Pomona is beloved as the apple goddess and protectress of orchards. Associated with abundance, the flowering of nature, youth and beauty, her splendor is still celebrated every year in European festivals. One way to retain our blossoming beauty is to take good care of our skin and heighten the health of our complexions with this goddess-blessed prescription for eternal youth. Add the following essential pure oils into six ounces of scentless base oil, such as sesame:
Many witches prefer whipping up their own healing beauty magic. Here’s a simple recipe for a homemade salt rub. The beauty of this recipe is that you can change the essential oils to suit your mood. For example, if you are feeling romantic or preparing for a big date night, use rose and amber oils.
Combine the following:
Three cups Epsom salts
One tablespoon glycerin
Four drops lemon essential oil
Two drop jasmine oil
Two drop vanilla
One drop neroli oil (made from orange blossoms)
Mix well and store in a colored glass jar with a tight lid. Use these salts with the Salt of the Earth body purification ritual to help exfoliate your skin and give you a goddess glow.
You will notice that many a witch appears ageless. There is a good reason for this; we manifest a lot of joy in our life, including creating potions to take excellent care of our skin for goddess-like youthfulness. This refresher is inspired by the eternally strong and beautiful deity Freya.
Combine these oils in a sealable dark blue bottle:
2 ounces sweet almond as base oil
2 drops chamomile
2 drops rosemary
2 drops lavender oil
Shake very thoroughly and prepare to anoint your skin with this invocation:
Goddess of Love, Goddess of Light, hear this prayer, Your youth, beauty and radiance, please share. So mote it be.
Clean your skin with warm water, then gently daub with the potion. You can also make a salve or balm using my recipe if you want to turn the clock backwards. Prepare to be asked for your beauty secrets.
You may have noted that in these blog posts I use phrases like "the god we call Korydallos" or "the goddess we call Therasia." That's because we have an interesting conundrum with some of the Minoan deities: we don't know what the Minoans called them.
Some deity names survived the Late Bronze Age collapse intact, eventually being subsumed into the Hellenic pantheon: Rhea, Eileithyia, and Dionysus are well-known examples. Others were "demoted" to human characters in myth and legend (Minos, for example, and Ariadne). But we still know their names - that part of them was not lost over time, even if their characteristics changed due to cultural pressure as the Greeks came to power and the Minoans disappeared from view.
Nature is the ultimate creator. At a nearby gardening store or hardware store, get an assortment of seed packets to plant newness into your life. If your thumb is not the greenest, try a wildflower mix or poppies which are extremely hardy, grow quickly and spread, beautifying any area. They re-seed themselves, which is a lovely bonus.
On a new moon morning, draw a square in your yard with a “found in nature” wand, a fallen branch. Apartment dwellers can use a planter on a deck or a big pot for this ritual. Each corner of the square needs a candle and a special stone. I get my stones at new age bookstores, which often have the shiny tumbled versions for as little as one dollar. Mark the corners as follows:
Plan this for an early morning when you can still see a sliver of the moon as the sun rises. Sit in a comfortable position in front of your altar and meditate. Think about your blessings. What are you grateful for at this moment? There is a powerful magic in recognizing all that you possess. Breathe steadily and deeply, inhaling and exhaling slowly for twenty minutes. Then chant:
Great Goddess, giver of all the fruits of this earth, Of all bounty, beauty, and well-being, Bless all who give and receive these gifts. I am made of sacred earth, purest water,
Saffron water is made by boiling one teaspoon of saffron in two cups of distilled water. Dip your hands in the water, touch your “third eye” at the center of your forehead and speak aloud:
Ishtar, Athena, Diana, Astarte – fill me with your presence.
Erin Lale
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