Summer Solstice Perfume

Receive a dram of Summer Solstice perfume when you book a reading with me!

PERFUME GIVEAWAY: The next five people who book readings with me of a $90 value or more will receive a dram (1/6 ounce) of my Summer Solstice perfume!

Some of my friends and clients know that I make natural perfume.  I often use the process of blending to resolve thorny inner conflicts, and in that way the perfumer’s art is similar to alchemy as a psychological pursuit. 

Blending perfume is also similar to alchemy as a material pursuit because both processes attempt to marry potent chemicals which are fundamentally unlike.  In both processes, the failure rate is high and the results, unpredictable. 

So while it’s fairly easy to create something that smells pleasant, I’m not particularly captivated by merely pleasant smells.  A perfume should conjure up a mood or a memory of a specific time and place; it should also tell a story.  I’m way into high-concept perfumes that smell more interesting than pretty: anyone remember the Heely perfume inspired by Tiger Balm?  I was all over that one!

The Empress card from The American Renaissance Tarot, my personal ode to the Summer Solstice.

In order to resolve a longstanding problem (my disdain for the whole summer season and my persistent failure at developing any meaningful Summer Solstice traditions) I got busy in my laboratory of natural oils and absolutes. 

As is typical of me, this girl had so many themes she didn’t know what to do … The concept of SUMMER kept growing in my mind to encapsulate a lifetime’s worth of memories, most of them clustered around the Santa Monica Mountain range of Southern California.  So before I tell you what this thing actually smells like, let me enumerate the five themes I was pulling in (yes you read that right, five). 

Body Odor  

Guess what?  This is probably why a person with an extremely sensitive nose hates this whole season.  Everybody stinks.  I didn’t use high amounts of any of the following but they all pack a big punch.  The volume of perfume I was working with grew whenever I overdosed the funk notes and had to add more formula to correct for the body smells.

Beeswax Absolute   musky animalic     

Carrot Seed EO       has a certain earthy sweetness but winds up smelling like the dirt that clings to sweaty skin

Spikenard EO       feet

Cumin EO              armpits

Cassie Absolute    vaginas

Booze

How else can one survive LA’s blistering summer temperatures?  I wind up drinking more in the summer than I do any other time of year, because it’s vacation dayz ya’ll, and it’s not like I can get any work done in this heat anyway. 

Cognac EO         distilled from the lees of the high-end French brandy

Juniper EO         gin berries, anyone? 

Clary Sage EO       indispensable in crafting a wine note

Fruit

Hands down, the best part of summer.  Not the candyass synthetic fruit perfumes people splash on for the season, but biting into real, aromatic, juicy produce that drips down your face and arms and hangs around on your fingers to remind you to be grateful for the harvest. 

The existing fragrance I had most strongly in mind when working on this concoction was Bois et Fruits by Serge Lutens, a marvelous perfume which is fruity without being sweet.  It perfectly captures the overripe smell of fruit that’s been sitting on your kitchen countertop for too long and about to start fermenting in the heat.  I’m not saying I achieved a Serge Lutens level of excellence – but there is a whole riot of fruit notes at work in this blend.

Bitter Orange EO      a little champagne sparkle with my citrus, please

Lemon EO                     so exquisitely uplifting, so compellingly sour 

Ylang Ylang EO           bananas!

Rooibos Absolute       berries

Southern California

The reigning inspiration for my Summer Solstice perfume was the amalgamated memory of 25 years of Southern California summers.  Specifically, I was trying to capture the essence of some long slog through the Santa Monica mountains, sweat running down your face while you dream of the hidden creek or waterfall that was advertised in the guidebook, only to arrive at what drought has transformed into a pungent and muddy wash.  Also, oak savanna: the real California landscape whose sting gets in your eyes and taste gets in your blood and offers you a glimpse of what life looked like on this scrubby land pre-contact.

Sage EO                                    dry, overpowering herbal sharpness

Angelica Root Absolute      the moist and rooty ladyparts of the Earth, sweet rot

Oak Wood Absolute                There is a massive amount of this stuff in Summer Solstice.  It’s got low odor intensity and is described as being reminiscent of vanilla and whiskey.  To me it smells like the rich Jovian wood that it is.

