Tag: Odor

Ritual Magick: Finding Your Past Lives Through Candle Magic

Finding Your Past Lives Through Candle Magick

Find a nice, quiet, relaxing place were you can obtain peace, quiet and relaxation.

This ritual requires two people. It is a good idea to make sure the second person is a very patient person.

Use a tall candle, one that is dripless or a wide candle on a saucer-like holder (which I personally like to use because this type illuminates more light.)

An audio/video tape recorder can be used to record messages given.

Sit across from the other person in the lotus position, face to face (if possible). If the lotus position is too difficult, then sit on two chairs facing each other.

One person is to hold the candle to the side and front of their face, you will easily determine the distance once you begin.

You must try to not blink too often and remain as still as you can.

There is a tendency, when the other person tells you what they see, to respond emotionally or physically, talk or laugh.

The person not holding the candle will relax, wait and soon see your facial features start to change.

When they change that person may have a message for you about who they are seeing and anything related to that person, thoughts that enter into their minds.

After a while, you will see the person change again and again depending on how long the person can sit still without much flinching.

It is now your turn to hold the candle and allow the other person to view you.

This is very easy, as everyone changes.

You can also do this by yourself standing in front of a mirror, in a dark room, the candle on the side of your face, and then watch yourself sift. You are returning to the source of creation, the light and seeing other aspects of your soul experience.

Talk to that person in your mind, as they have come to you now, through the spiral of time for a reason. Tell them to clear their issues that you seek soul union and something is blocking you here.

With either of these exercises, if you feel discomfort, stop immediately. Something is resisting either emotionally or physically. You can always try later.

There is no time frame for either of these rituals. It is up to you to end them. You know yourself when you are tired or have exhausted all your souls for the evening it is time to quit.

7 Ways to Make Your Living Space Smell Nice

7 Ways to Make Your Living Space Smell Nice

by Megan, selected from Intent.com

Rather than spraying chemical-laden air fresheners, choose one of these seven  natural ways to make your living space smell a little nicer.

1. Invest in houseplants. Have your favorite plants and  herbs growing in your kitchen, living room and bathroom in small pots. The  presence of green plants will help reduce indoor air pollution and keep clean  air circulating in your space.

2. Save your citrus fruit skins. Save the peels of oranges,  lemons, limes and other citrus- fruits. You can place them in boiling water to  have a fresh scent in the kitchen, or run them in your garbage disposal with  boiling water. Lastly, put some citrus skins in your vacuum bag the next time  you vacuum your carpet.

3. Dilute essential oil with water in a spray bottle. You  can spray your furniture and carpet to make the whole room smell a specific  scent. To diversify, you can have different scents for different areas of your  home. For example: lavender for the living room, sandalwood for your bedroom and  peppermint for the bathroom.

4. Place bowls of white vinegar in corners of the room. The  vinegar will neutralize and absorb any offending odors.

5. Place fabric softener in your shoes and closet. It will  take away any stale clothing smells. For another closet air freshener, place a  cedar block at the bottom of your closet. Use sandpaper for a new layer once a  year.

6. Light soy candles instead of regular candles. Soy candles  are longer-lasting, better for the environment and have a more robust smell.  (They are also safer than carcinogen-emitting candles.)

7. Bake bread or cook your own meals. Few things are as  welcoming as the smell of freshly baked bread or the herbs of a home-cooked  dinner.

Start Making Scents

How to Make Incense for Magickal and Spiritual Intents

by Miriam Harline

Smell is the sense most hot-wired  into our animal past. According to  Diane Ackerman’s A Natural History  of the Senses,we smell by means of  olfactory bulbs at our nostrils’ upper  tips that, when triggered directly, signal  the limbic system — a brain region  inherited from our mammalian  ancestors, a player in lust and creativity.  Smell is also our most permanent  sense. Research says scents go  straight into long-term memory, later  to be retriggered with all the emotion  of the time that laid the memories  down. As Ackerman writes, “A smell  can be overwhelmingly nostalgic be-cause  it triggers powerful images and  emotions before we have time to edit  them.”

Smell thus proves one of our bodies’  best gifts to the magician, ritualist  and spiritual seeker. To speak to  the emotions, to the animal spirit, to  the part of us that believes in and  works magick, use scent. Burn incense.

If ease is a priority, you can buy  your magickal incenses. I’d recommend  Wortcunning and Nu Essence brands.  You can find Wortcunning incenses, by  local incense master Leon Reed, at  Travelers (501 E. Pine in Seattle) or directly  through Wortcunning (P. O. Box  9785, Seattle, WA 98109). Wortcunning  incense is one of the reasons I moved  to Seattle. On a visit here, I picked up  some Pan incense, which when I ran  out of self-igniting charcoal in mid-Missouri  I burned on the stove: great before  going out dancing. I figured any  place with incense so magickal had to  be worth returning to.

However, if you want incense imbued  with your specific magickal or  spiritual purpose and your energy,  make it from scratch. Once you have  supplies, it needn’t take a long time,  maybe an hour per scent. It’s fun. And  there’s something special about burning  a mixture that smells heavenly (or  noxious, as the intention may be) and saying, “Hey, I made that.”

Following I’ve set down wisdom  from my teachers and my forays into  the craft and recommended books to  take you further. But, as with cooking,  you learn incense making by doing.  Find a recipe you like, study it till you  understand how it works, then improvise  based on your tastes and ingredients.  As with any practice, trust your  instincts. If you want to reproduce the  exact incense in a seventeenth century  grimoire or Egyptian papyrus, you’ll  follow that recipe to the letter (if you  can find the ingredients). Otherwise,  experiment. Play.

I describe here how to make loose  incense, to be burned on self-igniting  charcoal briquettes. You can buy such  charcoal most any place that sells incense  herbs. You can also make stick  and cone incenses, which the books I  recommend describe. Stick and cone  incenses look more impressive for  presents and are easier to burn. But  they’re more complicated to make,  and the different forms don’t make  your intentions’ results more sure.

Getting Started

To make incense, you’ll first gather  some ingredients and tools:

  • Herbs and oils
  • Eyedropper (preferably several)
  • Base oil
  • Mortar and pestle (preferably two)
  • Coffee grinder (optional)
  • Ziplock baggies, in gallon and sandwich size
  • Small bottles or tins (optional)
  • Small spoon or spoons (optional)
  • Astrological calendar
  • Book or books of recipes

If you want to make just one incense,  get just the herbs and oils you  need. However, if you plan to make  incense as an ongoing hobby, round  up some basic incense makings. Some  elementary herbs and resins, arranged  by how often I use them:

  • Sandalwood
  • Myrrh
  • Frankincense
  • Benzoin
  • Pine resin
  • Orris root
  • Lavender
  • Rose petals
  • Cedar
  • Cinnamon
  • Copal
  • Rosemary
  • Mace
  • Nutmeg
  • Bay
  • Lemongrass  Some of the above list will look  pretty familiar. Rosemary? Nutmeg?  Got it, in the spice cabinet. If you want  to start cheap, you can make many  incenses from common kitchen spices.Of the nonspices listed above,  orris root (iris root) deserves special  mention. It’s a good idea to add one  part orris root as a preservative and  fixative to most incense recipes, especially  those that don’t include resins.  (Resins are gums formed by solidifying  plant juices, for example frankincense,  myrrh and amber.) Get your  orris root preground if you don’t feel  like spending an afternoon worrying a  tuber.

