Heaven Scent
People have always, as far as we can tell, used fragrance to contact spiritual realms. This is because fragrance performs many roles. It helps the mind to focus and concentrate. It also relaxes the mind to focus and concentrate. It also relaxes the mind to focus and concentrate. It also relaxes the mind and body, and opens the heart so it can receive.More than this though, it creates a link between the conscious and subconscious mind, allowing a chain of events to come forth. It expands the space between thoughts; that space leading to oneness of the universe.
Which essential oils you use for spiritual purposes is very much up to you. This is a personal journey, and a matter of personal choice. Each fragrance suggested is only that, a suggestion. For each person a fragrance will resonate at a different tone and rate. Find which oils or blends resonate with you and keep those fragrances close to your heart. In our day-to-day life we have favourite perfumes or fragrances, but they are not the ones to use now. For spiritual purposes choose something new and different, something that can lift you from your ordinary existence into the realm of the spiritual. The fragrance we use now is ultimately chosen to asist the prayer.
The following are some of the fragrances that have been used in spiritual practice and ceremony by various cultures around the world:
TREES
Pine, Silver Fir, Cedarwood, Ho-wood, Cypress, Rosewood, Sandalwood, Spruce, Juniper
RESINS
Frankincense, Myrrh, Benzoin, Styrax Balsam, Balsam de Peru, galbanum
FRUITS
Lemon, Yuzu, Orange, Juniper Berry
SPICES
Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg, Black Pepper
ROOTS
Spikenard, Vertiver, Ginger
HERBS
Hyssop, Basil, Cistus, Sage, Marjoram, Myrtle, Rosemary
FLOWERS
Rose, Jasmine, Neroli, Hyacinth, Chamomile, Tuberose, Carnation, Narcissus
For those who like to walk through woods, the essential oils are extracted from trees are very useful. Throughout the whole world there are many species of pine, cedarwood, and cypress, and these three are universally used in spiritual practice. If you are Japanese you may feel a particular resonance with Hinoki pine, which is indigenous to Japan, while you are North American the indigenous Virginia pine may strike a particular note with you. People from Europe may prefer the fragrance of Scotch pine, and those from India sandalwood.
Resins have long been used in the making of incense all over the world. The material lends itself to the purpose particularly well, but there has also been a symbolic association in that resins seep from wounds in trees, as blood saps from us. In ancient Egypt, nuggets of resin were known as 'the sweat of the gods', and collected reverence.
Resins including 'balsam' feature strongly in Biblical fragrance. Frankincense and myrrh are still burnt regularly in many churches, and are particularly evocative of the Christian tradition. Benzoin, on the other hand, is more commonly used in spiritual practice in Asia; for example, in India, Malaysia and Java. In general, the fragrances of the resins are not as familiar as, say, the aromas of the herbs. To discern, then, whether they appeal to your higher self, they will need to be explored aromatically. The resins and root essential oils can be very pungent, an are usually used in small quantities.
The fragrances of flowers are particularly effective when connecting with the angelic realms. And don't forget the fruits - which have wonderful focusing and concentrating properties, individually or in blends. When using essential oils for spiritual use, especially in diffusers, we have a great deal of choice.If we have no heavy thoughts, the lighter essential oils are in general more appropriate than the weighty types. In cases where a person is down and heavy of heart, although you might think a light essential oil better for the job of upliftment, the headier oils seem to match the job better, at least to start with.
The essential oils can be used in diffusers, baths and body oils. A drop or two on a vision-dream pillow, somewhere away from the eyes, may allow the answer you seek to come to you while you sleep. Dreams have always played a big part of mankind's spiritual quest. When praying, if you place the palms of your hands together, you may like to try putting one drop of your chosen essential oil on one palm, rubbing the hands together, and gently inhaling the fragrance. Some spiritual traditions do this, using powdered incense, and I wonder how many other cultures in the course of time have done this too. Holding a fragrance in front of the nose certainly helps the mind to focus and concentrate. Perhaps it was this aroma-holding position that led to the tradition of holding the hands together near the face and praying.
With time and experience a person may create for themselves many different spiritual blends of essential oils, for use during particular occasions, times of day or mood. More important though, in a sense, is to have just one fragrance blend that facilitates you making the spiritual connection. This one fragrance can be returned to in your spiritual haven at any time, reinforcing its spiritual connotation and meaning. The aroma then becomes synonymous with the place, and to -re-experience it, even when out and about, at work, or when travelling, all we have to do is pull out a tissue with the blend on it, close our eyes and sniff deeply. Instantly, we return to that spiritual place which we experience actually within ourselves.
This same action, of taking our favourite fragrance about with us, on a handkerchief or tissue or in a bottle, can of course be done with a single essential oil, if you have one that is particularly effective for you in making the spiritual connection. Whether from a blend of single essential oil, the fragrance of our choice opens the door instantly to another place. Experiment with blends - varying the proportions, as well as the essential oils. It's amazing what a drop or two, less or more, will do to a blend. If it doesn't resonate with you , discard it and start again, until you get it right. By 'right', I mean what you know is right.It is not easy to blend such a special oil, so be prepared to put some time into it. Perhaps we need a prayer. As Jesus said, 'Ask and you will recieve.' Eventually, some fragrance will strike a chord in you, so just be patient and keep looking.
When blending, try to clear all thoughts out of your mind, and all ego, and instead radiate love, empathy and compassion. I Say 'try' because this is not always easy to do. There is help on hand, however, and sometimes in quiet moments of love and compassion I feel the presence of angels, who help me blend together spiritual fragrances. They are out there and can be asked for help. Angels have their own aromas, and they can be very difficult to replicate with earth-bound fragrance. The fragrance of a particular guardian who helps me has eluded me for years. I've smelt aromas that seemed similar but never exactly the same. The closest smell to it that I have found came from a bunch of magnolia blossoms given to me in class.
The aroma was rich and highly perfumed, and it gave me an immediate emotional impact. No-one else present had the same reaction, because for them it did not have the same connotations. Plus, we all perceive aroma differently on a spiritual level - just as responses to taste, sound, light and colour vary. Everything is a vibration, interacting in a complex way; so choose what harmonizes with you. The aromas we create reach out and meet those from the fragrant heavens, like the fingers of two hands mingling, making that connection we all seek. There are many types of spiritual fragrance, as individual as ourselves. I have my own special fragrance blend, which informs my mind it is time to be still and quite, and focus on the important things: the joy of being alive at peace.
Reference: The Fragrant Heavens: V A Worwood
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- Home
- Let There Be Light
- Plants that feel and Speak
- The Singing Forest
- The Singing Forest-2
- Introduction
- Meditation
- Using Essential Oils for Spiritual Connection
- Heaven Scent
- Plants that Feel and Speak-2
- Purification
- Making the Spiritual Connection
- Anointing
- The Sanctity of Plants
- Essential Oils: The unseen Energies
- The Aroma Of Worship - Introduction
- The Aroma Of Worship-Foreward
- Methods Of Use
- Spiritual Blending
- Handling and Storage