Ceres Oil from Alchemy Works

Ceres Ceres Oil
The Roman goddess Ceres was later conflated with the Greek goddess Demeter, but Ceres to me feels older and different, less sophisticated and still having a bit of that alienness of ancient spirits, who are nothing like human beings. Like a number of deities connected with agriculture, Ceres is associated with grain and fertility (and thus marriage) on the one hand and death on the other (so we see even in this frieze that she holds ears of spelt wheat but is also accompanied by snakes). She gave her protection to girls entering adult womanhood and to mothers, but also to the souls of men and women who had died. Her priesthood was dominated by matrons, but men also served her. I got the idea of making an oil for Ceres because I came across a fragrant extract of wheat, which smells somewhat like warm bread. I thought of the earth in which wheat grows and added galbanum for its earthiness, a smooth, fruity lavender for the herbs that spring up in grain fields, and hay for the scent of the wheat straw warming in the sun. But something was missing--the scent of what we do with grains. For that I added a little touch of vanilla. The result is warm and rich without smelling like cookies. Good for honoring Ceres, for transitions in adult womanhood, for guiding the newly dead, and for fertility of all types. Top

Ceres Oil
1/4 oz. (2 drams/7.5 ml) $13.50

Uses in Witchcraft & Magic:

Honoring Ceres
Guiding the Dead
Fertility Charms
Transitioning to Female Adulthood

Using Magic Oils