#160 - Mandy Aftel, High Priestess of Perfume
The Witch Wave
Pam Grossman
4.9 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 17 December 2025
⏱️ 75 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Mandy Aftel is a pioneering American artisan natural perfumer who has been called one of the fragrance industry’s “most prolific talents” by Vogue and an “angel of alchemy” by Vanity Fair. She is an author, educator, and founder of Aftelier Perfumes and the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents located in Berkeley, CA. Mandy is renowned for her deep focus on plant-derived essences, historical fragrance, and innovative perfume creation that connects scent to memory and emotion, establishing new standards in natural perfumery through her many books like Essence & Alchemy and Fragrant. Her new book, Symbolorum: The Secret Wisdom of Emblems explores the esoteric insights and enchanting imagery of the Baroque emblem book, a long-lost cousin of the tarot.
On this episode, Mandy discusses the alchemical magic of perfume, favorite sacred scents, and her latest fascination with the esoteric emblem book.
Pam also talks about scented solar spells for Solstice, and answers a listener message from the snowy bottom of the globe.
Check out the video of this episode over on YouTube (and please like and subscribe to the channel while you’re at it!)
Our sponsors for this episode are Mithras Candle, Zouz Incense, and Sister Temperance Tarot
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey there. So people are always asking me how they can get more witch wave, how they can work with me, |
| 0:07.9 | how they can find magical community. And my answer is join the Witch Wave Patreon. There is where you'll get |
| 0:19.5 | biweekly bonus WitchWave Plus episodes as well as add free Witchwave episodes and detailed show notes for all. |
| 0:31.0 | The WitchWave Patreon is also where I lead a monthly online magical ritual which you can attend live or watch the recording |
| 0:40.2 | of at your convenience. |
| 0:41.6 | And that's available for members at all tiers. |
| 0:46.6 | And then rewards for some other tiers also include magical merch and contests where you can |
| 0:53.8 | win witchly prizes, as well as getting |
| 0:56.5 | early heads up about my workshops before they sell out, and opportunities to get magical one-on-one |
| 1:03.9 | guidance from me. And all backers get access to our exclusive digital coven, where you can connect to a community |
| 1:13.1 | of other wonderful Witchwave witches around the world. So head on over to patreon.com |
| 1:20.8 | slash Witchwave and sign up. It's a marvelous way to get more magic in your life and to support the show. |
| 1:29.3 | Thank you so much. |
| 1:34.9 | The world is filled with bewitching people, and you might be one too. |
| 1:39.9 | Welcome to the podcast where art is magic, magic is real, and reality is stranger than dreams. |
| 1:47.0 | I'm Pam Grossman, and this is the witch wave. |
| 1:51.1 | Oh, inside you and I'll be afraid. |
| 1:59.0 | Oh, oh, sunny, all the sunning |
| 2:02.6 | shapes in the night |
| 2:05.6 | Oh, |
| 2:06.6 | Mount to my feet, |
| 2:09.6 | to my knees, |
... |
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