An artisan perfumer reveals a lost art and its mysterious, sensual history. For centuries, people have taken what seems to be an instinctive pleasure in rubbing scents into their skin. Perfume has helped them to pray, to heal, and to make love. And as long as there has been perfume, there have been perfumers, or rather the priests, shamans, and apothecaries who were their predecessors. Yet, in many ways, perfumery is a lost art, its creative and sensual possibilities eclipsed by the synthetic ingredients of which contemporary perfumes are composed, which have none of the subtlety and complexity of essences derived from natural substances, nor their lush histories. Essence and Alchemy resurrects the social and metaphysical legacy that is entwined with the evolution of perfumery, from the dramas of the spice trade to the quests of the alchemists to whom today's perfumers owe a philosophical as well as a practical debt. Mandy Aftel tracks scent through the boudoir and the bath and into the sanctums of worship, offering insights on the relationship of scent to sex, solitude, and the soul. Along the way, she imparts instruction in the art of perfume compositions, complete with recipes, guiding the reader in a process of transformation of materials that continues to follow the alchemical dictum solve et coagula (dissolve and combine) and is itself aesthetically and spiritually transforming.

• 2023 Coalition of Visionary Resources Gold Award • Provides detailed instructions for making single-flower essences and magickal and therapeutic essence blends • Shares new magickal uses for flower essences, from creating sacred space to dressing candles to preparing incense, as well as how to use essences in meditation, potions, spells, spagyrics, and ritual • Includes a detailed directory of 100 flower and plant essences, complete with astrological, elemental, and magickal correspondences In this practical guide to using flower essences in witchcraft, alchemy, and healing, Nicholas Pearson provides detailed instructions for making and using flower essences based on traditional Western magick practices. He shares new uses for essences--from creating sacred space to dressing candles to preparing incense--and explains how to use them in meditation, potions, spells, spagyrics, and ritual. He shares exercises for connecting more deeply to the energies of the green world and exploring how essences can be used in traditional sacraments of witchcraft like the Great Rite. In the hands-on formulary, the author provides recipes for essence combinations for the eight sabbats and formulas based on familiar blends like traditional flying ointments of European witchcraft. He shares his method for creating flower essence spagyrics--alchemical preparations made from the body, mind, and soul of the plant that offer the highest vibrational potency for therapeutic and spiritual uses. Pearson also provides a detailed directory of 100 flower and plant essences, complete with astrological, elemental, and magickal correspondences and the therapeutic indications for each essence. Weaving together magickal herbalism, traditional plant lore, and flower essence therapy, this guide allows you to see flower essences not just as vibrational remedies but also as powerful tools for transformation, magick, and spiritual practice.

Entrance to the Alchemical Amphitheatre By Marcus Katz, M.A. (Western esotericism) Learn to live a Transformative life through Magical Alchemy! An Alchemy course in six monthly modules available as a download or paperback book version! In this thoroughly researched course, combining a range of learning styles, you'll experience four simple alchemical experiments using household materials, seven unique praxis meditations, the Ritual of the Dew for transforming your life, and Alchemical Adorations, amongst a range of readings and alchemical exercises. Suitable for beginners and adepts alike, using research of the highest academic level, informed through thirty years practical experience of teaching and western esoteric studies. Find out who wrote the Rosicrucian Manifestos, why Alchemy and Dreaming are related, the secrets of the Emerald Tablet, and much, much more!