Despite my good intentions, I didn’t do much for the Solstice this year. My planned trip out to Gaea the weekend before, with Aradia, Pasiphae, and Aidan, was cancelled due to a conflicting event[1]. The Solstice proper was mostly consumed by Sannafrid’s arrival, insomnia, and napping. Hell, I didn’t even manage to do my usual monthly reading.
I did, however, manage to start my own batch of Fiery Wall of Protection Oil. I used Polyphanes’ recipe, but my process ended up being a bit different. I didn’t have all of the ingredients I needed on hand, but I really wanted to take advantage of the astrological conditions: it was the Summer Solstice, the third day of the Dark Moon, and the first day of the Lunar Month and the waxing moon. So I ultimately split the construction and consecration of the oil over three separate occasions.
Wednesday, at the Hour of the Sun, about two hours after the peak of the Solstice, I put together about half the ingredients[2] in solution with the olive oil. The charge the oil took was very Solar, with a a Fiery heart. 
Friday, at the Hour of Mars, I put together the remaining ingredients and added the castor oil[3]. The oil took on a much more frantic, fiery character. In between sessions and after, I left the bottle to rest on Aradia’s altar.[4]
Things started getting a little wonky Friday night. Sannafrid, Aradia, and I smoked then, uncharacteristically, we all passed out almost immediately. Our sleep was restless. In the morning, I was frantic with nervous energy that felt a bit like an anxiety attack. Aradia suggested that I ground, and while that helped it was insufficient. I was almost incapacitated. While everyone else prepped the house for the party and went shopping for booze and party favors, I spent about an hour trying to find my center back. Finally, I managed to figure out what had gone awry: the frantic, twitchy energy I was overflowing with exactly matched the energy pouring off the oil. I shielded the oil by wrapping it in one of my necklaces, then locking it in my altar box. Finally, I was able to process the frantic energy and become a human being again. The box staid there until I had the opportunity to finish blessing the oil.
Today, as the Hour of Mars passed into the Hour of the Sun, I blessed the oil with the Orphic hymns to Ares and Helios. The character of the oil had already improved after a couple days in my altar box—which is to say that it was no longer painful to hold or be in the presence of. I drew a Circle of Art incorporating Solar and Martian powers, as well as several sigils made with Solar and Martian Kamea to refine the blessing of the oil. Incanting the Hymns was not the most powerful such experience I have had, but it seemed to do an excellent job of what I needed it to do: further refine and direct the power of the oil so that while it would remain effective, merely being in the presence of the bottle would not be a spastic and painful experience.
The candles are still burning, but so far the experiment seems to be a success. The oil radiates power of a strong fiery nature. Although the solar elements are still very much there, they are muted. The fire is hot and deep rather than bright and radiant. We’ll see how it feels when the candles finish and I take it out of the salt circle.
I can’t wait to see how it works.
1 – You’d think that having driven out to Gaea only to find it closed for M.M.N.G. twice, already, I’d remember to check the calendar in June.
2 – By the time I made it out of the house, it was too late to pick up the rest of the ingredients, so I used what Aradia had on hand: rock salt, true cinnamon, chili powder, cassia, red pepper, ginger root, black pepper, red sandalwood, and olive oil.
3 – Dragon’s blood, frankincense, myrrh, and castor oil. The bottle of castor oil I was able to find was 6 oz, though the recipe called for a cup (8 oz.). I substituted more olive oil to make up the difference in volume.
4 – Yes, I used a empty Rain vodka bottle to store the oil. They’re pretty. I’ll break it up into smaller vials to keep and/or give away if it turns out to be as potent as I think it will be.