Summer Feels

OK I’m not a monster, I did want this perfume to be at least somewhat pretty and wearable!  Anyone who creates perfume knows that a scent without floral notes often smells like a wet sack of herbs, and to transform this multi-themed beast I had to dump a lot of expensive flowers into it.  My inspiration was the cool cool Virgo I strove to be on so many late-night adventures in Los Angeles who, whaddaya know, is my astro twin, a late-summer early-September baby just like me.  

Carnation Absolute       The word is POWDER.  Sweaty people in LA want to be dry and Carnation evokes this feeling, at least in the nose.

Mimosa Absolute         As fresh and girly as you can possibly imagine – it smells like innocence!

Lavender Absolute     She’s so cool, she doesn’t care about you, and she will never let you see her sweat.

Auracaria EO      Floral wood that smells like sweet cream

Vetiver EO     Dream dream dream the hot night away on a bed of this soothing and trance-inducing botanical

Here’s how Summer Solstice actually evolves on the skin:

An opening salvo of Lemon, Juniper, and Sage, with a promising hint of heat-baked Southern California mountains at sunset.  Moments later, heart-breakingly beautiful Mimosa tricks you into thinking you’re not in the same perfume with its fresh, soft, and childlike sweetness.  Then the Orange note really ramps up and stays for a long time, oozing into the Ylang Ylang and evoking the sun’s rays seducing the scent of overripeness out of bulging fruit trees.  That’s just the top.

The heart smells like you’re at a crowded brunch table and someone put the pitcher of sangria right under your nose – well, maybe it’s a hipster restaurant and the sangria has been blended with Lavender simple syrup.  While the fruit and wine notes are tangoing with this herbal sweetness, a heavy dose of Oak Wood comes on and reminds you that you started drinking a bit early and should probably go home and take a nap.  So you do.

The perfume goes to sleep!  It gets very, very quiet for a while and then when it comes back it’s like it’s 6pm and an ocean breeze has wafted into the city over the fig trees and your eyes are dazzled by the byzantine splendor of Los Angeles.  You rise and embrace the prospect of being a pretty person at some ultra cool event that eve.  It’s difficult to describe the base because here the alchemy was complete: all the disparate elements melded into some unaccountable thing of beauty in which individual notes disappear. 

But here’s my best shot: the sweet cream of the Auracaria, the powdery drydown of the Carnation, the elegantly floral Cassie, reminiscient somehow of a grown-up sexy lady casually revealing her breasts in a suit jacket with no bra … all lounging dreamily on a bed of Vetiver which is not quite asleep and not quite awake and just drifting through this party pie-eyed at the fabulous, languid luxury of another lazy summer in LA.

Your questions answered:  

Does Summer Solstice smell like something I could buy at a department store perfume counter?  Absolutely not.

Is Summer Solstice appropriate for ritual work?  Yes, definitely, and it will keep through next summer and beyond.  

Is Summer Solstice available for purchase?  Not yet.  This version has way too many ingredients (and hence, variables) to reproduce.  A simplified version may be available for sale in the future.

I'm a traditionalist!  Speak my language!  OK:

Top:                                               

Juniper                                      

Mimosa                                  

Bitter Orange                            

Heart:

Ylang Ylang

Clary Sage

Lavender

Oak Wood

Base:

Auracaria

Cognac

Cassie

Vetiver

Planetary Rulerships of Essential Oils

The ancient use of Cedar as a coffin wood helps me conclude that its fragrant oil is ruled by Pluto.​

Last week I gave a private aromatherapy class to a group that was interested in the planetary rulerships of essential oils.  Lecturing on this topic proved to be much more challenging than I had anticipated!  If I consulted five books on information about the planetary rulership of a particular essential oil, I might discover five unique rulerships assigned to that fragrance.  I’ll use Cedar as my example.  The great seventeenth century herbalist, Nicholas Culpeper, places the various kinds of Cedar under the dominion of the Sun and Mars.  Rex E. Bills’ The Rulership Book, the astrological bible of rulerships and a compendium of many medieval grimoires, astrology manuals, and medico-herbal treatises, assigns Cedar trees to Pluto, and trees in general to Saturn.  The aromatherapist Robert Tisserand rather startlingly names Uranus as the ruling planet of Cedarwood, while another aromatherapist claims that Cedarwood is within the special province of Wotan, i.e. Mercury.

