Death

[The_Merf]

I'm not familiar with the Death card in the Rider-Waite deck, but the freshwater/soil mixture of this blend certainly recalls the Death card in the Thoth deck (the card features a black/murky blue color scheme and features fish, etc.). There is a strong dirt note in this blend (to possibly recall the scent of fresh turned burial dirt?). There's a clean note that goes over the dirt that really (and maybe it is just because I recall the Thoth card) reminds me of fresh river water moving over the dirt. I think it's very evocative of an interesting aspect of the Death card.

[cranberry]

Wet on the skin, I smell vetivert. It smells earthy, rich, like loam and moss. So oakmoss is here too. Woods and maybe patchouli too. I was thinking it would be heavier for some reason. The oil itself is a weakish tea or coffee color, a medium brown, so I should have known that the darkness would be tempered by light. Cedar and/or sandalwood come out too, mixed with the vetivert.

 

After its been on a while, it’s the scent that every other vetivert-dominant blend turns to on me – grassy, earthy, medium dark. For all that it matters with my skin, this is SN vetivert.

[Vampy]

In the imp: Burial meets The Coiled Serpent

 

On skin: Instantly turns to something very similar to Ace of Pentacles, but with a charred, burnt note, and instead of a mix of evergreens it's pine alone. Very pungent and long-lasting. It does sprout a few sweet flowers after a couple of hours or so - an interesting and appropriate effect.

 

Notes: Vetiver, probably also patchouli, burned wood (I think cedar?), pine resin, light florals.

 

It's pleasant, but like Ace of Pentacles, a bit too OMG WOODS AND DIRT for my tastes. Will probably just use on occasion for purposes of focusing on the card's concepts.

Edited September 2, 2007 by Vampy

[Electra]

I bought a 10 mL of this before the Tarot oils were discontinued because Death is my year card this year. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I like it tremendously.

 

I do tend to like woodsy, spicy, masculine scents, so take that into consideration. This would not be a scent for everyone. It's deep and dark and earthy, and I think there's cedar in it somewhere, because I'm smelling a note in common with The World (which went to pencil shavings on me). Cedar usually amps on me, but if it *is* cedar, the other notes are holding it in check. It's just very dark and earthy and a bit spicy, and very REAL. You don't get the sense of "oh, I'm wearing a dirt perfume" -- it smells like the outdoors in a very genuine way. I'm total crap at describing this, but I love it.

[suki]

in the bottle: heavy vetiver, something in the background but i can't pick it out just yet.

 

wet on skin: vetiver for sure, but there is something sweet that's tempering it. hmmm

 

dry down: vetiver is still the dominant note, but there *is* something sweet under it that definitely tempers it, takes away the bitterness that straight vetiver generally has.

 

in all: Death is a card not just of endings, but of new beginnings as well. this scent encapsulates that transition time rather well- i have a feeling this will be the oil i turn to through all *my* transition periods, to remind me of the necessary ways that we must let old things go to make way for the new to enter. a must have.

[zankoku_zen]

This one definitely has some dirt, vetiver, cedar and something else. It's woody but there's something almost fruity/floral to it. Perhaps some moss to it as well.