Seasonal rituals & wisdom for the earth year.
The goddess Aphrodite, who was born from the sea, dripping with sea foam, rosemary and roses sits beneath the warm Cyprian sun. Her long hair is braided with sea shells and seaweed and she is draped in loosely fit linen and leather. Aphrodite gazes out at the horizon where the deep, blue sky and the ocean meet. She is fully present and aware of her birth-home of pulsating water and seminal tides. The sound of waves along the sandy shore is familiar, milky and soft. All is peaceful in the bright air. A large feast has been laid out in the sand. Golden goblets are filled with burgandy herbal elixirs and a cream and rose cordial. There is fresh baked Koulouri-Cypriot bread, filled with sesame seeds, cumin, fennel and anise and cobalt plates of halloumi cheeses, bowls of oily grape leaves stuffed with rice and mint and salads of artichoke, wild dandelion, olive oil and tomato, along with black and green olives. For dessert, a sweet semolina cake with lemon syrup awaits delighted tongues along with ripe strawberries and luscious figs. All are displayed on a lovely, colorful tapestry. Yes, Aphrodite is known as the goddess of love, eros and beauty. She thrives on decadent pleasures, exquisite foods, delicious poetry and fresh, sea air. I would also call her a goddess of greenery, as her mythologies are bursting with references to plants and herbs of all kinds. In her creation myth she is born adorned with the herb rosemary (which comes from the old Latin, Ros Marinus, which means 'dew of the sea'). In some tales she was covered in roses and in other places pomegranate or apple blossoms. Aphrodite is said to have used herbs and perfume to weave her magic. To take this further, the oldest perfumery in the world was discovered on the island of Cyprus, "Aphrodite's Island". This 4,000 year old distillery was enormous and was most likely used to produce the perfume commercially. Techniques used to create the perfume were to grind the herbs, place them in clay pots and mix them with oil and water. They would then be heated underground over hot embers. Sounds like a familiar technique used by herbalists today to make infused oils but we use our stove tops instead of earthen embers! What were these herbs that were used to make this ancient perfume? Lavender, bay, rosemary, pine and coriander. Aphrodite's Aphrodisiac Perfume A recipe to make your own aphrodisiac perfume. You will need: Essential oils of lavender, rosemary, bay laurel, pine and coriander. Carrier oil of jojoba, apricot seed oil, pomegranate or grape seed oil. A small jar or tincture bottle. Optional: Essential oils of vetiver or rose or benzoin. Directions:
Apply as desired to invoke your herbal, love goddess self. All my love,
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Author
Lark Fox is a Priestess, an herb wyfe, Seer, intuitive healer, writer and ceremonialist. Archives
September 2022
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