The fragrance of the common herb Marjoram can both stimulate and relax the mind, depending on dosage, and so it is ruled by Mercury.​

Confused yet?  Me too!  Ultimately the planetary rulership of an essential oil is a highly subjective designation and intensely culture-specific, yet I did have some fun with the class as we attempted to make order out of the chaos by applying general principles.  Herbs in general are ruled by Mercury, and herbal scents like Lavender, Marjoram, and Cardamon tend to be volatile top notes and evaporate quickly on the skin, true to speedy Mercury’s fleetness of foot and rapid revolution around the Sun.  Hot-tempered, impatient Mars rules over pungent and peppery spices like Black Pepper, Ginger, and Galangal, which also qualify as top notes in the world of natural perfumery.

Venus in general has the rulership of flowers and hence all floral scents, although there are major exceptions to this rule.  Those workhorse sweet scents of perfumery, Rose and Ylang-Ylang, constitute the mid or heart notes of a blend, and what a fitting term for the immediacy, beauty, and fullness that these essential Venusian elements add.  Lunar scents would also be well-placed as heart notes, and the Moon rules over white and night-blooming florals like Jasmine.  The poignant, melancholy fragrance of Orris (Iris) root perfectly embodies the mood of the Moon, as do other “cold” florals like Violet.   

​"Cold" florals like Iris are ruled by the Moon.

Copaiba, a balsam tree, is ruled by Jupiter. ​

Wise and benevolent Jupiter has the rulership of essences that add richness and depth to a blend, and Rex E. Bills places balsam trees in general under Jove’s banner, though without explaining why.  Incensey base notes like Copaiba, Peru, and Tolu Balsam, Tonka Bean, Opoponax, and Styrax would therefore be under the rulership of Jupiter.  This designation just intuitively makes sense to me, perhaps because these base notes lend long-lasting support to a blend and also carry the fragrance of exotic foreign lands.  The sacredness of gums and resins in the ancient world speaks to Jupiter’s association with both the purity of nature and the consciousness of heaven.

Detail of Vetiver grass, an earthy scent which is ruled by Saturn.​

Last but certainly not least, we come to the base-iest of base notes, those ruled by Saturn.  As the ruler of the heaviest metal, lead, and of the material world in general, Saturn has dominion over the earthy and woody fragrances that stabilize a blend.  The deep earth scent of the fragrant grass Vetiver, the essence of Hay, and the infamous Patchouli all belong to Saturn, as do the more pungent earthy aromas of Spikenard and Cannabis. 

​If you’re clever, you’ve noticed by now that I skipped over the fragrances that belong to the Sun, the most important planet in the astrological pantheon and one of the most oft-cited rulers of a great range of fragrances.  The Sun, the energy of wholeness, health, and integration, has rulership over many oils that appear as tops, mids, and bases.  Here’s a quick run-down of solar essences and how they acquired their special status: Citrus oils like Orange flourish in warm, sunny climates and their fragrance evokes the Sun by conjuring up both sunny colors and the spherical shape of the fruit.  Frankincense was employed in the worship of the Sun god Ra in ancient Egypt.  Saffron is both golden and quite precious, like the Sun’s signature metal, gold.  Rosemary and Cinnamon are warming like the Sun.  Finally, flowers that are “golden and bright yellow or large and showy” (Rex E. Bills) belong to the Sun, such as Chamomile with its Sun-like center and eminently healthful scent.     

Chamomile blossoms doing their best imitation of that big yellow ball in the sky - the Sun!​

"Warm" florals like rose are ruled by amorous Venus. ​

To review, then, with a few key words, Mercurial scents may be stimulating and/or calming to the mind, while Mars scents work to energize the body and the personal will.  Compare the subtle differences of these actions to those of Solar scents which warm and tonify one’s entire constitution.

