Hand of Hermes

[shelldoo]

Develops concentration and creativity, and amplifies communication skills.

hmm this is slightly minty, very herbal, a hint of cinnamon very interesting

[UltraViolet]

In the bottle

aquatic lavender

 

On

Water and nice strong lavender.

Whoa. Cinnamon (or clove rather) comes out from behind the bushes as the stronger note at about the 5 minute interval and the blend as a whole becomes sweet and muted.

In the first minute I felt a wave of warm soft (but powerful) energy flowing inside by body and it lasted about 15 seconds.

 

30 minutes

It stays a nice warm strong clove and/or cinnamon when it dries.

 

Throw:

average

 

Scent category:

aqua/herby/spicy

 

Summary

This blend has an uncanny ability go from a water bright strong lavender to a sweet dark cinnamon. I've never seen that happen quite like this with any other bpal blend. And with such differing scents too! This is quite the Alchemic blend, and as such evokes the true spirit of Hermes , the great alchemist.

Many people believe that Hermes (Hermes Trismegistus) was a reincarnation of Thoth, Akhenaten, Hermes (The Greek), Roger Bacon and even Isaac Newton. His "Emerald Tablets" contains an extremely succinct summary of what Aldous Huxley dubbed the "Perennial Philosophy," a timeless science of soul that keeps popping up despite centuries of effort to suppress it. The basic idea is that there exists a divine or archetypal level of mind that determines physical reality, and individuals can access that realm through direct knowledge of God. The teachings of Hermes -- the Hermetic tradition -- is one of the oldest spiritual traditions in the world. In Hermetic magic the deification of man is seen as a practical task, which can be approached through alchemy.

An appropriate blend indeed.

 

Purchase again?

Yes.

 

1-5 rating (5 being best)

4

Edited May 10, 2013 by UltraViolet

[yeahbutnobut]

Hermes

 

In the imp: lavender, possibly cinnamon and clove or ginger. It reminds me of something from Lush-maybe Dreamtime.

Wet on skin: still lavender and spices, warm spices that may be cinnamon and clove. This is a very deep, herbal-spicy scent.

Dry on skin: mmm, spice! I love the warm spicy scent this has, backed up by lavender, and possibly other herbs. This is a lovely scent…it reminds me slightly of Paris, but with warmer, less sweet spices.

After a while: cinnamon! This is just like Three Witches, but with added lavender. I love the dry cinnamon bark in this, it's almost festive smelling.

This eventually becomes pure cinnamon and clove, the exact same drydown as TW!

Verdict: as a budding writer currently suffering from terrible writer's block, I'm hoping this blend kick starts my muse into action. Whatever the effects of this, I love the scent. it's lavender with a wonderful warm spicy blend of cinnamon and clove. Think the spices of Three Witches but with lavender added, or a drier, less sweet version of Paris. I love this scent, and hopefully it's magical effects will take hold. I want a bottle!

Edited July 23, 2005 by yeahbutnobut

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

[Thank you for the fascinating info, UltraViolet! That's really cool. Hermes is also one of the owls in Harry Potter; I am embarrassed that that's what I thought of right away. Appropriate, though, since they deliver letters.]

 

My whole day is going to be communication (stuff for the online class I'm teaching) and I'm not feeling too creative or positive about it, so I'm trying out my new Hermes!

 

In the bottle: fresh, sharp lavender and...cinnamon. How lovely!

 

On me: Gaaaah, I spilled half of it! My first actual bottle spill. I used a dropper to suck some of it off the glass computer table and put it back in the bottle (creative thinking!). I am so pissed. But I guess this means all communications from this computer will be blessed. It does smell great over here--very spicy, with lavender underneath. A clean, bracing combination, very refreshing. A strong herbal-spicy scent. I will now *carefully* transport the remaining amount to my altar.

[summer]

Hermes is a very powerful blend for me. When I apply it to my palms and inhale, I get a RUSH of cool/warm to my head and all through my nerve endings. I work in a profession in which communication is vital, so I often reach for this when I need to speak clearly and powerfully and get my point across.

 

The scent is strong, rich, spicy cinnamon which morphs in and out of a cool, smooth lavender. It has a distinct zing.

 

I get an almost metallic feeling in my mouth when I use Hermes, and sometimes I feel flushed, and my heart beats faster. It's an almost anxious feeling, but not in a bad way -- it's not fear; rather, it's that rush of adrenaline that comes right before you know you're going to perform. And I'll tell you this -- every time I have used Hermes, the words have flowed out of me in a strong, coherent, logical sequence. One of my gifts is verbal clarity, and I feel that Hermes helps me channel that gift and use it to its fullest potential.