    In general, you’ll want to get woods  and tough roots in powdered form.  For anything grindable, however, get  leaves or chunks, and grind the ingredient  when you need it. That way, it  will stay fresher.

    For oils, I tend to buy those specific  to the recipe I’m doing. After  making a few incenses, you’ll have a  large library. These are the ones I use  most:

    • Patchouli
    • Jasmine
    • Cypress
    • Eucalyptus
    • Peppermint
    • Rose

    Use essential oils, rather than perfume  oils. An essential oil will generally  announce itself on the bottle. And  watch out for patchouli oil. It’s intense;  a few drops will do.

    You can locate herbs and oils at  pagan and herbal supply shops. To buy  herbs, I tend to go to Travelers or  Tenzing Momo (93 Pike Street in Seattle).  You can order from Tenzing  Momo by phone, at (206) 623-9837. I  wouldn’t recommend a phone order  for a novice incense maker, though;  you’ll want to see what you’re buying.  Many herbs and resins are very light,  ounces not pounds. Some are very  expensive, though most are not. The  fresher you get something the better —  beware a very dusty herb bottle.

    Herbs originate in gardens and the  wild, of course, and if you have access,  jump at the chance to harvest  when the herb’s ready. Don’t wildcraft  too much; take no more than a quarter  of what you find, and never take  more than you can use. Pagans will  want to ask the plant’s permission  before clipping; a gift in exchange, such  as water, returns energy to the herb.

    There is such a thing as too fresh,  though. If you just cut your herb, you  can’t use it today. I’ve tried quick-drying  herbs at 200 degrees in the oven,  and it doesn’t work. Ideally, you should  harvest herbs on a dry day at the peak  of their maturity, when active ingredients  have reached the highest concentration —  an herbal will tell you when.  Hang the plants upside down in a dry,  airy place between 70 and 90 degrees  Fahrenheit; they should take about a  week to dry. Don’t store them still  damp; they’ll mold. Store herbs in air-tight  containers, ideally glass or pottery.  This process should occur beforeyou try making incense.

    When working with oils, an eye-dropper  proves useful. If you don’t  employ one, at some point I guarantee  you’ll screw up an incense recipe  by, say, pouring in a half-ounce of  patchouli. Get several to avoid cleaning  droppers between oils. Look for  eyedroppers at your local drugstore.  In addition to scent oils, you’ll add  a base oil to incense to activate some  of the esters (scent chemicals) in dried  herbs, to make the incense mixture  hang together better and to help preserve  it. I tend to use safflower oil  because it has a very light scent, but  I’ve been told it goes rancid more  quickly than others. People I trust have  recommended jojoba oil and sesame  oil. The strong scent of sesame oil  disappears as the mixture dries.

    To grind your herbs and resins,  you’ll want at least one mortar and  pestle. It’s a good idea to get two and  powder herbs in one, resins in another —  this because resins tend to  stick and stain and may never come  out of a coarse mortar and pestle.  Mortars and pestles can be found at  kitchen supply stores. If you do a lot  of grinding, you’ll want a coffee grinder.  Buy one secondhand, and devote it to  incense only — you don’t want  mugwort-flavored coffee.

    Ziplock baggies are good for incense  mixing and for temporary and  less pretty incense storage. More  pretty incense storage is the domain  of cute, colored, cork-topped glass  bottles and cunning little tins. The  Soap Box used to carry such bottles,  and I’ve seen them at kitchen supply  stores. You can also store incense in  film canisters or pill containers, anything  airtight. Small spoons prove helpful  when doling out incense samples  to burn, something you’ll do a lot while  concocting scents.

    An astrological calendar aids in  making incense just as it does in any  magickal or ritual activity, to align with  the energies of the universe. The subject  of associations is endless and  personal, and I’ll only touch on it here.  In general, create incenses under a  waxing or full moon for intentions involving  growth and waxing energy, under  a waning moon for intentions involving  shrinking or ending. If you’re  making an incense for Aphrodite or  to draw love, Venus should probably  be favorably aspected; to get a job,  Jupiter should probably be favorably  aspected. You get the idea.

    You’ll want recipe books. I list  some recipes at the end of the article;  chances are none of them will suit your  exact magickal or spiritual purpose.  The books I rely on are Scott  Cunningham’s The Complete Book of  Incense, Oils and Brews and Wylundt’s  Book of Incense. The latter includes  many recipes based on kitchen spices,  if you can’t afford much in the way of  supplies. Both also explain how to  make stick and cone incenses.

    Substitutions

    Suppose you have a recipe you  like, for an intention you’re interested  in. It calls for peppermint, bay, frankincense  and gum bdellium. The first  three the herb shop has. On the last  one, the cashier shakes her head.  “Never heard of it.” You try pronouncing  it again — same effect. Even if an  herb, gum or oil is theoretically obtainable,  you may run into a situation  when you want the incense now and  can’t find the odd ingredient.

    Don’t give up. Substitute.

    You can substitute in several ways.  First, if the recipe calls for the herb or  resin and you can only find the oil, use  the oil, or vice versa. For example, oak  moss itself is hard to find, but you  can locate oak moss oil fairly easily.

    If you can’t track something down  in solid or liquid form, The Complete  Book of Incense, Oils and Brews has a  lovely table suggesting one-for-one  substitutions for many ingredients.  You can also substitute according to  intention or elemental or planetary  rulership. Both The Complete Book and  Wylundt’s list ingredients aligned to  different intentions, elements and  planets. For example, “love” has a list  of suggested ingredients, as do “water” and “Venus.” Many Wicca and Magick  101 books offer similar tables of  correspondence. If you poke through  the tables, you’ll find a substitute for  your herb or oil, often a whole list to  choose from. In a pinch, as  Cunningham writes, rosemary can  safely be substituted for any other  herb, rose for any flower and frankincense  or copal for any gum resin.

    Substitutions are essential for  many obscure and poisonous ingredients  recommended by old magickal  tomes. In case you need to be told,  do not use aconite (wolfsbane), belladonna,  hemlock, henbane, mistletoe,  nightshade or other poisonous substances  in your incense! It’s not worth  the hassle. Some substances are sufficiently  toxic that merely handling  them is dangerous. You can replace  any poisonous herb in incense with  tobacco, as Cunningham suggests.

    Likewise, be careful with ingredients  that cause smoke that’s very foul-smelling  or liable to produce an allergic  reaction, such as asafoetida, mace,  pepper and rue. Some incenses are  best burned outdoors.

    Making Incense

    Ingredients, tools, moon phase  and aspects all lined up, it’s time to  start. I generally lay out everything on  a clean, smooth surface, then put up  a circle and call the elements, deities  and fey to witness. You can be as formal  or informal as you like about your  working, but stating and concentrat-ing  on your intention as you assemble  ingredients will help imbue the incense  with that intention.

    Now dig out your gallon Ziplock  baggie. This will be your mixing bowl.

    Reread your recipe. Incense recipes  are often listed in terms of “parts.”  What constitutes a part is your decision.  I often use for a part as much as  I can hold in the palm of my hand. You  can also use a teaspoon or a half-cup  or any other measure as a part, as  long as you keep the part measure  consistent through the recipe. If your  incense recipe is listed in terms of  weight (ounces, grams), however, use  weight measurements throughout —  don’t mix parts, which are measure-ments  by volume, with measurements  by weight, or the result will make no  sense. Whatever the form of measurement,  measure any ingredient that requires  grinding in its final, powdered  state.

    I often find I have a limited quantity  of one ingredient. In this case, I  usually grind that first and let the resulting  measurement dictate how  much incense to make. For example,  if the recipe calls for two parts lavender,  and I only have two teaspoons of  it, my part will be one teaspoon.

