Guide 3 of 5 · folklore with its feet on the ground
The crystal ball, the wand and the oils. Read on while it turns.
Every old book of ritual has its oils: oils for anointing, for consecrating, for the lamp. The old books are also full of things that hurt people. The Society keeps the folklore and drops the harm. So before we teach you how to mix (Guides 1, 2 and 5), here is what you must never mix with your oils.
Everything below comes from a named source in our library, and each one is listed under its rule. Where our library is silent, we say so, and we don't guess.
Pennyroyal has a long folk history as a remedy and a culinary herb. But it is toxic to the liver and has caused deaths. There is no safe "small amount" in a home ritual. Leave it in the history books.
Source: Mentha pulegium (pennyroyal), Wikipedia.
Essential oils are concentrated. The Aromantic catalogue warns that just one drop in a pot of cream can be too much, and that oils such as rose or jasmine are so concentrated their scent overpowers. Dilution is done in alcohol or vegetable oil, never neat.
Many essential oils, tea tree especially, can cause contact dermatitis: an itchy or dry, red rash, with bumps, blisters or swelling.
Sources: Aromantic Catalogue 2009; "Essential oil", Wikipedia; "Contact dermatitis", Wikipedia.
Some irritants only react when sunlight reaches them. This is called phototoxic dermatitis. If you have used an oil on your skin, keep that skin out of strong sun until you know how that oil behaves on you.
Source: "Contact dermatitis", Wikipedia.
Wintergreen oil (methyl salicylate) turns into salicylates in the body, the family that includes salicylic acid, a known anti-inflammatory drug. Garlic oil may thin the blood in some people and may interfere with prescription drugs.
If you take any medicine, ask a pharmacist before you use these oils. It is a two-minute question.
Sources: "Methyl salicylate", Wikipedia; "Garlic oil", Wikipedia.
Improper use of essential oils can cause harm, including allergic reactions, or worse if they are swallowed, especially by children. Caps on, bottles up high, and never in a cup or a spoon that a child could reach for.
Source: "Essential oil", Wikipedia.
People use oils for ritual, for scent and for wellbeing. But there is not enough medical evidence that aromatherapy can prevent, treat or cure disease. The Society never sells an oil as a cure, and you should be wary of anyone who does.
Source: "Aromatherapy", Wikipedia.
Our library has no sourced guidance on oils around cats, dogs or other animals, so we won't guess. Ask your vet before you diffuse or use oils where animals live.
In The Magus, Francis Barrett wrote that when oil and perfumes are consecrated, things "consonant to that purpose" should be named over them. The oil was given a purpose before it was ever used. The Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage has the corners of a silver lamen on the altar touched with holy anointing oil.
Take the respect, not the recipes: name your purpose, use a little, and keep it off your skin unless it is properly diluted.
Sources: F. Barrett, The Magus, Part II; The Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, Book II.
The Society's five guides: 1 How to mix oils · 2 How to mix herbs · 3 Never mix these with your oils · 4 Never mix these herbs · 5 Herbs and oils together
This is folklore and general safety information from named sources. It is not medical advice. If you are pregnant, take medicines, have a health condition, or have children or animals at home, ask a pharmacist, doctor or vet before using essential oils. The Wand & The Crystal Ball Society is part of Peckham Crystals · Increatus, London.