Sacred Self-care: Relaxation Massage Oil Blend

Weekends are the best time for taking good care of yourself. We all need to practice self-care more than ever now that the world seems so chaotic and life is crazy-busy. Sandalwood, lavender, and clary sage create a deeply soothing blend with a sensuous scent. It is both restful and stimulating—the perfect combination.

Gather together

    * 6 drops sandalwood essential oil

    * 6 drops lavender essential oil

    * 6 drops clary sage essential oil

    * ½ cup (120ml) jojoba or almond carrier (or base) oil

    * dark-colored, sealable bottle with a dropper cap

    * 1 cup (240ml) warm water

Put the essential oils and carrier oil into the dark-colored, sealable bottle. Carefully cap the bottle and gently shake until the oils have blended together. Store the bottle in a dark cupboard. Before using it on yourself or a loved one, shake well. You can warm it by putting the sealed bottle in a cup of warm water and let it sit there for 4 minutes. Many masseuses pour the oil into their palm and let their own body heat warm it. Either way adds to the relaxation factor.

Personal Rituals for Renewal

Since the time of the ancients in the Mediterranean and in Mesopotamia, salts from the sea combined with soothing oils have been used to purify the body by way of gentle ritual rubs. From Bathsheba to Cleopatra, these natural salts have been used to smooth the skin and enhance circulation, which is vital to overall body health as the skin is the single largest organ. Salts from the Dead Sea have long been a popular export and are readily available at most health food stores. You can make your own salts, however, and not only control the quality and customize the scent, but save money, too. The definitive benefits that is far and above cost saving is that you can imbue the concoction with your intention, which is absolutely imperative when you are performing rites of self-healing. Cook up your own “kitchen cupboard cure."

Shekinah’s Salts

Shekinah translates as “She who dwells within” and is the Hebrew name for the female aspect of God. Legend has it that she co-created the world side by side with Yahweh, the god of Israel. The simple recipe for salts calls up the scents and primal memories of what the Edenic paradise must have been like. A real plus to this recipe is that you can change the essential oils to suit your needs and mood.

The ingredients for the recipe are as follows:

3 cups Epsom salts

1⁄2 cup sweet almond oil

1 tablespoon glycerin

4 drops ylang-ylang essential oil

1 drop jasmine essential oil

1 drop clary sage essential oil

Mix well and store in a colored and well-capped glass bottle. You can use these special Shekinah salts in your ritual rub. Prepare for what I call the body glow session by lighting citrus and rose-scented candles. Step out of your clothes and hold the salts in the palms of your hands and pray aloud:

Shekinah, your wisdom helps me reflect your image.
My body is a temple to you.
Here I worship today with heart and hands,
Body and soul.
I call on you for healing.
Shekinah, bring me breath and life.
Ancient One, I thank you
With heart and hands,
Body and soul.

Use these salts with a damp, clean washcloth or a new sponge and gently scrub your body during a waning moon at midnight. Rinse with warm water. (Women with sensitive skin should avoid this salt rub. Instead, blend the essential oils into a quarter cup of almond oil and massage the blend into your skin with the damp washcloth or sponge; then rinse. Use the salt scrub only on your body, never on your face.)

Mask-Making: Finding the Sacred Self

The elements needed for this ritual include:

• Posterboard, newspaper, water, and white flour to make a plaster-like paste, paint, glitter, feathers, sequins, colored markers, sticks
• Music—harem music, women’s opera choruses
• Butcher paper (also tape butcher paper to the wall)
• Scarves

Whatever room you’re in, create sacred space there. Light incense, lamps, and candles, and put on belly dancing or other women’s music.

Lay out the mask-making supplies on tables covered with butcher paper. Build a little cardboard wall between mask- making stations to create privacy so each participant feels completely comfortable in disclosing the heretofore hidden side of her sacred self. Before stating to make her mask, each woman should take a turn and step up to the paper on the wall, state aloud the positive qualities she sees in herself. She should proclaim her affirming, esteem-boosting aspects. This should be as free-form and upbeat as possible.