    Another factor in pulverization  order is your tools. If you have two  mortars, you can grind herbs and  gums separately. If not, start with  herbs as they’ll stick up the mortar  less.

    If your ingredients and tools are  sufficient to the task, grind herbs and  resins in order of smell. Incense, like  perfume, is considered to have top,  middle and base notes. Top notes are  the lightest and generally what you  smell first. Floral scents are often top  notes, for example neroli (orange flowers).  Base notes are the bottom of the  spectrum, the strongest, darkest  scents. Animal odors, such as musk,  and heavy woods, such as patchouli,  usually form base notes. Some strong  herbs, such as lavender, are also  bases. Vanilla and rose are examples  of middle notes — strong, but not as  overpowering as patchouli. Use less  of the base and middle notes when  creating an incense, more of the top  notes, to create a balance. In the absence  of other concerns, start creating  your incense with the base note.  This rule especially applies if you’re  creating or revising a recipe.

    To get to know each ingredient,  burn a small ground sample. Your own  associations and emotions for each  scent are important. For me, benzoin  smells fey; eucalyptus is cool and sensual.  Everyone senses subtly different  affinities. If you find your nose burning  out, sniff coffee beans to clear your  sense of smell.

    Grinding takes a while. Have faith.  Some herbs are surprisingly tough to  work with — lemongrass, for example,  grinds away to nothing, so you’ll be  working a long time. Bay doesn’t pulverize  well; use scissors to cut it as  fine as possible. Your final powder  grains need not be infinitesimally small;  however, the smaller you grind, the  more thoroughly your ingredients can  mix to create the unique smell of the  final incense.

    As you finish each ingredient, add  it to the gallon Ziplock baggie, close it  and shake thoroughly.

    Once you have all the dry ingredients  in, add scent oils. If you’re adding  an oil where the recipe calls for an  herb, or vice versa, keep in mind that  an oil comes across much more  strongly than the matching herb. A few  drops of most oils will suffice, unless  you’re making mountains of incense.  Again, with your oils, start with the  base note and use little, then move  on to the middle and top. Mix your  oils with the dry ingredients thoroughly,  rubbing out dark spots and balls.

    Herbs, resins and scent oils mixed,  burn the result. What do you think?

    You’re wrinkling your nose. That’s  okay — you can fix it.

    Suppose your incense smells like  just one of your ingredients — cinnamon  and nothing else. There’s a couple  of ways of dealing with this. You can  add a little more of everything else.  Or you can decide which of the other  ingredients would help balance the  strong scent. Cinnamon’s a middle to  base note — another middle to base  note would balance it, for example lavender,  assuming your recipe includes  lavender. Oil is the easiest way to add  balance because it’s so strong.

    Sometimes incense will come out  smelling like next to nothing. Too much  balance! Here, you’ll want to emphasize  one or two ingredients, whichever  seem most appropriate. For example,  if I were creating a moon incense with  oil of jasmine that came out smelling  bland, I might tap in a few more drops  of oil, as jasmine is an ingredient that  I like and that feels very moon to me.

    Once you’ve got your incense  smelling as you want it, it’s time to add  the base oil. Add it in small amounts —  you don’t want the incense wet. Add  till you get a sticky or tacky feel, till  the powder sticks a little to your hand.

    The base oil gives your incense a  longer life, but it makes the mixture  produce a heavy, burnt-smelling  smoke in the short term. If you must  burn the incense right away, leave out  the base oil. After you add the oil, incense takes a week to ten days to set,  and it’s not till after that period that  you’ll be rid of excess smokiness.  Check your incense while it’s setting —  if the smoke continues heavy, you can  leave the container open to let the in-cense  breathe a bit.

    When I’m done adding base oil to  an incense, I raise energy and consecrate  the incense to the purpose for  which I devised it. This step is essential  if yours is to be a magickal incense.

    Now, sit back! You’ve made incense.  Be proud of yourself. You have  a new ritual tool that will heighten your  every working. And you’ve brought  some scents into the world.

    Special thanks to Sylvana  SilverWitch and her incense classes, from  which I learned much of the preceding.

    Sample Recipes

    Full Moon incense

    2 parts frankincense 2 parts myrrh 2 parts sandalwood 1/ 2 part rose petals Jasmine oil

    The smell is powdery and sweet,  very moony and watery.

    Hecate incense

    4 parts sandalwood 2 parts peppermint 2 parts myrrh Cypress oil

    As you might guess, the sandalwood  is very forward in this recipe.  Wortcunning also makes a stellar Hecate  incense based on information in ancient  magickal texts. However, that incense  strikes me as better burned outdoors.  Use the preceding to gently honor Her in  your hermetically sealed ritual room.

    Hermes incense

    1 part cinnamon 1 part frankincense 1 part lavender

    This is not my own recipe; I’m afraid  I forget where I got it. But it’s great! Use  it also for spells of communication,  travel protection and the like — anything  ruled by Hermes.

    Lammas incense

    2 parts frankincense 2 parts sandalwood 1 part pine resin 1/ 2 part bay 1/ 2 part cinnamon 1/ 2 part coriander 1/ 2 part meadowsweet 1/ 2 part oregano 1/ 2 part rosemary A few drops rose oil Slightly less oak moss oil Very little patchouli oil (start with one drop)

    Meditation and divination incense

    2 parts benzoin 2 parts lavender 2 parts myrrh 2 parts sandalwood 1 part orange peel 1/ 2 part mugwort

    Equal amounts eucalyptus, patchouli oils  This mixture is very floaty and psychically  oriented. If you have trouble  grounding, ground before you burn. The  sandalwood and eucalyptus come to the  fore.

Calendar of the Moon for June 8th

8 Huath/Thargelion

Thargelia Day II: Festival of the First Fruits

Color: Green

Element: Earth

Altar: Upon a green cloth lay five stones of different colors, an urn of white wine, and a basket of the first produce of the year.

Offerings: The first fruits from the garden, some of which should be shared with outsiders.

Daily Meal: Vegan. Barley. Figs. Dates.

Demeter’s Thargelia Invocation

The road to which our feet are set
Is in a harvest way,
For to the fair-robed Demeter
Our comrades bring today
The first fruits of their harvesting
She on the threshing place
Great store of barley grain outpoured
For guardian of Her Grace.
O great earth-bound Demeter
Whose daughter is the spring,
Whose hands bring forth the golden grain,
These gifts to you we bring:
Our hands, our hearts, our bellies
Once empty and now filled,
The greening of the garden,
The flour of the mill,
We thank you for our sustenance
The bounty of field and hill,
Your touch upon the barren land
Will make it more fertile still.

Chant:
Demeter Demeter Mother of the Grain
Fruit of the Harvest come with the rain

(The produce is brought forward to the altar and laid in baskets, one at a time, kneeling. Afterwards it is shared with others brought in from outside, for generosity begets abundance. The wine is poured out as a libation for Demeter.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Sun for May 16th

Calendar of the Sun
16 Thrimilchimonath

Eir’s Blot

Colors: White and blue
Element: Air
Altar: Upon cloth of white and blue set twelve white candles, one sky-blue candle, a great jug of mead, and a pot of healing salve. Throughout the next three days, the altar stays the same, and one more candle is lit. On this day, light the blue candle and nine white candles.
Offering: Inventory the medical supplies. Help those who are poor and ill. Do things correctly.
Daily Meal: Soup or stew. Bread with cheese, meat, or jam.

