Magical Aromatherapy: The Power of Scent

by Scott Cunningham, Robert Tisserand (Foreword)

Scott Cunningham shows the effects that essential oils and extracts have on our inner selves. The current knowledge of the physiological and psychological effects of natural fragrances are combined with the ancient art of magical perfumery. Learn how to use these tools to enhance psychic perception, help finances, attract love, and more.

Over 200,000 copies sold.

Genres: Wicca, Nonfiction, Paganism, Magic, Spirituality, Witchcraft, Reference

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Scott Douglas Cunningham was an American writer. Cunningham is the author of several books on Wicca and various other alternative religious subjects.
His work Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, is one of the most successful books on Wicca ever published; he was a friend of notable occultists and Wiccans such as Raymond Buckland, and was a member of the Serpent Stone Family, and received his Third Degree Initiation as a member of that coven.

Reviews

[Matal “The Mischling Princess” Baker]

In three parts with several appendixes included, Scott Cunningham’s “Magical Aromatherapy: The Power of Scent” shows readers how to apply aromatherapy in a magical context using smell and sight rather than with traditional aromatherapy which relies upon smell and touch (i.e., massage).

Overall, the book is still extremely valuable to practitioners, despite the dated prices. With rising globalization, many of the prices have lowered exponentially, like for lemon balm essential oil. However, in many cases, the price points are still on mark if you look at the yearly inflation rate. For example, many bottles of Rose Otto essential oil (Rosa damascena) remain extremely expensive.

Cunningham’s book is extremely elementary, so either beginner adults or younger children, and especially adolescents, will find the information helpful.

[DJ Harris]

This book a really great reference tool. For the novice, and experienced, user of aromatherapeutics you will learn not just how to use certain scents but how inhaling certain herbs and essential oils can effect our moods and outcomes in life. It also lays out the recommended aromas for days of the week, seasons, lunar cycles, elements, planets, and zodiac.



This book is fantastic for magical aromatherapy references. The easy-to-use format tells you if certain things should be used as an oil, dried herb, seed, or fresh. It is also very good at pointing out precautions for each herb/seed/flower/oil.

The recipes in the back of the book most people will find to be quite a treat as well. They are full of various oil blends to use in your aromatherapy magic. A wonderful resource that is sometimes hard to find!

This is a great book that is worth the space on your shelf.



Review Provided by:

[Heather Purri]

Difficulty Level: Beginner
No magickal background necessary.

Pros:
- It's an occult/Pagan classic.
The book is written for Pagans in general.
I highly recommend getting the ebook, so you can quickly find the plants you're looking for.

- Written for practitioners at any level.
The first part of this book discusses how ancient people used aromatic plants and which plants they preferred. Then aromatic plants are listed encyclopedia style, with their magickal qualities and suggestions for how to use them for those purposes. The suggestions are all centered around taking advantage of the plant's strong scent. They're short, simple spells that anyone can do; not elaborate rituals.

- Botanical names are given to each plant so that you won't confuse them with plants that have the same common name.

- Contains the proper warnings.
There are not only warnings about plants that are dangerous to inhale, burn, etc. but also about potential mild side effects, like skin irritation and headaches.

Cons:
- No in-text citations. There's a bibliography though.

- Doesn't contain any botanical drawings of the plants.

I should note that the medicinal use of plants is not discussed, nor does it say which plants are safe to ingest. This is a book on their use as fragrances and magickal items.

Personal Note: This was one of my first magickal books. I was infatuated with it and kept it in the car to re-read during road trips. I was fixated with how ancient people did magick, using ingredients that were in my own kitchen cabinet, no less. I couldn't stay away from this book.

[Spuddie]

A slim little reference book that takes traditional aromatherapy one step further and describes how to apply the power of scent magickally by empowering the energy within the plants (or parts of the plants being used) that provide the scent as well as the scents themselves. It's a handy reference with type of plant, parts used, magickal association, and techniques for use as well as the appropriate cautions and warnings.

The appendices with where to get supplies and such are mostly outdated now, but all in all, a handy tool for a quick reference, though given a choice between the two, I think I prefer his Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews.

[Ann]

Another book passed on by a friend. The print date is 20 years ago! The information in this book seems timeless! This book has descriptions of herbs and plants the part of the plant used,the planet, the element and the magical influences. also a "recipe" part for the mixing of essential oils to make a blend for specific purposes. For example, cash flow oil and protection oil.

[JEAVONNA]

He packed a lot of information into this field-sized book. Take it into the garden with you to gather herbs for sachets and potpourris. The botanical names included are helpful when buying plants. All the detail about essential oils really helped when confronted with too many choices at the store. I am truly glad I decided to read this one. If you love growing and using herbs, I highly recommend this book.

