Originally titled The Essence of Magic, the new edition is called the Essence of Tarot, which I believe is a more fitting name. Before we get into the pages within, can we take a second to admire this lovely cover? I like it almost as much as the original edition.
The core concept Greer presents here builds upon the well established notion of tarot correspondences. We’ve all seen the cards linked to zodiac signs, or elements, or myths, or psychological concepts (and on, and on ad infinitum). Greer suggests that tarot cards can also be linked to the energies of certain essential oils, and that working with these oils can deepen our connection to the cards.
The book begins with an explanation of what essential oils are and how they are extracted from plants. Greer believes essential oils have what can only be described as magical properties. “Plants take on the energy of sunlight and of the cosmos itself, the energy of the earth, and the exhaled life force of humans and animals and transform them into various new forms. This vital energy is concentrated and efficiently stored in essential oils, which is why they have been called liquid light,” she writes.
There’s a hefty bit of historic information regarding how essential oils have been used in the cultural and religious practices of various people throughout the globe and throughout history. This is an important reminder that if you choose to work with oils, you are not doing so in a vacuum. You are participating in something that, most likely, many of your ancestors also experienced.
Very importantly, there’s a section acknowledging the socio-politics of essential oils. Greer points out that in some cases the harvesting of essential oils can be exploitative and contributes to colonization. She also points out that throughout history, the wealthy class has had greater access to fragrances in general (incense, perfumes, oils etc).
As a personal note, I went through an essential oil phase about 8 years ago. The socio-political implications was one of the main factors that led me to stop purchasing oils for many years. I didn’t feel confident that I was purchasing something created with any semblance of ethics. So I think it’s great that not only did Mary K Greer bring this up in the new edition, but the same disclaimer was also included in the 1993 edition as well.
The book also includes a brief primer on tarot. This makes it approachable for total beginners, but I think the target audience is more tarot novices and above. Although the history of using tarot imagery with scents is more recent, Mary points out there is evidence that images and scents have been used together over 5,000 years ago.
One of my favorite portions is a primer on the plant symbolism used in the Waite-Smith images. There are such fun gems here: a suggestion that the Fool is guided by the fragrance of his white rose, the Empress is surrounded by Cypress trees which are symbolic of death and rebirth which reminds us “the new life the Empress carries is born to die.” I was particularly struck by an observation on the Five of Pentacles. Mary points out that the stained glass window contains red flowers, “promising that spring will follow the cold of winter.”
Throughout the book we get some information on the science of scent. How scent is processed by the brain, how scent is linked to memory and so on. In particular, research shows that “the earliest recognitions of different scents in the brain are not to the scent itself but to what one associates with it.” Therefore by linking certain scents to the energy and meanings of different tarot cards, we can enhance our connection to the cards. “It’s easy to see how much more useful to us those scents could be if we deliberately crated memories and emotional states by using what we know about symbolic correspondences,” Greer explains.
At last, we get to the core of this work! A convenient table lays out each of the major arcana cards and the essential oils Greer attributes to them. The book is mostly focused on the major arcana, but Greer does include information on how to link oils to the minor arcana, as well. The table is a quick reference guide (I’ve dog-earred this page in my book) but Greer goes on to include a passage detailing each card in the major arcana and laying out why each oil fits with each card.
As for deciding which oils you may want to work with first, Greer suggests your birth card could be a good jumping off point (she also explains how to find your birth card if you aren’t yet aware). Mine is Strength, and the energy of that card is very fitting for where I’m at in my life right now, so that’s where I began.
There’s quite a bit of detail on ritual included, with an emphasis on how tarot oils can be incorporated in magical workings. Mary affirms that intuition is vital here, and although her ritual outlines give you something to experiment with, she encourages you to find your own way.
There are several different ways to use essential oils, and we are encouraged to pick what speaks to us. Water sprays, diffusers, baths, and carrier oils are some tried and true options. For my first foray into tarot oils I decided to use a carrier oil and make an oil for anointing myself.
I had a modest essential oil collection already, but of course none were the ones I needed for my Strength oil so I hauled my butt to a health food store to purchase rosemary, juniper berry and orange.
Neroli is actually the ideal oil to use here, which comes from the orange blossom. But Mary points out certain oils are more expensive and harder to come by in general, in which case she suggests substitutions. Neroli comes from the flower of the orange, the sweet orange oil I purchased comes from the peel. I took an additional liberty by choosing sweet orange, the actual suggested substitute was plain ol’ orange oil. I paid around $36 for all three oils.
I already had some jojoba oil on hand (if you have a Trader Joe’s nearby, it’s not too expensive there) and as an added benefit, since it is technically a wax not an oil, jojoba doesn’t go rancid like other carrier oils can. So, that’s what I used.
I also conveniently found I already had some tiny little sun-resistant bottles which I’d completely forgotten about so I used one to house my Strength tarot oil.
Mary does give some guidance on how to properly dilute your oils, but to be honest I kind of just threw caution to the wind and followed my heart. I plopped in several dashes of rosemary, a hint of juniper berry, and a generous amount of orange. I’m already partial to the scent of orange and Mary says it can help with depression, to which I say, YES please!
I did retrieve the Strength card from my RWS to have on hand while I concocted the oil, and I left them near each other throughout the next 24 hours to absorb each others’ energies.
I’ve now been working with my own Strength essential oil blend for about 3 days and I must say, I love it. The smell is somehow both invigorating and grounding (very in keeping with my associations of the Strength tarot card). I’ve been dabbing it on my wrists and temples before doing some quick journaling each day, and I do feel it gives me a bit of a boost into my oncoming tasks.
I’m already thinking I want to create a Hermit oil blend next, since 2025 is numerologically a Hermit year. In fact, I wanted to purchase the oils for this at the same time as my Strength oils, but the health foods store I went to didn’t have them all. We used to have a really wonderful family-run essential oil shop in town, and I miss them dearly. I’ll likely do further into the best places to purchase oils going forward.
A personal note as we wrap up my review: this book came into my life at a serendipitous time. I’ve been making a real effort to improve my mental health and to reconnect with my spiritual and creative nature. Given the state of the world (and my personal life to a lesser extent) this isn’t an easy task, but I’m really trying. Creating a tarot essential oil is something the old Carrie (pre-trauma) would have loved. So reading this book and trying out the process felt like a small homecoming. And I really needed that right now.
Dare I say it might be something we collectively need as well? I’m grateful that Weiser brought Essence of Tarot back into the world, and I hope it finds the people who need it most.