Invocation to Frigga’s Handmaidens

Call: Twelve maidens hold the halls of Asgard!
Response: Twelve virgins hold the pillars of heaven!
Call: Twelve mysteries hold the luck of Asgard!
Response: Twelve virtues hold the Law of heaven!
Call: Twelve words of power resound through Asgard!
Response: Twelve stars light up the dome of heaven!
Call: We call upon the power of Virtue!
Response: We call upon the mysteries of heaven!

Invocation to Eir

Hail, healer of Asgard!
Physician who ministers to many wounds,
You teach us that there is never enough healing,
Never enough time, never enough resources,
Never enough hope that anything will survive,
And yet even in face of this helplessness
You teach us that we must go on,
And never give up until the end.
And this is the wound of Creation,
That can never be healed
And yet we must keep trying.
For Perseverance is more than merely stubbornness,
It is the living embodiment of Hope.
Chant:
Cloth of honor from the thread of truth
Weave your heart into all you offer

(A libation of mead is poured out for Eir, and the jug replaced for the next day’s ritual. Honor should be given today to those with chronic illnesses, and they should be given privileges for their perseverance in the face of pain.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Beltaine: Make Scents

Beltaine: Make Scents

by Jon Bergeon

 

The following herbs listed fall under the categories of the element of fire, of growth, renewal, fertility, prosperity and gain, harmony and success. Items in parentheses are attributes of secondary concern that may help in designing a suitable incense recipe.

  • Angelica: gain and renewal (also guards against negativity)
  • Basil: prosperity, harmony and success (also aids in banishment)
  • Bay: harmony (also guards against negativity)
  • Cedar: gain and success (also aids psychic activity)
  • Cloves: growth (also aids psychic activity)
  • Coriander: gain and fertility (fire part of fire element/Mars)
  • Garlic: success (also aids in self-assertion and banishment)
  • Hyssop: prosperity (also aids in purification)
  • Juniper: gain and fertility (also guards against negativity)
  • Marigold: renewal and success (also aids psychic activity)
  • Mustard: fertility, success and gain (also guards against negativity)
  • Onion: success (also aids against negativity)

The following lists the recommended parts of the herbs to be employed in the making of incense.

  • Angelica: root
  • Basil: all
  • Bay: leaf
  • Cedar: all
  • Cloves: buds
  • Coriander: seeds
  • Garlic: bulb
  • Hyssop: all
  • Juniper: berries
  • Marigold: flowers
  • Mustard: seeds
  • Onion: bulb

In all cases, the oils of the herbs listed may substitute for the recommended parts to be employed for incense.

Flowers, due to their place in May festivities, may be used to reduce the martial qualities of some of the herbs. The following flowers do not magically interfere with the previously listed herbs.

  • Alyssum: quells anger
  • Chamomile: calms
  • Geranium: fertility, love
  • Lavender: calms, aids in psychic activity
  • Lilac: protection, banishment of negativity
  • Rose: love, peace and protection

As an alternative to burning herbs as an incense, the herbs may be placed in water and the water heated to produce a desired effect. This may be done by obtaining a stand with a small bowl, underneath which a candle may be placed.

Herb parts may be used in a loose incense and burned with the use of charcoal, or herbs may be powdered (which is best done with a coffee grinder) and saltpeter, gum arabic and water added to make the herbs into a paste from which cones may be fashioned. Making cone incense is, however, more difficult than just burning loose incense, as sometimes the saltpeter mixture, when too much or too little is used, burns at an undesirable rate or even not at all.

Sources

  1. Smith, Steven R., Wylundt’s Book of Incense, Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1989.
  2. Zalewski, C.L., Herbs in Magic and Alchemy, Prism Press. England, 1990.
  3. Cunningham, Scott, Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, Llewellyn, 1993.

Daily Aromatherapy Tip for April 8th

Daily Aromatherapy Tip
 
Here is a spray to use to absorb unpleasant odors. It’s great for the bathroom or kitchen.
This air freshener will absorb the odor , it will be gone in minutes.

Fill an 8oz. spray bottle with white distilled vinegar.
Add 20-30 drops of your favorite essential oil. Shake before using.
.
 

7 Ways to Deal With Smelly Pets

7 Ways to Deal With Smelly Pets

  • Nicolas, selected from petMD

By Patricia Khuly, DVM, PetMD

Got a pet who’s conditioned you to believe that his loving presence is worth all his foul odors? If your pet smells nasty then you probably know exactly what I’m talking about (though some of you may be in denial). Everyone else thinks he stinks and stays away. But you? You love him, aroma and all.

Nonetheless, there is something you can do about her chronic malodor, especially if she falls into one of the following categories of stinkiness. Read up on the concern and, for best results internalize their listed solutions!

1. The Skin Sufferers

If the surface of your pet’s skin’s smell is reminiscent of rotting fruit, something freshly dug up from deep underground, or just plain dogginess, you’ll know what I mean.

Solution: Whether this happens year-round or is limited to certain seasons, pets with certain skin conditions such as allergic skin disease and keratinization disorders (characterized by greasy and/or flaky skin), treatment of the underlying disease is generally effective in reducing or eliminating the odors associated with skin infections that accompany it.

Medicated shampoos and antibiotic and/or anti-fungal treatments are often necessary, at least at first and/or periodically, to tamp down the offending bacteria and/or yeast.

2. The Wildlife Devotees

These are the pets that stop, drop and roll at the sights and smells of a rotting carcass or raccoon feces (the foulest smelling scat on the planet). Maybe she’s a chronic stray cat poop consumer (like my Sophie), or a skunk tracking wonder-dog.

Solution: Restriction of a pet’s yard-based or hiking activities is usually not advisable. They need an outlet for their natural drives––and the exercise, of course. Picking up scat in your yard is helpful, as is special fencing to reduce encroachment by certain wildlife species (if you must).

Alternatively and/or additionally, treating the resulting foul odors can be achieved through an excellent, freshly brewed mix of hydrogen peroxide (1 quart), baking soda (1/3 cup) and a dash of a grease-cutting dish soap like Dawn (my favorite).

3. The Gaseous Ones

You know who you are.

Solution: Determining whether your pet has a condition such as intestinal parasitism, IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) or a pancreatic malfunction (as in EPI or “exocrine pancreatic insufficiency”) is crucial. But most pets who suffer excessive flatulence are merely exhibiting a mild intolerance to one or more ingredients in their diets.

Treatment of the primary dysfunction depends on the disease process, of course, but for those who suffer simple digestive intolerance may be helped either with pro-biotic supplements or through a process of trial and error with respect to diet choices. Carefully switching diets with varying ingredients until a minimum of flatulence is achieved is often fruitful in this regard.

 

4. The Bad-Breath Breakfast Club

Oral breath, usually secondary to periodontal disease, can lay low a whole crowd of dinner party guests who might otherwise truly enjoy your pet––and their meal.

Solution: Regular brushing (at least twice a week, but daily for some pets) and routine anesthetic dentistry (as often as every few months for severe sufferers) is the mainstay of bad breath resolution.

But some pets just have bad breath that arises chronically from their mouths and/or stomach gases––not necessarily from their teeth. These latter pets may be helped by adjusting the ingredients in their food and possibly by adding parsley to their diet (available in capsules). “Fresh breath” water supplements are not helpful, in my opinion, but some pet owners beg to differ.

5. The Anal Gland Leakers

The two anal glands, found on either side of the anus in dogs and cats occasionally have the propensity to fill up and spill out when over-full. The characteristic stench is perhaps the nastiest odor pets are capable of emitting.

