MEDITATION

In a talk at the Holy Names College, Oakland, California, USA, Sogyal Rinpoche, a master of Dzogchen Buddhism, told a story about a man, a top diplomat and maharaja, who sought the answer to the question, 'How do I meditate?' He asked the question of Sogyal Rinpoche's master many times, as in the practice, to elicit many perspectives on the subject. At a spiritual dance in Sikkim, the diplomat asked the master the question again. The master was enjoying himself and replied impatently, 'Look, when one thought has ceased and died, before another thought has yet risen, isn't there a gap?' 'Yes,' the diplomat said. 'Prolong it. Prolong that gap. That is meditation,'the master explained.

A great number of books have been written on meditation, and I have written about it myself in The Fragrant MInd. Basically, it's very simple: it's trying to create stillness and peace in the mind, beyond the chatter and clutter that usually fills it.This is not to say that meditation is about nothing. On the contrary, it is about everything. In meditation, we come in contact with a vast reservoir of energy, passing through ever deeper layers of ourselves, as is explained by a Tantric nun: 'The human mind is on a continuum. There's the mind, the senses - our attraction or aversion to someone or something; then there is the intellect - the everyday computer, with memory; then the creative layer - where we go deep into the mind; and there is a flow - rather than the black and white; and a deeper than bookish knowledge.

The next layer is intuition, expanded awareness, where you can really distinguish between what is right or wrong and, going deep, make good decisions. The next level is the spiritual level - the sense of oneness. The last layer is Samadhi, which is complete merger in the cosmic consciousness, total reabsorption. Human beings can complete the cycle: from infinite consciousness, to manifestation, to infinite consciousness .' In meditation, fragrance provides something spiritual to focus on - and with eyes closed, which many people find additionally helpful. It's important though that the aroma evokes no memory for you which will just flood your mind and defeat the purpose of the exercise.

For this reason I suggest using blends in which no one ingredient dominates, and a new and unique aroma is created. This is accomplished by balancing out the ingredients, so that even if you do not use equal drops, as some essential oils are stronger than others, there is a balance between them all. Amongst the floral essential oils, linden blossom, jasmine and rose maroc make particularly good meditation oils either individually or in blends. Some people might find these aromas too heavy, particularly as they progress with meditation when the lighter florals, such as rose otto, neroli or diluted jasmine may feel more appropriate. Any essential oil can be lightened with dilution.  

Which essential oils are chosen is entirely a matter of personal preference. Some people are drawn to the resins, such as frankincense, myrrh, benzoin, styrax or copal, or one of the many other balsams found throughout the world. A nice addition to any of these are the citrus types - eucalyptus citriodora and litsea cubeba. These two generally work as well in meditation blends as do the more usual citrus fruit oils.
Blends are excellent for meditation, and there are many essential oil you can choose from to create your own. For example:

INVIGORATING WOODS
Pine, Spruce, Cypress, Fir

CONTEMPLATIVE WOODS
Sandalwood, Amyris, Ho-wood, Guaiacwood

CENTERING FRUITS
Tangerine, Lemon, Cardamom, Vanilla

AWAKENING FRUITS
Graspefruit, Orange, Mandarin, Lime

Change your meditation blend as often as you wish. Each one will be special in its own way. Using essential oils with medation helps to bring more vivid colours, more clarity and focus, to the event. Aroma during meditation can bring forth cellular or genetic memory - scenes and pictures from our past - or from times and places that are unrelated to our present life.

Many people are discouraged from meditation for the simple reason they cannot find a siting position that is both comfortable and conforms to the positions usually adopted in pictures of people meditating - with legs crossed or with the posterior resting on the heels. It sometimes seems that one has to be uncomfortable to do it properly! This is not so. You can meditate in any comfotable sitting position, trying to keep your back straight - as this helps the flow through the energy centres along the spine. If no siting position is comfortable  - and this applies to many people - just lie on the floor. The most important thing is to be relaxed.

Some people tell me that when they meditate, they fall asleep. Does it really matter? In the sleeping state we often recieve information, answers to questions, as well as information about the past, present and future. Meditation could, be said to be conscious sleeping. We are, though, more sensitive to noise at this time, and the slightest sound can have the same shocking effect as a cannon going off near by. So do take the phone off the hook and do whatever else is required to ensure you get a certain amount of peaceful time. In the profound quite of meditation we can listen to our bodies. We may find the energetic source of any ache or pain, as well as the source of our spiritual selves.

