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 Artemis of the
Mountaintops Oil
This oil honors the wilder aspects of Artemis,
the virgin goddess. There is some indication
that her worshippers used mugwort or wormwood as aids to prophecy
in her name. I chose five members of the Artemisia family (named for her) for this oil - wormwood,
mugwort, davana, peach artemisia, and dragon's wort - and combined
them in a grounding base
of distilled baked earth. While
still wet, the oil smells very strongly of wormwood, but
as it dries, it changes first to a somewhat minty, fresh scent and
then settles into a lightly fruity sweetness. It's a very
wonderfully virginal with a strong Air quality that sets it
apart from many of my other oils. It's good evoking the wild aspects
of the forest or for honoring
Artemis. She is associated with the wilder parts of the
Old World, especially the dry, stony mountains of the Mediterranean.
There she amuses herself with archery and wide circle dances, according to Callimachus. Although
she is a hunter, she also protects the animals that roam the mountain
forests and dances there with her nymphs. These would paint their
faces white in imitation of the full Moon (she is connected
to the moon as her brother was to the sun) or wear masks made to
look like the dogs she went hunting with; clearly, tapping into
one's wild side is important with this aspect of the divine.
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Artemis of the Mountaintops Oil
1/4 oz (2
drams/7.5 ml) $13.50
Uses in
Witchcraft & Magic:
Honoring Artemis
Evoking the wild or the
spirit of the forest
Elemental
Air Magic
Using
Magic Oils
© 2008, 2013 Harold A. Roth; No reproduction without permission
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