Chuparosa - Hummingbird Oil

Chuparosa formulas made their way into hoodoo from south of the border, and this delightful oil is named for the hummingbird as a symbol of serious, committed, faithful love. The hummingbird has long history in Mexican folk magic, and back in the day, this would quite often involve using actual hummingbirds in love workings along these lines. The hummingbirds didn't come out the other side of this intact and alive.

This old practice is no longer considered ethical (or even legal, in most places, depending on where you live), but fortunately for us, it's also not necessary. There are other ways to capture the spirit of the hummingbird without also having to end its life, and I dare say the hummingbirds are giving their blessings much more freely now when they can come and go as they please.

And that's what they do at my farm. Now, the obvious, and arguably the original, botanical ingredient here for a Chuparosa formula is the chuparosa bush, but while I've been able to keep one alive for a minute, they do not thrive here. I live on the edge of a swamp in the backwoods on the Mississippi/Alabama border. Our defining characteristic is humidity. The plant known as chuparosa prefers desert washes.

But here on the bayou, the hummingbirds love a plant that does very well here. I grow half a dozen different species of salvia here, and salvia elegans has a bright red, tubular shaped flower that looks very much like the chuparosa flower. This variety of salvia is native to Mexico and Guatamala but has adapted wonderfully to this microclimate.

When the weather cooperates, I see hummingbirds visiting my salvia multiple times a day. My salvia elegans is established in a protected spot near my front gate but far enough away from the house doors to where the hummingbirds can make the space their own. We've constructed a small, low wooden "fence" around the stand of plants to set it off as sacred space, and in good weather, the bricks and decorative mini-arbor behind it are decorated with appropriate symbolism.

And this is how I've sought to "capture" the hummingbird for this formula, through the use of botanicals and through creating a sort of modern, living hummingbird temple where everyone can visit and pay their respects and everybody leaves alive and happy. When I make a new batch of Chuparosa, it always contains botanicals that have been visited and feasted upon and pollinated by our little hummingbirds out here. And the mother bottle is set out in the "hummingbird temple" for the hummingbirds to bless after it's blended.

I knew at least one traditional worker who used salvia elegans in her Chuparosa formulas back in the day, so it's definitely not without precedent. And while I can obviously make no claims or guarantees about any outcomes resulting from using this oil, my clients' and customers' feedback suggests that I've succeeded in my attempts to "capture" the hummingbird spirit without killing.

As you might expect, Chuparosa is a sweet blend with floral notes, but it has some elements that might surprise you and that you might find give it more depth and interest than you were expecting, esp. if you're accustomed to getting this oil from a large supplier.

Half-ounce bottle.