Venusian fragrances beautify and entice, while Lunar scents soothe the spirit and evoke ineffable states of being.  Lofty Jupiterian scents support fragrance blends with resinous, balsamic fixatives, and by awakening religious consciousness.  Saturn’s scents ground and focus energy by rooting us to the earth.

Synthetic fragrances are ruled by Uranus.​

If you’re curious about planetary rulerships beyond the traditional seven, I’ll try my hand at assigning guiding concepts to the transpersonal outer planets, which we’ve only become aware of in recent centuries.  All synthetic, chemically-engineered fragrances belong to Uranus on principle, and sadly the vast majority of what you’ll smell at modern perfume counters belongs in this family.  Also for Uranus, try on plants that flourish where lightning strikes, plants with Revolutionary significance (Tea, anyone?), or plants that trouble taxonomists with irreducible morphologies (Uranus: the wrench in the system, the born original).

Blue Lotus has a spiritual significance in many cultures and has mild narcotic properties, so Neptune makes a natural ruler of this aquatic floral.​

Neptune’s rulership over both intoxication and trance suggests essences that induce altered states.  Truth be told, it’s tempting to throw all essential oils and perfumes under Neptune’s banner, since I find the smelling of pretty much any high-quality essence or absolute to have some kind of psychotropic effect.  Blue Lotus (really a water lily) of the Nymphaea genus is known to act as a mild narcotic and was central to ancient Egyptian ritual, so it stands out as a clear choice for Neptune.  Ambergris also belongs to Neptune for fairly obvious reasons. 

The waste product of the hyrax lends an animalic scent to a perfume, and Pluto rules over primal urges in astrology.​

Finally, Pluto’s rulership over the realm of sexuality and the much-maligned id would place all animalic essences within his domain.  Scents that are fecal (Civet) and urinous (Hyraceum) fit with Pluto’s rulership over organs of excretion, and certainly essences taken from the reproductive systems of animals (Musk, Castoreum) belong to Pluto as well.  (I would place the animalics with Jupiter, traditional ruler of hunting and wild animals, if you wanted to stay within the classical seven planets).  Scents that are particularly toxic or poisonous (Datura) should be classed with Pluto, although the FDA would convince us that pretty much every natural essence is a dangerous chemical.  Welcome to the Aquarian Age: only man-made fragrances are safe!

The emphasis on Mercury and Saturn in the first grade of the Psyche myth always puts me in mind of the Magician card in the Tarot ...​

Below I've listed some ways that the Kate’s Magik healing products which I represent can be used in conjunction with astrology.  Kate conceived her aromatherapy blends using many of the same resources I consulted for the ancient lore of essences, and so her products are good adjuncts to planetary magick.  I’ve matched up products with particularly strong planetary resonance to the grades in my Psyche’s Gift readings below.

The grade of Mercury and Saturn:  Top-note heavy Clarity & Focus, of Kate’s line of Anointing Oils, can assist a scattered Mercury.  Creativity & Performance is the ultimate Saturn oil, reminding one that the earth is the plane of manifestation with its grounding wood notes. 

The grade of Sun and Moon:  The Anointing Oil Sun of Success was inspired by Solar essences of ancient derivation, while Moon Goddess awakens intuition with narcotic Jasmine.

Sphinx Moth Perfume will fill your life with the resinous richness of Jupiter!​

The grade of Mars and Jupiter: The Anointing Oil Fearlessness & Confidence is a little bit of Mars in a bottle, boosting the will with spicy Ginger.  Kate’s base-heavy Body Oil, Sphinx Moth, strikes me as the most Jupiterian of all her products.  Rich resins and powerful Oak Moss bespeak Jupiterian grandeur and abundance, and the god-like origin of the incarnated human.

The grade of Uranus and Pluto: Those who resonate with this grade, or who are undergoing intense outer-planet transits, would do well to check out Kate’s Sacred Oils, Archangel Michael and Quan Yin.  The sky god Uranus gives us access to angelic consciousness, and Archangel Michael assists in bringing our divine nature into alignment with the human will.  Quan Yin is a balm to those who are struggling to develop compassion for their Plutonian demons, whether those demons are people we believe have victimized us, or our own personal failings.

