Tortoise Subset
The Tortoise is an animal of extraordinary esoteric import, its shell being the substrate upon which the Lo Shu/ Bagua — the magic square of Saturn — was said to have originated. The Black Tortoise is one of the four great mythological beasts of ancient China (along with the Azure Dragon), bringing support, endurance, good health, stable wealth, longevity, and good fortune to those who cultivate and safeguard its energies in their own respective Spheres.
In the West, tortoises are known for taking their sweet time, but just so happen to win the race anyway.
This Oil and Incense-Powder are for wisdom and triumph over all that truly matters in life.
It contains fossilized tortoise shell and spurs, opoponax, myrrh, plai, manuka, vetiver, and violet leaf, along with 24k gold in 100% organic jojoba.
Tortoise is a quiet, grounded, and focussed take on Saturn in Aquarius, fantastic for solitary work and steady progress. It is excellent for contemplation of the Saturnian current, the study of Feng Shui and no doubt Vastu, and the activation of sigils, petitions, and talismanic objects of a compatible nature.
It can be used to anoint items and objects that provide Black Tortoise energy in and around the home or office.
Tortoise Anointing Oil: 1/2 oz Standard Vial, 10 ml “flawless glide” Steel Roller, or 5 ml Mini.
Tortoise Incense-Powder hybrid: 1/2 oz Vial (due to limitation, no bulk pots will be offered).
Tortoise Spell Soap: 3″ x 1″ disc (please view important tips here)
Note that Sphere + Sundry’s Incense Powders are designed to be burned *without* charcoal, on beds of premium ash in a firesafe dish or plate. Pour ash, then pat or use a tool to create a relatively smooth surface. Pour the desired amount of Incense Powder into the palm of your non-dominant hand, and use the other to assemble a thin peaked mound, line, or sigil, pinch by pinch. These can be quite thin if desired. The neater and more ridged your shape is, the better it will burn! Light the top of the ridge to ignite.
Taking time to prepare Incense in this way can be a meditative and centering experience, and allows the practitioner to create custom burn times with zero waste. If your line ends up too long, simply use a knife to ‘cut’ the fresh powder away from the ignited portion to use later.
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You know when you have so many ideas, and finding the time to do what's needed can be a problem? The solution is contained in this bottle. Put simply, Tortoise fucks with time. Quite how it does so is above my paygrade. But day before yesterday? Those pages flew by with just a hint of this elixir. Yesterday? Again. This time with a side of temporal paradox I can make no sense of or need to. Invest.
Working with this materia has forced me to acknowledge Saturnian forces that I've been neglecting, which I think is pretty relatable. I'm glad I've got this in my arsenal. With Saturn sitting on my natal Sun, and with a bit of this applied to myself - it was very clear that I had become a dried out little fishy. If you are also prone to side effects, have some electrolyte water on hand. I always say that more immediate side effects are a clue that something is working, even if that larger "something" wants to take a while to reveal itself. I'll keep at it by using this sympathetically until Saturn clears my Sun.
The tortoise subset is slow moving, deliberate, diligent, wise, and it balances out many of my Aries tendencies very nicely.
I have Saturn in my first house and love the way the Materia feels like coming home. Calming, grounded, down-to-earth. I love all of your Saturnian offerings!
I have a solid Saturn in Aquarius placement so I didn't expect the Saturn in Aquarius materia to have noticeable effects right away. I got a black Obsidian crystal tortoise from Etsy to put on my Saturn altar. The same day, I found a beetle in my kitchen and upon looking it up, I found out it's called Mottled tortoise beetle. I just love all these tortoise synchs.
Effects wise, I was able to stick to my goal of not buying anything that's not essential during July. The maertia is quiet yet determinant. Just like a tortoise.
I've always been hesitant to wear Saturn materia on my person, but I had a significant dream about a tortoise, so I gave this a shot. It was wild - the first time I wore it, I saw a whole movie in my head about identifying patterns in my past and the past of society as a whole, and seeing where someone could have intervened. I think this oil will excel at problem solving when given a job to do.
Favorite effects of this powder: I feel clear-minded, emotionally steady/less emotional, like I have a higher perspective, like I can definitely accomplish big things in time. A different kind of strength - steady and slow. I can apply this at the beginning of the day (sprinkle into socks, rub into lotion) and still have energy and focus at the end of the day. It becomes too much to use every day. Encourages sobriety. Increases my natural intelligence and appreciation of it! Tortoise is friend.
