The Magic of Trees: A Guide to Their Sacred Wisdom & Metaphysical Properties - Tess Whitehurst 2017

Orange
The Trees

Like pure sunshine on a mild day, the orange tree’s vibration feels simultaneously hearty and gentle, bold and elegant, vibrant and soft. Is there a sweeter scent than that of her delicate blossom or a brighter sweetness than that of her tree-ripened fruit? And those generous dark green, feather-thin leaves on that dainty little frame! Like the heavenly climates in which she thrives, the orange tree (Citrus x sinensis) is really just too divine.

Magical Uses

Happiness and Joy

Simply bringing an orange to mind—conjuring up its scent, for example, or its tangy sweetness or its bright, textured peel—can palpably lift the mood in an instant. So can inhaling the always surprisingly exquisite scent of a creamy white orange blossom. Indeed, oranges abound at Chinese New Year celebrations to bless the forthcoming year with happiness, joy, and all good things. A classic feng shui recommendation involves bringing in a bowl of oranges for a happy home.

HAPPINESS BATH

On a Sunday when the moon is waxing, draw a warm bath. Add a tablespoon of sea salt, the peel from one organic orange, and three drops of essential oil of neroli (aka orange blossom). Using your right hand, stir in a clockwise direction for nine full rotations (or three sets of three if it helps you keep count). During each rotation, chant “Om ma ni pad me hum.” In Taoist magic, this chant is known as the “six true words” and activates positive blessings of all varieties by aligning you deeply with All That Is. As you chant, visualize blindingly bright sunlight and the energy of sweetness filling the water. Then soak for at least forty minutes, feeling all heaviness and darkness dissolve completely in the bright light of joy.

Masculine/Feminine Balance

With a nuanced blend of the most fabulous qualities both yang and yin (for example, she’s aligned with both the feminine earth element and the masculine sun), the orange tree is adept at bringing the archetypal poles into a most melodious balance. This can be helpful, for example, if you love expressing your feminine gifts of nurturing and beautification, and you’d like to aspect these qualities harmoniously with the masculine gifts of directionality and single-minded focus. Or, conversely, orange can also be helpful if you’re constantly focused and directional, and you’d like to balance these qualities with a little more relaxation, play, and feminine enjoyment. If you’re in a relationship with someone with an essence that leans toward an opposing pole (i.e., masculine to your feminine or vice versa), orange can be employed to clear away any tension or discord related to your differences and help establish a harmonious dance of opposites in its place.

Spend time with an orange tree to receive these benefits, or diffuse or wear essential oil blends containing petitgrain essential oil (made from leaves and twigs of the bitter orange tree).

Partnership

Speaking of harmonious dances, orange is an excellent magical ally when it comes to partnerships of all varieties. Orange blossoms and neroli essential oil (made from orange blossoms) are employed for rituals related to marriage and long-term romantic partnerships (bringing about new ones or harmonizing existing ones). Planting one or more orange trees in your yard can be an excellent way to bring about or fortify a blissful partnership—romantic, business, or otherwise.

NEW BUSINESS PARTNER BLESSING

To bless a relationship with a new business partner (who happens to be open to doing a magical ritual with you), hand them an orange and instruct them to hold it in both hands. With another orange, do the same. Now, both of you should mentally charge the oranges in your hands with bright, golden-white light filled with general positivity and well-wishes. Conjure up all the feelings you’d like to have in your new venture and envision/sense/feel the two of you laughing together and experiencing all the most wonderful kinds of success. When this feels complete, exchange oranges. Peel and eat.

Sweetness

While skin may not technically have taste buds, on a perfectly temperate spring or fall day, the sunlight on your skin almost tastes sweet. Sure, it’s sharply, blindingly bright, but it’s sweet also. And this is like a fresh, tree-ripened orange or fresh-squeezed orange juice: delightfully, deliciously sweet, but also tangy and with a punch. The orange blossom, also, is energetically sweet, although more gently so, like the first light of morning before the rays begin to glare. And so, when you’d like to bring more sweetness into your life or home, employ the orange. Bring in some blossoms, diffuse or wear essential oil of neroli, add a bowl or oranges, plant an orange tree, and so on. Orange blossom honey is also a great option for sweetness rituals. Try adding some to a bath or creating a sweetness potion by stirring some into some hot tea.

Magical Correspondences

Element: Earth

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Sun