 

This blend is an invaluable tool for me in my professional life.

[aidenraine]

I am trying this one with intent to actually buckle down and work, when my output has been kinda low lately. I also intend to use this for communication purposes, perhaps even when teaching.

 

It doesn't matter to me what it smells like, so long as it helps, but I am immediately taken aback by the combination of strong cinnamon on my skin, and lavender in the bottle. On my skin it does not linger particularly much, which inclines me towards using an oil burner with it instead. That generally seems to be a good solution with the creative blends, which seem to need to assert themselves consistently in order to be effective.

 

It seems as well, that my skin doesn't like this. It has become really itchy where I applied it. My whole neck feels irritated. Yikes!

Oil burner, it is.

 

I feel like I am smelling a combination of crafts store and ribbon candy.

Alright, off to fetch the burner and see how this does there.

Edited June 8, 2006 by aidenraine

[roesmoker]

This one smells exactly like Mercury to me, which makes sense. Lavender+cinnamon, a strange combination in theory but one which I quite like. Unfortunately Hand of Hermes is one of the very few scents that gives me an allergic reaction, which is strange because Mercury didn't do so. I had applied it behind my ears and a few minutes later I felt it burning. Even sadder, I didn't get any magical effects at all from this oil. (I did not perform a ritual, but when applying it I did concentrate on the stated purpose.) I'll be swapping my imp.

[Medici]

Hand of Hermes, to me, provides a slightly stronger punch than Hymn to Pan. Mentally, at least, I consider both to be within the same realm (of what I'm trying to accomplish).

 

For the most part, I've been using Hand of Hermes when writing - especially when slamming into that fun wall called "Writer's Block."

 

It's predominently cinnamon, though it starts off with a smack of minty lavender. A great way to dump out a bit of the mental clutter and get on with whatever creative task is ahead. It helps me think clearer, in short, which is beneficial especially when getting finger-tied (tongue-tied.)

 

I use a drop on my wrists when settling in for a particularly gruelling session in front of the laptop. It's like... writer's nirvana. My fingers start moving and sometimes, it takes a few moments for my brain to catch up when using this blend.

 

I like it a lot. It's proven to be one of the stronger creative blends in my arsenal, and I may try it out when doing presentations this term to see how well it holds up in front of an audience.

[Macha]

Some months back, when I had planned on painting a triptych of the loas (a project which didn't work out, although I have some preliminary sketches) I had stopped by the Lab. Beth, knowing what I was working on, pressed a bottle of Hermes into my hand. It made sense — there are some strong parallels between Papa Legba and Hermes, and I work electronically in a manner that calls on these powers very strongly. She told me to rub a little on my palms before sitting down to draw. It's a re-apply as you go sort of thing and very easy to do. No special training. Put a drop on your palm, rub your hands together. That's it.

 

In the bottle it smelled very strongly lavender, but as soon as it's on the palms of my hands, it's pure cinnamon with a slight lavender undertone. It's very spicy.

 

So....the first thing I discovered is that my cat HATES this. He will all but run from me while I'm wearing it. That's not necessarily a bad thing: keeps him from trying to jump on my lap while I'm trying to navigate through a tricky sketch.

 

The second thing I discovered is that this oil works better than any other I've tried, and I've tried just about all the inpiration and creativity blends. Writer's block? Not a problem. Painting? Works beautifully. Gaming? Oh yeah...

 

Yup...you heard me. Gaming. I discovered by accident that Hand of Hermes also works very well when playing computer games (I know, it's a bit odd,) helping give me the calm, cool edge I need in raids and the like.

 

The result of all this? I keep a bottle in front of my computer at all times and another one in my satchel. I grow cranky if I lose track of it. It's become as indespensible as my drawing table and keyboard. The fact that I adore the scent just makes it that much better, because it is extremely effective. This stuff works.

 

As Summer said: it is an invaluable tool for me in my professional life.

[storme]

In the imp: bitter herby lavender and maybe some sort of mint.

 

On me, wet: soft minty lavender with a hint of cinnamon. This is lovely - soft and warm and comforting.

 

On me, dry: it faded fast, but what there is left is very cinnamonish. I can also just about discern the lavender.

 

Verdict: I did get on and finish some icons I'd been dithering over, so maybe it really does work. And it's a very nice smell, even if it does fade fast. I'll hang onto my imp.