The grade of Venus and Neptune:  Both Venus and Eros are fitting Anointing Oils for tuning in to this grade’s emphasis on attracting a fulfilling partnership.  Meditation & Trance and Letting Go speak to Neptune’s rulership over religious communion and surrender.   

Kate's Magik Anointing Oils and the Tarot Trumps

Happy Tuesday All!

This is just a quickie post to help promote the Olde World Bazaar at Paper Moon Photo Studio this Friday, April 26th, at 543 Blair Boulevard (former home of Olive Juice).  Organic darkwave artists, Black Magdalene, will be playing a special acoustic set - you won't want to miss it!  (click here for flier)​

The Kate's Magik Anointing Oils

I'll be giving short talks on natural perfume throughout the evening, and exposing you to the sensuous world of Kate's Magik, a small, woman-owned company out of Tucson.  I actually contacted Kate about hand-selling her products in a small group environment such as this, since I find her blends to be so healing, alive, and effective in directing personal power.  Kate uses only high-quality, natural essential oils in a base of almond oil and Vitamin E, so that her products can be applied directly to the skin or used in the bath.  She also "magics" or reikis all of the products with intention prior to distribution. ​

As a long-time customer and former employee of Whole Foods Market, I always enjoyed Kate's Magik Anointing Oils, since they retail for only $15 and thus are a cost-effective way for targeting a particular issue or manifesting a new state of being.  The Anointing Oils are meant to be worn often, to keep the wearer in mindfulness of her magical goal.  Unlike many aromatherapy compositions which can smell harsh or medicinal, each of the twenty Anointing Oils smells as lovely as a fragrant perfume.  Blended with knowledge of both aromatherapy and ancient magical lore, the Anointing Oils are a perfect marriage of the principles of beauty and healing.

In my Kate's Magik home parties, I have taken to using the Tarot trumps or major arcana as a fun way of introducing this unique line.  But since there are 22 trumps and only 20 Anointing Oils, it didn't really feel like a complete system.  Yesterday, however, I received Kate's Sacred Oils in the mail, and these blends just perfectly fit the energy of the two unaccounted-for cards in the Tarot trumps.  I'll be doing more with the Tarot on Friday night, but for now here's a key for finding the right Anointing or Sacred Oil for yourself using the Tarot.  The name of the Tarot trump in caps is followed by the name of the Kate's Magik product in italics.  Enjoy!  

The Fool in the Maat Tarot Deck

THE FOOL:  Fertility.  The Fool represents a state of pure potential, and the non-attachment and faith that precede earthly manifestation.  This oil assists in planting seeds for future birth.

THE MAGICIAN:  Creativity & Performance.  The Magician card tells us that we have all the power to manifest a personal vision.  Deep wood and earth notes remind us to stay connected to the physical plane to bring this vision to fruition.

High Priestess in the Nefertari Deck

THE HIGH PRIESTESS:  Meditation & Trance.  Trance-inducing Frankincense and Sandalwood awaken one’s capacity to see “beyond the veil” of everyday consciousness, and to access the hidden realms of intuition and prophecy that are signified by the High Priestess.

THE EMPRESS:  Venus.  Sensuous florals and spice invite the touching and physical abundance represented by this earthy card.

THE EMPEROR:  Break Patterns & Addictions.  Whenever we break a habit, we are simultaneously developing a new one – swapping our “smoke break” for fifteen minutes of yoga, for example!  The Emperor’s principles of order and regulation fit well with this oil’s focus on establishing new routines.

Hierophant card in the Tarot of Prague

THE HIEROPHANT:  Archangel Michael.  This “Pope” card appears when we need the guidance of established traditions.  The Archangel Michael has a long history within many major world religions, and also within occult orders as an “ascended master.”  This oil invites attunement with the angelic protector. 

THE LOVERS:  Sweet Marriage.  This lovely blend of Jasmine and Sweet Orange promotes harmonious union and romance. 

