Essential Oils and Tarot

Suchos

Hi there, kx5!

I am a massage therapist, and I use essential oils daily for my clients. I believe
aromatherapy has a very powerful effect on our mental and emotional state,
and could be very beneficial in your use of tarot.

Rose and Jasmine: both of these are often used in "aphrodisia" blends, thought
to enhance feelings, emotions, and a sense of romance. Could be effective for
readings about relationships.

Ylang Ylang: enhances the mind-body connection and brings us back into balance.

Sandalwood: associated with prayerfulness and meditation

Chamomile and Lavender: both of these are sleep-inducing and promote deep
relaxation. I think of chamomile as having more physical effects, and lavender
as having more mental/emotional effects. These could be great if you do dreamwork with your deck, or become deeply meditative while reading.

Eucalyptus: I only use this oil for physical ailments, like allergies and respiratory
infections. Not sure how it could be used for tarot purposes.

Of course, all of these are just ideas and suggestions. The bottom line is, you
should choose the oil which has the most appeal to you. Our sense of smell
is the most powerful trigger we have for memory. So each time you smell the
oil, that sensory "trigger" will allow you to fall more easily into a tarot-reading
state of mind.

Hope I have helped a bit. :)

This is very, very enlightening IMHO. Thank you really much, you gave a great answer for a question which has been troubling my head for some time. Blessings and Love.
 

RiverRunsDeep

This is very, very enlightening IMHO. Thank you really much, you gave a great answer for a question which has been troubling my head for some time. Blessings and Love.

You're welcome. :)
 

Ambrosia

Huge quantities of plant material are needed to produce a teensy bit of essential oil. These plants are grown in massive monocultures, often with pesticides and herbicides, are not tended to by loving hands, and are harvested and processed with either machines, cheap or slave labour. The essential oil industry is responsible for many plants, such as sandalwood, becoming endangered. Hectares upon hectares of land is stripped of its natural ecosystems and animal life to make room for all these plants so that people can receive a tiny bottle of oil.

Now tell me.....do you think the essential oil's magical properties are going to be of a positive nature? It's bad energy from start to finish. Sure, they may smell nice, but at what cost?

Ok. I'm sorry but you are rather mis-informed on this matter.

I manage an Aromatherapy/Essential Oil Dispensary and have worked with essential oils for 20 years...As with anything in life - buyer beware!

Of course there are unscrupulous dealers and adulteration is rife, but any reputable dealer will be able to provide documentation proving the quality of their oils, as well as information on country of origin, extraction methods, chemical content etc.

If you come across oils which all have the same price beware! If the product has no latin name beware! If the supplier cannot provide you with Cert of analysis or Safety data sheets beware!

On to Indian Sandalwood...The trees are endangered due to felling for BUILDING and FURNITURE MAKING. The perfume and essential oil industry only utilise oil which is distilled from waste (chips and sawdust) from this process which would have only been thrown away. This is why the Indian government has a restriction. To say the essential oil industry is RESPONSIBLE is just plain wrong.

However...

Most reputable suppliers (including perfume houses like our famous Guerlain and Chanel) are NOT using real Indian Sandalwood anymore and have had to reformulate their perfumes using a synthetic sandalwood...I digress.

Any reputable essential oil suppliers in my neck of the woods are no longer supplying Indian Sandalwood (once any current supplies have run out) or Rosewood (but that's another story) because we do not want to support an industry which is corrupt (poachers are rife), and it takes a good thirty years for the tree to mature to produce the wonderful oil from the heartwood.
You can get a "green" sandalwood which is produced from the twigs and branches however, though it does not have the same quality fragrance or properties.

As far as huge amounts of plant matter needed - yes and no. Depends on the plant, and the part of the plant. For instance citrus oils are cold pressed from the rind and produce a LOT of Essential oil hence its relatively cheap price point. Oils like Rose produce far less hence its high price.

We are proud of the fact that almost all of our oils (over 90) are certified organic, the rest are wild grown, and we go straight to the growers and distillers in the country of origin in order to support and help them provide a living for their families and communities. ANY reputable supplier will work in this same way with the people supplying the oils.
We also work with the growers in helping to establish new plantations and renewable, sustainable sources in order to provide a living for those communities for years to come!

In short, when it comes to buying Essential Oils, shop around. Do your homework. Ask questions of the supplier. Ask for certification and information on the process and country of origin, and only buy from trusted sources. Transparency is key.

I'll get off my soapbox now...
 

Ambrosia

Now onto the fun part - using oils with your cards! :D

I have done just this for years! I don't really bother with correspondences etc anymore as far as matching magical qualities with the deck for ritualistic purposes, I just use what I love the smell of.

I have always just rubbed a small amount of my chosen oil into the fabric of the scarf or bag which I keep the deck in, and then kind of scrunched the fabric all around to infuse it throughout. Works well for me and I've not had any damage to cards.

However...

