Jasmine: Symbolism and Usage

Jasmine is a fragrance that most of us cannot conjure, yet when it's presence the recognition is instant. It is soft yet  potent. It is cloying yet aggressive somehow. It has been a scent traditionally associated with the ripeness of femininity throughout the ages. It is, in my experience one of the most powerful scents, both on the sensual and spiritual levels. Yet in its purest forms, it can overwhelm any other scent around it, and holds a power which can cloud the mind very easily if not used responsibly.

Jasmine in bloom

The jasmine plant is a perennial, and grows in vines up to 15 ft high. In bloom it shows bunches of small pure white flowers, and later in the season purple berries. The purity of the flowers has been associated with innocence, yet this innocence, in my opinion, is of the latest stages. If their is innocence in jasmine I see it as symbolic of the transition from girl to woman, a time when the sensual shape and desires of woman are beginning to burst forth. It is that heady scent, coupled with the youth and innocence of the white flowers, that lends the jasmine it's power. It straddles two worlds, and wields that which is most powerful in both. Truly any woman can appreciate these qualities when examining their own lives, be they in the midst of that time or remembering it's unique memories.

Jasmine for me represents the allure of women. It is both soft yet mysterious, and contains a depth that most scents do not. It has been used by women since ancient times as a perfume, at this point it has been around so long it is almost instantly recognizable by both men and women.

Jasmine is a great scent to use any magic workings which relate to romantic love and sensual desire. It also may be helpful for women who are transitioning from childhood to adulthood, and are having difficulties accepting their adult, sexual nature or relationships.

 "Sensuality", or The Sacred Whore by Franz von Stuck

The most readily available form of jasmine in modern times for most of us is essential oil, however a word of caution. Essential jasmine oil is one of the most potent oils I have come across. I have purchased it before and found that when kept among other oils, it will often overpower them if not in a properly sealed container, and best in several layers of plastic coverings. For use as a perfume, always dilute your jasmine in a carrier oil or other perfume base. Even a single drop of pure jasmine oil on the skin can be highly irritating as well as overpowering. The scent of pure jasmine is so strong that without dilution, it has many times given me an awful headache for its potency.

Even for magic workings I recommended dilution, especially if you are combining several other scents. Three to four drops of pure jasmine per ounce of carrier oil is more than enough for a robust scent. Jasmine tends to negate whatever other energy is around it in its purest forms. In my opinion, I do not recommend using jasmine in any sort of anointing oil, unless the object anointed is to be burnt or otherwise disposed of after the work is done. Jasmine's scent and energy is very hard to remove from any porous surface.

Here is a great article that gives several recipes and ways in which Jasmine essential oil can be used for a variety of health and energy related purposes from The Healthy Haven Blog. Even for it's potency jasmine is one of my favorite oils, and one I have found particularly useful in relation to workings of love and sex. For me, a great resource for any Vanic witch.

In Frith,
Cena