Mixing Essential Oils for Magic: Aromatic Alchemy for Personal Blends Read Free Page B

the end of each chapter to illustrate how oils work together chemically and magically.
    Section Two contains an encyclopedic listing of essential and carrier oil profiles with information on the plants they came from, their historical use, details about the oil, and, of course, their magical uses. In the Appendices you’ll find cross-references that make it easy for you to find what you need.
    And now, let’s begin our journey into aromatic alchemy.
    C H A P T E R 1
    Scent in History and Modern Magic
    Historical Background
    The history of essential oils is intertwined with the history of herbal medicine, which in turn, has been an integral part of magical practices. Herbal medicine has been used for more than treating minor ailments and disease, it has been instrumental in providing life-enhancing benefits. In most ancient cultures people believed plants to be magical, and for thousands of years herbs were used as much for ritual as they were for medicine and food. According to medical herbalist and healer Andrew Chevallier, the presence of herbs in burial tombs attests to their powers beyond medicine. In addition, 4th century Greek philosopher Aristotle noted his belief that plants had psyches.7
    Aromatic plants in the form of oil and incense were elements of religious and therapeutic practices in early cultures worldwide. In addition, anointment with perfumes and fragrant oils was an almost universal practice. Burning incense in rituals provided a connection between the physical and spiritual—between the mundane and divine. The word
    perfume comes from the Latin per meaning through, and fume meaning smoke.8 It was a common belief that contact with the divine could be achieved through the smoke of incense.
    The ancient Egyptians believed that deities were embodied in the smoke and fra-
    grance of temple incense. In addition, aromatics were used to deepen meditation and purify the spirit as well as to add subtlety to their sophisticated system of magic. Dating to approximately 1500 BCE, the Ebers papyrus is the oldest written record of Egyptian 7. Chevallier, Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants , 16
    8. Wilson, Aromatherapy , 11
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    12 Scent in History and Modern Magic
    use of medicinal plants. Along with the physical details of plants, the manuscript contains related spells and incantations. It also mentions fine oils for perfumery and incense. Made from healing herbs, many of the perfumed oils doubled as medicines. Likewise, Egyptian priests often doubled as physicians and perfumers. Those who specialized in embalming the dead also used their expertise for the living by creating mixtures to beautify skin and protect it from the harsh, damaging desert climate.
    Always a valuable commodity, frankincense was considered the perfume of the gods
    and was used in temple rites as well as a base for perfumes. Because perfumed oils were highly prized, the use of them remained in the province of royalty and the upper classes.
    These oils were often kept in exquisite bottles made of alabaster, jade, and other precious materials that were functional as well as beautiful. Some of these flasks retained scent until they were opened by archaeologists thousands of years after being sealed.
    When the Hebrews left Egypt around 1240 BCE, they took the knowledge and prac-
    tice of perfumery with them to Israel. Their temples contained two types of altars, one for burnt offerings and the other for incense. The Babylonians also employed the use of aromatic plants and became a major supplier of plant materials to other countries. Both the Babylonians and Sumerians prized cedarwood, cypress, myrtle, and pine for their deities. The Assyrians were fond of aromatics for religious rituals as well as personal use, and the Mesopotamians used ceremonies and special incantations when gathering herbs. In
    13th century BCE the Mycenaeans used scented oils to honor deities as well as for grave goods. Throughout the ancient world information flowed from one