Only a drop is all you need. Let it air out so the oil evaporates before putting it near your deck, and be careful with sticky, dark viscous oils such as patchouli and vetiver etc.

My favourite blend is a mix of Ylang Ylang, Patchouli and Orange. Divine!

Have fun! :)
 

Dara

I anointed two of my decks with patchouli oil and I love it. I'm kind of indifferent to the scent itself (my partner is a big fan however, so we had a small bottle laying around) but having the cards emit a pleasant aroma really helps get people, myself and the querent, in the mood and mindset for a reading. I take my tarot decks to go most of the time and even at home where I live with other people, I am unable to scent the environment with candles, incense, diffusers, etc. Scenting the cards is strong enough to have the people involved with the reading enjoy the smell without taking any time to setup or compromising the surroundings. And it really adds to the personality of the deck and bonding with the deck.

Truthfully, I did it in a rather risky fashion. I knew it was risky, so I was extra careful doing it. I would do it differently next time I scent a deck. I put a drop or two of patchouli oil in a small sauce bowl of water. I could see where the oil was floating and I would dab a clean size zero paintbrush in it and then drag it across the side of the bowl to get rid of excess liquid in the hairs. Then, with my deck ordered and together, I wrote some words on each of the sides of the deck lightly, words that I hope to imbue and get out of deck like "Love" "Honesty" "Clarity" "Wisdom" etc. making sure that some strokes extend from top to bottom so I hit each card at least once with the brush. The sides absorb liquid quickly so you have to make sure your brush is only just slightly moist and not loaded with water/oil. Of course when it dried, I didn't see the words anymore since it dried clear. For me, it dried pretty quickly but I gave it a few minutes before I did anything with it. Then I shuffled it for a good while to air it out a bit and to jumble the words. I did not damage the decks in any visible manner and it smells lovely. Next time though, I would probably just have the deck pick up the scent from being stored with something, although I did find it kind of special that some decks have a certain trust and mission with me. One deck is more blatant and honest and the other is more loving and healing and it reflects what I wrote on the sides with the oil.
 

Aunty Anthea

Not sure about smells

It has NEVER even occurred to me to put scent on one of my decks :bugeyed:

Periodically, rather when I think about it, I will cleanse a card covering cloth by washing it in sea-salt

I do use incense sticks and am currently playing around with different smells

Research has shown that the most popular smell to have wafting around is the smell of coffee. It is all about making the client feel relaxed and confident so strong smells are not good

As it has been mentioned earlier, sometimes people dislike certain smells or have an allergy to them. Animals, especially dogs (not yet had a client with a parrot on their shoulder) are certainly very sensitive to smells

Also, sometimes certain smells remind people about other people or events that might awaken unpleasant memories

A reading is not just about smell or even what you say, it is about how you say it and the surrounding environment. If the reader looks clean and friendly, the environment/room smells fresh, the cards are read well without a lot of humming and harring, and the client is allowed to interject and ask questions you should have a successful reading and a happy client :D
 

EmpyreanKnight

Put your decks in a wooden storage box, ad they will pick up the scents, or you can get a ceramic infused charm, and put it in there, but keep it away from your decks,
or you can dab a cotton ball with your choice of essential oils, and put it in a votive holder, but make a weave with tape so the scent comes out, leave spaces, and put inside the wooden box.

This is precisely how I thought of doing this! I'd be wary of scenting anything that touches the cards, even the spread cloth or the card cover itself. I think moderately applying essential oils to the interior of the wooden box itself would be a happy compromise, specially if the wood used is capable of holding on to the scent for quite some time.

I myself am very much partial to attar of roses. The rose is very much loved by my family - if we had a crest, it would surely carry the rose in its emblem. I even use a rose quartz pendulum myself. Anyway, very few people disapprove of its scent, and it is very much conducive to love and relationship readings. And on a symbolic note, the rose is touted as the floral herald of Western mysticism, just as the lotus is that of the east. Just look at how prevalent it is not just in the imagery used in many Tarot cards, but also in the backs of many Tarot decks, aside from its use in many occult societies such as the Golden Dawn and in Rosicrucianism.
 

greatdane

I rub just a bit of a mix of essential oils on my hands

Before Lenormand readings, I rub a MINUTE amount of an essential oil blend on my hands, a very TIIIINY amount and then rub my hands together well so there is no obvious residue, just a slight scent. This is just part of my starting a reading. Ritual sounds a bit too strong, but I guess it is. It's like beginning a meditation session with a bell, I begin a Lenormand reading session with a bit of essential oil.
 

Rainchilde

You could rub your cloth with fresh plant material, or store it with a dried herb sachet, or soak it in a strong infusion of fragrant herbs. There would also be less chance of an allergic reaction by querents.

I agree that this could be a good way to scent the cards/cloth and avoid staining, change it up if you don't like the scent or see people with sensitivities, as well as avoid any oils of questionable sources. If you focused on fresh or dried herbs or flowers do you have any other scent options?