Lindsay Merbaum is a witchy writer and high priestess of home mixology crafting cocktails/mocktails inspired by the moods and themes of contemporary reads. As soon as our mutual writer friend, Jess deCourcy Hinds, introduced us, this interview was fated. Lindsay’s thoughtful responses to our questions brings together so many of the things we at Aromatica Poetica hold dear: writing, scent, mixology, botanical diversity, books, creativity, magic, and more. Leona Godin, our founding editor, interviewed her via email. Aromatica Poetica: …
Tag: Mythology
“Restoring the Effigy” * Fiction * M. Leona Godin
“See you tonight Sweetheart,” Effie said to her daughter. “Anything special you want for dinner?” “Don’t worry about me. I’ll just graze. See you later mom,” returned Artemis, with the air of someone looking forward to solitude. She’d been entrenched in the couch since quitting Yale’s MFA in acting almost a month ago. Effie was worried–she was a mother and a Greek one at that–but every discussion she tried to have with her daughter ended in an argument followed by …
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Bay Laurel Hydrosol Encounter, From Taste & Smell to Apollo
*This brief, and admittedly drunken, hydrosol encounter with laurel (Laurus nobilis) was inspired by Cathy Skipper‘s work with hydrosols, and was first published at Quail Bell Magazine* Last week I ordered my little arsenal of sensory indulgences from Aromatics International because they were the only (recommended) online aromatherapy shop I could find that was not sold out of this delicious hydrosol. It was my first time ordering from them, but I’ll definitely order from them again. I must confess that …
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The Modern Witch on Smell: An Interview with Stacey Demarco
Stacey Demarco, The Modern Witch, is an internationally respected spiritual pagan practitioner, Witch, author and activist who hails from Sydney, Australia. Her passion is to make practical magic accessible to everyone and to reconnect people with the power of nature. She is the author of several books, including Witch in the Boardroom and Witch in the Bedroom. She was gracious enough to answer my questions about how aromatic botanicals are used in witchcraft, and why smell plays an important role …
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Myrrh: Myth, Resin, Love, and the Everlasting
In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Orpheus sings of the unfortunate Myrrha, who, overcome by a perverse love for her father, tricked him into having sex with her with the help of her loyal nurse. When her father took a lamp to the face of his nubile mystery lover and found his very own daughter, he snatched his sword and made to kill her. She ran away and wandered from Arabia to Sabaea. After nine months, her burden weighing heavy, she collapsed and …