After the personal statements, other women should chime in with encouraging words. It is amazing to hear the unexpected perceptions of others, and this part of the experience can be life changing. Write everything down.

Each woman should then take her affirmations to her workstation. These words are the source of inspiration for masks of power and beauty. Next, draw a large version of the mask you envision and cut it out, making sure you have eyes, nose, and mouth holes. Mix the white flour and water into a thin glue. Take your newspaper and tear it into strips and glue it onto your mask shape. Remember to create the features for your mask face, such as a long nose, a beak; use your imagination to the fullest. After it has dried a bit, you can begin shaping the mask into a curve to fit over your face, and then glue on the decorations and adornments.

Now, turn up the women’s music, and with paint, glue, and glitter, create an expression of your inner and outer beauty on paper. Listen to the throbbing drums and the hypnotic beats; listen to your own inner rhythms. Eventually, each woman will finish one or more masks. Glue a stick to the base of each mask so that they can be held over the face like Venetian masquerade masks. As these masks dry, dance to the music. When everyone’s masks are dry, each woman should reveal her “secret” self. She can take a turn and step out into the middle of the room, wearing a veil or scarf over her mask. Before casting off the protective veil, each woman should announce her revelatory self. An example might be: I am the Fire Goddess” or “I am the Selkie of the Irish Coast.” I did a self- portrait mask of “Peacock Girl” that profoundly affected my life. Every time I see it, I feel reaffirmed.

All of the beautiful masked women should dance together to the music and raise the energy in the room. While this is taking place, the level of self-esteem in the room will skyrocket.

Our masks should be kept as totems to be worn in the event of poor self-image. Hang your mask on the wall in your bedroom or office as a constant reminder of your true and beautiful self. 

Sacred Self-Care Pampering Potion

This relaxation remedy is an excellent way to create personal space after a hectic week. In a small pottery bowl or vial, mix together the following essential oils with a small amount of base oil:

• 2 drops cedar oil
• 2 drops sandalwood
• 2 drops ylang-ylang
• 2 drops lavender

Add this mixture to a mild carrier oil (olive or almond, for example) and rub one drop on each pulse point: on both wrists, behind your ear lobes, on the base of your neck, and behind your knees. As the oil surround you with its warm scent, you will be filled with a quiet strength.

A Soothing Sip

Here is a soothing sip that can uplift your spirits anytime and serves to ward off chills. This combination of herbs helps to bring about letting go of sorrows, worries, and doubts and reignites feelings of self-love.

Stir the following together in a clean cauldron:

• One ounce dried rosehips
• One ounce dried hibiscus flowers
• Two ounces dried mint
• One tablespoon dried ginger root, coarsely chopped or ground

Combine the herbs, pour into a colored jar, and seal the lid tightly. When you are ready to brew a soothing tea, pour hot water over the herbs: one cup of hot water to each two teaspoons of tea. While this steeps for five minutes, write down any thoughts or fears from which you need to release yourself on a small piece of paper. Now say each one aloud, then chant, “Begone!” following each. After this letting-go ritual, burn the paper with sage in a small cauldron on your altar. As you sip the tea, enjoy your renewed sense of self and peace of mind.

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Spa Feng Shui: Sauna Serenity

The Scandinavians make sure their saunas have bunches of wonderfully fragrant silver birch branches hanging nearby that they can use to gently brush their skin to stimulate circulation. This sauna practice is deeply relaxing and can be a marvelous communal experience. No wonder Denmark is the happiest place on earth!

You can emulate this by hanging herbs from your shower rod or above your bathtub. This infuses the aromatic oils into the air as soon as the steam hits the herbs. We recommend bunches of lavender for tranquility and eucalyptus to aid with colds and congestion. A muslin bag filled with dried orange rind and dressed with orange essential oil will lift depression. Rosemary can help you process sadness and grief and activates your memory. A big bag of mint leaves is a major mood booster and sends concentration levels soaring. After a few uses, these herbs can be dried by laying them on a baking sheet and setting them aside in a cool dry place for two weeks. Once dry, tie into a bundle with twine and add it to a bonfire for the high holidays. Enjoy the holy and sweet-smelling smoke as it ascends into the heavens!

