Ancient Scents & Their Meanings

Have you ever smelled something and it took you back to a specific moment in your life or a certain feeling?

We can’t always explain why scents attach themselves to moments in our lives and stick, but we know that scents are powerful.

Think about how you feel when you smell fresh cut grass, the incense burning in your local yoga studio, onions sautéing on the stove, or winter candles burning.

Each one of those scents probably evokes a specific emotion in you.

This is the power of scents.

Smell is one of the most primal senses, and it can awaken the deep emotions that may be hiding in your cells.

Scents are a way to connect to our heart space. They’re a way to shift our energy, our emotions, and our mood. They can also be an incredible way to connect with the Universe or the Divine.

Some scents, such as the ones below, have their roots in ancient civilizations around the world. They’ve been used for their magickal healing properties in the ancient civilizations of India, Rome, China, Egypt, and more.

Why?

Scroll down to learn more about some of the most powerful ancient scents' meanings and uses.

Frankincense

Frankincense has been used for centuries in the Middle East (where it’s from), Egypt, Israel, Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece, other parts of Europe, and more.

In different cultures, it was used for different things:

• As incense in sacred Jewish rituals, Christian ceremonies, and other religious ceremonies in Greece, Rome, Egypt, and Israel

• Healing and purification in the Ayurvedic tradition

• To drive insects away in the Middle East

• Flavoring food and drinks in the Middle East

• In burial rituals in Egypt and Rome

• To treat medical issues including ulcers, nausea, post-childbirth recovery, chest coughs, and fever

• To embalm bodies in Ancient Egypt

Besides its practical uses, it was revered as a powerful tool for protection, purification, and connecting with the divine.

How can you incorporate frankincense into your life today? Here are some ideas:

• Burn frankincense resin as an offering to a goddess you’re working with

• Use frankincense oil to anoint your candles in candle magick

• Use frankincense oil (diluting with a carrier oil if needed!) on your wrists before meditation or ritual work

• Rub the soles of your feet with frankincense oil before bed to help you relax

• Diffuse frankincense oil on summer nights on your porch for a natural bug spray

• Use frankincense oil as a perfume on your skin to imbue your day to day with some extra magic

• Burn frankincense incense in your space to protect and purify it

Myrrh

Myrrh also comes from trees in the Middle East and North Africa, and was used alongside frankincense in the great ancient civilizations of Egypt, Israel, Europe, and the Middle East. Where frankincense is associated with the sun, myrrh is a bit murkier. It’s associated with the sun because its tree thrives in the desert sun, but it’s also associated with the moon, because of its strong feminine history as an herb for ancient goddesses.

Some of its historical uses are:

• Embalming the dead in ancient Egypt

• Used as medicine, especially with honey, in ancient Egypt for many illnesses, especially skin conditions, infections, and bruises

• Burning as sacred incense in Christian traditions

• Used in ancient Egyptian rites as an offering to the sun god Ra and goddess Isis

• As a perfume and purification oil for the Hebrew people

• For its restorative properties in Eastern medicine

Myrrh was used as a powerful tool for healing, protection, purification, meditation, and expanding inner wisdom. It was often used as a great complement to frankincense, and it’s thought that combining the two even increases their power.Try these ideas for incorporating myrrh into your life today:

• Burn myrrh resin on your altar as an offering to the goddess Isis

• Use in banishing and protection rituals and spells

• Purify and bless magical tools such as your tarot cards, crystals, and talismans

• Burn myrrh incense when you need personal healing and comfort

• Use myrrh oil on your skin (diluting with carrier oil if necessary) to help you meditate

• Incorporate into any of your work with frankincense above

Sandalwood

Sandalwood isn’t technically an herb. It’s actually, like the name suggests, a type of wood. Sandalwood has been used for thousands of years in many different contexts, including:

