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The tree that provides this botanical perfume was beloved of the goddess Diana. Dictynna was a priestess of Diana on Crete (or in other versions, was a local goddess of Crete in her own right). Her family had been attacked and killed by robbers. When a man came forward who said he could help Dictynna bring her family's killers to justice if Dictynna married him, she agreed. He did his part, but before they could be wed, Diana, not wanting to lose her priestess to marriage, turned her into a mastic tree. Its scent signifies virginity and purity and so is a good candidate for making magickal oils dedicated to the Maiden aspect of the goddess. It is expensive, but its scent is powerful enough that a little goes a long, long way. Top Honoring Bacchus Oddly enough, this fragrance is also important to the god Bacchus, because it was under a mastic tree that the Bacchanals found and killed the king of Thebes, who had forbidden the worship of Bacchus. It is very much ancient-world thinking that a magickal scent that is tied to virginity is also very firmly connected to frenzy and wild revelry. Top Correspondences Mastic has been identified as Sun, Mercury, and Air. The latter certainly makes sense, because this is a very clean resin with a light scent. However, a case can made for Sun in the pure yellow color of the resin and the shinyness of its pieces, as well as for Mercury, as this natural perfume is excellent for mixing with other scents, bringing them a light resinous aroma. This scent is also ruled by the Fixed Star Regulus and is a sealant in the 24th and 28th Lunar Mansions. Steam-distilled from Pistacia lentiscus. Top Combining With Other Essential Oils The fragrance of mastic is balsamic and lightly resinous. It can irritate sensitive skin. It's a fixative and combines well with the natural perfumes of ambrette, amyris, bay leaf, balsam, benzoin, beeswax, bergamot, black pepper, blood orange, carnation, carrot seed, cassia, cedarwood, cistus, citronella, clary sage, clove bud, coconut, coriander, costus, currant bud, fir balsam, fir needle, frankincense, galbanum, guaiacwood, hay, ho leaf, juniper, lavender, mugwort, myrrh, nutmeg, oakmoss, olibanum, osmanthus, patchouli, rose, rosewood, sandalwood, tobacco, tonka bean, vanilla, vetiver, and violet leaf as well as some floral scents. Top |
Mastic
Essential Oil 
Maiden Work © 2004-2024 Alchemy Works; No reproduction without permission |
Mastic
Essential Oil