Island Paradise Body Whip

Put one cup of coconut oil into a medium-sized bowl. Using a hand mixer and a whisk attachment, mix the oil until it reaches a soft, whipped-cream-like consistency. Add four drops of an essential oil with a scent you love into the mix and give it a last whip. Get in the bathtub naked and lather all over with the aromatic blend, then ease down into the water and just soak. Doesn’t it feel luxurious?

Apple Cider Skin Toner

This recipe utilizes apple cider vinegar, which should become one of your household mainstays. Many people assume—incorrectly—that vinegar will be irritating to skin, but it’s actually quite the opposite as it neutralizes pH and softens skin. Apple cider vinegar will become one of your most-loved beauty fixes. To create a skin-soothing facial toner, just mix one-part water and one-part vinegar and apply to a cotton swab or soft clean cloth to wipe gently over a clean face.

Oatmeal Chamomile Mask

Two things you doubtless love to taste in the morning can also be an important part of your beauty regime, chamomile tea and warm oatmeal. Here’s what you need to make the mask:

• ½ cup old-fashioned oats, ideally steel-cut, crushed into finer bits using a ricer
• 1 cup chamomile tea, steeped covered for a half hour
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon honey

Take a half cup of the brewed chamomile tea and add with the honey, baking soda, and oats in a small bowl. Now add 2 more tablespoons of tea and mix to create an oat paste. Set it aside for five minutes. If the mixture is too dry, you can get the desired texture by adding a bit more tea. Add the sugar and mix well. Apply the mask to your face after you have cleaned your skin and while it is still a bit damp. Allow it to dry on your face for ten minutes. Rinse the paste off your face well, then massage your skin gently with a natural moisturizer. Your skin will be miraculously smooth!

Earthly Pleasure Sensual Scrub

Sandalwood, amber, and vetiver are all rich, earthy scents that combine well together.

• 5 drops sandalwood essential oil
• 5 drops amber essential oil
• 2 drops vetiver essential oil
• ½ cup Epsom salts
• ½ cup baking soda

Combine the essential oils with the Epsom salts and stir in the baking soda. Mix well, and the mixture will become a richly scented paste. You can use it a couple of different ways; one is to slather it onto yourself and shower off with a loofah and thick washcloth. But my favorite way to soak up this earthly pleasure fully is to roll it into a ball after you mix it, then place the ball under the faucet as you are running a hot bath. The entire room will smell like paradise. Soak it all in, lie back, and enjoy the experience fully.

If you want to store some of this scrub for the future or give it as a thoughtful gift, you can store it in a lidded plastic one-cup container, or roll the mix into bath bomb balls and let the balls dry on wax paper or paper towels. This recipe can make three palm size bath bombs. Note you will be asked for more!

Sacred Self-Care Spa Scrubs

Here are some simple scrubs for you to try. Keep some sealable glass jars with lids handy so you can store them for up to two months. Be sure and rinse the tub “and sink thoroughly after use to avoid stains or stickiness. Add pretty labels, and you’ll have pretty and practical gifts for your gal pals!

Lemon Up

• ½ cup of white sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of lemon rind zest
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

CocoColada Sugar Scrub

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
• A teaspoon each of cinnamon and ground cloves

Morning Cup Coffee Scrub

• ½ cup coffee grounds
• ½ cup fine sea salt
• 1 to 2 tablespoons almond oil

How We Lost Our Connection to Nature and How We Can Get It Back

On woodland walks, my Aunt Edie pointed out nettles, wild mint, Queen Anne’s Lace, and other herbs which grew by creek beds near my home. We picked, steeped, and sipped concoctions we made together as she imparted her homely wisdom. Little did I know at the time I was being gently schooled as an apprentice kitchen witch. Lately, I have been called upon to craft spells for peace of mind; so many of us are overwhelmed due to the fragmented lifestyles requiring long hours at work, zillions of emails, texts, tweets, and all the demands that don’t stop coming.

