Sunshine Oil || Potion Making

MeganB · January 8, 2021, 1:54pm

Time to play catch-up!

I have wanted to make this little potion for a while, and now that I am in my new home, I have the time and space! This oil is called Sunshine Oil for a reason.

Imagine this…

The artificial heat in your house just doesn’t cut it. You’ve been bundled up under your blankets for what seems like months, even though it’s only been a few days. Any venture outside is a journey, one that requires you to layer yourself in bundles of fabric, sometimes mismatched, just to keep your skin from turning to ice. The couch is your safe place during the wintering you’re experiencing.

In your bundle, you chance a look at the window and see a sliver of light. Is it a headlight? A streetlight? The moon? No, because it’s daytime. The light is orange. It’s the sun! You bound up from your safe space on the couch, fling open your curtains, and let the sliver of orange light touch your face. The warmth that radiates across your skin breathes life back into your body, into your soul, and you are filled with a renewed sense of joy. This giant star in the sky gives life to everything on our planet, even in the darkest of times.

Image Source

I was inspired to make this oil after the frustration, stress, and just general awfulness that was our move. The days were filled with irritation, lots of cuss words, one extremely drunken night, and many, many tears.

But then I saw this orange.

Then I stood in the sunlight outside the terrible apartment with a cup of coffee and my dog.

And I remembered that there is hope.

“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” - Albus Dumbledore, The Prisoner of Azkaban

This oil is meant to be a reminder of that happiness, a reminder of that light. It is meant to be used when you are feeling down, cold, or just need to remember that even though all hope seems lost, there is a warmth to be found.

You will need…

An orange

A carrier oil

A larger container for steeping

A smaller container for storage

Essential oils of your choosing

Other herbs of your choosing

Let’s make it!

Peel the orange in whatever way you want - don’t forget to eat the orange, that’s important, too!

Leave the orange peels out to dry overnight. This may take more than one day! Alternatively, you can dry them in the oven for about 20 minutes at 175F or put them in a dehydrator.

When the orange peels are dry, place them in your container. Now is the time to add any other dry herbs you want to steep with your orange. You can use basil for confidence or rosemary for gentle protection. Note: It is important that any herbs you add here are dry. Introducing moisture to the oil can cause separation and gives bacteria a breeding ground. You don’t want your oil to sour.

Fill the container with the carrier oil of your choice. I use olive oil because that’s just what I have.

Leave this container in a cool, dark place for two weeks. Every day, hold it in your hands, breathe warmth onto it, and give it a bit of a shake. Charge it with energy to bring warmth and happiness to the user of the oil. You can say a few words if you want, but it isn’t necessary.

After the two weeks is up, strain the oil into your storage container. Add in essential oils if you want.

Whenever you’re feeling low or you need to be reminded of the warmth of the sun, place a drop or two of this oil at your temples and on your wrists.

Note: Use essential oils with caution. Any use of citrus essential oils can make you photosensitive (easier to sunburn). Always use a carrier oil. Never ingest essential oils.

My oil isn’t quite done yet, but I will be sure to show you when it is!

I can’t wait to use it.

Disclaimer: It is important to seek medical or psychiatric care when needed. Magic, spells, potions, and spiritual practices shouldn’t necessarily be used as a sole treatment method for any physical or mental illness or ailment.

Continuing the discussion from Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE- Potion Making!

Amethyst · January 9, 2021, 1:14am

Wow. I bet that oil will smell wonderful and orangey!

Francisco · January 9, 2021, 2:33am

Awesome! This time of the year I really miss that solar energy, and orange does the trick. I must try it.

Thanks for sharing, Megan!

berta · January 9, 2021, 1:40pm

AWESOME!!! Thank you for this great recipe!!! Glad you survived your move and had a moment to just breath. @MeganB Hope you do a good smudge and bless your new home. Leave all that negative ‘energy’ behind you. - Give yourself a fresh beginning.

