Psychopomp Oil
In ancient Greece and other cultures, the bee was revered not just for all the reasons why even now people love bees but because they had various sacred associations. One of those was as a guide for the souls of the newly dead (thus the oil name, "Psychopomp," which means guide for the dead). Bees were thought to be able to travel freely between this world and the world of the dead. They would carry the small filament of the soul from the heavens down to those being born, and when the individual died, would return that soul to the place "where there is no room for death, and where the souls fly free, ranging the deep heavens to join the stars' imperishable number" (Virgil). Even in modern European folklore, bees traditionally are told when their beekeeper dies, so bees have many death associations, but they are comforting rather than frightening ones. When I ran across some honey absolute, I knew I had to build a ritual oil around it and dedicate it to the bee as soul guide. This oil is composed of honey, beeswax, and kewda, which is a flower traditionally associated with the dead. The scent is not overly sweet but very complex, warm and soft--a comfort. This oil was created for aid in guiding the newly dead, for traveling to and from the Underworld, and for comforting the bereaved.

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

Uses in Witchcraft & Magic:

Guiding the Dead
Traveling to and from the Underworld
Comforting the Bereaved

Using Magic Oils

© 2011 Harold A. Roth; No reproduction without permission