The Magic of Flowers: A Guide to Their Metaphysical Uses & Properties - Tess Whitehurst 2013

Citrus Blossom
The Flowers

There seems to be no end to the magical benefits of neroli and all varieties of citrus blossom (orange, lemon, grapefruit, etc.). Neroli is the fancy name for bitter orange blossom essential oil, named after the illustrious Princess Marie Anne de La Trémoille of Nerola. Simply encountering a blossoming citrus tree and inhaling the fragrance of her creamy white blossoms can lift your personal vibration, balance your emotions, open you up to wealth and luxury, soothe your stress, and generally fill you with delight.

Magical Uses

Heavenly Assistance

Once you inhale the scent of a citrus blossom, you’ll know what I mean when I say that she is aligned with the heavenly realm. She soothes your mind, calms your emotions, and opens you up to the divine, angelic assistance that is always available to all of us. As such, she can help open doors, clear passages, precipitate opportunities, and orchestrate details in a harmonious way. To receive these benefits, you might try taking the essence, spending time with the flower, or soaking in the following magical bath.

BATH FOR DIVINE ASSISTANCE AND HARMONIOUS ORCHESTRATION

Draw a warm bath. After dissolving one-half cup sea salt and one-fourth cup baking soda in the water, add nine to twelve fresh citrus blossoms and five to ten drops neroli essential oil. Light a white or off-white soy candle and soak for at least forty minutes.

Beauty

In his Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, author Scott Cunningham says that “fresh or dried [orange] blossoms added to the bath make the bather more attractive.” And in Aromatherapy for Everyone, authors P. J. Pierson and Mary Shipley suggest “to regenerate skin cells and improve skin elasticity for mature skin, mix a drop or two [of neroli essential oil] with an application of an unscented face cream, and apply as normal.” Additionally, you might incorporate citrus blossoms or neroli oil into rituals for increasing and enhancing physical beauty. A flower essence made from any variety of citrus blossom would also be a lovely way to emphasize physical beauty or help support any healthy appearance-

enhancing regimen such as a weight loss or exercise program.

Clarity

When your mind is so full of thoughts, worries, and obligations that you seem to have forgotten why you are doing any of the things you are doing—or why you should even care—the scent of neroli essential oil, fresh citrus blossoms, or the essence of citrus blossoms might be just the thing to help you regain the clarity you crave.

AROMATHERAPEUTIC BRAIN DRAIN

Sit quietly with a notebook or journal nearby, relax, and simply inhale the scent of neroli essential oil or fresh citrus blossoms. Then, after a little while of sitting quietly, do a “brain drain”: list all the things that are running around in your head, whether they’re commitments, worries, fears, or anything else. Then take some time with each one and consider what steps you can take to minimize the stress each item seems to be activating. Perhaps you can drop a few of the commitments or delegate some chores to other members of the household. Maybe you’ll feel moved to deal with things you’ve been putting off, or maybe you’ll realize it’s time for a vacation, retreat, or even just a little nature walk.

Comfort and Luxury

Considering the seemingly miraculous ways Princess Marie Anne of Nerola seemed to remain a wealthy and provided-for central member of the Spanish royal court, flower magic enthusiasts must wonder whether or not this had anything to do with her choice of fragrance. Indeed, the scent seems to send you into a realm of soft cushions and gentle breezes, which can’t help but keep your personal vibration aligned with all things luxurious.

As you might imagine, this makes neroli essential oil (and the scent of fresh citrus blossoms) an excellent choice for magical and aromatherapeutic endeavors related to raising your prosperity consciousness and attracting wealth and desirable conditions. It’s an especially good choice when you want to begin receiving wealth and luxury in an especially cushy and receptive way, such as in the form of gifts, windfalls, or delightfully convenient financial opportunities.

Additionally, neroli essential oil and the fragrance of citrus blossoms can be excellent to help balance those of us who can sometimes err on the side of workaholism. The fragrance helps us relax, enjoy the fruits of our labor, and allow blessings to flow to us rather than feel like we have to constantly hunt them down.

Emotional Balance and Stress Relief

Neroli essential oil is used by aromatherapists to help soothe premenstrual and menopausal stress and irritability, as well as general tension and stress. As you can easily experience for yourself, the fragrance does seem to immediately lift you out of the illusion of discord and put you smack in the middle of an even keel.

Happy Children

When children feel safe, protected, loved, and provided for, they experience inner security and carefree attitudes that are the basis of a happy childhood. And all of these feelings can be enhanced by the fragrance of citrus blossoms. For this reason (provided the child likes the scent), it can be an excellent idea to diffuse neroli essential oil in your home after your child experiences any sort of personal trauma or family crisis, including (but not limited to):

✵ divorce or separation

✵ abuse

✵ change of residence

✵ change of schools

✵ nightmares

✵ general fear

✵ bullying

✵ loss of a loved one

Happy Home

Citrus blossoms and neroli oil are wonderful ingredients for any sort of magical endeavor related to happiness in the home. The fragrance and energy aligns the home with the soft, relaxing, regenerative qualities that make home home. Additionally, the tranquilizing effects of the scent and vibration can help soothe tension and heal relationships.

Marital Bliss

Orange blossoms have been traditionally included in bridal bouquets to relax the bride and bless the partnership. Neroli and orange blossoms are classic ingredients in magic related to marital harmony and bliss.

Positive Thinking

Thinking is habitual, and when we get in a negativity rut, we usually have to employ a bit of extra elbow grease to get out of it. But get out of it we must, because our thoughts create and define our reality. And neroli essential oil and the scent of fresh citrus blossoms can help soothe and encourage the transition from a sense of struggle, worry, anger, and strife to one of ease, contentment, security, gentleness, and harmony. For this purpose, try diffusing the essential oil in your home or gently inhaling the scent of a fresh citrus blossom while repeating affirmations related to your desired change of inner dialogue.

Sensuality

Perhaps a significant reason why orange blossoms and neroli are traditionally associated with marital bliss is that they get us out of our heads and into our bodies. They remind us of the sweetness of life and slow us down so that we can fully appreciate the pleasures of the flesh.

And since a sensually alive person is a sexy person, this may be another dimension to neroli and citrus blossom’s ability to increase our physical attractiveness.

Trust

For many of us, learning not to trust was a very important survival mechanism at one point in our lives. However, once we become adults, this throws a wrench in our plans to fall in love and settle down. The good news is, we can learn to trust again. We can see that we are no longer children and that not everyone is like the person or people who betrayed our trust so long ago. We can look our old hurts square in the face and work through them until they no longer have the same sort of power over us that they once had. And, to help these things along, we can inhale the fragrance of neroli essential oil and fresh citrus blossoms. The fragrance (and accompanying magical energy of the blossom), when directed with intention and accompanied by other therapeutic activities such as counseling, energy healing, and yoga, helps soothe our fears and open our hearts. It connects to the child within us and helps repair the places where that child feels broken.

Magical Correspondences

Elements: Water, Earth

Gender: Female

Planet: Venus