There’s a little bit of ‘witch’ in all of us - especially those of us who are drawn to the magic of plants. And as we enter the darker half of the year - and we approach Samhain - or Halloween - the ancient Celtic festival marking the thinning of the veil - many of us can feel an inner stirring - or a call to the mystical and magical.

This is the season when intuition piques and the modern ‘witch’ within begins to awaken.

For some, this looks like feeling drawn to a more holistic path, in line with nature’s rhythms - the moon, herbs, crystals, or energy healing.  Or it could also be the secret pull to working with essential oils for healing - the tiny bottles of plant alchemy that feel like portals to another world. Or it could also be some kind of crisis that is calling us to heal with oils.

For those of us drawn to the magic of aromatherapy, we can secretly obsess over them but also feel all the fear of embracing this new, ‘witchy’ path.  So, if you’ve ever found yourself captivated by the scents of essential oils, or curious about their power - or you’ve been hiding your little collection - you’re in perfect company. 

This article is for the ‘witches-in-training’ - aka, the women waking to their natural gifts, learning to trust their intuition and maybe still feeling a little bit nervous of being seen as ‘magical’ - or getting it ‘wrong’. Let’s dive in and help you embrace your inner witch - with the power of essential oils. Before we do, let’s speak to one of the things that can arise as we open to our gifts.

The fear of our witchy wisdom

Many people called to aromatherapy can also feel fears rise as they begin to open to a more alternative approach to healing - 

• Who am I to do this?
• What if I get it wrong?
• What will people think if I talk about essential oils?

This fear is ancient - a reminder of the ‘witch wound’, where our ancestors were burned at the stake for working with more ‘holistic healing’.  It’s this that has witches-in-training doubting ourselves, our intuition, seeking validation and hiding our natural connection to the medicinal properties of plants.

But aromatherapy is a modality that offers us a way home - each drop of oil carrying the wisdom of the plant world, reminding us that we are part of nature, and that nature has always been our teacher.  It’s also a much more widely accepted modality now - and one that we can begin cultivating our relationship to magic with.

More than that, aromatherapy is something that invites us to learn to come back into our bodies again - in a world that has had us disconnect from that. Through the power of scent and touch - and how our body responds - we can begin to reconnect to our senses, the earth and our intuition. Which is the beginning of healing.

The witch’s apothecary ‘essentials’: starter kit

If you’re just beginning with essential oils - or you’ve been secretly collecting them but aren’t sure where to start - then a small, intentional kit is a great place to get going.

Think of this as your starter apothecary - a collection of allies to help you ground, tune in and work with plant magic. Here are my Top 5 oils for witches-in-training, to help you stay calm, grounded, open, intuitive and to help you in the heaviness of being a magical one.

Lavender - the calming all-rounder

Lavender is an oil that should be part of every ‘new’ witch’s kit - it calms the nervous system, helps regulate sleep and is also great for many physical ailments. It’s especially good for keeping us feeling safe in the fears of our witch (e.g. fearing getting it ‘wrong’).

Calming Bath Blend: Add 3 drops Lavender, 2 drops Sweet Orange and 1 drop Rose into 15ml of Bath Oil or Shower Gel and mix into the hot running water of a bath.  Soak under the moonlight, with a candle, breathe deeply and repeat “I am safe to embrace my inner witch.”

Rose - the balancing heart opener

The oil of self-love, Rose is an oil that connects us back to our hearts and reminds us that our power comes from compassion.  Balancing for our emotions, and dispelling of fear, it’s a great oil for our witch’s aromatherapy kit - with a very nurturing energy.

Nurturing Massage Blend: to nourish your nervous system, add 2 drops Rose, 2 drops Bergamot and 2 drops Frankincense into 15ml Grapeseed oil and massage into the body in a direction towards the heart, with gentle, tender strokes. Repeat: “My inner witch nurtures me.

Frankincense - the spiritual intuition-awakener

One of the more sacred oils, used in ancient temples and rituals, Frankincense calms the mind and deepens our connection to unseen realms, enhancing our connection. This is perfect for the inner witch wanting to trust her inner voice.

Intuitive Diffusion Blend: Add 2 drops Frankincense, 2 drops Myrrh and 2 drops Sweet Orange to water in an electrical diffuser or candle burner and inhale the aroma for 30 minutes. To super-charge you could use this whilst working with divination, tarot or moon rituals to open your intuition!

Cedarwood - the oil for grounding

A deeply grounding oil, helping us feel rooted and protected as we open ourselves to energy work, Cedarwood is ideal before meditation, ritual or simply when we feel a bit overwhelmed, sensitive and ‘open’ as new witches - if you’re feeling like you’re picking up everyone else’s energy.

Grounding Massage Blend: Mix 3 drops Cedarwood, 2 drops Vetivert and 1 drop Frankincense into 15ml Grapeseed oil and massage into the body in a direction towards the heart. Breathe deeply and imagine roots anchoring you down to the earth.  You might also like to travel outside after and stand barefoot in the earth, to ground yourself further.

Sweet Orange - the mood brightener

For when witchy work feels a bit heavy and dark, Sweet Orange brings lightness with its uplifting, energising properties.

Joy Spritz Blend: Mix 15 drops Sweet Orange, 10 drops Lavender and 5 drops Rose into 100ml of Orange Flower Hydrolat in a spray bottle.  Mist around your space to lift any energy. Set your intention each morning with a little spritz, and say “Today, I create <whatever you desire>.”

An invitation for this Halloween 

As the veil thins this Samhain, I invite you to take the first steps into embracing your magic and allowing yourself to enter ritual, harnessing the blends above - maybe grab your journal and ask yourself:

• Where have I been in fear of embracing my witch-in-training?
• Where can I love myself more so that I can allow myself to embrace my love of essential oils?
• Which essential oil blend do I want to play with first?

Grant yourself permission to play with your inner witch!

A note on intuitive blending

As we get started with using oils, we can often fear using the ‘wrong’ oils - but my mission is to help secret witches know that there is no ‘wrong’. Our bodies are super intuitive, and always know the oils that we need, so my best advice is to allow your body (and nose!) to choose your oils - the ones you love the scent of are likely those you need.

Don’t be afraid to lean into your witchy wisdom as you practice blending - the main thing is keeping the blending ratios consistent and within the safe parameters (aka not using oils neat, but within correct carrier to essential oil ratios).  If you follow that, you can’t go wrong.

Ultimately, all of it will lead you back home to your witch within. Go gently - and remember - you were born for this magic!