Ther are now countless studies that show meditation definetly acts upon the body in, for example, Showing the pulse rate and calming physiological and neurological processes. Less easy to demonstrate than changes in clinical conditions, but well documented in people's reports of their experiences, is that meditation opens us up to receiving information. Answers to nagging questions or just plain unsolicited wisdom comes either from the higher self, the superconscious or universal knowledge. Meditation, then, is not about taking a rest, but about going on an adventure. 

Reference: The Fragrant Heavens : Valerie A Worwood

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

CREATING YOUR SPIRITUAL HAVEN

In ancient Egypt the preparation for prayer was very thorough, Apparently, they had a separate room which was sprayed with scent - not incense, but a scent very much like almond blossoms - presumably from older varieties . Before prayers, they bathed and put on white raiments - the spiritual. All over the ancient world, people put a special place aside for that which dominated their lives. So there is nothing new in creating a spiritual haven and indeed, all over the world today people still do it.

Even the poorest Indian home has a space where images of Shiva and Krishna, or one of the other many faces of the deity, watch over the whole household; in front of which there is a small shrine for burning incense and saying prayers. A few Catholic homes are complete without a picture of Jesus or the Virgin Mary; in front of which eyes will be closed, hands put together, and prayers said; While all over Asia , countless images of Budda adorn quite, and fragrant, prayer corners. At any moment in time, literally millions of people all over the world will be in the midst of deep prayer in their own homes.

We create a spiritual haven to have a special place to focus on the spiritual, and to contact the higher realms. It's a place we will come back to time and time again, perhaps for different reasons. We may go there to seek peace, focus our minds, clear our thoughts, or just be. And it is there we can open our heart's to the love in the universe that waits to receive us. Aim to create a peaceful, restful place where the mind, body ad soul can concentrate on themselves for once, and be whole. It will be a place where you can draw the angelic beings close, and make your connection to the Universe and God.

Most of us do have the luxury of having a whole room to spare, but we can usually find a corner somewhere. That may be in the living room, bedroom, study or even the hall. Where is less important than what's in it, especially love. It is love in a house or place that makes it a sublime space to be in. The most exquisitely decorated palace is not beautiful if no love is generated there. The vibration of love, clear of negativity, carries prayer to its destination. It is the atmosphere of love that makes the haven spiritual.

If you never created a prayer space before, start by cleaning the area - and whole room - thoroughly. If it is a family room, do it when nobody is around. Clean everything, even inside wardrobes and cupboards, and have every ornament sparkle. While you do this, focus your mind on the divine, and imagine beautiful coloured lights, all the colours in white light, streaming into the room. If you like, play your favourite uplifting music. Not something that is 'beautiful' but just happens to be about unrequited love, and fills your eyes with tears and makes you sad. Play something that lifts up your spirits and fills you with optimism and joy. 

If you wish, the cleansing can be done with salt which has long been used as a spiritual purifier. First, open the windows and say a small prayer. The put the salt aroubd the room before you vacuum, using a little in all the corners, including those in wall cupboards, starting away from the window and moving towards it. This dispels any uncomfortable 'feelings' that may have adhered to the fabric of the room.

When your sacred haven area is clean, think of what you will put in it. Start with a small table;if you don't have one use a solid box. Cover it perhaps with a beautiful clean cloth, then arrange on it some favourite or precious things. What these objects are is an entirely personal matter. They might include a gift from a friend, or a drawing by a child which makes love rise in your heart.

Many people put a beautiful or sacred picture at the back, standing up on a table or attached to a wall. A plant brings life to the scene and will respond to the love you give in your prayers. Flowers are gifts which brighten our lives, and are a joy to focus on as we contemplate the beauty of creation. Put them in your best vase, and change the water regularly to keep them happy.

Everyone has their own favourite flower; for some it's the tall white lily, for others the tiny white daisy that dots our lawns. In each bloom we can see the spirit of the flower, helping to create the atmosphere of peace. add anything else that means something spiritually to you. That may be a crystal, a stone, or a bunch of herbs. It may be a few small treasures gathered over the years.

Candles are often lit in spiritual places, perhaps because they represent the spirit within us and signify change and transformation. We can focus on that light, and see the aura glow. Many cultures speak of a purple flame, the flame within. Finally, put your diffuser on the table, adding a tiny amount of salt to the water in the bowl.