[kentuckyfriedfart [Nessa]]

Really neat book at have on hand!

[Pamela]

Another great Cunningham resource, this one based on using aromatherapy for magical purposes. This one is more reference than recipes, with entries for many different essential oils and plants that can be used both for aromatheraputic and for magical purposes.

[Isaac]

A little reference book. Good companion for other more indepth book such Salvatore Baglia's Aromatherapy book. Well written and with some interesting stuff. It covers more known essential oils bu also some some fruit like melon...

[Kendra]

Tons of info in this book!

[Amy]

great reference to have in any collection

[Olivia Gourlay]

Great book about magic for neopagans. The goddess is often the centre of their worlds. to learn more about the goddess go on www.yoni.com

[Katrina Shreve]

useful for ritual, not practical medicinally

[Mark Rundle]

The nose deserves more attention in discussions of magical practice. So much writing on the subject assumes that everything begins with a picture held firmly in the mind. Cunningham’s interest in fragrance offers another point of entry, one I find particularly appealing for its physical immediacy. The premise of Magical Aromatherapy gives the reader something tangible to explore. There is room here for a spiritual practice that begins with paying closer attention to what is already under one’s nose, an expression the subject finally earns.

The alphabetical arrangement of aromas gives the book a useful reference structure, while the planetary and elemental correspondences place fragrance within a recognisable magical framework. I appreciate being able to approach the material through either an individual scent or a particular magical purpose. The inclusion of hazardous oils and artificial fragrances also matters in a book whose subject can easily encourage indiscriminate enthusiasm. Even the most spiritually promising bottle deserves a little scrutiny. My chief reservation concerns the correspondence system itself. I want to know how a given association was established and how much room it leaves for a reader whose response differs.

What interests me most is the opportunity to develop a more attentive relationship with scent. A reference book like this becomes especially useful when its associations prompt observation and experimentation. I would keep personal notes alongside its entries, allowing agreement and disagreement to accumulate. Cunningham’s subject invites that kind of engagement, and the book’s practical organisation makes it an appealing companion for it.

[Vanessa]

A fascinating introduction to the use of aromatic plants, herbs and oils in magic and visualization. I enjoyed learning of the background and lore surrounding these components, and Cunningham explained simple ways they can be used to enhance rituals. The index and appendices were also extremely helpful in finding current distributors of plants, oils and other necessary ingredients, as well as recipes for making specific blends. I read it straight through, but I will definitely use it in an encyclopedic fashion when planning rituals in the future.

[Fleashoereads]

Great reference tool for those who own it. Very informative on the history of aromatherapy. Full of information on using fresh and dried herbs and plants in home instead of essential oils. Also alot of information on the costly process of getting essential oils from the plants.

[Samra]

small hand sized book easy to use, love Cunningham's writing

[Joanne]

Really great book. Only 4 stars because I expected a few more essential oils.

[Anita]

Fantastic little book on magical aromatherapy.

[Lauren]

Helpful little reference book, great use for beginners with historical background/insight into aromatherapy usage.

[Sara]

Diverse inesattezze.
Da consultare SOLO dopo un bel manuale di aromaterapia SERIA

[Sharon Black]

Great author. Great book

[Emilia]

Interesting and worth reading. Even if your not into witchcraft. A lot of information about aromatherapy.

[Michaela]

Great book for those who want to add aromatherapy in spiritual practices and especially in visualization. I will go back again to this book definitely.

[Michael P]

This book pairs very well with his book oils incense and Brews as it all ties into the use of herbs and Magic to create magical scents

[Eve]

Scott Cunningham made such a tremendous contribution to the pagan community via his work. This is an oldie but a goody. It's a great guide to magickal aromatherapy, it covers the basics both mundane and spiritual.

[Robin]

As with all of Cunningham's books, this one is packed full of useful and practical information. This particular book discusses how to use aromatherapy--specifically essential oils--in magical practices. Giving an overview of safe usage, Cunningham covers using oils for specific magical practices and purposes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book because even though I've been an EO user for years, I've never used oils in a magical/spiritual setting. I feel this guide gives me a good overview and a great basis for researching this topic further in my own magical practices.

[Katsu]

We can find in this book both, a bit of history of using different scents by people and advices how use it nowadays. I've found that truly interesting. Definitely useful also as a reference for future, however I would appreciate if it contained more scents.

[Roxanne]

I haven't had the time to pick this up again, but had started it during my schooling in cosmetology with ideas of putting out my own perfumes.

[M]

new herbs