Praesidium
A talismanic perfume created for Sphere + Sundry’s Deneb Algedi II election by thee Elizabeth Barrial of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (and Twilight Alchemy Lab!) —
If you have built castles in the air, your work needs not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.
– Henry David Thoreau, ‘Walden’
It is almost impossible to have peace of mind without a strong foundation and a sense of safety, and the past few years have shaken many of us to the core. This oil was crafted to assist in finding equilibrium and strength in all aspects of your life. Praesidium is an oil of grounding, helping you construct a stable groundwork upon which you can build your dreams.
Jasmine absolute and petals (Jasminum grandiflorum), sweet marjoram essential oil (Origanum majorana), Spanish marjoram essential oil and herb from the TAL garden (Thymus mastichina), myrrh essential oil and tears (Commiphora myrrha), rose absolute and petals from the TAL garden (Rosa damascena), pink lotus absolute (Nelumbo nucifera), poplar bud absolute (Populus nigra), lavender essential oil and buds from the TAL garden (Lavandula angustifolia), wild-harvested pine needles (Pinus sylvestris), hyssop herb and oil (Hyssopus officinalis), fir balsam essential oil (Abies balsamea), borage leaf (Borago officinalis), motherwort herb (Leonurus cardiac), comfrey leaf and root (Symphytum officinale), frankincense essential oil and tears (Boswellia sacra), passionflower herb (Passiflora incarnate), hops flowers and essential oil (Humulus lupulus), sumac berries (Rhus coriaria), and blue chalcedony.
Available in BPAL’s iconic 5 ml apothecary bottle for $48
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This oil feels a little different from other DA materia - sort of more floaty from the jasmine scent but also more forgiving, which makes sense given the description. Wearing it gives me a sense of 'keep going, it's going to be ok'
Paired with Horn of Lily in my homemade body butter. The ultimate nervous system reset for my native Scorpio moon.
the first time i used this, i recall several balance checks. my job at the time involved lifting a lot of heavy boxes, and i could feel the oil bringing my awareness to the way my body balanced on my feet and legs as i moved in and out of squats, and the stability available or not available to me based on how my body arranged itself. very powerful stuff. i also use this to anoint my planner! laying the groundwork for castles indeed
When I use this I feel like I’m in my own bubble. It’s great for work and I feel as though I can choose to engage with others or not, like a safe distance.
I find that Praesidium perfume oil is for the body what The Throne of the House is for the home. What do I mean by that? I find that applying The Throne of The House on the doorways/ a selenite crystal bar kept above a doorway creates very clear spiritual boundaries for a home. A boundary that is unlikely to be crossed by any unwanted attachments. On the other hand, Praesidium applied on the skin seems to assist in maintaining good personal boundaries. This can be at work or when dealing with someone problematic in private life, for example a family member, who perhaps didn’t respect our boundaries in the past. It can be helpful in practical implementing of therapeutic work and help to maintain a healthy and respectful sense of self that allows us to uphold a boundary protecting our well-being.
I've been slow forming a relationship/remembering to work with this perfume very often, but it does have a beautiful floral scent and lends a sense of calm and not allowing external troubles or worries to enter uninvited. I plan to annoint a little on my mailbox to ward away the strange, fear addled, religious paranoia pamphlets that keep being spamed around the neighbourhood from time to time
I go for this when I feel like I'm about to spiral into deep anxiety. It grounds like nothing else, just forcing my brain to grind to a halt and remain calm. That rock grounding can be paired with something like EL's Horn of Lily for a warmer embrace or Fomalhaut's Fishes Eyes for enhanced intuition and clearer thoughts (all in the Jupiter realm as it turns out!). Will get more if possible.
I second the review describing this as a sensory friendly bubble. It turns the noise down on the world as it envelopes you in its scent. A soft strength that carries you throughout the day. Comforting and soothing while commanding respect, not because you demand it, but because you exude it.
I wear this before tense interpersonal encounters, when I need to be emotionally steady enough to both listen and to stand my ground - not always easy for this Mars-in-Pisces native.
Apply before grounding meditations to connect with Terra. Intense jasmine scent, but strong earthy energy.
Big fan of this series, but I purchased this perfume specifically to pair with Saturn and Aquarius oil. They are a fitting pair! The scent profile is soft floral and cooling and paired with the oil grounds the scent. Reinforces boundaries without outright repelling… admire for afar and catch my breeze as I walk away…look but don’t touch 😉
This is my first and only BPAL purchase so far. It called to me unexpectedly. It has been tremendously soothing to my anxiety and the ball of tense energy I often feel around my solar and sacral areas. It allows an ease and a grounding to come through. The first time I wore it, I kept hearing the words “Life is not all doom and gloom.” It felt like a powerful reminder that so much of my anxiety is rooted in past trauma and fear. This brings a lightness to my being where it feels like I’m not anticipating the worst. I imagine this energy to be quite feminine in nature (it feels like a protective mother or wise grandmother figure would). Comforting and supportive. A new fav for sure.
Yin version of big boss of the sky god - the scent feels like condensed heaven and it is so good! I obviously sleep with it. Every home needs to have one.
