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The good news is you don’t have to be an aromatherapy expert to tap into their magic!
By Deborah Roth — Written on Mar 08, 2020
Essential oils seem to be all the rage nowadays. If you want to dip your toe in the pool, where do you start?
One way is by tapping into astrology and letting your zodiac sign choose the essential oil that's right for you.
What is aromatherapy?
The science of aromatherapy and essential oils seems new, but the truth is that they’ve been with us for millennia.
Cleopatra bathed in rose-scented baths, incense has burned in temples and church since ancient times, and healers have always had aromatic salves in their toolkits.
Do you have a special scent that immediately carries you back to your childhood? Maybe to your grandfather’s study or the woods behind your house or your favorite beach?
(One of my big triggers is Ponds Hand Cream. One whiff of that and I’m a kid again, sitting on my grandmother’s lap!)
That’s because our sense of smell is the most evocative of all our senses. It’s directly connected to our limbic system, the part of our brain that’s the seat of our emotions and memories.
You can use essential oils for physical healing, to elevate your mood, for destressing, to enhance meditation, and to infuse sacred space, to name a few.
And while an entire industry has grown up around the specific healing qualities of all the various essential oils, you can also just focus on the ones that resonate with you personally, for whatever purpose you’re exploring.
How to use essential oils
I’m by no means an expert, but I’ve been researching and using essential oils for almost 30 years. I burn them in my home office in my little aromatherapy diffuser, I bathe and massage my body with them, and I use them every month in my women’s New Moon circles.
If I can teach myself, so can you!
Before you pick an essential oil to try out, here are the 4 basics you need to know.
1. Always test them on your skin
A drop or two in the bend of your elbow to be sure you won’t have a reaction. Most books and resources will tell you which ones shouldn’t be used directly on the skin, but it’s a good idea to check yourself.
2. Use a carrier oil
If you are going to add essential oils to your bath or apply them to your skin, use a carrier essential oil, like jojoba, or almond oil. According to Healthline, a carrier oil helps to dilute essential oils to prevent them from irritating your skin.
I’ve also added it to coconut oil and even olive oil, though that has a distinct smell, to begin with.
3. Surround yourself with it
There are a bunch of ways you can surround yourself with magical scents and here's where astrology comes in.
Everyone knows their zodiac sign, so start with that:
- Diffuser (Air signs: Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius)
- Massage oil or lotion (Earth signs: Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn)
- In the bath (Water signs: Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces)
- Aromatherapy candle (Fire signs: Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius)
4. Be prepared for limbic-related emotional responses to pop up when you least expect it
In one of my earliest women’s circles, I burned the ancient scent, frankincense.
As we all went around the circle sharing memories of our spiritual journeys, one woman told us that the smell immediately took her back to her childhood when she used to faint in church.
Then, as we continued around the circle, another woman shared the same thing! I’ve been really careful with that scent ever since.
If you do want to explore the connection between aromatherapy and your personal astrology, here are the best essential oils for all the zodiac signs to experiment with.
Aries (March 21-April 19): Black pepper, ginger, or marjoram
Tap into Aries’ fearless, full-steam-ahead energy.
Black pepper and ginger both facilitate courage and protection. Marjoram, on the other hand, provides many benefits for the body's immune and cardiovascular systems.
Taurus (April 20-May 20): Patchouli, rose, or ylang-ylang.
Earthy Taurus wants you to nurture your body.
Ylang-ylang and patchouli oil promote sexual energy (and we know how Taurus' are all about that!), while rose essential oil surrounds you with love.
Gemini (May 21—June 20): Basil, bergamot, or grapefruit
Try basil, bergamot, and grapefruit to stimulate Gemini’s intellect and the gift of gab or if you really want to focus on finding the perfect words to say or write.
Cancer (June 21—July 20): Rosemary, lavender, or chamomile
For Cancer’s natural instinct to nurture others, these are lovely scents to remind you to take care of yourself.
Lavender has healing properties and chamomile brings about peace and relaxation. For more clarity and focus, go with rosemary.
Leo (July 21—August 21): Rosemary, garlic, or ginger
Rosemary, garlic, and ginger are all great choices to complement Leo’s dramatic nature and willfulness. Looks like you need to spend some time in the kitchen with these ingredients!
Virgo (August 22—September 21): Lemon, pine, or tea tree.
To capitalize on Virgo’s penchant for health and healing, try some of these "cleansing" scents like lemon, pine, and tea tree.
Libra (September 22—October 21): Rose, neroli, or bergamot.
Libra is a mental Air sign, but it’s also about creating balance and partnership, so experiment with rose, neroli, and bergamot to maximize harmony.
Scorpio (October 22—November 21): Clary sage, ylang-ylang, or jasmine
"Still waters run deep" is Scorpio’s motto. To capture that intense, passionate energy, try clary sage for peace and relaxation, ylang-ylang for sexual energy, or jasmine for spirituality.
Sagittarius (November 22—December 20): Geranium, rosemary, or frankincense
The Sag vibe is an expansive, optimistic one, so uplifting oils like geranium and rosemary are great. Or to enhance Sag’s search for meaning, go with frankincense.
Capricorn (December 20—January 20): Cinnamon, nutmeg, or clove oils
The Capricorn season encompasses the holidays and the turning of the year, so play with cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove oils — like eggnog!
Aquarius (January 21—February 18): Coriander, peppermint, or eucalyptus
Aquarius likes to be different, to shake things up! So try coriander, peppermint, or eucalyptus to really awaken your senses.
Pisces (February 19—March 19): Sandalwood, lotus, or sage
Pisces souls are sensitive and intuitive so experiment with a blend of sandalwood, lotus, and sage brings out that mystical nature.
Here’s a cheat sheet to get you started on what essential oils can be used for:
- Healing: Lavender, eucalyptus, sandalwood
- Courage, protection: Black pepper, ginger, clove, parsley
- Clarity, focus: Sweet basil, sage, dill, rosemary
- Creativity: Bergamot, neroli, grapefruit, geranium, tonka
- Sexual energy: Ylang-ylang, patchouli
- Love: Jasmine, rose, vanilla
- Prosperity: Cinnamon, nutmeg
- Psychic awareness: Lotus, yarrow, mugwort
- Happiness: Lemon, orange, freesia
- Peace, relaxation: Bergamot, chamomile, clary sage
- Spirituality: Frankincense, gardenia, jasmine, myrrh, sandalwood
Are you getting the idea? You don’t have to be a certified aromatherapist to reap the benefits of essential oils. So play with a couple and use them in creative ways.
All it takes is a little research and a love of scents and you’re good to go.
Deborah Roth, M.A., is a Spiritual Life and Relationship coach, a counseling astrologer, and interfaith minister. She leads women’s new moon circles and full moon tele-meditations every month and loves supporting individuals and couples to re-energize mind, body, and spirit, and enhance their relationships. You can visit her website or email her to schedule an introductory coaching session.
This article was originally published at Spirited Living. Reprinted with permission from the author.