The use of perfumes and scents in practices aimed at communicating with spirits.

The use of perfumes and scents in practices aimed at communicating with spirits.

The Spiritual Use of

Yes—perfumes and fragrances have long been used in practices that aim to contact spirits. Across cultures and history, scent has been treated as a powerful bridge between the physical and the spiritual.

Why scent is used

The basic idea is that spirits, lacking physical bodies, are drawn to sensory but subtle elements like smoke and aroma. More traditionally, incense and botanical oils serve as the medium that spirits can “approach” or “consume.”

How scents function in spiritual work

Feeding or offering: In many Afro-Caribbean systems (Santería, Vodou) and folk magic, spirits are thought to take in the essence of a fragrance. Examples include Florida Water, used to purify spaces and refresh altar offerings, and tobacco, burned as an offering to the ground and to energize spirits.

Creating a vibrational match: Occult and folk traditions often associate particular botanicals with specific spiritual “frequencies.” Practitioners choose scents that correspond to the nature of the spirit they wish to contact—for example, frankincense and myrrh for high or celestial presences, sandalwood to clear the mind and invite ancestors, and rose or jasmine for spirits linked to love or feminine energy.

Purifying the atmosphere: Ancient Greeks and other cultures used fragrances to cleanse miasma (spiritual pollution). Perfume and incense were thought to purify the air so a spirit could temporarily inhabit the space without being disturbed by “the smell of mortality.”

Common spiritual scents and uses

Copal: Mesoamerican resin used to open connections to the afterlife.

Bay Rum: Employed in ancestral work to add warmth and energy.

Mugwort: Burned or worn to enhance psychic vision during séances.

Lavender: Used to calm the atmosphere so only peaceful spirits are present.

Phantom smells and presence

Many traditions interpret unexpected, familiar scents—like the distinct perfume of a deceased relative—as a sign that their spirit is drawing attention or making its presence felt.

How scent bridges worlds

Smell has a direct line to the limbic system, the brain center for memory and emotion, so fragrances can trigger immediate, visceral responses. In spiritual practice, scents are used for several purposes:

Purification: Smokes like sage or palo santo clear negative energy and prepare a space.

Transcendence: Incense smoke symbolizes prayers or intentions rising to the divine.

Altered states: Scents such as sandalwood or lotus help calm the body and focus the mind for ritual or meditation.

Memory and presence: Ritual fragrances can call to mind ancestors or deities, making their presence feel tangible.

Common associations

Lavender: peace and clarity

Cedarwood: grounding and protection

Rose: divine love and heart-opening

Jasmine: intuition and dreaming

Typical spiritual perfume forms

Attars: concentrated, alcohol-free perfume oils common in Islamic and Hindu practice.

Florida Water: a citrus cologne widely used in Hoodoo, Santería, and Wiccan cleansing.

Anointing oils: blends of resins like frankincense and myrrh in a carrier oil for ritual use.

If you have a list or photos of specific bottles, describe the labels or names, and I can explain their typical spiritual uses.