16
Scent in History and Modern Magic
ones that you hold for any length of time during ritual will release fragrance as your body heat activates the scent. As an alternative to putting oil directly on magic or divination tools, try a few drops of your blend on a small cotton ball and place it where you store these items. This will allow them to slowly absorb the vibrational energy of the oil without causing damage. The same can be done for spellwork items on which you do not want to put oil. Also, in the lead-up to actually doing a spell, use a cotton ball with your special oil blend and store it with the things you will use for the spell. This will give them time to steep in the scent as well as your intention. If bathing before ritual or magic work is part of your practice, adding essential oil to the water is a good way to amplify purification as well as initiate intention. However, you will need to dilute essential oils with a carrier oil before adding it to your bath because oils can irritate the skin and mucus membranes. Essential oils are not water-soluble, and they will float on the water rather than disperse throughout it. A 2% to 3% dilution ratio with a carrier oil works well for bath applications. In place of a carrier oil, consider mixing your essential oils in milk. The fatty lipids in milk act the same as carriers because essential oils are lipid-soluble, which means they dissolve in oil. Be sure to mix your combination of milk and essential oil well before adding it to the water. In addition, the milk bath was said to have been a beauty secret of first-century BCE queen of Egypt Cleopatra. Modern research corroborates its effectiveness. Because of milk’s high levels of lactic acid, dead skin cells are removed, leaving behind a wonderful complexion—all over. Because hydrosols are water-based and can be added directly to water, they are an alternative to using essential oils in the bath. As with altar preparation, you might consider a sabbat, full moon, or other special blend of oils or hydrosols for your bath, too. We will go into dilution ratios and hydrosols in the next chapter. Scenting an area before and during ritual, magic, or psychic work is another way to harness the vibrational energy of essential oils. This is easily done with a diffuser. While electronic diffusers, nebulizers, and all sorts of gadgets are available in a range of sizes and prices, the low-tech tealight candle lamp does the job nicely. Besides, candles enhance the ambiance of ritual and craft work. In addition to oils, hydrosols can be used to scent an area using a spray bottle and misting the air. The fragrance doesn’t last as long as oil in a diffuser; however, it is a simple, quick way to purify and consecrate an area, especially if you are doing ritual in a public place.