[Blood onmy hands]

Hand of Hermes starts off smelling rather like LUSH's Dream Cream (pleasantly creamy, candy-sweet lavender with an herbal edge) and then becomes very cinnamony on me for a while. After an hour or so, it calms down to a fair mix of sweet lavender and cinnamon.

 

And, just because I feel as though I should mention it, this is probably not a good blend to put on sensitive skins. I have very resilient skin and can wear the best of cinnamon blends without an allergic reaction, but this even made my skin a bit tingly and... burning. It only was bothersome for about 15 minutes, but it is something to take into consideration nontheless.

Edited August 14, 2012 by Little Bird

[Browneyes]

I got a bottle of this oil to help with study/writing inspiration and communication in general.

 

Smell: as others have metioned, this is a mix of lavender and cinnamon - an unlikely combination perhaps, but it smells really good to me. So if you like those two notes you will probably like the smell of this. To me it is warm, soft and spicy with the slightly powdery floral/herbal edge of lavender.

 

Sensitivity: I would echo recommendations to use this with caution if applying to the skin. I didn't notice any problems the first times, but the other night I was working at my computer and I had applied a drop from the cap onto the backside of each wrist. Those areas were all of a sudden distinctly red, and started to feel slightly bumpy and itchy. I washed it off with cool water and soap, and even so it took a good long time for the skin to normalise again.

 

Intent: I have used this oil on a candle ritual, and on the back of my wrists while working. Today I needed to speak in front of a class in a mock oral exam with the professor, and knowing that I might have skin sensitivity issues with this, I opted to wear it on some cotton in my scent locket. Generally speaking, I have not had "struck-by-lightning-miraculous-events" experiences with any of the TAL oils, but I doubt that that is their intention What I have experienced, and specifically today in class wearing this in my locket, is that these oils strengthen what you already have the potential to do, and help bring it forward. I was nervous and unfocused for only a few moments, but then I started talking and it just sort of snowballed, and I gained in confidence and was quick to think when answering the teachers questions, and even quite eloquent in my answers (if I might say so myself ). This in spite of the fact that I had only had 5 hours of sleep and prepared myself very little.

 

Summary: I am very pleased to own a bottle of this. It smells really lovely to me, comforting and stimulating at the same time. And when used with caution (due to skin sensitivity) it seems to solidify confidence and promote a cool overview of the situation, so that one does not lose track and is able to communicate succesfully. I will be trying it rubbed on my palms also, maybe they will not be so sensitive.

Thank you Beth

Edited May 2, 2007 by Browneyes

[Brianne]

In the vial:

Spicey - cinnamon maybe?

 

On me:

I am reviewing Hand of Hermes only as a scent, not for it's magical/ritual uses (as I have not used it as such yet).

Oh yeah that's cinnamon - it's being grounded by what seems to be lavender though. It's really... interesting, for lack of a better word. It has a strange sort of "kick" to it - which I think itself makes the blend seem inspiring in my opinion. Like a little burst of energy in smell form hehe.

 

Final note:

This one is pretty simple smell wise - cinnamon and lavender. It's unique and even tempting to wear as a personal scent because it's a strange combination!

[Pendragon]

Get it off Get it off Get it off Get it off!!!

 

I was silly enough to try this without reading any of the reviews where people have mentioned they had a reaction... I was having a pretty slow day at work productivity wise and I thought I'd try some - I now have big red burning marks down my neck and on my temples!

 

So after my skin started to feel warm I read the thread and went to wash it off strait away, not before my skin felt like it was on fire, and then I tried it on the palm of my hands with no reaction. Phew! As for the success of the oil I'm not sure yet, but I have to learn to skin test these things!

[manusdei]

the last few months i have been the least motivated to do anything remotely creative than i have in years. utterly uninspired in every way. i've been slowly trying to break out of it - even buying new supplies to try and motivate myself - but i haven't been happy at all with the way anything is turning out let alone excited by it. artwork is an outlet for me and i have been so stressed out lately with nowhere to turn. it's a horrible feeling.

 

i'm trying hand of hermes for the first time today. i'd love to test hymn to pan sometime as well, but i feel like i relate to hermes more and i love the symbolism and ideas that tie into him; so of course, i went for this immediately. besides, i don't think i need any added "rockstar debauch" ; )

 

applied it to my palms. smells like cinnamon with something else, a little herbal, must be the lavender everyone is talking about. it reminds me of an extremely toned-down version of the heirophant (intense herbal cinnamon, to me. ) this is wonderful because i love cinnamon and i am not the biggest fan of lavender by any means, but it works very well. i've never had a reaction problem, either.