How often do you see a panicky pagan or stressed out herbalist? Rarely, I assure you.

We all have to keep pace with the modern world, but our connection to the earth and the cycles of nature help maintain balance and harmony, despite the hurly-burly of these tech-driven times. This chapter is aimed at conjuring wellness so you can stay centered, grounded, and healthy. When our grandmothers and elders who came before us tended cuts, bruises, colds, flus, fevers, and other illnesses their family suffered, they didn’t have a corner drugstore. Instead, these wise women relied on simple wisdom, common sense, and pantries well-stocked with herbal remedies. These preparations were made from plants that grew in the kitchen garden or wild weeds gathered in the fields and woods surrounding their homes. This stash of kitchen cupboard cures combines the wisdom of our elders with a modern sensibility. Yes, you will save money, but more importantly, you will begin to learn what works for you and master the art of self-care as you bring much comfort to your loved ones.

Almond Attraction

Using almonds and almond oil is a simple way to attract into your life whatever you want more of—love, money, a new home, you decide! The great psychic Edgar Cayce even believed that eating five almonds a day could prevent cancer. I anoint myself with almond oil every morning as a kind of self-blessing for health and wealth. A little dab of this attraction oil will go far for you, too.

If you are feeling a financial pinch, try rubbing some almond oil on your wallet and visualize it filling up with bills. Rubbing this essence on magnetite can miraculously bring your wishes directly to you. A drop or two on green candles will also make an appreciable difference.

Almond oil works quickly because it is ruled by Mercury, the god of speed and communication, who operates in the realm of air.

How to Rock It at Work!

                                           

I am sure you will find this to be true: certain crystals can be true touchstones in your life and bring multitudinous benefits, both emotional and spiritual. Find a spot in your workspace or office where you can incorporate gemstones into your each and every day. My desk is where my crystals are placed, so I can see them often. This can be your special corner of the world where you can renew and connect with your spiritual center. Picking up and holding your touchstones can be one of the most soul-nourishing small acts of self-care you can do.

Here are different crystals to rock at work and what they will do for you:

• Inspiration: amazonite, aventurine, carnelian, chrysolite, chrysoprase, citrine, green tourmaline, malachite, yellow fluorite

• Love: amethyst, magnetite, rhodochrosite, rose quartz, twinned rock crystals

• Abundance: bloodstone, carnelian, citrine, dendritic agate, diamond, garnet, hawk’s-eye, moss agate, peridot, ruby, tiger’s-eye, topaz, yellow sapphire

• Intuition: amethyst, azurite, celestite, lapis lazuli, moonstone, selenite, smoky quartz, sodalite, star sapphire, yellow calcite

• Protection: amber, apache tear, chalcedony, citrine, green calcite, jade, jet, smoky quartz

• Self-belief: azurite, chalcedony, chrysocolla, green tourmaline, hematite, rutilated quartz, tiger’s-eye

• Serenity: amber, aventurine, blue jade, dioptase, Herkimer diamond, jasper, kunzite, moonstone, onyx, peridot, quartz, rhodonite

• Confidence: carnelian, obsidian, quartz, selenite, sodalite, topaz

• Positive Energy: agate, aventurine, bloodstone, calcite, chalcedony, citrine, dioptase, emerald, garnet, orange calcite, ruby, topaz

• Deep Wisdom: emerald, fluorite, Herkimer diamond, moldavite, serpentine, yellow calcite

Designing Your Own Water Rituals

From the depths of your imagination, you can create a water ritual of your own by invoking other water deities. By inviting the energy of water into your sacred space, you will find the words will flow into you as you fashion ceremonial language appropriate to that god or goddess.

You can create your own ceremonies and spells to call forth the power of water for psychic development, such as dream work, emotional balance, healing, creativity, joy, love and letting go.