• Buddhist rituals

• Muslim rituals

• Egyptian embalming rituals

• Folk medicine in Tibet and China

• In carvings for shrines and homes in India

• In figurines and jewelry in India

• As a paste for anointing in Hindu temples

• As a perfume and soap in Europe

• As a powerful remedy in the Ayurvedic system of medicine

• Consecrating ritual tools in Hindu ceremonies

Practically, sandalwood has been used for its anti-inflammatory and cleansing properties. Magically and energetically, sandalwood has been used for many things including healing, purification, grounding while also assisting in meditation, clearing negativity, deep spiritual relaxation, clairvoyance, and manifestation.Some ways to use sandalwood in your life are:

• Write your desires on a stick of sandalwood on the new moon and burn it, letting the smoke carry your desires into the universe

• Cleanse your magical tools (like crystals, athames, cauldrons, and tarot cards) of negative energy

• Burn sandalwood chips to help heal coughs and UTIs

• Burn sandalwood incense for meditation

• Burn sandalwood incense or chips for astral projection and communicating with spirits

• Wear sandalwood beads for higher spiritual awareness

Nag Champa

If you’ve ever walked into a yoga studio or a witchy shop, you’ve probably smelled the earthy, slightly sweet scent of Nag Champa. But what is Nag Champa?

It’s a blend of different scents, most famously the champa flower, as well as sandalwood, and halmaddi resin. The champa flower from the Magnolia champaca tree, a tree often planted near ashrams, has long been prized in India for its sweet fragrance and bright yellow color.

As you’ve probably guessed, Nag Champa’s origins are as incense in India where it was often used for meditation, yoga, and rituals in Hindu temples and ashrams. It’s now one of the most popular incense scents in the world!

Nag Champa is thought to stimulate spiritual awareness while simultaneously grounding you in the present.

Here are some ideas for incorporating this popular scent into your life:

• Burn Nag Champa when you meditate or do yoga

• Use Nag Champa oil as a perfume

• Burn Nag Champa for chanting and kirtan practices

• Use Nag Champa oil to massage your feet (diluting if needed!)

• Use Nag Champ soap or body wash (there are tons of options) to add some magic to your everyday

Getting Started With Candle Magick

If you’re on the fence about getting started with spellwork and magick, candle magick is the best place to start. Candle magick is simple, you don’t need much to perform it, and it’s powerful. You may even be using forms of candle magick in your home already and not even realize it!

I’m going to cover everything you need to know to get started with candle magick here.

How and why candle magick works

How often do you have a fleeting thought of acquiring a new object or setting an intention but neglect to follow through with it? Performing candle magick requires that you focus on specific goals and visualize them clearly. This often brings up emotion, connecting you even more to your desire. Think of the candle itself as a communication medium between yourself and The Universe. As your candle burns it is sending your request out into The Universe.

Candles also represent all four elements which make them a potent source of intention setting. The solid wax and wick of the candle represent earth, the flame represents fire, the smoke represents air, and the melting wax represents water.

All of these reasons combined make candles the ideal tool for spellwork and magick.

What kind of candles to use?

Any kind of candle will work, but you may find that you prefer specific kinds of candles for specific spells. I prefer to use 100% paraffin wax spell candles. They’re made specifically for candle magick, are easy to come by online or in new age shops, reasonably priced, and they come in a variety of colors.

Another great option is beeswax candles. They can be a bit pricier and harder to find but are a luxurious option because they’re 100% natural. Beeswax candles are said to emit negative ions (like a salt lamp), which is an added bonus.

If you don’t have either of these available, any candle will do, just be mindful of the color and scent of the candle as they will have an effect on the outcome. I cover candle color meanings in the last section of this blog post.

Preparing your candles

Before you start with any candle magick you’ll want to physically clean the candle and cleanse any negative energy from it. You’ll also want to anoint or “dress” your candle with oil. Keep reading for tips to perform both of these tasks.

Always begin with cleaning your candle first. To cleanse your candle start by inspecting it for any physical signs of dirt or dust. Next, you’ll want to cleanse the energy of your candle. You can do this by placing it under the light of a full moon, wafting cleansing herbal smoke around the candle, or by wiping it down with water.

