Our sense of smell is closely associated with our memories and emotions . For example we find lavender a relaxing sent , it was brought to England by the Romans , and has long been considered to posses magical properties . It is strongly associated with he Willow Moon in the Celtic calander . The Willow Moon is the 15th of April to the 13th of May . Considered as a sent of compassion by the Romans . Strongly associated to Hecate by the ancient Greeks and in Medieval times worn by Monks to banish evil .

As air enters the nostrils it is filtered by tiny hairs , called cilia , it then passes through a layer of mucous to the olfactory bulb , this recognizes the smell by the use of a lock and key style system and sends a message to the brain . The sense of smell is one of the ways that aromatherapy helps the body and mind . The other is through the skin , oils are absorbed by the skin into the blood stream allowing the oils to travel though the body and do there work .

Aromatherapy is the art of healing using the essence of plants . it can be used in several ways including massage , cosmetic and skin care products and as room fragrances . However this natural therapy has been replaced by chemically created alternatives in modern society .

When using oils always use care , avoid using during pregnancy and while you are breast feeding . Avoid contact with the area around the eyes , rinse at once with clean warm water if you splash your eyes . Never take internally , and keep well out of the reach of children . Do not apply undiluted oil directly to the skin .

To Suit your Mood

Name	Scent	Mood	Name	Scent	Mood	Name	Scent	Mood
Aniseed	Sharp	Relaxing	Basil	Sweet	Refreshing	Bay	Sweet	Warming
Benzoin	Smoky	Uplifting	Bergamot	Spicy	Uplifting	Black Pepper	Spicy	Warming
Cajeput	Camphor	Relaxing	Ceaderwood	Woody	Soothing	Chamoile	Sweet	Soothing
Cinnamon	Spicy	Warming	Citronal	Sharp	Refreshing	Clary sage	Nutty	Relaxing
Clove	Spicy	Stimulating	Cypress	Pine	Stimulating	Eucalyptus	Sharp	Refreshing
Fennel	Aniseed	Energising	frankincense	Musty	Comforting	Geranium	Sweet	Stimulating
Grapefruit	Zesty	Uplifting	Jasmine	Floral	Energising	Juniper Berry	Spicy	Purifying
Lavender	Floral	Soothing	Lemon	Sharp	Invigorating	Lemongrass	Citrus	Relaxing
Mandarin	Citrus	Stimulating	Marjoram	Woody	Warming	Malissa	Sharp	Revitalising
Myrrh	Smoky	Stimulating	Neroli	Rich	Uplifting	Orange	Sweet	Calming
Patchouli	Earthy	Soothing	Peppermint	Mint	Refreshing	Petigrain	Citrus	Uplifting
Pine	Fresh	Stimulating	Rose	Floral	Uplifting	Rose Otto	Floral	Uplifting
Rosemary	Floral	Invigorating	Sandlewood	Woddy	Relaxing	Sage	Camphor	Cooling
Tea Tree	Woody	Cleansing	Thyme	Spicy	Antiseptic	Vertivert	Smoky	Relaxing
Ylang Ylang	Exotic	Calming

Cautions

Name	Caution	Name	Caution	Name	Caution	Name	Caution	Name	Caution
Aniseed	Irritate Skin ( may )	Basil	Avoid if Pregnant	Bay	Irritae Skin ( May )	Benzoin	Irritate Skin ( May )	Bergamot	Irritate Skin ( May )
Black Pepper	Irritate Skin ( May )	Cajeput	Irritate Skin ( May )	Ceaderwood	Avoid If Pregent	Chamomile	Avoid If Pregnant	Cinnamon	Avoid If Pregnant
Citonella	None	Carly Sage	Avoid Pregnant / Alcohol	Clove	Small Doses	Cypress	Avoid if High Blood Pressure	Eucalyptus	Avoid If Pregnant
Frankincense	Avoid If Pregnant	Geranium	None	Ginger	Irritate Skin ( May )	Grapefruit	None	jasmine	Avoid if pregnant of nurturing
Juniper Berry	Avoid if pregnant / Kidney disease	Lavender	None	Lemon	Avoid sun	Lemongrass	Irritate Skin ( May )	Mandrin	None
Marjoram	Avoid if pregnant	Melissa	Irritate Skin ( May )	Myrrh	Avoid if pregnant	Neroli	None	Orange	Avoid Sun
Patchouli	None	Peppermint	Avoid if pregnant	Petigrain	None	Pine	Irritate Skin ( May )	Rose	Avoid if pregnant
Rosemary	Avoid if preganent / epileptic	Rose Otto	None	Sandlewood	None	Sage	Avoid if preganent	Tea Tree	Irritate Skin ( May )30
Thyme	Irritate Skin ( May )	Vertivert	None	Ylang Ylang	Irritate Skin ( May )

Carrier Oils

Grapeseed - a light non greasy oil , a good general oil

Sweet Almond - very lubricating but not good at penetrating . Caution not suitable for those with nut allergies .

Aloe Vera - A good healer and widely used . It absorbs into the skin well and is a natural anaesthetising .

Jojoba - is absorbed rapidly , it is a liquid wax rather then an oil .

Calendula - is antiseptic .

Rosehip - is high in unsaturated fats .

Wheatgerm - is not suitable for those with gluten or wheat allergies .

Avocado - is a thick heavy oil and is suitable for all skin types >


Incense

Incense cleanses the environment and represents the element of air in magic . It was used by the ancients to evoke the Gods , and is considered a powerful aid in magic .
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