 

i'm hard to impress, and you know what? it works.

i'm burning through sketches that i've wanted to do for who knows how long and they're coming together perfectly, almost effortlessly. i can concentrate. i scribbled a few things the other day, but it wasn't like this - almost like it was difficult and forced and the product wasn't up to par. it's hard to describe unless you've been there. i'm excited.

i need to stop writing this and go paint, dammit! (or go eat, before i forget. : ( )

[babsarella]

The scent of this blend has been described better than I could. I don't have my bottle with me, but I recall it being herbal-cinnamony. I guess I detected some lavender, but I couldn't place it at the time.

 

Okay, apparently I'm quote-stupid. But I wanted to mention this line from UltraViolet's post:

"In Hermetic magic the deification of man is seen as a practical task, which can be approached through alchemy."

 

That's really interesting to me. I got a bottle because I was in a writing rut. Nothing was sounding good. I couldn't rub two sentences together to save my life. So I got this, opened the bottle, inhaled deeply, and opened up my notebook. About ten minutes later, I had a complete poem that only needed minor tweaks. How does that tie in with the quote? If you squint, the poem could be about exactly that--the deification of man through alchemy, a topic about which I know nothing. Pretty cool!

 

The only down-side that I see is that it was so effective the first time that I'm a little scared to try it again. What if it was a fluke? What if I only had one shot? What if the writing sucks? I know, it's all pretty silly, but that's why I only have the one experience to report. I am glad I got the bottle, though, and I'll eventually work up the courage to try it again.

[LadyLuckDoubt]

Upon Opening

Smells strong and like everyone else has said, a combination of lavendar, clove and cinnamon.

 

Using It

I didn't have a lot of time and quiet space to actually do anything ritually with it-- school holidays, kids running around, etc, but had planned on getting some work done on one particular piece I'm writing. Funnily enough, the previous night, I'd worn LaFlamme (for an entirely different purpose!) and woke up with ideas for the thing I'm working on. (And yes, they were sexeh ideas!)

 

What I did was dab a little HoH on my fingertips, and rub them briskly together, concentrated, and inhaled, thinking about what I was hoping to get done. My main hope was to "get back on the horse" as I've neglected that poor fic for awhile. Anyway, I had about 45 minutes, and I got a bit of writing done. Despite my sons racing around the house and being obnoxious-- I found HoH REALLY good for focussing and concentrating on a creative level.

 

I love the scent, too-- that's a bonus-- but as a magickal oil, I'm curious about how it'll work with a bit more planning and ritual. I'm already thinking that I'd like to curl up in my study, on the couch with my laptop and a big cup of tea, and just write while I have some HoH in an oil burner.

[theseagrows]

in the imp all i can smell is herbals with a hint of lavender. as soon as it hits my skin, it's herbal-cinnamon and no lavender. after it's dry it's straight up cinnamon with a very slight powdery softness behind it.

[puddingirl]

I can smell cinammon and the slight lemony-ness of ginger. It is a very pleasant smell.

 

I will update with how it works when I have used it. I imagine that I will anoint myself before performing a task or having an important talk.

[bpalscentsual]

Licorice and Red Hots. I love the way this smells!

 

I anointed my computer keyboard with this before doing some collaborative writing, and it was amazing how the barriers between me and my character just... broke down. I was able to channel her effortlessly. Whenever I need a boost, I anoint my fingertips.

 

This works. It really does.

[JazzieCazzie]

Working through all of my imps and bottles with re-visits and new reviews. The timing was perfect to reach H and Hand of Hermes this morning since I was about to guest-lecture (via Skype) to a college graduate school class.

 

I've had this bottle for awhile. Not sure how long, honestly, but awhile. And I had somehow forgotten how truly glorious it is.

 

IN THE IMP: Wow wow wow wow wow. This really does sum up the word "joy."

 

Dabbed ... well, okay, slathered generously on wrists, both crooks, cleavage and a little behind my ears. My recollection was that it didn't have a TONNAGE of throw or legs and I needed all the help I could get.

 

WET: This may be my favorite BPAL scent. Absolutely divine. The cinnamon is actually prevalent over the lavender but only by a nose (heh). It is just the perfect combination of the two where they co-exist so beautifully. It's truly rapturously transporting.