Solution: Getting this under control is usually achieved by expressing the anal glands manually on a regular basis. Veterinarians and experienced groomers are best suited to this task, though many of my owners are willing to learn and manage quite well on their own.

A hydrogen peroxide wipe to the backside is very helpful once the odor becomes apparent.

 

6. The Otic Stink-Bombs

Ear infections are almost always skin infections. But their specific challenges mean very specific odors distinct from that of the rest of the skin. A fruity-smelling yeast infection that may or may not progress to a stinking bacterial infection is the usual finding.

Solution: Allergic skin disease is the primary cause of external ear infections in both cats and dogs. Infections can be dealt with by treating the underlying condition. Antibiotics and anti-fungals are used to tackle the infection––and the stink––but it will return (I promise), sometimes even after treating the allergy. After all, not every allergy is 100% treatable.

Cleaning the ears regularly with a mild disinfectant solution is always advisable.

 

7. The Wet Dog Crowd

Does your dog spend his life in the pool? Here in Miami that’s not uncommon––especially with Labs. Problem is, that also means wet dog smell that chronically lingers.

Solution: Keep your outdoor dog indoors, fence off the pool or invest in a proper canine blow-drier. Additionally, I recommend that you “Furminate”your dog daily to relieve her of some of the undercoat that traps moisture.

***

Ostara Incense

Ostara Incense　

2 parts Frankincense

1 part Benzoin

1 part Dragon’s Blood

½ part Nutmeg

½ part Violet flowers (or a few drops Violet oil)

½ part Orange peel

½ part Rose petals

Burn during Wiccan rituals on Ostara (the Spring Equinox, which varies from March 20th to the 24th each year), or to welcome the Spring and refresh your life.

SPELL TO ATTRACT THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE

SPELL TO ATTRACT THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE

you will need: A sampler size of your favorite scent A pink candle
First carve a heart in your candle with a tack or toothpick. Light the candle
in a window where it will receive moonlight (full moon light is best).
Put the scent container in front of the candle and say:
Venus, grant me the love that I lack;
Through this scent, my mate attract!
Let the candle burn out naturally, then carry the scent with you,
spraying on a little whenever you are out or may be meeting people.
Increase the power of the magic by repeating the invocation as you put on the scent!

Light a Candle, Cast a Spell

Light a Candle, Cast a Spell

by Melanie Fire Salamander

 

In Northern European societies, Imbolc or Candlemas traditionally fell at a time when, with the end of winter in sight, families used the animal fat saved over the cold season to make candles. I don’t butcher stock, and I’m not planning to render meat fat to make candles, but I like connecting with the past through candle-making. And though the days are longer now than at solstice, they’re still short enough that a few candles help.

To further your magickal purposes, you can make a spell candle for Imbolc — a candle into which you imbue a particular magickal purpose. Once you’ve made and charged your spell candle, you burn it over time to further your intention. I find spell candles particularly good for goals that require a period of continued energy to manifest, for example a new job, and for things I desire recurrently, for example peace and harmony for myself and the people around me.

Also, Imbolc is traditionally a time of initiations, of divination and of all things sacred to the goddess Bride, including smithcraft, poetry and healing. To align with the season, consider making spell candles dedicated to these ends.

You can make two kinds of candle, dipped and molded. For spell candles, I’d recommend molded candles, so you can include herbs and other ingredients that wouldn’t mix evenly with dipping wax.

Things you need

  • Cylindrical glass container or containers
  • Paraffin-based candle wax
  • Double boiler or other large pot in which to melt the wax
  • Wick
  • Scissors to cut the wick
  • Popsicle sticks (tongue depressors), one per candle
  • Metal tab to anchor the bottom of each wick (a heavy paper clip will do)
  • Crayons, old candles or candle coloring for color, if desired
  • Small objects appropriate to your spell
  • Herbs appropriate to your spell
  • Scent appropriate to your spell

For your molding container, the best thing is the used glass from a seven-day candle. You can find seven-day candles all over, including at Larry’s Market. The Edge of the Circle Books has them, or check your local pagan store.

You can also use glass tumblers, jelly jars and the like. The larger the container, the bigger the possible candle and the longer it will burn. Seven-day candle containers have the advantage of having a good candle shape, so that the flame easily melts the wax at the sides of the glass. To accomplish your purpose, ideally you’ll burn the entire candle, leaving no stub, which is easiest to do in a container shaped like a seven-day candle’s. Make sure also that the glass of your container is fairly thick.

If you do use a seven-day candle, you’ll need to clean out any remaining wax. To do so, heat the glass in a pot of water to melt the wax. Be sure to heat the glass with the water, rather than introducing cold glass into boiling water, which might break the glass. You’ll need a bottle brush, detergent and some concentration, but it is possible to clean these containers.

Candle wax can be found at candle-supply stores and craft stores. It comes in blocks of two pounds each; the smallest amount you can buy is more than enough for several candles. For wick, again you’ll need a candle-supply or craft store. Lead-based wick, which has a thin thread of metal covered with cotton, is easiest to work with, but you can also use pure cotton wick. The popsicle stick, a craft store or drugstore item, is used to anchor the wick at the top of the candle.

If you do use a seven-day candle container, and the tin tab at the bottom hasn’t disappeared, save it. Such a tab anchors the wick to the bottom of the glass, making sure the wick lasts the length of the candle. If you haven’t saved the tab, you can use a heavy paperclip or buy the real thing at a candle-supply or craft store.

The remaining ingredients depend on the intention of your spell and should have associations appropriate to that intention. None of these ingredients is required — you can make a spell candle by simply making and charging it, or by charging an ordinary candle. However, as with any charm, the more energy you put into in its creation and enchantment, the stronger the spell. I give some ideas for ingredients following; for a full list of associations, check your favorite table of magickal correspondences, or see The Spiral Dance, by Starhawk; Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, by Scott Cunningham; or Aleister Crowley’s 777.

The easiest way to color candles is to melt crayons or old candles with your wax. To get a strong color, use more colored wax. Don’t mix colors, or you’ll end up with a muddy brown. You can also purchase candle coloring at a candle-supply or craft store. For color symbolism, check tables of correspondences; as always, your personal associations and preferences are the strongest and most resonant. Some common associations follow:

  • Red: Lust, passion, health, animal vitality, courage, strength
  • Pink: Love, affection, friendship, kindness
  • Orange: Sexual energy, earth energy, adaptability, stimulation
  • Brown: Earth energy, animals
  • Yellow: Intellect, mental energy, concentration
  • Green: Finances, money, prosperity, fertility, growth
  • Blue: Calm, healing, patience, peace, clairvoyance
  • Purple: Spirituality, the fey, meditation, divination
  • Black: Waning moon, release, banishing, absorbing and destroying negativity, healing
  • White: Waxing or full moon, pro-tection, purification, peace, awareness; good for most workings

Probably the most common small object to add to a spell candle is a written expression of intention. Candle makers often add semiprecious stones; you can add a stone appropriate to your intention, for example sacred to a deity who rules that area of life, or personally connected to you, say a birthstone. Depending on your spell, other small objects might suit. If you’re doing a spell to invoke the peace of the ocean on a still day, you could include sand or seashells. A candle to draw love might include small cut-out hearts, one to draw money pieces of dollar bill. Note that any added objects should ideally be flammable, or if not flammable small enough not to prevent your candle from burning.

