When you think about it, our existence on this Earth is dependent on our relationship with plants. We use them for food, medicine, shelter, clothing, furniture and many other things not to mention spiritual practices, connection and emotional expression (i.e. the giving of fragrances, flowers or plants as gifts).
Since ancient times, humans have been connecting with plants and using them in healing and rituals. Fragrance has always been seen as a connection between human beings and the unseen worlds of spirit. Flowers have long been considered as having spiritual qualities and angelic messages and can be found symbolically used in paintings all over the world.
In ancient Egypt, medicine and religion were considered one and the same and aromatics were used in vast quantities by the high priests and the Pharaohs. These aromatics were also used in the process of embalming and mummification. Aromatics were looked upon as so precious that they were traded as currency and the ancient Egyptians are considered the inventors of medicine and cosmetics. They believed that there was a strong link between scent and healing and had a famous perfume called Kephi which was also used for healing and could be taken internally.
Buddhist monks have burned incense as they meditate or pray and the intention behind this is to have direct connection with that which they know to be true; the unseen enlightened All That Is. Frankincense continues to be burnt in Christian churches during certain celebrations and ceremonies as a symbol of the prayers of the faithful rising to heaven. The ancient Indian Vedas also details certain perfumes for religious and medicinal uses. Mystics and visionaries have reported heavenly fragrances as being a part of their ecstatic experiences.
Indigenous peoples consider no distinction between medicine and spirit. If you are physically ill, there is a spiritual component to your suffering…a soul loss to be addressed. Plants are used to “smoke” or “smudge” negative energies or spirits away from the person, to return the energies back to where they came from. Some plants are taken internally in order that you journey with the plant to receive its healing and teachings and retrieve any part of the soul which may be lost.
Essential oils have become an everyday commonly used “item” in the home in some form or other though few truly know of the amazing properties of these plant essences. Essential oils are highly concentrated plant extracts which have considerable and direct effect on the physical body. Their chemical constituents can enter the body when applied physically or, upon inhalation, they stimulate the olfactory nerve and have a direct effect on the limbic system in the brain. They can be used in a variety of ways to affect physical healing and balance. They can also be used to bring about change to our emotional states and sense of wellbeing. Some of my earlier articles touch on these methods. Essential oils can also be used to evoke altered states of consciousness and bring about vibrational healing, i.e. restore balance and harmony in our subtle body (aura or electromagnetic field) and this article will focus a little on that.
Marguerite Maury originally brought aromatherapy to Britain from France in the 1960’s and taught other therapists her practices. She was a biochemist and cosmetologist fascinated with using essential oils for medicinal and cosmetic purposes and carried out in depth research with them. Maury began using them in massage treatments and was able to demonstrate and prove their effects on the nervous system and documented everything in a scientific manner. She opened successful clinics in England, France and Switzerland and believed that beauty came from a person’s inner vitality and health. Having a great interest in the psychotherapeutic aspects of essential oils, she developed the “Individual Prescription”. These were individual blends for her clients using essential oils based on their personal identity profile and she discovered that when her clients used these blends, great changes would occur for them in their lives.
Essential oils contain the essence or the vibrational energy of the plant. This vibrational energy has a subtle action, much like homeopathy or flower essences. When essential oils have been observed by an energy field imaging system they have been found to have their own active colourful electromagnetic fields which interact with the fields of the people using them. Conversely, our energy or thought vibration also has an effect on the essential oils as we use them. I got to witness this during my training when we conducted a little experiment: all 13 of us in the class made exactly the same blend of essential oils and each one smelt different to the other! Yes, we could pick out that there was geranium, sweet orange, etc., in each blend, however they all smelt different!
It is important to be aware of how we are feeling and what our intention (as these are also vibrational) is on picking up and using our essential oils. We can know how to use them and what each oil is good for but there is a whole other alchemical awareness and presencing that will bring out the healing qualities of the oils. When using the essential oils in my work, I not only choose essential oils depending on the physical and emotional requirements of my client, I also include any oils I feel guided to that will support them on a spiritual level.
Using essential oils with awareness and a sense of the sacred brings in another dimension entirely and you can use your imagination and intuition to access new ways of connecting with them. You can, for example, sit and meditate with each oil to get a sense of their healing energies. To do this, either inhale the oil directly from the bottle as you go into your meditation, or you can blend one drop of the oil with a couple of drops of a light vegetable base oil and massage it between the palms of your hands, sweep it through your auric field and/or inhale deeply from your hands just before going into your meditation. It is best to work with one essential oil at a time over a period of weeks if you would like to deepen your connection with it.
When working with essential oils, you could consider visualizing the plant from which they came. In my mind, this gives respect to the plant and brings deeper connection and understanding of its healing energy. You can invoke the plant and its help if you wish. It is vital to use therapeutic grade, and preferably organic, essential oils that are ethically sourced for this work. There are plants, like many animals, now on an endangered species list so it is best to be aware of this when sourcing your essential oils.
It is important to remember that when using essential oils, some have contraindications so it is good to have an aromatherapy book close to hand in order to check these out. Some essential oils can be toxic and are not recommended for therapeutic use (but these are often difficult to source anyway). You will be using much lower dilutions when using the oils vibrationally, i.e. one or two drops usually suffice. “Less is best”; the smaller amount of essential oil used brings a more potent effect.
If ritual work is important to you, consider introducing essential oils where you would usually have used incense to see if it brings about a different experience. If you tend to use affirmations, you could choose an essential oil that will help to engender the feeling associated with that you are affirming. For example, if you use an affirmation such as; “I choose to be relaxed and confident” you could use essential oils such as ylang ylang, sweet orange or patchouli. If you are someone who enjoys spiritual connection through prayer or meditation you could use frankincense or sandalwood which deepen and slow the breath allowing you to drop into a deeper level of awareness. I will give some information on specific essential oils for spiritual connection in a future article.
Essential oils have affinities with the different chakras or energy centres of the body whereby they can help to harmonize and heal any imbalances with them. We can usually determine which essential oil works with each chakra through its scent, colour and viscosity. For example, dark coloured, base note, slow moving or thick essential oils have an affinity with the base chakra whilst light coloured, high notes and liquid moving essential oils have an affinity with the higher chakras. There are some exceptions to this such as Frankincense which has an overall effect on each of the chakras linking base to crown. If you work with energy or chakras you could consider using a drop (best to dilute this in a couple of drops of base oil) of a particular essential oil on the palm of your hand when “sweeping” the auric field or working on the chakra itself.
Another way I particularly like to use the oils vibrationally is to combine them with flower essences in a spray which I use to spray the room between clients’ appointments to cleanse and revitalize the energy of the space. I also use them this way at home to prepare the space before going to sleep. These are just a handful of ideas to get you thinking. Part 2 of this article coming soon will detail other ways you can use essential oils for their spiritual benefits plus specific essential oils which can be used to enhance spiritual awareness.
Holistic Wellbeing stocks a great range of pure essential oils so please contact Ann should you wish to find out more.
Eileen is qualified in Aromatherapy with The London School of Aromatherapy in 1994. She has also qualified in CranioSacral Therapy with Upledger Institute International , Reflexology, Reiki and Indian Head Massage. She uses flower and tree essences when needed as an adjunct to the treatments she offers. Her website is www.eileendoody.com and her Facebook page is Eileen Doody Therapies.
©Eileen Doody