Luna in Cancer Talismanic Perfumes
Indie perfume QUEEN, long-time collaborator, and most excellent magical practitioner Elizabeth Barrial rides again!
Note for anyone nerve wracked regarding emotional or mental instability re: Luna in Cancer, Beth’s contributions are always more mediated, pre-filtered versions of the energy than the raw materia Sphere + Sundry creates. If a perfume description fits your own intent, they are always one of the “safest” items from any series, but still very potent!
When in doubt, divine…
MANTLE OF CONCEALING NIGHT
Thou silver Deity of secret Night,
Direct my footsteps through the Woodland Shade,
Thou conscious Witness of unknown delight,
The Lover’s Guardian, and the Muse’s Aid.
By thy pale beams I solitary rove,
To thee my tender Grief confide,
Serenely sweet you gild the silent Grove,
My Friend, my Goddess and my Guide.
E’en thee, fair Queen, from thy amazing height
The Charms of young Endymion drew,
Veil’d with the Mantle of concealing Night,
With all thy Greatness, and thy Coldness too.
– Lady Mary Wortley Montagu
This oil was crafted to augment the appreciation of transient pleasures and rekindle the ability to experience pleasure. It is oil that can be used both to explore mysteries and to craft them, to enhance divination and to assist in the understanding of oracles, especially when utilizing methods that involve water or the night sky.
Sandalwood essential oil and chips (Santalum spicatum), pink lotus absolute (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn), violet leaf absolute (Viola odorata), Kashmir lavender essential oil (Lavandula augustifolia) and lavender bud (Lavandula officinalis), myrrh essential oil (Commiphora myrrha) and tears (Commiphora kua), lemon balm, coconut oil and meat (Cocos nucifera), orris butter (Iris pallida Lam), pineapple leaf and fruit compound (Ananas comosus), tea leaf (Camellia sinensis), and silver.
MUSE’S AID
…and nine Mousai sang your dirge with sweet responsive voices. Not one Argive you have seen there who was not weeping, the clear notes went to their hearts.
Channel your dreams and nightmares into art.
Jasmine absolute (Jasminum grandiflorum) and star jasmine petals from the TAL garden (Trachelospermum jasminoides), mugwort herb (Artemisia vulgaris) and essential oil (Artemesia herba alba), labdanum absolute (Cistus ladaniferus), lavender maillette (Lavandula angustifolia Mill), blue lotus petals (Nymphaea caerulea), orris butter (Iris pallida Lam), ylang ylang essential oil (Cananga odorata var. genuina), ruby red grapefruit essential oil (Citrus paradisi Macfad), opoponax resin (Commiphora opoponax), Oman frankincense essential oil and tears (Boswellia sacra), blue gum eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus), and silver.
LOVER’S GUARDIAN
An oil of gentle reconciliation, of balance and finding common cause. It is an oil of forgiveness and healing, mutual understanding, peace and accord, and an oil of defense against those who would tear a relationship apart.
Lover’s Guardian takes the edge off of raw emotions and can be used to help you process explosive and uncontrolled emotions by cooling your mind so that you can think more clearly, process the pain, work towards healing, and embrace joy.
Bitter almond essential oil (Prunus armeniaca L), star anise essential oil and herb (Illicium verum), lavender absolute and flowers from the TAL garden (Lavandula angustifolia), violet leaf absolute (Viola odorata), mugwort herb (Artemisia vulgaris) and essential oil (Artemesia herba alba), sandalwood nut CO2 (Santalum spicatum), orris butter (Iris pallida Lam), jasmine sambac absolute (Jasminum sambac), rose otto essential oil (Rosa x damascena), silver, carnation petals from the TAL garden, and sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum).
TO THEE MY TENDER GRIEF CONFIDE
By thy pale beams I solitary rove,
To thee my tender Grief confide,
Serenely sweet you gild the silent Grove,
My Friend, my Goddess and my Guide.