I use this whenever I'm feeling ungrounded, attacked, attached to, uneasy, targeted, and under and/or susceptible to unwanted influence. I've used this at home, on myself before I go out, and just to huff cause it smelled so good. It's worked for me by dabbing on myself like I would perfume. I will sometimes combine it with Throne of the House. I see Throne of the House as masculine Deneb Algedi II and this as feminine Deneb Algedi II. Sometimes I'm in the mood for one or the other, and sometimes both. Maybe it's just the name, but I tend to use Throne of the House more. I will say that it doesn't smell as good as it did during the first month or two I had it. I store it in a blue tupperware with Throne of the House, so maybe that was it?
This oil is optimistic and comforting. The scent is like smelling jasmine in the summer breeze - it is light and not overwhelming. I feel safe and grounded. My favorite BPALS of all time.
I absolutely love this oil. The jasmine opening is stunning, yet comforting and I'm not often drawn to jasmine, especially the day blooming sort. It never fails- and rereading the purpose of this oil just made me chuckle- whenever I've had a grand life changing idea that I need to approach with dignity and couth, I reach for this oil. Love it.
After having a less-than-positive olfactory response to Auctoritas, I was concerned the DAII BPALs just wouldn't be for me and opted to get a decant of this - particularly as I tend to find Jasmine too sickly sweet to wear much of (a la VAD salves anyway). Somehow this fragrance is an exception - feels light, wearable, and just *comforting* as soon as I put it on. I've noticed that my ASD sensory-processing issues are way less challenging when I wear this and it's become a real go-to for daily wear as a result. Highly recommend for anyone on the spectrum or with general sensory processing issues!
I recently came back to Praesidium at the new year to help with grounding and realigning myself to my goals for the year. Not so much resolutions but more recentering. The scent is a lovely jasmine note, with added layers of baby powder. It's such a delicate fragrance but so empowering and bolstering.
The energy of this BPAL is gentle safety. I wear it on days when I am feeling ungrounded or that I need an extra boost of calm assurance. The scent lingers for a long time - longer than most of the BPALs I own - and a little goes a long way. I love having this tool in my kit.
This is so gentle, I really like using this at work to feel like I’m safe. I work in a place that puts my physical, mental, and spiritual safety and wellness at risk, and this BPAL feels less like being externally protected and just the inner knowing that I am stable and safe.
A natural scent that lingers. You only need a drop.
I love the S + S BPALs (I found out about S + S through BPAL) and Praesidium is no exception. The scent is a lovely non-indolic jasmine - very different from the marjoram-forward scents of the oil and kolonia, but also dignified and lovely. This scent is as grounding, calming, and protective as described. Highly recommend!
This is my go-to oil for encouragement and support. It's scent is uplifting and calming at the same time. It's like a vision board and an inner coach, helping me to fill out the details of my dreams and chart the course. Equanimity and creativity combined.
I have intense anxiety. I’ve been using this beautiful oil every time I have to leave the house, and it helps me feel immediately safe and soft. I’m so grateful.
One of my favorite BPAL perfumes, Presidium is delightful--light and buoyant. Like a few other S & S products, though, this one seems so energetic as to disappear surprisingly fast. Although I had the lid to this bottle closed tightly, I ran out of the perfume almost immediately, after less than 10 uses (and I am not a heavy perfumer. 🙁
I fell in love with the smell straight away even though I am usually not a fan of white florals. The jasmine note is the most apparent in this perfume. I feel that I am crowned with a lovely jasmine wreath. It is soft, airy and dignified, not cloying and earthy. It is a floral that is gender neutral. The perfume confers an air of dignity and seriousness to the wearer, yet it does not feel heavy.
Praesidium smells like floral rebar to me, particularly when diluted into a spray. It's flower heavy with a resinous, metallic tang. It's not soft, it's structured and upright but still gentle and affirming, as I find all DAII offerings to be. I like it for ambient use when I want clear space to get stuff done or think something through.
An elegant, serene, woodsy scent that evokes the feeling of being in a temple. Inviting of deep contemplation and a sense of settling down to earth. Very lovely, supportive, and reassuring in a muted way.
Such a beautiful perfume oil! The most noticeable scent to me is the jasmine. I can be a bit sensitive to myrrh notes in some perfume blends, but this one doesn’t bother me, which is wonderful. I’ve used this as part of my DA offerings, and the sweet scent of the jasmine permeates the area around the altar for hours. It’s calming, in a surprisingly gentle way- as well as being very grounding in the way that DA so often is. Very happy that I took a chance and purchased this one!
This smells so lovely, very jasmine rich with a strong backbone. I find this to be pleasantly grounding, a nice day to day fragrance.
What a blessing this oil has been to me. I feel like it highlighted some ways that I was not living from a grounded place, whether it be in my career or romantic life. I have learned a lot over the past few months of application, and I feel myself becoming more steady and serious in the areas in which I need to. Thank you!
| Creation Date | Waxing Gibbous Moon conj. Deneb Algedi + Jupiter on the MC, September 17th, 2021. Chart in image gallery. |
|---|---|
| Areas of Application | |
| Star | |
| Step / Function | |
| Size | 2.5 oz, 4 oz |
| Magical Applications | Binding, General Wards, Mojo Bags / Sachets, Psychic Disturbances |
| Planetary Body | |
| Vegan | Yes — Vegan |
| Dimensions | 1 × 1 × 1 in |
| Weight | 1 oz |