Now sit back for a moment a feel the peace you have created. Light the candle - representing fire and spirit - which will symbolically burn your words and send them to Heaven; and light the candle under the diffuser - representing light and soul - which will release the fragrance molecules and send them to their source.

Then drop between 3-10 drops of essential oil into the bowl of the diffuser. Sit quietly just looking and sensing the peace and restfulness, then ask for blessings on your spiritual haven. The most important thing about 'maintenance' is to keep negative energies away. Try to avoid having arguments in this area, or keeping the phone near by. As every person you have contact with influences you to a certain extent, and leaves something of their spiritual frequency in your subconscious mind, so a place is subtly changed by the people who come into contact with it, especially you.

Reference: The Fragrant Heavens : Valerie A Worwood

THE GIFT GIVER - AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE

PREPARE YOUR SURROUNDINGS
Find a quite calm place. Set up your diffuser with Lemon essential oil and let the oil diffuse for a little while before you start your devotion time so that the aroma is in the air.

PREPARE YOUR HEART AND MIND
Start your personal worship time by just taking a few moments to breathe in the uplifting, refreshing aroma of Lemon. Spend some time in prayer tanking God for HIs creation and provision of such pleasant aroma. Spend some time thinking through other ways that God had provided for your needs; thank God for them one by one and don't rush the process. The most important element of the devotion is spending time thanking God for His goodness. The actual devotion itself is of secondary importance to your prayer time.

After you've taken time to be thankful , read the following verse. Consider what it says word by word until you get the entire meaning in your head. Read it over several times. When you have a good sense that you understand what it is saying, then close your prayer time and move into the written devotion.

GOD'S WORD
"Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich." Proverbs 21:17

WORTH THINKING ABOUT
When I was a kid one of my favourite times of the year was my birthday. I mean, what kid doesn't love his birthday right? I remember sitting in the middle of the living room floor, bubbling over with anticipation and expectation as each new present was given. In my family we always followed the same pattern: the biggest presents were always saved until the last. The anticipation would build more and more with every package.

For this reason, I had a tendency to rip through the first smaller packages in a hurry to get to the next one. This caused my mom to establish the routine of constantly asking me, "What do you say?" before she would hand me the next present. Her expectation was that I would look around the room, find the person who gave me the present, and offer my most sincere, "Thank You!" My mom did this because she realized as a child  had a propensity to be so excited about the gift that I would often forget to be grateful to the one who gave me the gift. 

One of the interesting narratives that we see all through scripture is when it comes to blessings from God, we have a propensity within us to celebrate the gift and forget about the gift giver. In fact, in some cases we can even worship the gift instead of the gift giver. The Bible calls this behaviour idolatry. Idolatry is when we worship something other than God. Idolatry is a sin of worship and often perpetuates multiplication of sins.
What we actually worship in our hearts is the greatest predictor for our actions. For example, if we worship prosperity we will do anything we can to gain prosperity. If we worship power we will do anything to get power. But if we worship God, then our lives will be about bringing Him glory.

The reason I bring this principle up related to essential oils is because if we are not careful it is easy for these amazing gifts from God to take the place of God in our lives. We can get so excited about essential oils, and all the amazing benefits they bring to our lives, that we begin to invest all of our time, energy, and effort into things related to essential oils. It can be easy for people to go from celebrating God's goodness in providing essential oils, to cutting God out and just celebrating  (idolizing ) the oils!

The greatest tool in the battle against idolatry is a grateful heart. God is so good and we have so many blessings from Him to celebrate. This starts with the Gospel. God is so good that he sacrificed His Son on the cross to purchase our salvation. Essential oils are great! However, essential oils are a gift, and it is important for us to remember to be grateful to the gift giver.

Consider your own life. Have you allowed other things to creep in and get between you and God? Maybe you've gotten so excited about essential oils that you 've forgotten they are simply a great gift from a great God. Spend some time today examining yourself. If you have allowed idolatry of any kind to creep in and take the place of God, then turn from your sin and ask God to forgive you! Start with the Gospel and continue by considering all of the good things in your life. Remember the greatest tool in the battle against idolatry is a grateful heart. A grateful heart comes first and foremost by remembering what Christ did on the cross.

Reference: The Aroma of Worship : Derin A. Stidd