You can use herbs suitable for incense to further your spell. Use herbs you can safely burn indoors. Herbs may make a candle smoke and can combine with the wick to create a large flame, so use them sparingly. Also, herbs tend to clump at the top and bottom of the candle, often producing a stub at the end that’s hard to burn. However, herbs are easy burnable ingredients to add in line with your intention, and if you choose the right herbs they’ll smell good. For lists of herbs, try any incense-making book, such as Scott Cunningham’s The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews or Wylundt’s Book of Incense. To make sure your herbs smell sweet, burn a pinch first.

Both the preceding books also discuss scents, which you can incorporate also. For a strongly scented candle, you’ll need to add perfume. It’s best to use candle scent, found at candle-supply and craft shops, or synthetic perfume oil. Essential oils are volatile and break down in the wax, leaving your candle with no scent at all.

The candle making processAs with any spell, start by considering what you want and what symbols represent your goal. Likewise, as always, don’t try to compel someone who hasn’t consented. Remember that what you do returns to you threefold.

Start by collecting your ingredients and planning your candle-making for a day and hour appropriate to your intention. Imbolc this year falls just after the full moon, so for spells of increase you might want to wait till the moon turns. Or phrase your spell to release something negative. If you need money, banish poverty. If you want love, banish loneliness.

Give yourself a few hours to make your candle or candles, during a period when you’re unlikely to have your concentration broken. Just melting the wax alone, depending on the volume melted, can take from 15 minutes to an hour. You’ll be using the kitchen, so make sure you’ll have it to yourself or that any visitors will be attuned to your purpose.

First, melt the wax in the top of your double boiler. If you want all your candles to have the same color, add the crayons or old candles now. You can use a single pot if you’re willing to watch the wax closely — you don’t want it to burst into flames. Break the wax into small chunks beforehand, so it will melt faster. Heat the wax over medium heat, but don’t let it boil. If you want candles of different colors, you’ll need to melt the crayons or old candles separately, then add clear wax to about the right volume in the pot and mix before filling your containers. Add candle coloring according to package directions.

While the wax is melting, pad your working space well with newspaper, because you will almost certainly spill some wax. Make sure all your ingredients and tools are handy. If you have herbs in unmanageable sizes, for example whole rosemary stalks, break them down so the pieces are a size to burn without becoming small bonfires.

Once the wax is fully melted, turn the heat low and let the wax cool till the wax on the sides of the pot starts to set, at approximately 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Cooling the wax a little helps prevent the creation of large air bubbles in your finished candle.

Now you’re ready to start forming candles. I usually cast a working circle at this point, calling my patron deities to witness, but without a lot of tools or formal setup. You can work as elaborately or simply as you like. However, I would recommend making the candle with focused intention, as well as charging it later.

Take a moment, then, to focus your concept of your goal. You might create a running mantra to repeat through the rest of your candle-making, or consider an image or group of images to help you concentrate. Be sure to state your intention simply and firmly. If it seems appropriate, write your intention down.

First, if you want multiple candles with the same scent, or you’re only making one candle, scent the wax now.

Next, cut a wick for each candle. The wick needs to be as long as your candle container, plus several inches. Thread the end of the wick through the metal tab or paperclip, or other object appropriate to your spell — for a money spell, you might anchor the wick with a folded bill. Then, drop the weighted wick-end to the bottom of the glass container. Making sure the weighted end sits flush on the bottom and the wick stays as straight as possible, wrap the other wickend around a popsicle stick and set the popsicle stick across the mouth of the glass. Make sure the wick-tail is in the center of the candle-to-be. The more centered your wick, the more evenly your candle will burn.

If you’re using unleaded wicking, pour a little wax around the tab at the end, then let it harden firmly. Then gently stretch the wick taut, and rewrap the top around the popsicle stick.

Next, add the nonwax ingredients to your candle. Drop your folded written intention, if any, and any other objects into the bottom of the candle glass. As each falls, imagine it adding strength to your spell. You can add herbs now as well, or you can add them to the top after pouring, if you want them to float down through the wax and be distributed through the candle.

When your objects and initial herbs are in, pour the wax. Pour evenly and slowly, and try to make sure your wick stays in the candle’s center. If you want to add herbs after pouring, do so directly afterward. If you want to scent a candle singly, now’s the time.

The next part is the really hard part — set the candle out of the way, and leave it alone! It will take up to an hour to harden. You can continue to meditate on your purpose, set up an altar to formally charge your candle, or take down your circle for the time being. You might want to check your candle in this interim period, as the top’s center may form a depression, which you can top off with melted wax. To this end, keep some wax melted.

When your candle’s solid, cut off the extra wick at the top, leaving about a half-inch.

Next, energize the finished candle with your intention. Cut your circle and call any deities or spirit helpers you like, if you haven’t yet, and restate your purpose. Then raise energy in your chosen manner. When the energy’s at its height, send it into your candle, then ground any excess into the earth, keeping what you need for yourself.

Finally, burn your candle. One of the great things about burning a candle in a glass container is that you can keep it going night and day in relative safety. Make sure, however, that the candle is in a place where no human or pet can knock it over, and where no combustible thing can fall across it. Also, at the end of the candle’s life, you might want to burn it while you can watch; it’s during the last inch or so that the glass will break, if it’s going to. Either way, just in case, burn the candle on a nonflammable surface, say an earthenware plate or a tile floor.

If you don’t want to burn your candle every day, burn it on days appropriate to your spell. For example, burn a love candle on Fridays, a day sacred to Aphrodite, Freya and other love goddesses. Again, tables of correspondences can help you figure appropriate days, or you can determine them astrologically. Or you can burn your candle when you feel particular need.

Ingredients for different intentions

If you can’t find or don’t like any of the following ingredients, by all means cut them, substitute or better yet create your own recipe from scratch! The stronger the associations for you and the more personal your candle’s creation, the more effective your candle will be.

  • For divination and psychic work: Purple coloring; a small image of an eye, for far-seeing; lemongrass, sandalwood, cloves, yarrow and a pinch of nutmeg; frankincense scent
  • For protection: No coloring; basil, vervain, rosemary, St. John’s wort and a pinch of black pepper; vetiver or patchouli scent
  • For healing: Pale blue coloring, bay, sandalwood, cedar, carnation, lemon balm; eucalyptus scent
  • For peace and harmony: Pale blue or lavender coloring; lavender, meadowsweet and hops; lilac or any light floral scent
  • For inspiration in the arts: Yellow coloring; a small image of a lightbulb; a piece of amber; bay, cinnamon, lavender, orange peel; scent of bergamot, or any citrus scent
  • To attract love: Pink coloring; small silk or candy hearts; rose petals; jasmine scent
  • To attract sex: Red coloring; sexual images; rose petals, ginger, damiana, ginseng, a vanilla bean; musk scent
  • To attract money: Green coloring; a folded bill or shiny dime; dill, lavender, sage, cedar, wood aloe; oak moss, vetiver or patchouli scent, or some combination of these
  • To get a job: Green coloring; a topaz or turquoise; pictures of tools you use in your work; bay, lavender, cedar, red clover, nutmeg; orange scent, or any citrus scent

As you make and burn your candle, attune to the season as well as your intention. Now is the time to ask Bride for inspiration and to light a new flame, beckoning the longer days to come.