This is an oil of comfort that assists you in shouldering the burden of the sorrows of the world. It helps ease grief and despair, fortifies you when you are experiencing compassion fatigue, and assists you in finding solace within your faith and within your community.
Cucumber seed essential oil (Cucumis sativus), mugwort herb (Artemisia vulgaris) and essential oil (Artemesia herba alba), sweet fennel essential oil (Foeniculum vulgare ssp. capillaceum var. dulce) and bronze fennel from the TAL garden (Foeniculum vulgare), white lotus absolute (Nelumbo nucifera), lavender absolute and flowers from the TAL garden (Lavandula angustifolia), wild-harvested prickly lettuce (Lactuca serriola), camphor, violet leaf absolute and petals from the TAL garden (Viola odorata), silver, butter CO2, and crushed pearl.
Offered in a 5 ml amber apothecary bottle for $48 each, or $192 for the full set of 4.
$48 – $192
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This scent is so wonderfully whimsical. It feels like turning into a delicious biscuit. I've noticed it brings me closer to trusted spirits. Lovely!
This perfume healed so many ancestral wounds around pleasure and access to ease, rest, and play. I was living with a family member who I hadn't been around regularly since I was a child, and I slowly began to notice habits they had that pinged something in my brain, making me realize "that's where that comes from." We started having a number of conversations about our ancestors and those who had passed on, and a similar narrative kept coming up around restriction as a form of protection and survival. But, there was one night when I could feel this stirring rage. Not at my family member or my ancestors, but at the trauma we had collectively. The Moon was about to enter Cancer, and I decided "enough was enough!" I was going to end this addiction to restriction. Lead by Artemis, I hid cotton swabs dabbed with this perfume all over the house. One in every room and one in every corner of the kitchen. I listened to music that reflected the releasing of trauma like "No More" from Into The Woods. I then prayed to Artemis asking for a shift in our family's pushing away of pleasure and joy, for we had moved on from our need to survive in that way. After, the song "Mama Will Provide" from Once on this Island played in my head and I immediately put it on, dancing through our home. And I can't describe how I knew something was different except to say that I could feel my Ancestors so powerfully, and it was as if they were full--satiated--for this first time ever. Hunger had subsided and they were satisfied. A breathtaking ritual with a gorgeous perfume--an absolute game-changer!
As a native Mars in Cancer, this fragrant potion does not cause any undue Lunar Cancer side effects for me. Beautifully crafted perfume and is both grounding and boundary pushing.
Very light and grounding.
I love this scent! Not as instantly enthralling as Mantle, but soft, comforting. It's been a tremendous help with grief these past months.
This BPAL smells super strong - sometimes I don’t like the scent. I haven’t noticed much in terms of grief work with it. If anything, I’ve noticed feeling tired.
By far thee most addictive scent I have ever had the joy to perceive, just, otherworldly enchanting. It feels so comforting, soft, like coming home. Definitely helps in divination, communing with the sky, feeling cheerful and peaceful, in inner child related work, and in finding incredible music.
A tremendous aid for therapy — it really unlocks deep wells of emotion that need to gush out. Smells like a hug from the Divine Mother.
Mantle of Concealing Night:
When I first received this BPAL, I was struck by how 'perfumey' it smelled; though there was something alluring beneath, it was such a powdery floral scent (the violet definitely stood out) that I didn't know if I could hack this one. The initial drydown was also rather harsh on me. After giving it some time to mellow, though, I'm finally coming around! I've started mixing a little of this in with my body lotion, and the results have been addictive. Suddenly I can't get enough of this one! I had a similar experience with Fruitful Mother of Thousands: initially the big floral bouquet was too much to handle and I almost gave it away, but in short time it became one of my top faves as I eased back into it. Both are heady, decadent fragrances that might be too rich at first blush, but I found that I developed a quick appetite for them. No regrets, after all!