As I read this the sun rose. I am using my lap top as a heat source as I am snuggled under my down puff on my bed . I have flannel sheets and have placed heated rice bags at my feet. My bedroom window faces east and the sun is streaming in sparkling my Fire and Ice Quartz on the window sill. It is the first time we have had a clear day in over 2 weeks of heavy gray clouds. It is bitter cold out (my Dad always says ‘of course it is cold - the heavens removed the blankets!’ makes me giggle) anyway. The Sun is a powerful source of hope and ease. I hate to leave the warmth but I need to get some groceries, before Dad gets up.
Have a blessed day everyone.

Magdelina · January 10, 2021, 7:19am

@MeganB this oil sounds right up my alley. I just dried some orange peel or have some available. I might use lemongrass EO as it helps me to feel joy and happiness whenever I diffuse it in my office. Lemon is the same as any citrus oils can be subbed for each other. I love winter but here in Wyoming it can drag out until July (yes I live on the Continental Divide at over 7k ft above sea level and get at least 6 inches of snow in July last year.) The sun does try to peek out of the clouds like it did most of today and finally got sunny enough to melt the ice on all the trees here. I cannot wait to make this oil. Thanks for sharing.

Blessed be. Going back to my spell casting now. It’s quiet and peaceful tonight.

MeganB · January 10, 2021, 10:40pm

I’m hoping so!

I’m not having too much of an issue with that now that I’m down here in Florida, but there are more days in the winter when it is cloudy and windy so sometimes I need that warmth.

I don’t smudge, as that’s a specific Indigenous ritual that I’m not privy to. However, I did give the home a good cleanse with Juniper and salt at the doors. I hope you had a good day, too!

You’re welcome! I hope you love it as much as I do!

berta · January 10, 2021, 11:13pm

@MeganB - Who knew?? I did not know that smudging was not practiced across the spectrum. You always teach me something. Thank you!!!

MeganB · January 10, 2021, 11:24pm

You’re welcome! Smudging itself is a very specific closed ritual practice reserved for Indigenous peoples and those in that culture. Smoke cleansing is totally fine, though!

Magdelina · January 11, 2021, 1:19am

@MeganB smudging has been used in various religious ceremonies and it not just an indigenous practice. My husband is Red Lake Chippewa but we have been smudging with sage as Catholics for a long while. Any type of smoke is cleansing whether you use sage, juniper, incense, paper, etc. Catholics use charcoal and resins. I do have a smokeless smudging spray that I am working on which might be more to your liking As long as your intentions are to clear and cleansing the air and area of negative energies it’s not a specific practice “only” used if you are Native American. That is a common misconception.

Still need to make that oil lol!!!

BryWisteria · January 11, 2021, 8:35am

The visualization really hit home for me- this is a beautifully written and gorgeous potion, @MeganB!

It sounds like even just the thought of this sunny spellwork brought some warmth- today in Warsaw the sun shinning for the first time in days. Thanks for spreading some light and joy! And congrats once again on your wonderful new home

berta · January 11, 2021, 11:35am

Good Monday morning @Magdelina. Emily sent me a video yesterday of her house in Jackson… She is at the foot of the mountain and at this time of year the sun never quite gets over the ridge to shine on her house… Both neighbors are bathed in sunlight and the house behind her too, but not her house. It is kinda funny actually. Her own little spot of gloom.

MeganB · January 11, 2021, 1:05pm

I think you may be confusing smudging with smoke cleansing. Smudging, according to several Indigenous peoples and organizations, is a very specific Native practice that, unless you were raised in the culture or taught by an Elder, you shouldn’t do. This is a form of cultural appropriation and becomes problematic when the Indigenous peoples who want to practice their faith can’t, yet the mass markets are profiting from something that has Native roots.

There is nothing wrong with smoke cleansing, but smudging itself is very specific, and not all Indigenous peoples and tribes practice this ritual. There is also the issue of white sage being overharvested. White Sage is one of the only medicinal plants some Native peoples can use for some of their rituals and ceremonies. According to one of the articles below, the four medicinal plants they use are tobacco, sage, sweetgrass, and cedar. Sage has just become the popular one amongst non-natives. When corporations latch onto something from Native culture that is popular amongst the New Age crowd (i.e. sage bundles and dreamcatchers), it directly harms those tribes by moving money from them and their Native-made crafts and supplies (which will naturally be more expensive) to the corporations that have the money and workforce to mass-produce these items on a larger scale. This creates a problem because then the herbs used are mass-produced and harvested, causing ecological issues as well as financial ones.

