I love Autumn. The season is like amber, distilling the joys of summer in its honeyed essence for future pleasure. It’s an important thing to do: cultivate and stock up on happiness, sunshine for rainy days. That’s why so much of my brujeria practice is focused on pleasure magic or the intentional conjuring of the luscious hedonistic energy in our day-in, day-out.
Let’s face it: we can get stingy with our joy. I blame this on the puritanical roots in Western culture that have made us forget our deeper and more profound pagan legacies that cultivate a natural sensuality in all things. Pleasure—that bone-deep, life-affirming stuff—happens when we live in harmony with the earth and the natural cycles of life. It’s when we listen to our inner voices that tell us what will truly fulfill us, not the loud mindless business of mainstream society. And it’s when we allow ourselves to dream, hope, and conjure things that make us feel good…just because. We can learn a lot about ourselves by understanding what gives us this unfiltered sense of happiness.
Autumn has always been the perfect time to reflect on these things, as we enjoy the fruits of the year’s labor while setting aside some of that abundance for the days when we can’t make our own sunshine. What do we prioritize when it comes to harvesting and preserving? What can’t we live without when the days get short and the nights long and cold? As I marinate on these questions, I’m drawn to the brightest of flowers: the humble marigold and her medicinal cousin, calendula.
While many people conflate the two flowers, these sunflower family members are actually two distinct plants with similar magical properties. First, there is the marigold from the Tagetes genus which is the flower we most often see in Dia de Los Muertos celebrations. Traditionally, this flower symbolizes the transience of life as it blossoms and fades fairly quickly, but I tend to think of it as more symbolic of eternal life. Even when the bloom fades, the petals are easily harvested and put to further use. You can also collect the thin black seeds and begin again. See? Life doesn’t end. It merely transforms itself, so long as you live in harmony with the ebb and flow of our natural rhythms. The marigold is also a very joyful flower. It’s hard not to smile when you’re holding a bouquet of orange, yellow, and red edible pompoms!
These flowers are also natural pest deterrents and extremely hardy, able to grow almost anywhere with little fuss or care. I love the metaphor of this: their sunshine magic banishes proverbial energetic bugs and promises us that our happiness is not as fragile as we might think. I like to harvest marigolds from my own garden or purchase from a reliable organic local producer to sprinkle in salads or to add a pop of color to my herbal teas. Every time I put a marigold in my mouth, I am reminded of the fire in my belly and a passion that cannot be tamed.
The marigold’s cousin, calendula, or Calendula officinalis, often more colloquially known as pot marigold or common marigold, looks like a yellow daisy. This is the flower herbalists and kitchen witches use to concoct healing potions for the skin. Every year, I love to get some locally harvested and dried organic calendula or pull it from my own garden to make calendula-infused beauty oil. I use it in everything from soothing face serums and body butters to hair oils and cuticle creams. Calendula is one of nature’s enteral soothers, softening the edges of our thoughts and acting as a healing balm to the soul.
These are the magical plants I come back to each Autumn in an effort to bottle and jar as much sunshine as I can for the coming months. I’m liberal with them all year round, wantonly planting them wherever I can and relishing their beauty from seedling to dried flower petals. These are flowers that remind me of the eternal summer of my soul even as I make my way through the various seasons of my life. I feel like I’m literally harvesting liquid sunshine!
These flowers are pure sun magic, a reminder that life doesn’t always have to be so hard, that we have the power to chase away darkness, the power to welcome prosperity and healing. Marigolds and calendula feel especially life-affirming to me in a post-pandemic world, as we relearn how to navigate the world safely and with joy, while not forgetting the sorrows of the past year—that’s Dia de Los Muertos marigold magic again, reminding us that we can mourn what has passed and still know the joy of transformation. Calendula is then there to protect us from the fear and anxiety that might taint our thoughts and illuminate the way forward with passion, warmth, and a generosity of spirit.
Neither of these fiery flowers will allow us to wallow or stagnate in the energy of the past. Instead, they invite us to move forward with grace, love, and more than a little creativity. Nothing is what it once was, but the marigold reminds us of our profound capacity for blissful metamorphosis. It might feel like death, but it is only a rebirth. Like Persephone returning to the underworld in Autumn, these plants remind us that there is much joy in turning inward, going slow, and basking in the honeyed abundance of the season.
As I prepared each year for Samhain and Dia de Los Muertos, for me a time to honor the Dark Goddess and release the dead parts of myself, I always make sure to make a batch of calendula oil and my healing face serum, one of my favorite ways to use this oil infusion. I use only organic ingredients since it is going on my body. As I make it, I think of all the glorious parts of summer, the parts of myself I want to give more light to, and the passions I want to nourish. I tend the jar through November, infusing it with gratitude and a deep appreciation for the love in my life and the abundance I’ve conjured this past year.
One of the great things about this recipe is that it is so versatile. You’ll notice I didn’t give exact quantities in my ingredients list. That’s because you should feel free to make as much or as little of this oil as you want. You can make it any time of year, but my personal ritual is to make it during the late Autumn. I prefer to use dried calendula as it is easier to work with (fresh leaves are more likely to go rancid). Similarly, I like to opt for the cold steep method, rather than the faster heated method.
I love the meditative process of allowing the oil to infuse for six weeks as I feel it gives it more time to absorb the good energy I’m imbuing into the concoction. Every time I use these oils, I’m reminded of the abundance mindset I cultivate day-in, day out, and the infinite pleasure I get from invoking the sun magic of the marigold and the calendula.
Recipe for Calendula Oil
Tools:
1 sterilized glass jar
1 bottle the same size as the jar
cheesecloth
funnel
Ingredients:
1 part organic dried calendula leaves
2 parts organic almond oil
2-3 drops organic vitamin E oil
Instructions:
Fill a clean jar halfway with organic calendula leaves. Cover completely with almond oil, making sure to leave about two inches of space at the top of the jar as the flowers will expand as they absorb the oil. Add a few drops of vitamin E oil to act as a preservative. Use a plastic lid if you can. If you have to use a metal lid, place a piece of parchment paper between the jar and the lid, as the metal can sometimes rust.
Let sit in a cool, dry place for 4-6 weeks, shaking periodically. Make sure to mark the start date on the jar to keep track of your infusion time. When I shake the jar, I make sure to consciously think of the medicinal and magical properties of this flower so I can infuse my good intentions into the blend.
When it’s ready, strain oil through a cheesecloth draped over a funnel into a dark bottle and store in a cool, dry place for up to six months. Use on its own or in body butters and oils. It’s great for eczema or sensitive skin.
Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!