Aquarian Soul - An Interview with Ally Sands
Hoodwitch: Hello Ally, I fell In love with your beautiful floral smudge wands when I initially found your instagram, can you tell us when Aquarian Soul started?
Aquarian Soul: I originally started making jewelry using raw crystals, about 8 years ago. I had been studying the healing powers of crystals for a long time, and I wanted to make jewelry that was not only beautiful but served a purpose. A few years later I began using massage oils that I had infused with different crystals on myself, and that is when I thought of making my second branch of Aquarian Soul, Aquarian Soul + Earth Oils. Having crystals and gemstones actually on your skin and absorbed into your skin via the oils and sprays I make, is a great way to take in the healing benefits. After my original product line of crystal infused massage oils, I began to branch out into other items based around the moon cycle and also infused with different gemstones. The smudge wands were just something I started making because here in Southern California we have an abundance of white sage, and the idea to put flowers in them just seemed natural since I would collect wildflowers out in the desert when I would go and pick the sage.
What Inspires your blends?
To be quite honest, a lot of my ideas come to me spontaneously, mainly as I am drifting off to sleep, and I keep repeating the idea in my head telling myself I better remember when I wake up (and I always do!). Anytime I go on a hike, or go on day trips out to the desert, I am inspired by the landscape around me. All the flowers and herbs I use in my smudge wands are from the nearby mountains and deserts. I go rock hounding for many of my own crystals, and I am constantly inspired by the intricate beauty of these crystals.
What are you currently growing in your garden?
Right now I have a small, but prosperous little medicinal herb garden. I have rosemary, lemon balm, many varieties of lavender, a ton of varieties of mint, thyme, tarragon, oregano, white sage, and a few others. I have had several failed attempts at growing vegetables but over the summer I did have a few successful crops of lacinato kale, a lot of chili peppers and tomatoes!
What flower or plant do you feel best represents your brand ?
I have many flowers and plants that I connect with, and use for their magical properties, but if it came down to one plant I would definitely have to say salvia apina, white sage. Its just so representative of the landscape here and I incorporate it into several of my products, and of course, as you mentioned before the smudge wands. I see we have that in common, a love of smudging and clearing the energy in our sacred space! I also think rose is another big one, if I can have two… I can never choose! Not only does it have many healing properties but its just so representative of love and beauty and I think goes well in any natural beauty product. It makes you feel special and pampered.
What flower/herbs do you feel that you are spiritually connected to?
I grew up with a large garden, so I definitely had a lot of contact with different herbs and flowers, and one of the main ones I remember having my whole life is rosemary. I like to use rosemary not only for cooking but in smudge wands, and on my altar during different times of the year. As for flowers, I honestly don’t think I could ever choose just one!
Herbal remedies and baths have been used by wise women and magical practitioners for thousands of years, how did you learn to use them?
I would say it came from half years of studying, and half intuition. I really value intuition in guiding my choices in life, and a lot of the blends I create and chose to use for myself come from intuition. But of course there is so much to learn about herbs, it would be hard for me to say I know even a fraction of what is out there. I try and learn as much as I can and soak it all in. I also just naturally drawn to using herbs as I grew up in a Hispanic family where a lot of herbal remedies were used. So I guess I can also say a lot of it was wisdom handed down from many generations of home herbalists.
Do you take a plants Magickal or medicinal properties into consideration before creating your blends? Or is it a bit of both?
I definitely take their medicinal properties into consideration, as well as magickal! Of course certain elements of my blends like roses are beautiful, so naturally they just look nice floating in your tub but they also are chosen for their healing properties. I love that about working with herbs and flowers, you can go outside and pick your medicine right from your own garden!
Your floral catchers are gorgeous, is this a skill you learned on your own or was this handed down to you?
I wish I could say this was handed down to me, but I was just always really inspired by the intricate patterns in dream-catchers. I learned how to weave the web, which isn’t too difficult on my own. The floral aspect came to me as I was falling asleep. I had been collecting little dried bundles of straw flowers from the farmers market every week and I thought these would look amazing on a dream catcher! They last almost forever so they make for the perfect flower to preserve and adorn the dream-catcher without falling apart!
It's getting pretty chilly outside and soaking in a nice warm heavenly scented tub is always wonderful. Would you mind sharing a bath salt recipe exclusively for our readers ?
Pink Love Bath Salts
Ingredients:
Pink Himalayan salt
Epsom salt
Coconut milk powder
Rose petals
Rose essential oil
Mix equal parts of the two salts, and about half as much coconut powder. Add in a handful of dried rose petals. Add one or two drops of rose essential oil and mix thoroughly. Rose oil can be quite expensive so you can substitute geranium rose if you wish. This is a perfect soak to use on a cold evening surrounded by candlelight. The salts are good for detoxing the body, soothing sore muscles, and improving blood circulation. The coconut powder is so moisturizing and leaves your skin feeling so soft!