Side note: I have been combining this with Regulus III, and the effect is incredible for the confidence and determined action I want for a brave career direction.
I bought the spell soap for this sub series as I was hoping to use it before bedtime as a way of reorientating me to what 'truly matters'. It does work well for this, and doesn't interfere with my sleep despite how it can be used to help with focus. It makes me feel calmer and gets rid of some of the noise. I do find it slightly unpleasant to use as it feels scratchier than my Jupiter soap and therefore more stripping - but tbh this makes sense with the magical effects.
I got the Tortoise incense specifically for Saturn and related matters meditation. It is quiet, friendly and smooth. Not very heavy, but still very deep, kind and patient. Perfect for meditation.
Have you ever gotten distracted just for a few minutes, but then you look up and SO much time has passed? This is the opposite of that.
I can sometimes get big mental blocks around my to do list when my brain thinks I don't have enough time to do everything. It paralyzes me in a way where I get far less done than I could have. That's when I use this subset. It expands time for me somehow so I can do everything that needed done without rushing or panicking. I haven't even been called to try the main series because I love the susbsets so much!
I've been really scared of Saturn? (Funny since I feel like my personality very much suits Saturn - rules, patience, care for elderly etc.) Recently though, I've been trying to easy myself into figuring out Saturn and how I relate to Saturn.
In respect to the tortoise subset itself, I got a 5mL mini of the oil and on a Saturday, applied it to a candle to observe Saturn's day & hour. I don't know how to describe it other than a feeling of absolute calm and stillness. Now I'm one of the most scattered people I know, and my brain does NOT turn off... this doesn't shut down my thoughts, but the feeling of rabid scatteredness is paused.
As an added effect, that same day I applied this oil to myself and burned some on a candle was a day I went out shopping with my sisters, and I didn't spend any money??? Except for a small amount for dinner.
Anyway, I like this a lot. I just ordered a larger amount of the tortoise oil because I definitely want to figure out how to incorporate this into my life.
I find Saturn stuff to be pretty calming, so I actually use this to meditate and otherwise just lay around. I'm also a huge fan of things like cold and winter, so SiA in general feels right at home for my needs. It's nice for having a steady workflow, too, for doing busy work that just requires persistence rather than high energy.
What a time warp. Time expands to meet *my* needs. My anxiety about trying to cram things into the hours between finishing work and sleep recedes, or disappears completely.
Applied this to a meaningful piece of jewelry on a Saturday. Reminded me very much of the energy of my Saturn return (aqua), and brought back some of my more helpful coping skills from that time. It also seemed to fortify boundaries including a sewer line blockage that became evident that very day. The sewer line was a big topic during my Saturn return too. A lot of preventative maintenance was done, and this material seemed to reveal that more maintenance was needed.
Definitely a Saturnian energy, not exactly a light or fun vibe, but very supportive when used intentionally.
I didn't know what to expect from this series. I had good but slightly depressing / alienating results from the Saturn in Aquarius series. But this one is a wowzer for me. Weeks of executive dysfunctioning & resistance to making gentle incremental progress towards an important long term project vanished into thin air, turned into a few days of slow, languid, gentle, highly productive work. I also love layering this one with the Jupiter in Pisces Butter Ocean materia to quadruple the chill factor while staying alert and *really* getting shit done in an emotionally & spiritually meaningful way. Can't recommend enough.
Calm, cool, and collected. A little heavy for frequent use, but absolutely amazing when I have a lot of work to do and need to just sit down and get it done, no matter how long it takes. Not as much of a taskmaster as The Goats Teeth from SiC-- it lets you rest when you need it, because it's there for the long haul, but can have the time shift that Exalted Mercury provides, without the high key buzz that EM gives.
It took me a while to post this because I wanted to check it out circumspectly. It circumnavigated me very well! Quiet but powerful.