Anointing your candle is an important step because it gives you the opportunity to imprint your energy onto the candle after it’s been cleansed. Select an oil that resonates with you or lines up with your intention. An essential oil or a simple baby oil will work. Put a couple of drops of the oil on your candle or your hands and rub it on the candle. As you rub the candle with oil focus on your desired outcome and imagine your energy and desire being absorbed by the candle.

Learn more about how to dress your candle for spellwork here.

Candle color meanings

These are basic meanings for each color:

• Red: Strength, passion, intensity

• Orange: Sensuality, vitality, expression

• Yellow: Inspiration, confidence, clarity

• Green: Renewal, abundance, prosperity

• Blue: Peace, respite, psychic protection

• Violet: Intuition, attunement, psychic ability

• White: Newness, purification, hope

• Black: Stability, perseverance, negativity shield

• Pink: Love, romance, friendship

Getting started

1. Safety first! Please ensure that you burn your candles in a safe space and never leave a candle burning unattended.

2. Select a candle color that is in alignment with your intention. It’s always best to perform candle magick with a new candle.

3. Cleanse and consecrate your candle keeping your intention in mind as you do this.

4. Light your candle and watch it burn while focusing on your intention. Sit and gaze at the candle for as long as you’d like or space the candle burning out over several nights. If you space out your candle burning, don’t blow out your candle, instead, snuff it out with a candle snuffer. The candle snuffer will help seal your intent rather than blow it away.

5. Be mindful over the next day(s) of how this exercise makes you feel about the intention you’ve set for yourself.

This is the easiest way to get started with candle magick. Get comfortable performing these simple steps and then check out this blog post with more detailed candle magick spells and receive a free candle magick printable.

10 Uses for Labradorite

It’s hard not to fall in love with labradorite. Ancient people who came upon labradorite believed it was connected to the Aurora Borealis. Just like this natural wonder in the sky, no two pieces of labradorite look quite alike with their flashes of color.

In addition to its colorful glow, labradorite comes with a slew of metaphysical and spiritual uses. The best part is that this stone is easy to come by and relatively inexpensive to acquire.

Labradorite is said to be the stone of magick. This title isn’t surprising due to its long list of magickal and spiritual benefits. Keep reading for ten uses for labradorite.

Aura Cleansing

Labradorite is queen when it comes to cleansing your aura (learn more about auras here). If your aura is weak, has tears, or holes in it labradorite can help with that too. Keep that aura squeaky clean by meditating with a piece of labradorite or going around your entire body with a piece of it in your hand.

Psychic Protection

Beyond protecting your aura, labradorite can help shield you during psychic work too. Whether you’re practicing tarot, using a pendulum, or scrying with a crystal ball labradorite can help protect you from any unwanted spiritual energy. Try wearing or placing a piece of labradorite nearby you the next time you practice any form of psychic work.

Enhancing Intuition

Labradorite connects strongly to your third eye, especially if you can find one with some purples in it! This third eye connection makes this stone ideal for honing your intuitive abilities. Start including labradorite into your daily life and see if it makes a difference. You may even try placing some labradorite on your nightstand to work on your intuition at night too.

Connecting with Guides and Angels

If you’re trying to connect with your spirit guides or angels, labradorite can help with this too. If you haven’t noticed, labradorite has a thing for helping you with the spirit realm! Think of labradorite as a window to the other side. This stone will make connecting with your guides and angels easier, and the best part is that it will also offer protection too. Wear or hold a piece of labradorite in your hand as you call on the guide or angel you’re trying to connect with.

Balancing Chakras

Because you can find labradorite in just about every color, it’s a potent healer and balancer for your chakra system. If you know that you have a specific chakra that’s out of wack you can try to find a labradorite stone that matches that chakra's color. Or, you can grab yourself an extra rainbowy labradorite that has every color in it to have a powerful chakra balancer for all of your chakras!