 

I talked talked talked for 1:20. Now it's time for ...

 

DRYDOWN: Very faint but still there, lovely and light.

 

OVERALL: This scent is warmth and comfort and confidence and joy. My only wish is that it had a little more throw. And also that they would release it in bath oil, soap, candles and everything else.

 

On a scale of 1-5, eleventy-zillion. Or 5.

[Magycmyste]

This is a lab-fresh bottle - I only received it two days ago, if that makes any difference to anyone.

 

Scentwise, in the bottle, and on my skin, I smell Red Hots - so, primarily cinnamon with a kick. I think the kick I'm getting is the clove others have mentioned, but I feel like there's a sugar rush added to it.

 

Also, it's got a definite throw. I feel surrounded by a mild cloud of Red Hot candy.

 

In practice - I put it on last night before going to meet a friend at a coffee shop to work on our books - a dab on the throat chakra and one on each wrist. (I had also dabbed on a little Charisma and French Creole as well, but that's another story/review). I did feel like the Red Hotness was a little too overwhelming for me at that moment, so I layered it with a bit of 13(orange label). Chocolate and cinnamon are marvelous together in my opinion. Just before I left, though, I received a phone call that put me in a different state of mind than creative. I tried very hard to get my head back into writing, and it did work somewhat. I was able to nearly finish the scene I was working on. I did get distracted from time to time, however (I just discovered the BPAL marketplace on LJ ::sigh:: ), and didn't manage to finish the scene completely. So I feel it was a partial success in this case?

 

I'm not ready to judge completely whether Hand of Hermes works for me or not yet - I know it took a couple of trials with Charisma for me to notice any effects, and this was my first with HoH. I'm trying it again (this time staying home, and not layering it with anything else), so we'll see how far I get.

 

Edited for clarity.

Edited May 30, 2013 by Magycmyste

[lady_pandora]

I get both lavender and cinnamon in the vial and when it's wet, but it very quickly becomes just cinnamon. It's not hugely strong on me, but it's single-note and smells like I've been chewing Big Red.

 

Hand of Hermes may be the first TAL I've tried that seems to work kind of...wonky. I do think it has an effect, and it's a very Hermes-y effect. but it's not precisely what my intent in buying it was. Simply put: Hand of Hermes makes people leave my office. I don't think it's that they're overpowered by the scent, either--like I said, it's not that strong on me scentwise, and it's not a scent that is offensive to most people, and no one has made any comments to the effect of "Hey lady_p, could you tone that down?"

 

I had been wearing HoH because of communication issues in the office. I would say something, and it was like it was being put through babelfish ten times and then finally reaching the listener. I was hoping to straighten out the lines of communication so I could get my points across. But whenever I wear it, suddenly everybody decides to work from home, or go to the gym, etc. It does have the effect of eliminating miscommunication--because nobody's around to misunderstand me! And I can see Hermes in this effect. He's a god of the mind, and he's making people remember other things they want to do; he's a god of swift travel, and he's making people swiftly travel away. It's to the point that I've started using it that way on purpose if I want to work in silence or go home early (I can sometimes go home early on Fridays if everybody else leaves too).

[mercutia]

In the bottle, this is very herbal and sort of musky/patchouli-ish, lavenderish and piney with a hint of spice. It's the cologne Hermes would wear to his job as an office manager who is thoroughly professional and always shuttling back and forth from cubicle to cubicle, taking care of business, touching base, keeping business moving along, before taking everybody out drinking and partying on a Friday night for a good week's work.

 

On my skin, it went HELLA CINNAMON and started irritating and itching. Oh, well. I suppose you can view that in a tricksterish light--annoying, but not deadly. I'll try it again after I get a perfume locket and see how it develops with slow body heat but no direct skin contact.

 

As far as intent, I was hoping for something subtle and partly wearing it in tribute (I mean, look at my username). I *have* been getting more done at work, though I'm not using it at the moment due to the skin thing. Residual effect? Psychological effect? Hermes laughing up his sleeve? Hey, I'll take it.

[morpheus0013]

I tend to wear TALs when I can (some blends aren't meant for wearing, I know.) That's just how they work best for me.

I wore this to therapy one day.

If you want to break through a barrier wherein you can't tell your therapist something, highly recommend a little HoH on your pulse points. Usually I have to think and weigh my words and decide what I will and won't say. The day I wore this, there was no effort in getting the words out. In DEALING with them, sure, but in sharing them? It was like a faucet. Effortless.