This is a Canadian article but still helpful, in my opinion.

These are guidelines for a work environment, but still helpful as it is from a Native voice.

Here’s a quote from this article.

So when non-native people burn sage to “smudge” their homes or other spaces, it can minimize the cultural importance of this ritual, and have a negative impact on how the herbs are grown.

And here is a definition of cultural appropriation, for good measure.

“Taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artifacts from someone else’s culture without permission. This can include unauthorized use of another culture’s dance, dress, music, language, folklore, cuisine, traditional medicine, religious symbols, etc. It’s most likely to be harmful when the source community is a minority group that has been oppressed or exploited in other ways or when the object of appropriation is particularly sensitive, e.g. sacred objects.” - Source

I’m not trying to diminish your experience or your husbands with smudging and smoke cleansing. What I am trying to say is that enough Indigenous people have spoken out against non-natives using White Sage and smudging because of the way it directly impacts them. It doesn’t hurt us to listen to them and find alternatives, especially when the continued use and propagation of white sage directly harms their communities.

Magdelina · January 11, 2021, 6:10pm

@MeganB Thank you for that information. I will make sure to pass it on to my husband because we both feel that it is important to have any and all information to ask the appropriate questions to his tribal leaders. We also do not buy our sage, we harvest it from our backyard and let me tell you I could never overharvest back there…I might have some white sage that was given to me but Wyoming has 4 types of sage so whatever I have in the back is what I use to cleanse the house and my altar items. I always look forward to these types of discussions because that is how knowledge is passed on. Love to you for bringing my faulty knowledge and thinking to light. Not everyone appreciates it but I do.

Blessed be.

Oh btw not to turn this into a political post but we have just been informed that martial law in the US is “imminent” so if you don’t hear anything from me for a few days do not worry, I am safe. I just want to make sure that my coven family knows I am somewhere that is protected and safe, I have enough food for at least a month and that I will continue to practice my craft during this interesting and exciting time we are living in. If anyone wants to connect to me directly, send me a PM and I will give you my information.

MeganB · January 11, 2021, 6:26pm

I would definitely be interested in hearing what they have to say if you (or they) feel it is appropriate to share I also want to make it clear that I’m not trying to speak for Native people, just share the voices of those that have spoken. I’m glad you’re as open to these discussions as I am because you’re right, that’s how we all learn (myself included).

Do you happen to have any news sources for this? That’s quite a big thing to happen and I haven’t heard anything about it here in the U.S.

Magdelina · January 11, 2021, 6:39pm

@MeganB I don’t have the source handy, I just listen to what my husband and his buddy talk about. They both have sources within our state government. He only tells me what I need to know. Dang military veterans anyway lol. He still acts like he is still in the military. If I find out anything more I will let you know.

BryWisteria · January 12, 2021, 6:57am

Thank you to @MeganB and @Magdelina for sharing about smudging and smoke cleansing- I wasn’t familiar with the issues presented, so I’m grateful for the chance to hear both of your input!

Ohh goodness- I also haven’t heard anything about this, but I am pretty disconnected being outside of the US right now. Whatever happens in the coming days, please stay safe and be well, @Magdelina Sending good thoughts your way- keep us updated if you can!

berta · January 13, 2021, 1:12pm

Dear @MeganB my most sincere apologies for my naive statement. I did not mean to open a can of worms here. In some ways I hope at least we can agree that the misstep was used for good purpose as we have all learned from my idiocy.
Thank you so much for your lessons and knowledge.
I hope you forgive me.

praecog29 · January 13, 2021, 1:56pm

Sunshine Oil: @MeganB, did you ever finish it and get to try it out?

Cultural Appropriation: this is basically all religions. We wouldn’t have the faiths we have without it. While I can appreciate the need to avoid using sage, unless we are growing it ourselves, I personally have difficulty with people being upset if others want to incorporate practices into their own faiths.