Astral Travel

Labradorite is a must for astral travel. It will help open the doors to the other side and will offer you protection along the way. Wear or hold labradorite in your hand anytime you intend to leave your earthly body for a trip through the cosmos or to the Akashic records.

Aid for Magick and Spellwork

Of course, the stone of magick is ideal for performing any magick or spellwork. Anytime you’re performing magickal spells you’re enlisting forces on the other side to help you. Because labradorite helps open doors to the other side, it’s the ideal stone to have nearby for any magickal work you’re practicing. If you already have an altar space where you perform spellwork placing a piece of labradorite on it won’t hurt!

Creativity and Imagination

Looking for a way to get more in touch with your creative side? Think of your creative thoughts as little nudges from the other side; labradorite can help let them in. If you’re looking for labradorite to help with a serious creative block, try finding labradorite with an orange flash to it so it can work on your sacral chakra too.

Anxiety

If you have anxiety or identify as an empath, labradorite is an excellent stone to keep handy while you’re out and about, especially in large groups of people. Because this stone is so good at protecting your energy, it’s great for super sensitive souls too. Don’t let labradorite take the place of your doctor or therapist, but it can offer some added protection when you’re feeling triggered.

Light Bringer

Remember when I said ancient tribes believed labradorite was connected to the Aurora Borealis? Remember that anytime you use it. This iridescent stone is all about bringing self-awareness and opening pathways for you. Labradorite is a true bringer of light in both appearance and its many applications.

I hope you’ve found ten more reasons to adore this stone! It truly is a stone of magick and has so much to offer.

Seeing the Same Number? Here’s What Your Numeric Messages Mean

Are you constantly stalked by a specific number or combination of numbers? Many people claim to see the same numbers repeatedly on digital clocks, license plates, registers, or anywhere numbers show up. You’re not alone!

If you’ve experienced this phenomenon, you’ve probably been curious about its meaning, maybe even scared by it. That’s precisely what started my journey into researching numeric communication. If you’re skeptical, keep reading to check out my experience with the number 11, then keep scrolling for the possible meanings behind your numeric sightings.

My number story (for the skeptics)

I’ve been stalked by the number 11 my entire life, but it ramped up in 2017. After a while, I was so suspicious of the constantly appearing number that I began taking screenshots of the constantly appearing 11’s on my phone. In just four months I was graced with 11’s over 189 times on my phone. This count doesn’t even include all the times I would see 11’s on digital clocks in my home, car, or the number just showing up randomly (which all happen very often). I don’t know about you, but that blows coincidence out of the water for me! If you read my last blog post on numerology basics, you also know that my life path number is 11. This gave me pause.

When I was in college, I was stalked specifically by the number 911. Initially, it had me spooked! I remember the first date of 9/11 since this had been happening, I was terrified to leave the house! I thought it must be a bad omen. Fortunately, not only did I make it through that day unscathed, but I also know that these are simply messages from my guides, angels, ancestors, or soul.

The artwork shown on my screen display is from The Starchild Tarot Deck by Danielle Noelle.

Why do we receive numeric messages?

Though numerology and numeric messages may have some overlap, they’re not the same thing. Numerology is based on your birthdate and name, whereas numeric messages are seemingly random occurrences that can come and go throughout your life. As I said in my last blog post on numerology basics, numbers are an ideal method of communication because they’re universal, this is also true for numeric messages!

Many, myself included, believe that the repeating numbers that millions report seeing are messages from angels, spirit guides, and/or our higher self. If you’ve been seeing a numeric message so often that you can no longer ignore it, someone or something is likely trying to tell you something. Let’s dig into what these numeric messages could mean.

What do your numeric messages mean?

You may be seeing single digits, repeating digits, or the same combination of numbers, all of which are common. This list will break down some of the most common numeric combinations people report seeing.

