ESSENTIAL OILS - What is the Role of Magic and Spirituality?

Essential Oils - Picture: Pxfuel.com

From the beginning, man has been preoccupied with the question of divinity-who is responsible for us being here and how do we relate to the Creator. All primitive peoples have developed some kind of world-view which they expressed through myths, legend, or stories. 

All life was viewed as dependent on a force that transcended the visible world. This force was honored through specific rites and rituals. How were illness and environmental disturbances or disasters interpreted in this world view?-as discord or disharmony between the human, environmental, and spiritual realms? The disease was viewed as disunity and so early on the art of healing was bound up with an ability to appease the spirit world, please the gods and counter curses.

The Role of Incense and Aromatics

In these world views, fragrant odors were thought to be favored by the gods and were a way of appeasing their anger and wrath and ensuring divine favor and attracting special attention to prayers. Since scent delighted the human senses, it was assumed that the deities found it very pleasing in fact it was considered the "food of the gods." 

These odors were thought to work like a drug on the minds of the gods as well as on the minds of men and thus the gods would look kindly on the misdeeds of man. In Syria and Mesopotamia, incense smoke was used as a form of divination to calm the wrath of the gods so they would be inclined to give positive oracles. It was also used as a means of purification-cleansing the human soul before the face of the god.

Many herbs and aromatics were also considered to have magical properties including healing. Temples erected to honor the gods had great urns for the burning of incense before the gods. Early on, burning incense in the sick room was a common way to cure. The Sumerians and Babylonians burned incense as a means of purification to please their gods, the Hebrews used burning incense (generally thought to be frankincense) to veil the presence of God in the holy tabernacle, the early Persians used incense in their worship which is depicted on their monuments at Persepolis, the Muslims still offer incense in the shrines of their saints today. The Roman Catholic Church, Anglican and Orthodox Christian churches still use frankincense and myrrh incense to honor God in their rituals.

Incense was absolutely indispensable in ancient Egyptian rituals. The ascending smoke was seen symbolically as a vehicle to carry one's prayers to the deities and to bridge the realm of human and spiritual. This is particularly true for their elaborate ceremonies surrounding the death.

The Hebrews also used incense to carry their prayers to God.

"Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice." Psalm 141:2.

The use of perfumed ornaments like necklaces made of saffron, orris, musk and Benjamin were used in black Africa and throughout Asia to appease the spirits. In India, the sacred plant of basil was made into sacred beads and rosaries.  In Tibet, dry incense is worn as a talisman to ward off evil spirits and in Mexico to this day, a clove of garlic is still hung around the neck of a newborn as protection.

Amulets are commonly used in magical rites in many cultures and often include aromatic plant materials. In today's world, many users of essential oils are now wearing "diffuser" jewelry to ward off germs from others and protect against bacteria and viruses. For travelers, especially on airplanes, this simply makes good sense. When enough people begin performing this action, a ritual will be established that says-this is how we ward off "evil spirits" like bacteria and viruses. Are you wearing diffuser jewelry

From Linda L. Smith, - Article Directory: EzineArticles

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