Martial Law in the US: People naturally get scared of the unknown. The country is going through a period of rapid change. No one party can get their vision across so there is a lot of back and forth which causes more fear. The important thing to remember is most in the country are trying to make things better, even if other camps don’t believe that.

Believing the best in everyone, understanding their views, and loving others is important as we try to find truth. I believe things look worse than they really are. This is not meant to diminish the very real fears people are feeling. I like to remember that most people just want to live their lives and will get tired of the politically charged language from politicians, the media, friends, and family.

Even if I am wrong, this is a blip in history. Focusing on the eternal (at least from our vantage point) existence of the universe, the power of it, the grandeur of it, help me personally keep things in perspective.

MeganB · January 13, 2021, 3:24pm

No apologies necessary. If you didn’t know, you didn’t know and now you do

It isn’t quite ready yet lol

The issue runs deeper than just incorporating it into someone’s practice. The issue comes when the Indigenous Peoples of the United States couldn’t legally practice their faith until the 70s with the American Indian Religious Freedom Act. These people were persecuted throughout US history and are just now able to begin the healing process. They were genocided and are still treated as second-class through systemic processes.

The law was enacted to return basic civil liberties to Native Americans, Inuit, Aleuts, and Native Hawaiians, and to allow them to practice, protect and preserve their inherent right of freedom to believe, express, and exercise their traditional religious rites, spiritual and cultural practices. These rights include, but are not limited to, access to sacred sites, freedom to worship through traditional ceremonial rites, and the possession and use of objects traditionally considered sacred by their respective cultures. - Source

The First Amendment of the United States Constitution, the one that gives “everyone” the right to practice religion as they want, did not cover the Indigenous people of the US because while the Constitution says all men are created equal, that didn’t apply to a large portion of the country.

Before the Civil War, citizenship was often limited to Native Americans of one-half or less Indian blood. In the Reconstruction period, progressive Republicans in Congress sought to accelerate the granting of citizenship to friendly tribes, though state support for these measures was often limited. In 1888, most Native American women married to U.S. citizens were conferred with citizenship, and in 1919 Native American veterans of World War I were offered citizenship. In 1924, the Indian Citizenship Act, an all-inclusive act, was passed by Congress. The privileges of citizenship, however, were largely governed by state law, and the right to vote was often denied to Native Americans in the early 20th century. - Source

No one is saying you can’t grow your own white sage and use it (as far as I know). That would be preposterous because at that point you’re developing a relationship with the plant itself and have a right to use it if the plant allows. No one is saying that you can’t be taught how to properly smudge by a Native Elder. What I believe they are saying is that we shouldn’t take things from other cultures just because we’re attracted to them. When we do this, we lose the cultural significance and it becomes watered down. Then that gets spread around and their rituals and ceremonies lose their meaning in the public eye. This is especially true if the people you’re taking from only recently had the right to practice their beliefs and ceremonies restored while the white people of the country have been profiting off Native spirituality for years.

Then there is also the issue of corporations profiting massively off Native spirituality because it sells well and they can do it cheaply. This directly moves profits away from Native people who sell their crafts and into the hands of mega-rich CEOs.

I don’t think it’s too big of an ask when a large part of a marginalized community asks you to stop doing something that directly harms them. The harm is still happening today and while I can’t undo it, I can do my best to make sure that people know what’s going on and help them in whatever way I can.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/two-native-american-tribes-allege-discrimination-in-montana-schools/2017/06/28/875172b0-582c-11e7-ba90-f5875b7d1876_story.html

Why are Diné LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit people being denied access to ceremony?

praecog29 · January 13, 2021, 5:17pm

I respect your passion on the topic. This is one of the bigger things I love about our coven: there is so much good information and many perspectives while still having respect for each other. There’s a larger issue keeping me from fully embracing your POV but that’s a can of worms best left alone for now.

I think we agree about growing our own sage. Also, I believe we should try, as much as is possible, avoiding corporations that appropriate cultures or movements to sell goods.

Please let me know when the oil is ready. I’m excited to hear about the results.