Muse's Aid:
Syrupy sweet and quite reminiscent of Dimetapp. On the skin it warms to something complex and seductive to the point of distraction. I'm still learning how to use this one: easy enough to wear, but for me, this muse can be very fickle. Every once in awhile she takes my creative writing ventures to an inspired place, but she seems just as likely to send me into a less productive headspace (albeit an enjoyable one!) if given free rein. Use often leads to cravings for grape popsicles.
Muse's Aid-- wow! I am totally enchanted by this scent to the point that I reach for it just for the mood boost rather than for strictly inspirational/artistic purposes. As others have noted about other scents in this series, I find Muse's Aid to be emotionally comforting on a deep and subtle level as well. It also layers beautifully with other earthy notes like patchouli and sandalwood if you are into layering your BPALs with other things (I am). I will definitely be adding another bottle (or two!) to my collection just because I never want it to run out!
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The Goat’s Teeth
Available, Saturn in Capricorn, Talismanic PerfumesAfter them was born Kronos, the wily, youngest and most terrible of her children.
The Goat’s Teeth grind away mercilessly at everything. This is an oil of cunning, shrewdness, self-control, ambition, and renegotiating relationships with subordinates and figures of authority, of giving and receiving respect and gaining prestige by earning it. This is an oil of setting sights on a goal, making the plans necessary, and achieving that goal.
Patchouli essential oil and patchouli root from the TAL garden (Pogostemon cablin), rosemary essential oil and leaf from three plants in the TAL garden (Rosmarinus officinalis, Foxtail, Gregori, Tuscan Blue), dill seed (Anethum graveolens), agrimony leaf and flower (Agrimonia eupatoria), comfrey leaf from the TAL garden (Symphytum uplandicum), cypress essential oil and leaf (Cupressus sempervirens), myrrh essential oil and tears (Commiphora myrrha), black vegetal musk, and ethically sourced goat’s teeth. This oil is not vegan. No goats were harmed in the creation of this oil.
Arrives in that iconic BPAL 5 ml amber apothecary bottle for $48
The Goat’s Scapula
Available, Saturn in Capricorn, Talismanic PerfumesAncient like Kronos, heavy-kneed, pouring rain.
This is an oil of discipline, duty, and perseverance during hardship. It is an oil of fierce independence, practicality, and gravity. This is an oil that sublimates irrational emotion in favor of cold logic. Use the Goat’s Scapula to increase patience, particularly during negotiations and to understand the mysteries of time and the passage of time.
Balm of Gilead buds and absolute (Populus nigra), patchouli essential oil and patchouli root from the TAL garden (Pogostemon cablin), hyssop essential oil and leaf from the TAL garden (Hyssopus officinalis), vetiver essential oil (Vetiveria zizanioides), American hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), tobacco absolute (Nicotiana tabacum L, alcohol extraction of the concrete of the cured leaves), tobacco tree flowers from the TAL garden (Nicotiana glauca), wild-cultivated Huichol tobacco leaf (Nicotiana langsdorfii), black vegetal musk, and ethically sourced goat bone. DO NOT TAKE INTERNALLY. This oil is not vegan. No goats were harmed in the creation of this oil.
Arrives in that iconic BPAL 5 ml amber apothecary bottle for $48
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Primordial Bath Mud
30% OFF, Available, Face + Body, Re-Labeling *SALE*, Salts, Saturn in Capricorn
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Muse’s Aid– wow! I am totally enchanted by this scent to the point that I reach for it just for the mood boost rather than for strictly inspirational/artistic purposes. As others have noted about other scents in this series, I find Muse’s Aid to be emotionally comforting on a deep and subtle level as well. It also layers beautifully with other earthy notes like patchouli and sandalwood if you are into layering your BPALs with other things (I am). I will definitely be adding another bottle (or two!) to my collection just because I never want it to run out!
Lover’s Guardian: perhaps an unconventional use? I have given this as an offering to the ancestors and it has quickly cooled heads in this household. The scent is reminiscent of a teething toy I had as a baby as well, so although it’s meant for fighting couples…this has been an all-round soother and go-to, up and down the timeline.
