(Article) The oil of the cradle and the tomb

Of all the gifts to bring a baby, the Magi chose myrrh, the same resin Egyptian embalmers packed into the bodies of the dead.

Perhaps because myrrh has been at both doorways of life for thousands of years.

Hathor, Egypt’s goddess of love and joy, was also known as Lady of the West -- she who welcomed the dead into the afterlife. Temple recipes and inscriptions tell us that her sacred resin was -- you guessed it -- myrrh.

At dawn on the third day after the crucifixion, Mary Magdalene and the Myrrhbearers came to the tomb with myrrh and spices to anoint Jesus...and found the tomb empty (there's a whole "anointing with myrrh" lesson here, which I'll get into in a minute).

This Scorpio season, as the zodiac turns toward endings, regeneration, and hidden treasures, Myrrh can become one of our most trusted guides.

Few plants know this underworld as intimately as Myrrh, whose resin forms in drops known, appropriately, as tears.

My new article follows Myrrh from the incense terraces of ancient Punt to Hathor’s temples, to the Myrrhbearers at the empty tomb, and to that somewhat famous birth in Bethlehem ;) Along the way, Myrrh helps us explore impermanence as the key to what is precious.

Read the article, free → Tears for the Threshold: Myrrh, the Magdalene, and Hathor

Juniper Stokes is a botanical perfumer, soul alchemist, intuitive astrologer, and rewilding guide through mythic landscapes of the nature, spirit, and the cosmos. For over 25 years, she has been guiding soulful humans back to the heart of who they are and why they’re here.

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Still here? Wow - you deserve a present :) A tiny secret for you before you go:

There’s a beautiful calming point in the ear located just behind the little cartilage fold at the front of the upper ear. Hold it gently on both sides for one minute and take a slow breath. It’s especially lovely with a drop of anointing oil. ;)

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(Article) The oil of the cradle and the tomb

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