Hekate (Hecate)
The Saffron-Robed
Myrrh, tobacco, cypress,
lots of Earth smells (for the Underworld), and saffron are typically
associated with this goddess. (One of the names applied in an Orphic hymn to Hekate
is Krokopeplos / "Saffron-Robed".) This oil includes these scents but with a focus on her necromantic aspects. To sweeten the myrrh a little and to help in
terms of raising spirits, we chose opoponax, with its associations with
Pluto and Scorpio, the sign of secrets. As a signifier of the baneful
plants connected with Hekate, we added (nicotine-free) tobacco absolute.
Other botanicals mellow this oil and give it some musky depth.
There's a lot of cypress, Hekate's sacred tree, in this
oil, but we also wanted to gesture towards the fruitfulness of
Hekate—the outcome of magical work done in her name. This fruit is not plump and sweet - not the kind of thing that will have juice
running down your chin - but instead is somewhat dry and tart with a slight
wine flavor, like an old-fashioned winter storage apple. This scent is crafted from earthy
galbanum (which is strongest when
the oil is first applied) and other essential oils with either earthy
or winey, apple-like smells. The saffron's warmth and color call to mind the torches that Hekate uses to guide us to and from the Underworld.
Saffron has a fiery aspect, but it is a strange fire, which we think
suits Hekate just fine. Harold, Alchemy Works' founder, originally formulated this oil over two New
Moons, incorporating some of that energy
without duplicating the Dark
of the Moon oil. Anthony, Alchemy Works' current owner and devotee of Hekate for 20+ years, has tweaked Harold's original formula ever-so-slightly based on his personal experiences working with this very old and powerful goddess.
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Oil
for Hekate the Saffron-Robed
1/4 oz. (2 drams/7.5 ml) $17.00
Uses
in Witchcraft & Magic:
Working with Spirits
Journeying to the Underworld
Necromancy
Honoring Hecate as Guide
Get some Hekate Incense
Using Magic Oils
© 2007-2022 Alchemy Works; No reproduction without permission
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