I was gifted Mantle of Concealing Night for Christmas last year and have been wearing it regularly since! I’m a perfume fanatic and jump between scents often, but I keep finding myself returning to this bottle. The scent is extremely soothing and dreamy, like a balmy, beautiful night (I’ve been complimented on it multiple times). I usually wear it when I’m reading natal charts or when I feel anxious (or both)! I’ve found that it seems to calm down my nerves considerably and also helps me to have the focus to give thorough natal readings. I’ll be trying it while water scrying soon, but so far it’s worked wonders and smells amazing!
I lost both of my parents just under eighteen months apart, and my grief has been as complex as my relationships with them were. To Thee My Tender Grief Confide has been an incredible balm for this. I rub it into my chest, and my chest muscles immediately loosen up. It stops the tears and rumination, so that I don’t get so overwhelmed by sadness that I lose the rest of my day or night to it. (Or have a longer night than I would have otherwise, since it also helps me fall asleep on nights when I miss my parents particularly strongly.)
Everything is still so hard. But every little bit helps — and this little bottle helps a lot.
Each time I use Mantle of Concealing night it makes me feel more at ease and is perfect to have wonderful dreams. I tend to apply it more at night to just unwind and let my body and mind rest from all the stuff from the day.
The BPAL Mantle of Concealing Night has become one of my favorite perfume oils of all time. It feels like being wrapped in a soft old shawl that belonged to my grandmother. It brings me comfort. I tend to apply it in the evening – after a bath is divine – as a balm for relieving the stresses of the day. I’ve also found it’s a helpful aid for pendulum divination. Somehow the signals come through more clearly. I adore it.
TW: Eating issues
As someone with a difficulty with nourishing and caring for myself, the mantle of concealing light (and the whole series) has been so so so helpful for deepening my relationship with my body and pleasure and joy. I’m so thankful for the ways in which it seems to be breaking generational curses around eating and difficulties around providing yourself with care.
Purchased LOVER’S GUARDIAN to support a disruptive Uranus in our 7th house squaring his Uranus and MC. It’s been a rough go but the addition of LG along with the rest of LiC has seemed to lift us out of the free fall – I call this BPAL couple counseling in a bottle. TO THEE MY TENDER GRIEF CONFIDE for my clients and my family who God knows have been facing some of their most challenging times of their lives. It extends my bandwidth to include not only their grief but mine as well. So grateful for this series.
I ordered LOVER’S GUARDIAN and TO THEE MY TENDER GRIEF CONFIDE. I loooove them. Both are gentle, nurturing, and comforting overall. I feel a little softer, less guarded, and more sensitive when I use them. I tend to sleep more deeply and want to loll in bed in the mornings 🙂 .
I ordered the entire set and every one of them is extremely comforting; they all have mouth-feel, actual taste, as you apply them. The Luna series is very subtle for me, possibly because I have natal Moon in Cancer opposite Neptune and Uranus, sextile Venus as-is – I’m just maybe already “a certain way” haha. But it is *lovely, and I do notice that people confide in me more, seek me for psychological comfort, which I am always happy to receive and give.
Muse’s Aid! What a joy! I absolutely love the scent of star jasmine, and it rides close to my skin for sooo long, even compared to other BPALs – six or eight hours, even overnight sometimes. Since I started wearing it semi-regularly I’ve not only engaged with my preferred artistic mediums but also spontaneously started some experimental pursuits, too.
I’ve been using this for dream incubation and it is very effective thank you
This review is for MANTLE OF CONCEALING NIGHT.
Gosh, this oil is so powerful. I’ve only used it once with the intent of indulging in the more transitory, magical affect of Luna in Cancer (vs the emotional deep diving). Whilst it absolutely did that – I felt very able to enjoy the moment and like myself in a sort of nebulous lunar way – I think it also sparked off me needing to act upon some emotional unease I’d been experiencing for a while. I’m glad I had the push to address the situation, but this duality of the moon is def something to keep in mind.