The Story Behind Aphrodite Hair & Body Oil
Featured in the Mythology Collection, Aphrodite Hair & Body Oil celebrates Aphrodite, Goddess of Beauty and Love, Lady of the Sea.
Key ingredient symbolization in the Aphrodite Hair & Body Oil formulation:
- Coconut: coconuts and coconut water is offered to Aphrodite in contemporary Hellenic polytheism and neopagan practices, using their link to tropical beaches to connect to her energy as a sea goddess. Coconut and coconut milk are widely used in bath soaks, skin hydration, and beauty, honoring Aphrodite as the goddess of beauty. Coconuts are also classified sometimes as aphrodisiacs. Aphrodite is a goddess of passion, romance, love, and lust. Coconuts are linked to the protection of sailors voyaging by sea and those stranded, and sailors offered coconuts to the sea for calm waters during voyages. Aphrodite is a protector of sailors and mariners.
- Marula-the marula tree is known as "the marriage tree". Pieces of the tree, such as sprigs and bark are used for fertility and cleansing rituals prior to getting married. Marula trees have separate male and female trees.
- Carnation- a symbol of love and affection. The very first carnation that bloomed, came from the tears shed by Aphrodite as she mourned the death of her lover, Adonis.
- Hyacinth-according to some mythology, the hyacinth also bloomed from the ground where Adonis's blood mixed with Aphrodite's tears
- Jojoba- used as a base for ritual perfumes and anointing oils to pay homage to Aphrodite
- Baobab-the upside-down tree with an expansive root system, channels spirits of gods and assistance communicating between realms seen and unseen
Aphrodite's Role in Mythology and Religion
Aphrodite, The Goddess of Beauty and The Lady of the Sea, can raise and calm winds and water, and actually lent a hand in helping win wars, however, after she was compartmentalized by the Greeks to suppress her war attributes, her main function later became love, romance, sex and fertility, beauty, and the matron of mariners and sailors. Born of sea foam, Aphrodite holds power over waters and provides safe passage navigating both sea voyages and relationships. She is the mythological counterpart to the Roman goddess Venus.
Aphrodite holds power over animals, plants, people, and most of the Greek pantheon.
The goddess owns a magic girdle that attracts love interests who are unable to resist falling in love with her.
When Eris, the Goddess of Discord tossed a golden apple into a wedding feast, Aphrodite was one of the three goddesses who laid claim to it, and she won -by offering Paris the already-married Helen of Sparta (the most beautiful mortal woman in the world). Aphrodite then helped Paris abduct Helen of Sparta and through divine intervention made Helen fall in love with Paris.
Aphrodite's favored people are lovers, islanders, practitioners of sacred sex magic and erotica, people who express romantic love and passion through art as well as those who appreciate aesthetic beauty and art, warriors, sailors, mariners, sea travelers, courtesans, artisans who create beautiful things, and those who love and care for roses, myrtle, and doves.
Aphrodite can be invoked for protection, fertility, reproductive health, beauty, and romantic guidance or help finding love, and even improving intercourse.
Historical Venerations of Aphrodite
In ancient Greece, Aphrodite was celebrated with festivals that included cleansing in her statues in the waters of the sea, ritual possessions, and gifts of myrtle, rose, and dove's blood to cleanse and purify altars in her temple.
The Adonis was historically a mid-summer festival for women only which commemorated the love between Aphrodite and Adonis. Women planted quick-sprouting gardens of Adonis on rooftops, which would also quickly wither, representing Aphrodite's sorrow.
The fourth day of every month was devoted to Aphrodite and her son Eros. Private prayers and devotions were given to the goddess.
In Sparta, Aphrodite was celebrated as a war goddess. Spartans depicted her in armor.
Aphrodisia-is an ancient festival celebrated historically between late June and mid-July, during which Aphrodite's temples and statues were purified and offerings of incense and flowers substituted blood sacrifice.
Goddess of Fertility Day-Celebrated in March, linked to the spring equinox, beauty, new life, and renewal.
Aphrodite Celebrations and Offerings
Multiple skin and beauty products are named after the goddess Aphrodite to indicate that the product offers the customer beauty.
Many pagans, wiccans, and herbalists create beauty and skincare products that actually symbolize and offer a closer connection or stronger spiritual bond and pay homage to the goddess herself by formulating some of her favorite things merged with spiritual lures, such as baobab-the channel.
Modern worshippers focus on self-love, pleasure, and beauty with celebrations and daily acts of love and connection, painting, reciting the works of Sappho (poetry), as well as ritual baths, visiting art galleries to appreciate beauty, and by creating luxurious artisan crafts, such as rose petal-infused oil.
Practitioners arrange offerings of fresh fruit, red roses, seashells, myrtle, frankincense, and sweet wines. (Commandaria, a dessert wine was offered at festivals in her honor). Aphrodite's altars must be beautiful.
She is honored with one's self-adornment coastal fragrances, the scent of roses, frankincense, and myrrh and/or adding these fragrances to her altars.
Aphrodite Depictions and Symbols
Aphrodite is depicted as a beautiful woman wearing robes designed with rose patterns or stars, or in various stages of undress, as a mermaid or a strikingly beautiful woman with roses blooming beneath her feet.
She is sometimes depicted as a black statue (sometimes as the Black Madonna), and she may be depicted holding her baby son, Eros.
Symbols: scallop shell, golden apple, mirror (to represent self-reflection, physical perfection, and feminine beauty), magical belt/girdle
Sacred Animals and Plants: Doves, swans, sparrows, dolphin, partridge. Aphrodite may ride a goat or a young male deer on land, a swan or a goose in the air, and a dolphin in water.
Plants: roses, especially dog roses, myrtle shrub, pomegranates, apples, linden trees, poppies
Decorate her altar with ocean motifs, representations of her attributes, and flowers.
Element: Water
Planet: Venus
Other Names: Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, Goddess of Beauty, Born from the Foam, She Who Postpones Old Age, The Black One, The Black Queen, Lady of the Sea, The Golden One