesses: Aphrodite, Arianrhod, Artemis, Boann, Danu, Diana, Venus
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 (designating 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 from Hohowi, a 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 for spells to increase abundance and money. Jojoba helps to ground and balance energy after ritual. It is also associated with cycles and longevity.
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 2,000 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, 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 eighth 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
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
Solar System: Jupiter, Mercury, Moon, Sun
Element: water
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 creamlike liquid from the nut kernel was used to make an intoxicating drink called Powcohicora.104
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 and 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 means “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 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 and So Below/Seeds
Magical Support
A strong choice for Samhain, pomegranate is effective any time for honoring the dead or connecting with the Otherworld. Pomegranate serves as a reminder of the cycles of change and new beginnings prevalent at Samhain. This oil helps when dealing with the loss of a loved one and provides support for the home and family in general. Use it for clarity in divination as well as anointing others and consecrating altars. This oil also helps to ground energy and come into balance after ritual. Pomegranate is a symbol of hope and boundless love that quietly brings desires to life. Use it in spells to increase luck, prosperity, and security as well as provide protection. Pomegranate is also associated with creativity, fertility, money, and wealth.
Correspondences
Zodiac: Gemini, Scorpio, Virgo
Solar System: Mercury
Celebration: SamhainElements: earth, fire
Goddesses: Aphrodite, Astarte, Ceres, Demeter, Hera, Persephone, Sekhmet
Gods: Attis, Hades, Pluto
Rosehip
Botanical Name: Rosa rubiginosa; in South America: R. mosqueta
Family: Rosaceae
Also Known As: English: sweet brier; Spanish: rosa del campo
This thickly branching shrub reaches three to nine feet in height and produces more fruit than any other rose. Pink flowers grow singly or in groups of three to five, and the berry-
like rosehips are orange-scarlet. In some parts of France, it was called rose du diable and rose sorcière (rose of the devil or sorcerer) because its thorns point down toward the Underworld.107 Native to Europe and western Asia, it became naturalized in South America after being introduced there by the Spanish. Rosehips have a long history of medicinal use and have been found at prehistoric sites, where they may have been used as food and/or medicine. Since the time of ancient Rome, they have been popular throughout Europe. The sweet brier was made immortal by Shakespeare as one of the three types of roses in Titania’s bower (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) as well as the rose that grew from the grave of Tristan (Tristan and Isolde). In Siberia, rose twigs were placed with cut logs to prevent evil from entering the structure that would eventually be built with the timber.
About the Oil
Oil is obtained from the seeds. Because it is expensive, it is often used diluted with another carrier.
Scent: faintly earthy
Color: pink tinge to reddish
Approximate Shelf Life: 6 -12 months
Plant Part: As Above and So Below/Seeds
Magical Support
Even though this oil does not come from the rose flower, it still carries the powers of love, attraction, and fidelity. Rosehip oil is also instrumental for divination, clairvoyance, dreamwork, and psychic work. It engenders confidence, courage, and trust, and aids in building inner power for magic. This oil is supportive when dealing with sorrow when a loved one dies as well as general problems. Use it to break hexes and in banishing spells as well as to release anything unwanted from your life. Also use it to attract luck or provide protection. Rosehip raises spiritual energy, bringing peace, wisdom, and inspiration, as well as blessings. The healing energy of rosehip is especially helpful for fertility, strengthening family ties, and engendering happiness. It is also associated with balance, beginning, changes, creativity, cycles, and knowledge.
Correspondences
Zodiac: Cancer, Libra, Sagittarius, Taurus
Solar System: Venus
Elements: fire, water
Celebrations: Mabon, Ostara, Rosalia
Goddesses: Aphrodite, Demeter, Flora, Freya, Hathor, Holle, Isis, Venus
Gods: Adonis, Cupid, Eros
Sesame
Botanical Name: Sesamum indicum
Family: Pedaliaceae
Also Known As: benne, sum-sum
Sesame is forever linked with Ali Baba’s magical phrase open sesame, which may have come from the way the seed pods suddenly spring open with a popping sound.108 Pods holding 50 to 100 flat, oval seeds form inside the trumpet-shaped flowers as they fade. Sesame’s species name means “from India,” where the plant is believed to have been domesticated. Cakes of sesame and honey called melloi were offerings to the Goddess at the Thesmophoria, a women’s autumn festival in Sicily. Sesame cakes were also used in the festival of Elaphebolia to honor Artemis.109
In addition to a temple offering, sesame and honey cakes were a symbol of fertility and included in Greek and Roman wedding meals.
About the Oil
The oil is obtained from the seeds. It is also known as gingelly oil and teel oil.
Scent: sweet, nutty, may be strong
Color: golden to dark yellow
Approximate Shelf Life: 6–12 months
Plant Part: As Above and So Below/Seeds
Magical Support
Sesame’s powers of purification can be employed to consecrate magic space, to banish negativity, or to release a lover. It is also instrumental for defense and helpful when dealing with negative spirits. This oil provides protection in magic work, luck when seeking justice, and truth when keeping secrets. Use it in spells to increase money and prosperity as well as to stimulate change. Sesame is also effective in matters of sex and passion, fertility and vitality. It is also associated with balance, beginnings, and cycles.
Correspondences
Solar System: Sun
Element: fire
Celebration: Imbolc, Mabon
Goddess: Artemis
God: Ganesh
Sunflower
Botanical Name: Helianthus annuus
Family: Asteraceae
With a genus name that honors the Greek sun god Helios, the large, yellow-rayed flower heads track the sun’s daily journey across the sky. Sunflowers are tall (almost eight feet), erect annuals with thick, branched stems and coarse, heart-shaped leaves covered in rough hair. Indigenous to the North American prairies, all parts of the plant were used by Native Americans for a wide range of medicinal remedies. The sunflower was considered a ceremonial medicine plant, especially for war dances. Cakes made from the seeds were taken along by war parties to help sustain them. Sunflowers were also used for everyday food, dyes, and adornment. By the time the European settlers arrived, sunflowers were grown as crops by settled tribes throughout a large part of North America.
About the Oil
Oil is obtained from the seeds.
Scent: faint nutty
Color: pale to golden yellow
Approximate Shelf Life: 6–12 months
Plant Part: As Above and So Below/Seeds
Magical Support
Sunflower brings solar energy and strength to oil blends focused on spirituality and well-being. It adds clarity to dreamwork as well as problem solving. Use it for protection and for releasing things that are unwanted in your life. This oil is effective in spells for attracting happiness, money, and luck, as well as any magic work relating to cycles and change. Sunflower is instrumental when seeking self-knowledge that brings peace and balance. It is also helpful when dealing with sorrow. This oil is also associated with beginnings, desires, fertility, and wisdom.
Correspondences
Zodiac: Leo
Solar System: Sun
Element: fire
Celebration: Lughnasadh
Goddesses: Demeter, Modron
Gods: Apollo, Helios
93. Rosengarten, The Book of Edible Nuts, 4.
94. Green, Field Guide to Produce, 6.
95. Paull and Duarte, Tropical Fruit, 153.
96. Fernie, Herbal Simples, 48.
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