The best thing to do when you see one of these numbers is to pause and ask yourself what you were thinking about, it might give you a clue about what your message pertains to. Once you have a better understanding of what each number means, you’ll be able to apply this knowledge to combined numbers. For example, if you’re always seeing the combination 211, it could mean that a new relationship is on the horizon, that you need more companionship in your life, or to be aware of people you come in contact with as they may be an important person to get to know.

11, 111 & 1111

Newness and big energy! 1s are the start of a cycle so they usually indicate a fresh start, a new project, a time for a change, or the beginning of a new evolution in your life journey. 1s can signal to you that it’s time to get going on big dreams you’ve been putting off, but they may also come as sweet reminders that you’re onto something and to continue full steam ahead on your current path. Different combinations of 11s are a very common and cosmic numeric message!

22 & 222

It’s time to focus on different partnerships in your life. Is there a relationship that you’ve been avoiding that might need healing? Perhaps, you’ve been trying to do everything independently and are afraid to ask for help? 22s and 222s ask you to find balance in your life, possibly through the help and aid of others.

33 & 333

3s signal a time of harmony and possibly creativity and creation too. Are there areas of your life that feel out of whack, like you’re missing something? This numeric message may be signaling to you that it’s time to try something different and get out of your comfort zone. If you’ve felt pulled to try a new creative hobby or physical activity, now’s the time. Notice if investing time in a new creation or project brings you a revived sense of harmony and well-being.

44 & 444

4s are your sign to get manifesting! This number signifies a time of physical and spiritual becoming one and working together. If you see this number pop up, you may notice that your thoughts are becoming a reality with ease. If you’ve been holding off on trying to manifest something, it’s a sign that now is the time and your angels and guides are ready to help you!

55 & 555

A change is coming! 5s are here to clue you into a possible transformation or change on your horizon. It could be big or small, but the lesson from this numeric message is to roll with the punches throughout this transition. Trying to resist any upcoming changes could make the situation worse, trust that you’re on the right path even if it feels uncertain.

66 & 666

This is a number that may come with some baggage for you, it might even scare you. Rest assured that anything you were taught about 666 will not pertain to its meaning here. 6s are powerful numeric messages that will most certainly get your attention. This numeric message is here to help wake you up if you’re stuck in a negative thought pattern. Maybe you’re stuck in a difficult challenge or situation, 6 messages want to remind you that shifting your thought patterns to more positive ones may be the key to accessing the power you need to move through your difficulties.

77 & 777

There is a powerful wave of love and support riding right behind you! Messages of 7s are full of awakened energy, wisdom, and spiritual attunement. This numeric message wants you to remember how supported you truly are and to trust that you’re on the right path. If you’re seeing 7s this is a great time to meditate and connect with your angels, spirit guides, or higher self.

8 & 888

It’s time to step into your power! This commanding numeric message reminds you that you have everything you need to claim what is yours and live your truth. If you’ve identified your life path but feel put down or muffled by others, 8s remind you that you can and should claim your power and move forward with your goals.

9 & 999

This numeric message is associated with endings. Don’t fret though, with all endings come new beginnings. 9 messages are here to help you accept any endings that are currently happening in your life. Whether it’s with a partner, career, or way of thinking, now is the time to let go and surrender to what is.

00 & 000

This sweet nudge from the universe is a simple one, the divine (whatever that means to you) is near, when you see a 0 message rest assured that the love of the universe is all around you.

You can find a variety of meanings for number combinations in books and online. I encourage you to find meanings that resonate the most with you and your current situation. Some like to take geometric and sacred geometry symbols into consideration for understanding numeric messages, and some prefer to focus on angels and ascended masters. If you enjoy my interpretations, you’ll probably enjoy the book Messages in the Number by Alana Fairchild, as much of my inspiration on numbers has come from her teachings.

Once you’re accustomed to seeing these numeric reminders they’ll likely become a natural part of your day. You’ll likely begin to welcome them as sweet signs of encouragement or a warning from the spirit realm. The more you embrace your numeric messages, the more you’ll begin to notice them.