THE CHARIOT:  Clarity & Focus.  Solar oils of Rosemary and Citrus strengthen the will to narrow one’s focus to the achievement of a particular goal. 

STRENGTH:  Fearlessness & Confidence.  The Strength card in the Tarot does not refer to besting an opponent, but rather to finding the endurance and inner resources we need to tackle a difficult situation.  Spicy Ginger and lush Vanilla instill courage and self-esteem. 

The Wheel of Fortune in the Ancient Tarot of Lombardy

THE HERMIT:  Eros.  At first glance, the Greek god of love and the solitary nature of the spiritual seeker or Hermit do not make a natural match.  Yet it is the unique properties of Sandalwood oil which bridge these two ideas.  Sandalwood has long been compared to male sexual fluid and used for sexual healing.  It is also a lunar oil and very effective in promoting introspection and meditation. 

THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE:  Letting Go.  We try so hard to control our destinies, while the goddess Fortune makes other plans for us.  This is a great oil for releasing control when the tide turns against our will, and when we must recognize and honor the actions of Fate.

JUSTICE:  Woman See Bright.  Though this oil was formulated for women in hormonal flux, men may also benefit from its clarifying properties.  Clary Sage and Jasmine balance the energy of mind and heart, assisting us in making decisions which must take into account both human and natural law. 

HANGED MAN:  Healing.  Healing takes time and cannot be rushed.  Healing a trauma to the body, mind, or heart is a matter of internal rhythms, patience, and receptivity.  This Lavender-based blend helps us accept the “suspended animation” signified by the Hanged Man card, when we need a time-out to recover. 

Temperance in the Medieval Scapini Tarot

DEATH:  Uncrossing.  One of the most infamous cards in the Tarot, Death more often refers to the speedy end of an entangled situation, habit, or relationship, than to a physical death.  This potent, astringent blend can assist you in bringing closure to any area of your life where you are feeling hexed and vexed!

TEMPERANCE:  Quan Yin.  This powerful, sacred oil promotes the divine compassion of its namesake, the East Asian Goddess of Mercy.  The Temperance card calls for us to see our situation with the distanced eyes of a cosmic perspective, instead of the hot passion of human feeling.  Ideal for bringing peace, compromise, and forgiveness to conflict. 

THE DEVIL:  Sensual Lust & Passion.  The Devil shows up whenever we are mired in the concerns of the material world and the desires of the flesh.  And sometimes, that’s right where we need to be!  Heavy florals and deep woods awaken the passions and attract lovers. 

Star card in the Thoth deck

THE TOWER:  Peace & Purification.  Another feared card in the Tarot, the Tower represents those times in life when existing structures must be razed to clear the path for new growth.  With soothing Lavender and Chamomile, this is a great oil for recovering from a shock or trauma, and for integrating change. 

THE STAR:  Healing of the Heart.  The Star card represents the return of faith and inspiration after a long internal darkness.  This oil helps us to recover from a break-up or betrayal; restorative Rose mends the heart and lets us trust again.

THE MOON:  Moon Goddess.  Kate’s aptly named oil promotes the best kind of “lunacy,” or the non-rational work of dreaming, fantasy, and vision.  Perfect for Full Moon ceremonies and plumbing the storehouse of the collective unconscious.

THE SUN:  Sun of Success.  The Sun in both astrology and the Tarot signifies those times when inner nature is perfectly in tune with outward success.  This blend of traditional solar oils insures the approbation of the outer world when you express your true self. 

The World card in the Rider-Waite deck

JUDGMENT:  Isis & Rebirth.  The Judgment card appears when we receive a divine calling, and also when we are absolved of past sins and reborn to new life.  An ancient goddess of rebirth, resurrection, and reincarnation, Isis elevates us to the divine realms where transformation is possible.  Delicious Vanilla and Rose in this blend perform an alchemy of the heart.

THE WORLD:  Prosperity.  The last Tarot trump represents total fulfillment and integration, those times when we witness the varied threads of our lives woven together in seamless harmony.  Kate’s Prosperity oil invites this spiritual and material richness, with the lush and lucky scent of Basil, that “King” of herbs.