Create Your Temple Sanctuary: Magical Mandalas and Sacred Space

Spiritual health is just as important as the other kind. Regular maintenance and what I call “inner work” is greatly abetted if you have sacred space where you feel at your best. If you don’t have access to a temple space, you can create a sacred temple space in your own home. The imprint of your own creativity is vital to your personal shrine; it should be decorated with things also made by your own hand. Ideally, your windows allow sacred light to fall upon your designs. This is an artistic endeavor; you are making sacred art. If you do your best work at night, be sure to have adequate lighting. It is also a good idea to reduce the possibilities of distractions and interruptions. It is strongly suggested to turn off phones and television, to create as peaceful an environment as possible.

Bless the space in a fashion of your own choosing with your favorite incense, candles and objects that represent deepest spirituality to you. A magical mandala will greatly enhance your sacred space. The word “mandala” is from the classical Indian language of Sanskrit. Loosely translated to mean “circle,” a mandala is far more than a simple shape. It represents wholeness, and can be seen as a model for the organizational structure of life itself—a cosmic diagram that reminds us of our relation to the infinite, the world that extends both beyond and within our bodies and minds.

The Supernatural Spectrum – Candle Color Magic

For a peaceful home, burn blue candles on Thursday. 
To overcome fear, burn red candles on Sunday.
For inner peace, burn silver candles on Monday.
For self confidence, burn red candles on Sunday.
For kindness and compassion, burn pink candles on Friday.
For physical well-being, burn green candles on Friday.
To overcome regret or guilt, burn white candles on Saturday. 
For mental clarity, burn yellow candles on Wednesday.
To let go of anger, burn orange candles on Tuesday. 
For success at work, burn green candles on Friday.

Lavender Love Moonday Spell

To prepare for the week, you must first establish a self-care zone filled with loving energy not only toward yourself but others in your life. You only have room for the very best energy, so banish anything that can get in the way of the flow of positive energy. Try this herbal energy magic:

Steep lavender in hot water. Once the infusion has cooled to room temperature, dip your fingertips in the herbal tincture and anoint your temples and base of your throat, then sprinkle tiny droplets in your bedroom while intoning:

All is love and love is all
All is new here now, I say. 
Make way, be gone, goodbye

All here is new, say I. 
So mote it be!

Use the remainder of the lavender infusion to wash your front steps or stoop, the entry to your home, thereby clearing and cleansing the threshold of your home.

You will notice that every time you enter your home, it feels lighter and brighter thanks to the energetic de-cluttering.

Soak Your Soul Replenishment Rite

To rid yourself of negative emotions, try this purification bath. Draw a warm bath at noon when the sun is at its healing peak, and add the essential oils into the water as it flows from the faucet:

• Two drops rosemary for calm
  
• One drop peppermint for stimulation
  
• One drop lavender for energy cleansing
  
• Three drops thyme to relieve mental exhaustion 

As you soak and steam, repeat this prayer four times.

Sadness I release you – goodbye.
Fatigue, I release you – goodbye.
I greet this day anew, I great my life renewed. 

Blessed be.

Salt of the Earth Rejuvenation Ritual

Salts have been used to purify the body, by way of ritual rubs, since ancient times in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia. Beauties from the biblical era utilized this simple curative of natural salts to exfoliate the skin and enhance circulation, vital to overall body health. There are wonderful imported Dead Sea salts readily available at most bath and beauty stores, or you can make your own using Goddess Glow recipes, one of the kitchen cupboard cures that follows.

To prepare for your body glow session, light a white candle, step out of your clothes and into your tub or shower, and hold the salts in the palms of both hands, praying:

Aphrodite, in your wisdom, help me reflect your image;
My body is a temple to thee, goddess.
Here, I worship today with my head and hands, heart and soul. 
Blessings to all, blessings to thee, blessed be me.

Use the salts with a new loofah sponge and scrub yourself vigorously during the waning moon or new moon at midnight.