Making Incense – Incense Papers

Incense Papers

Incense papers are a delightful variation of combustible incense. Here, rather than using charcoal and gum tragacanth, tinctures and paper are the basic ingredients. To make incense papers, take a piece of white blotter paper and cut it into six-inch strips about an inch wide. Next, add 1 1/2 teaspoons potassium nitrate to 1/2 cup very warm water. Stir until potassium nitrate is completely dissolved. Soak the paper strips in the nitrate solution until thoroughly saturated. Hang them to dry.
You now have the paper versions of the charcoal blocks used to burn incense. The obstacle in scenting them is to overcome the normal smell of burning of burning paper. For this reason, heavy fragrances should be used, such as tinctures. Tinctures compounded from gums and resins seem to produce the best results. Empower the tincture(s) with you Magickal need, then pour a few drops of the tincture onto one strip of paper. Smear this over the paper and add more drops until it is completely coated on one side. Hang the strip up to dry and store in labeled, airtight container until needed.

To speed drying, turn on the oven to a low temperature, leave the door open, and place the soaked incense papers on the rack. Remove them when dry. Generally speaking, incense papers should be made with one tincture rather than mixtures. To use incense papers, simply remove one paper and hold it above your censer. Light one tip with a match, and after it is completely involved in flame, quickly blow it out. Place the glowing paper in your censer and let it smolder, visualizing or working your Magickal ritual. Incense papers should burn slowly and emit a pleasant scent.
Plain unscented papers can be used in place of charcoal blocks. For this purpose soak the papers in the potassium nitrate solution and let dry, then set one alight in the censer. Sprinkle a thin layer of the incense over the paper. As it burns the paper will also smolder your incense. You may have difficulty in keeping incense paper lit. The secret here is to allow air to circulate below the papers. You can ensure this by either placing the paper on some heat-proof object in the censer, or by filling the censer with salt or sand and thrusting one end of the paper into this, much as you might with incense sticks. The paper should burn all the way to its end.

Feng Shui Tip of the Day for November 26th

Today’s ‘International Aura Awareness Day’ is one that someone like me can really be thankful for. First, let’s talk about what an aura actually is. In the world of parapsychology and in many spiritual traditions across the globe, an aura is considered a field of subtle radiation that surrounds a person or an object. One common depiction of this energy is the halo that often connotes a person of particular holiness or power. According to ancient legends and modern lore, all living things manifest an energetic aura, and like anything else that affects our own energy, auras occasionally need to be cleansed. And just as scents can be used to purify a living space, they can also be used to cleanse auras. In fact, depending upon your own emotional state, a variety of aromas can be used. A clove scent can resolve difficult relationships at home or work. The scent of cinnamon can protect and calm while fresh ground coffee can diminish nightmares and bad dreams. Crushed garlic can free you from negative thought and self-talk, while cedarwood will clear away angst, anxiety and stress. By far though, the gold standard for finding the silver lining when cleansing an aura or living space is sage. Light a sage wand, stick or even a small sage leaf. Blow out the flame and allow the smoke to do the rest. Just be sure to pass your entire body through the smoke at least ten times, all the while visualizing your worries going up in, well, you know!

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com

IRRESISTIBLE BEAUTY

IRRESISTIBLE BEAUTY

Ingredients

When: on a Tuesday night
Where: in your bathroom
Items needed:
– brand-new bath oil or body wash which ever scent you like: lavender, jasmine, musk, or ylang ylang
– a chopped-up carrot(to represent earthiness and tastiness)
– three small orange candles
Draw a super-hot bath–double the amount of bath stuff you usually use.
Let steam fog up the mirror. With your fingertip write “(your name) is the BOMB!” in the mirror.
Chop the carrot into 3 pieces and float it in the bathwater. Light the candles-don’t get in yet it’s too hot.
chant: “In this water so from the heat bathe me in water head to feet” (repeat three times)
When the bath as cooled a bit, hop in relax and breathe in the scented bath stuff, for at least 20 min.
Blow out the candles and bury the carrot outside afterwards, and continue using the scent in the
shower or bath every night.

Everyday Air

Everyday Air
by Link

 

We breathe it in every day. It surrounds us, fills us, yet often we don’t even notice it: Air.

Of all the elements, Air is perhaps the most illusive. It can be the most difficult to describe, but can also be one of the most vibrant. Air brings us the light sensation of a cool breeze, the sudden rage of a storm, and the sweet smell of every scent we experience.

 

An Airy Aura

Think of what Air actually is: a layer of gases surrounding our Earth. When we visualize Planet Earth, we usually focus on a solid object, the round Earthly globe. But in reality, our world rests in the center of a gaseous atmosphere 560 miles high. Rather than a mere solid alone, Planet Earth is a solid object surrounded by a glow of gas. Likewise, many of Earth’s creations are also solids within their own special gassy glow. Think of the way a fresh-baked apple pie fills your kitchen with its cinnamon-scent. The actual pie itself is only a few inches wide, but its Airy glow expands to fill the entire room! Perhaps it is the nature of solid things to be surrounded by a less-tangible outer cloak, an atmosphere of sorts. Knowing this helps us recognize things at their first blush, before they appear with full force. Just like we can smell the pie before actually touching it, we can sense many things around us by being aware of more than just their physical aspect.

People too have their own Airs about them. Our bodies have a natural scent that surrounds us like an aura. It changes uniquely from person to person, from day to day, even from mood to mood. As we expend more physical energy, our scent reflects that change and becomes even stronger. Don’t underestimate the power of scent. When you are close enough to share a whiff of someone, it is as personal a gift as giving a lock of hair or a drop of blood. Your scent is a part of you; it may be even more personal than a solid gift. For example, if someone gave you a coin or stone or “lucky charm” you may merely put it in your jacket pocket. But the gift of scent is breathed in, actually taken deep inside you.

Air is one of the ways you can bond with a special place. You may eat its fruit, drink its waters, but you can also take time to smell its roses and breathe in a part of that place! You’ve heard the expression “you are what you eat?” Well, you are also what you drink, see, hear, feel – and yes, breathe!

 

Communication

Magically, the element of Air is often associated with communication. How fitting! Look how things in nature communicate with each other, how animals sense one another or flowers share pollen. We often augment ourselves with perfumes and oils, enhancing our personal scent to create the desired “atmosphere.” Is this also a form of communication? Remember communicative Air the next time you hear someone whistle – an act performed how?

As a historical form of Airy communication, in the 17th century women used hand-held fans as a means to communicate romantic intent. According to the Harris Farmer’s Almanac, fans fluttered in a certain fashion signaled the desire to be kissed and romanced. Held another way, fans meant “back off – this woman is engaged to be married,” a similar gesture to the way someone today might wear a ring to ward off over-eager suitors.

Air wraps around the entire surface of the planet. It links all things together, tucked under the same sky like a big comfy blanket touching each and every one of us. This connection sounds like a very powerful medium for communication. On a more practical level, mass media like TV and radio travel through the Air to millions of people each day. Perhaps it is no accident we describe the act of broadcasting as putting something “on the Air.”

In the cycle of life and death, all things die (and eventually smell dead too). Ever wonder why? Perhaps death’s odor is an Airy signal within nature’s food chain, alerting some little hungry creature to come along and enjoy a meal! Whether sensing a predator, a food-source, or a mate, smell is often the key way one part of nature communicates with another.

 

Air Spirits

We can find Air Spirits all around us, just like we’d find other elemental Spirits in rippling lakes, the woodsy Earth, or dancing candle flames. Know that Air Spirits are nearby; try to feel them as individuals. Pick one out and just listen to it – whether a howling nightwind or the gentle whirring fan within your PC, household appliance, or the tingle of windchimes.

