Enhance your Spiritual Practice with Herbs, Incense, & Essential Oils
Photo Credit: Mel with @colecollective
By Amy Lupton
For ages, humans have relied on herbs, essential oils, and incense for a kaleidoscope of ALL things.
The ancient tradition of a quiet journey to find the exact spot where the particular sought herb grew, the right season & time of day, & the reverence of picking the plant for the greater good knowing the power and knowledge it contained.
Our ancestors didn't have a book or a website to tell them the properties of what each plant did, they had the intimate understanding with the leaves, stems, flowers, oils, & burning of its remains. Passed down through the elders, told through stories of quests, healings, illnesses, and spiritual experiences...this was the way.
We have evolved in many ways since then, backwards & forward.
Pharmaceuticals & quick fixes fail today in comparison to the ancient knowledge that many of our ancestors had with plants. We type anything we want to know, ask Siri for an answer, using quick searches to illicit the response desired.
But when it comes to spirituality and faith, there are no shortcuts.
Faith & spiritual workings require countless moments of quiet solidarity, times of meditation & humbleness.
In our busy & hectic lives, slowing down to nurture our spiritual being is essential.
Our ancestors used herbs, incense, and essential oils can help achieve an enhanced spiritual experience, and there is value in carrying on our culture and traditions from the roots.
Many cultures throughout history have used plants to raise their level of spirituality.
Middle Eastern cultures believe that rose oil enlivens the most sublime essence of God in us all.
The smell of of roses has also been associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Catholic religion.
In the Vedas from India, essential oils were considered the living energy of nature and were used to balance the body's dosha's and align the chakras to awaken the higher spiritual nature of man.
In the Bible, baby Jesus was presented with oil of frankincense and myrrh, and is used as an association with Him still today.
Smudging or the burning of sacred herbs is a common practice in many healing ceremonies and Shamanic traditions. It's a way of purifying and cleansing a space, person or an object of negative energies or influences.
In Buddhist traditions, herbal teas bring spiritual enlightenment.
On February 17th, a season of Lent began. Even though this spiritual tradition is not noted in the Bible or spiritual texts, it has been practiced for 1,700 years in the Christian faith. The word Lent means spring, and millions of spiritual seekers prepare their body for the Easter season by going without, engaging in spiritual practices and using their experience to accomplish God's bigger body of togetherness and spirituality.
When you are using plants to enhance your spiritual practice, consider what your goal is. Different herbs, oils and practices can elicit different moments and moods.
Use the list below for suggestions to try when you are praying, reading sacred texts, meditating, singing, or just need to keep in your mindset. The list is endless to fuel your spiritual practice. Enjoy!
Essential Oils
Because of their high vibration, essential oils have the ability to maintain a frequency for optimal health and spiritual well-being. This is why priests and royalty in the ancient world were anointed with essential oils. They believed that this ritual made God's representative on earth. In today's world, essential oils are no longer the domain of only royalty and priests. We are blessed to have them available to everyone.
Our 3 faves are:
Frankincense- Restorative to the mind, body and spirit. Apply to forehead and temples. Put 1 drop in your hand. Rub palms together and cup over nose. Inhale deeply 7 times.
Lavender- Relaxes the mind. Diffuse in the air, make a pillow spray (using 10 drops to 1/2 c water in a spray bottle). Also wonderful for applying on the bottoms of feet to calm the mind before beginning a spiritual practice.
Lemon- Cleansing and Invigorating. This oil can liven your concentration and mind, helping the body to cleanse. Great for a room spray to clear the air (10 drops to 1/2 c water in a spray bottle), in a diffuser, or on the bottoms of the feet.
Liferoot Product Recommendations:
Herbs
Because of herbs source of energy is Earth, soil and ground, they can be very helpful when connecting to our spiritual selves. Made and grown with Divine Energy and sun, many cultures used herbs to connect with their spiritual selves in many ways.
Teas can be a wonderful way to capture the essence of herbs in soothing warmth.
Tinctures can be used therapeutically to balance emotional response, tailor focus and allow love and light into the being. We always recommend using organic herbs.
Our 3 faves are:
Peppermint- refreshing, stimulating, and energizing. Increases mental clarity & stimulates mental function. It is wonderful for increasing memory (a study by Dember found it increased memory retention by 28%). Inhale as a dried herb or essential oil, or consume as an organic tea.
Lemon Balm- Used for centuries as a spirit healing herb, its properties calm the mind and spirit, allowing for clarity of mind and awareness. We love lemon balm tea (soothing for kids and adults alike), as well in tincture form.
Holy Basil- One of the most amazing and powerful herbs on the planet, an overall tonic for the body, mind and spirit. Considered holy in its Indian Origin, used for centuries in spiritual practices. It is wonderful as a daily tea (with a squeeze of lemon), or in our Soul Shine Tonic.
Liferoot Product Recommendations:
Organic Peppermint Leaf:
Incense
Almost every religion and spiritual practice to date has a incense element to it.
In Japan, Kōdō – meaning “Way of Incense” is a highly ritualized incense ceremony that cultivates refinement and deepens both sensory and spiritual awareness. The burning of incense has been transporting people to a different spiritual plane for many centuries, connecting them with their sole purpose in life.
Indigenous peoples and Native Americans used Smudging or Sage Burning to cleanse spaces spiritually or energetically.
Many call these practices "New Age" or "Modern Age", but they stem back for thousands of years. You don't have to be a specific religion to honor the practice of incense burning. It is a medium to accomplish a prayer, thought, or ritual.
Our 3 faves are:
Frankincense- This resin was used in ceremonial offerings, as a way to "offer" your thoughts and prayers to heaven. It's a very earthy and wonderful smell.
Myrrh- Also a resin, this was used for anointing and purification. When burned, it brings about good remembrance, often contemplative, reflective thoughts and feelings.
Sage- This plant is usually dried first and then burned in bunches wrapped with string. Many ceremonies involving sage have clearing intentions. Clearing negativity, bad thoughts and dreams, illness. Once these are cleared, the mind in ready to take in positivity.
A quick note on candles:
Although we didn't elaborate much on candles in this section, they are an amazing way to enhance spirituality when incense is not an option. We have a lovely array of mantra candles here.