I found this to be my favorite Saturnian offering from the line up on the site. The Venus in this particular oil really shines through making it a very positive, supportive experience of Saturn. Love it. 😍
Definitely my favorite form of SiA to wear. Turtles have a special place in my heart and I've used the oil both in direct application to my person and on amulets (I'm a nocturnal Aquarius rising and the election is a far more benefic version of Saturn than my natal situation so I haven't been as cautious about direct application as others). The base series will sometimes give me headaches / neck issues if worn for too long, but the tortoise series has been gentle enough not to cause me any issues like that. When I've applied directly, I've usually worn it on my feet / ankles and meditated on walking slowly but surely to wherever I need to go. I also have a turtle bracelet that has been anointed and that's definitely the "lightest" way to get the energetic effects, both methods have provided a lot of surety, groundedness and faith in the process of wherever I'm at. A good series for cultivating humility and steadfastness for those of us who tend to quick decisions and cockiness.
This one delivers! Ancestors strongly favor this and for myself it gives this effortless self-restraint. I know that may not sound like the most attractive selling point, but it feels so good. It’s like if you’ve ever been out of shape and then started lifting weights and consequently your posture improves and you start moving more gracefully - this is the interior version of better posture and grace (without sweat and sore muscles). And it’s both calming and relaxing. Did I mention it feels good? Such a treasure! Kait’s skills are on full display in this gorgeous creation. Bravo!
When I use this oil in meditation, it invokes in me a feeling of heavy weightlessness. I lose track of time n enter a deep, pulsating shimmery darkness. Really beautiful, grounded outer space energy
I *love* this oil. I purchased it mostly to anoint my Saturn talisman, but it's lovely by itself as well. I feel like this is a kinder, gentler introduction to Saturn if you have not yet approached this planetary power. If you long to cultivate Saturn's gifts, you would do well to engage this materia first. It requires patience, steadiness, and consistency - but it helps with those things too.
This subset carries a sense of deep pause and stillness—a kind of timelessness almost. I see myself working with this oil very slowly and in smaller doses, which seems an obvious outcome to me now, but was not how my Aquarius Saturn expected to relate to it. Compared to the main subset, I find that Tortoise connects me to a bigger scope of time and wisdom, and is far more contemplative.
The powder smells gorgeous. Cooling/refreshing, with wet stone and lemon verbena notes (to me). Most commonly I sprinkle just a bit in my sock by the ankle. It absolutely allows me to get a lot done, and it's also great at bringing emotional levels down when life gets overwhelming and you want to be able to take care of a lot. For me it lasts the whole day and then some. Some mind effects are clarity, and greater ability to focus and buckle down. I'll also feel above and unbothered with relational worries or drama, with a sense of greater perspective on my life and a sense that all will be well (and that I can accomplish much). Pictured here with a piece of cobalto calcite.
I appreciate this soap so much for divination with clients. I need to see thing objectively and not let my own desire to please them with the answers get in the way! I know how to deliver difficult news but this helps me detach from outcome and share things clearly without getting tangled up in their outcome which ultimately has nothing to do with me!
I love the oil from this subset. It's a really interesting contrast to the Mammoth subset. I have found it to be lighter and brighter but still very grounded. I have used this before heavy client days when I "just don't wanna" but need to show up anyway. There are elements that really remind me of Azure Dragon in the sense that there's a real "win by showing up" energy here that personally I really need because I tend to be very hard on myself. I find working with this energy is often an invitation to be okay exactly as I am and that it's much easier to celebrate the small wins I would otherwise overlook.
Similar to the Mammoth sunset I'm really enjoying Tortoise subset oil. Just used it in my 2024 candle ritual to call in wealth health abundance and triumph over my vices triumph over my goals. Still feels like a warm ancestral hug from my Saturn in Aquarius Oma (who mostly raised me). Before this series of materia I avoided Saturn work but now I'm embracing it.
I have Pluto opp my natal Saturn in Leo starting in 2024 so this SIA materia is heaven sent in preparation for this transit. I haven’t had a chance to use it much yet, but the sync’s before receiving it were amazing, and upon opening the package and taking a little whiff of the materia I had an overwhelming sense of power, and cleansing cold - like being on top of a mountain in a snow storm. Comforting for this Canadian girl. I plan to use this for ritual purposes when I feel the call/need.
Support for issues with my teeth. I developed a sudden toothache a few weekends back with referred pain. Rubbed a small amount of oil over the area (on my cheek) and then a small amount of Aeslcepius oil over the top of it. Next day woke up pain free and have been for several days