What is Oil Magic (and What are Essential Oils)?

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If you haven't read my book, Essential Oil Magic: Natural Spells for the Green Witch, you might be wondering, “What is oil magic?”

To put it simply, Oil Magic is the practice of making magic (or "magick," as some prefer) with essential oils! If you're not already familiar with essential oils, though, you might need some context, which I will happily provide.

So what are essential oils, and what's so magical about them? Great question! Let's talk about it.

What are Essential Oils?

In simple magical terms, essential oils are basically the lifeblood essence of plants (essence-->essential). They are powerful concentrated substances that carry many of the chemical and magical properties of the whole plant they come from, and because of their form, they are especially potent, portable, and long-lasting, which makes them great allies to magical practice.

In scientific terms, essential oils are the volatile aromatic compounds present in plants which can be isolated through steam distillation. Let's break that down:

  • "Volatile" means they're teeny tiny molecules that evaporate rapidly, which is what allows them to reach our noses so quickly.

  • "Aromatic" means that when they hit our noses, they're fragrant, mostly in a good way, although not every person loves the smell of every oil (more on that some other time).

  • The "compounds" bit can be a little confusing, because in science talk, a compound usually refers to one specific molecule or ion, but each essential oil actually contains many different chemical constituents! To get all the most important constituents, each different plant has to be grown, harvested, processed, and distilled with super precise methods, which is one reason why it's important to get your oils from a trusted quality source who really has the resources and experience to know what they're doing (this is a big part of why I only use Young Living essential oils).

  • Finally, "which can be isolated through steam distillation" just means that all true essential oils are steam distilled. Some plants have volatile aromatic compounds which just aren't suitable for this process for one reason or another, such as Jasmine - the fragrant oils in jasmine flowers cannot be extracted by the process of steam distillation, so they have to be distilled a different way. This makes Jasmine essence an "absolute," and not an essential oil -- but that doesn't mean you can't use it in oil magic! In fact, Young Living even makes a Jasmine absolute that I use in my oil magic practice.

So... What is Oil Magic?

Now that you know what essential oils are, you have the context to understand when I say that oil magic is just magic... with essential oils!

There are so many ways to incorporate essential oils into your magical practice. The three traditional ways people typically use essential oils are topically, aromatically, and internally. All three of these can be practiced with a magical spin on them, and most existing forms of magical practice can be enhanced with the addition of essential oils in one way or another.

Topical Use

Topical use refers to putting oils directly on your skin, either diluted or neat (undiluted). People often roll on diluted essential oils as a perfume or to address specific needs such as physical discomfort. A magical spin on this could look like enchanting your perfume roller with a glamour spell to enhance and magnify your desired energy, enchanting a roll-on formulated for supporting focus and memory with an additional layer of magical intention, or pairing affirmations with specific oils and blends when you apply them to your skin.

Aromatic Use

Aromatic use refers to inhaling the essential oils. You can inhale straight from an open bottle or by adding essential oils to a diffuser, among other ways. Because essential oils are so volatile and composed of such tiny molecules, they can enter the bloodstream and affect our brain and all our body systems within a matter of seconds, even without ever placing the oils directly on our skin. This happens whether or not you practice or believe in magic, because this is pure science! However, you can add a splash of magic to this type of practice by charging your oils with energy and intention beforehand, by coupling your aromatic practice with affirmations or incantations, or simply by choosing oils from plants that have magical properties which align with your intentions for the occasion.

Internal Use

Internal use refers to the ingestion of essential oils and requires a little more care and attention than other uses. Only certain oils should be consumed, and only from brands you know for a fact do not adulterate or synthesize their oils. (Young Living has a line of Vitality oils that are specifically labeled for internal use, so you know they're safe in moderation--again, this is the ONLY brand I use, and I trust their quality and purity completely.) I love to use Vitality essential oils in my cooking and baking; in my coffee drinks, cocktails, and mocktails; and when the situation calls for it, in capsules as dietary supplements. I wouldn't suggest jumping right into this without guidance or research as there CAN be too much of a good thing, but fortunately Oil Coven is FULL of resources for the aspiring oil witch!

Other Uses

As for incorporating essential oils into existing aspects of your magical practice, this can come very naturally! Candle dressing with oils is already a big part of candle magic, and oils can easily be added to charm bags and potions, used to charge crystals and consecrate magical tools, and more. If you can imagine it, it can probably be done; and whatever your intention is, there's almost certainly an oil for that!

Learn More

If you'd like to learn more about how I practice Oil Magic and how you can get started yourself, I've created a FREE 14-day text class all about different ways to incorporate essential oils into your magical craft! To join, simply text OIL MAGIC 101 to 737-35-MAGIC (or 737-356-2442).

I also periodically host Zoom classes on this exact topic about once per season if you'd rather join me live. When you sign up for the text class, I'll make sure you get invited to the open zoom classes as well!

If you're looking for even more support on your magical oily journey, you might be interested in Oil Coven! We are an online coven of oil witches sharing what we know via our private Discord server and coven-exclusive Zoom calls. All you have to do to join Oil Coven is purchase your oils through my link (or use my referral number: 23669594), and then shoot me a message to introduce yourself and let me know you'd like an invite to the Discord! Then, all our coven-exclusive resources will be available to you through the Discord, which you can search, peruse, and participate in at your own pace. I'd love to have you join us there!

I suppose I would be remiss if I didn't also take this opportunity to mention that I've also written an entire book on the subject— Essential Oil Magic: Natural Spells for the Green Witch—which you can purchase here if you'd like.

Wishing you love and luck on your oily journey WHATEVER it may look like,

Vervain 🌹

P.S. This post contains affiliate links. When you use my links to shop, a small portion of the proceeds will go to support me making content like this, at no additional cost to you.