A family member of mine spends much of his leisure time boating, and has learned to sense sudden danger at sea with his sense of smell. As a storm blows in, he actually recognizes the scent of fresh water (rain) replace the usual scent of salty sea Air. I have witnessed this with my own eyes (and nose) seeing him pull up anchor in time to sail us to safety just minutes before a nasty squall hit! This may work well for sailors, but what about your own surroundings? If Air communicates, what aspects of your own surroundings might you want to learn? In what ways can you open yourself up to simply “breathing in” the messages you need to hear? Not sure how? Just follow your own nose!

The Air in your yard, your home town (and all across the world) is a unique mix of the scents, gases, and breath of all its inhabitants. All the tiny Airs around us – from the aroma of our incense to each breath we let out – all become part of the Air, like the way each drop joins to make up the entire sea. Air is a mix, a mosaic of many different things swirling together. Perhaps the lessons of Air apply to other mosaics – like diverse society, an ecosystem, or any other magical mix you might be a part of in your everyday life.

 

Air Magic

Want to try some Airy magical fun for children, even us big ones? Get a supply of colored balloons. Pick a balloon colored to fit your wish. Take in a big-big breath of the magic that surrounds you, and breeeeeeeathe it into the balloon. Whoosh! When your balloon is full, take a magic marker (yes, we do call them magic, don’t we?) and write your wish upon the balloon. Or maybe draw and create a magical “balloon friend” with a specific job to do for you. Have fun with your new magical tool. Rub it on your hair or wooly sweater; stick it to the wall. Tap it with your finger back and forth, back and forth ad nauseum. Drag it around on a string like an imaginary pet on a leash. Be creative. Then with a sudden burst, break the balloon and release the energy stored up inside. (With balloons, the magic usually happens by being both creative and destructive. Pop!) A school teacher friend, someone wiser than I when it comes to kiddies, once taught me this type of balloon magic. Try it and see what results you might find for yourself. What lessons can you learn from a simple balloon? What else in nature might work the same way?

All out of balloons? Try just the simple act of breathing as a magical device. Inhale. Take in from your surroundings. Gather the energy around you. Take in as much as you can handle – your own body will let you take no more, and no less. As the seconds fly by, your body is absorbing millions of tiny oxygen atoms which the blood in your lungs will send to every cell in your body. Feel it change you; feel its magic become yours for just a moment in time. Then exhale… Release your magical breath out into the Air currents all around you. Send it forth with a sigh, and let the winds carry your wish wherever it needs to go. This can be a quiet meditative moment, or a loud joyous one filled with gasps of laughter and song. Remember Air magic next time you blow out your birthday candles and make a wish!

To understand the sheer power Air has compared to other elements, remember that we can survive weeks without solid food, days without water – but only a few minutes without Air. Paramedics do Air magic whenever they give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. They may breathe mere gases into a dying person’s lungs, but they charge that Air with their healing intent and will. Their intent says “C’mon – breathe. Live!” Air magic is used for the simplest, or the most vital of intents. Remember this. (If you smoke, what intent does that action have?)

Sharing breath doesn’t have to be the life-or-death act that paramedics experience. Try passing a single breath back and forth as a bonding experience with a loved one or magical partner. Work your way up to it, perhaps from a distance at first, then move closer until your lips meet. Exhale into your loved one’s lips as they inhale deeply. Then reverse. Back and forth, breathing can be one of the many intimate rhythms of life shared with those you love.

Whether we do so purposely or not, all things on Earth share breath. Through the windy currents and chemical reactions that happen around us every day, the same molecule of Air that was a sea breeze yesterday, might be a baby’s first breath today, or end up as car exhaust tomorrow.

Gases are less material than Earthy solids, so Air can be symbolic of that which does not exist on a material plane. Ideas, dreams, hopes, desires, fears, thoughts and wishes. These things are not flesh and bone, but they are certainly very real. Perhaps Air reminds us that something exists, even if you can’t see or feel it. In the Zodiac, the fixed sign of Air is Aquarius – and just think of this sign’s detachment from Earthly limitations! In the Tarot, Air is depicted as the Wand – quite a magical tool.

Air. Breathe it in…

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Herb of the Day for August 16th is Patchouli

Patchouli

Botanical: Pogostemon patchouli (PILL.)
Family: N.O. Labiatae

—Description—This fragrant herb, with soft, opposite, egg-shaped leaves and square stems, grows from 2 to 3 feet in height, giving out the peculiar, characteristic odour of patchouli when rubbed. Its whitish flowers, tinged with purple, grow in both axillary and terminal spikes. The crop is cut two or three times a year, the leaves being dried and packed in bales and exported for distillation of the oil. The best oil is freshly distilled near the plantations. That obtained from leaves imported into Europe, often damaged and adulterated even up to 80 per cent, is inferior. It is used in coarser perfumes and in ‘White Rose’ and ‘Oriental’ toilet soaps. Although the odour is objectionable to some, it is widely-used both in Asia and India. Sachets are made of the coarsely-powdered leaves, and before its common use in Europe, genuine Indian shawls and Indian ink were distinguished by the odour, which has the unusual quality of improving with age. Hence the older oil is preferred by perfumers and used to confer more lasting properties upon other scents.

—Constituents—Oil of Patchouli is thick, the colour being brownish-yellow tinted green. It contains coerulein, the vivid blue compound found in matricaria, wormwood and other oils. It deposits a solid, or stearoptene, patchouli alcohol, leaving cadinene.

It is laevorotatory, with the specific gravity of 0.970 to 0.990 at 15 degrees C. (59 degrees F.).

—Medicinal Action and Uses—Its use is said to cause sometimes loss of appetite and sleep and nervous attacks. The Chinese, Japanese and Arabs believe it to possess prophylactic properties.

—Other Species and Adulterations—
Java patchouli, often grown in Indian gardens for home use, is a product of Pogostemon Heyneanus.

The inferior oil of Assam is from Microtoena cymosa.

Cubeb and cedar oils are said to be usual adulterants.

7 Ways to Make Your Living Space Smell Nice

7 Ways to Make Your Living Space Smell Nice

posted by Megan, selected from Intent.com
 

Rather than spraying chemical-laden air fresheners, choose one of these seven natural ways to make your living space smell a little nicer.

1. Invest in houseplants. Have your favorite plants and herbs growing in your kitchen, living room and bathroom in small pots. The presence of green plants will help reduce indoor air pollution and keep clean air circulating in your space.

2. Save your citrus fruit skins. Save the peels of oranges, lemons, limes and other citrus- fruits. You can place them in boiling water to have a fresh scent in the kitchen, or run them in your garbage disposal with boiling water. Lastly, put some citrus skins in your vacuum bag the next time you vacuum your carpet.

3. Dilute essential oil with water in a spray bottle. You can spray your furniture and carpet to make the whole room smell a specific scent. To diversify, you can have different scents for different areas of your home. For example: lavender for the living room, sandalwood for your bedroom and peppermint for the bathroom.

4. Place bowls of white vinegar in corners of the room. The vinegar will neutralize and absorb any offending odors.

5. Place fabric softener in your shoes and closet. It will take away any stale clothing smells. For another closet air freshener, place a cedar block at the bottom of your closet. Use sandpaper for a new layer once a year.

6. Light soy candles instead of regular candles. Soy candles are longer-lasting, better for the environment and have a more robust smell. (They are also safer than carcinogen-emitting candles.)

7. Bake bread or cook your own meals. Few things are as welcoming as the smell of freshly baked bread or the herbs of a home-cooked dinner.