In Essential Oils in the Bible Part 1 and Part 2, we looked at whether using essential oils and botanicals are a viable option and how they were used during Bible times.

In this post, we are going to look at ways Christ-followers can use botanicals and biblical oils today in their faith practice.

Quick Definition of Aromatherapy

First of all, I want to start by defining aromatherapy:  “the art and science of using essential oils for physical and emotional healing.” This is where I differ with many of the mainstream aromatherapy teachings today. They also say that EOs can heal us spiritually, but I disagree with that. Oils help us emotionally because they work in our limbic system through inhalation and can help with stress, depression, and anxiety. And they can help us physically as they relieve inflammation and pain and other assorted ailments, but I believe that only God has the power to heal us spiritually.

Now let’s look at some practical ways to use these oils in our faith practice.

As a precursor to devotion time.

If we are full of stress, diffusing essential oils can help alleviate that. Oils such as sweet orange, grapefruit, lemon, tangerine, frankincense, lavender, bergamot,  Roman chamomile, geranium, jasmine, rose, vetiver, cypress, sandalwood, and ylang ylang can help us relax just so we are better able to receive from the Lord what He has for us during our time of Bible reading and study.

In Isaiah 61:3 God says, “To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

Proverbs 27:9 says “Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart.”

During Ministering Prayer.

If you are part of a prayer ministry at your church or just on your own, and you pray over other people, you can anoint them with oil as you pray just as James 5 instructs us.

How To Make an Anointing Oil

• Take a small glass vial or perfume bottle of 1/3 oz or 1/2 oz size and fill with olive oil.
• Add 3 drops of frankincense oil and shake lightly to mix.

During Personal Prayer.

During personal prayer you may want to diffuse some essential oil if that helps you to better focus on the Lord. One obvious choice would be frankincense, or you could purchase an “adoration” blend, which would be a synergy of several essential oils such as frankincense, ylang ylang, and lavender.

Prayer Beeswax Candles

Another idea is to use a botanical beeswax candle while you are praying. Sometimes you may be

discouraged in praying for a request when you have not seen any progress. I had the idea of lighting a taper candle while I was praying for these requests as a type of “covenant” with God that I would keep praying for them. Blow out the candle at the end of your prayer session. This also serves the purpose of giving you an actual visual reminder to pray. And as the candle gets smaller and smaller, you’ll be reminded of how much you have prayed.

I love this verse: Psalm 141:2 : “May my prayer be set before You like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.”

Diffuse Uplifting Oils as You Sing Praise Music to God.

Any of the essential oils for stress listed above would be wonderful.

Other favorite verses:  2 Corinthians 2: 14-16 14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?

Finally, the Bible tells us that our bodies are now the dwelling place of God. His Spirit dwells in each one of us instead of now residing in the tabernacle. We should care for our bodies in a way that would make a fitting place for the Holy Spirit to reside. Essential oils help us care for our bodies through the use of botanical creams, balms, oils, perfumes, and so on that are made with essential oils and herbs.

Recipe for Today

If you’d like to try a DIY recipe using frankincense and myrrh, here’s a simple one you can mix up using either an unscented cream or oil.

Frankincense and Myrrh Skin Blend

• 2 ounces unscented cream or vegetable oil, such as sweet almond oil, fractionated coconut oil, regular coconut oil, or olive oil
• 2 drops of Roman Chamomile Essential Oil
• 7 drops of Frankincense Essential Oil
• 9 drops of Myrrh Essential Oil
• 18 drops of Lavender Essential Oil

Mix the synergy of all your essential oils together first. You can use a small shot glass or other glass or ceramic vessel. Don’t mix them in plastic. Stir the synergy into the cream or oil and mix well. Once the synergy has been mixed into an oil or cream, it can then be stored in a plastic or glass container. Smooth onto skin as needed.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this three-part series on essential oils in the Bible. Please leave any comments or questions below. I’d be happy to answer them.

Botanically Me,

Note: As always, the information here is for your personal use and not meant to replace your health professional’s advice. Use essential oils with caution. Pregnant and nursing women should check with their doctor or midwife or a certified aromatherapist before using. You can check any interactions with medications you may be taking on WebMd.com. Links in this post to products are products that I make and sell in my personal Etsy shop. You can also most likely find similar products in stores in your local area.

 

 

 

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Three years ago a friend told me about an essential oil party she was having and wondered if I’d like to see a catalog.

As I paged through the catalog and researched the oils, I became more and more interested in their potential for health and wellness. Instead of signing up with the MLM company, however, I decided to study in the wellness field to become a certified aromatherapist. When I told another friend about what I was thinking, she asked this question:

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Isn’t there a lot of ‘weirdness’ associated with aromatherapy?” she said..

What’s the Buzz About Essential Oils?

Maybe like me you’ve heard all the buzz about essential oils and you’re wondering if this type of alternative practice is something you should be doing. Just the word “alternative” makes you kind of nervous, doesn’t it?

Today, essential oils are hugely popular. It seems almost everyone uses them—and not always in ways that are safe—but that’s a topic for another blog. Over the next few blog posts, I want to look at healing oils of the Bible to see how they were used in ancient times and what that means for us today. Is this a good practice for us?

This was the question I had to answer for myself, and I’ll take you through the process and some of my research.

We’ll start our research of oils of the Bible by considering these four verses:

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth;” and it was so. Genesis 1:11

And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:12

And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.” Genesis 1:29

Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail.  They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary.  Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.  Ezekiel 47:12 

God Creates Plants on Day 3 of Creation

In the Bible we see that God creates plants on Day 3 of creation. From science we know that essential oils are present in different parts of plants: seeds, flowers, leaves, roots, bark, wood, needles, berries/fruit, moss, twigs, stems, and rinds, depending upon the plant.

These verses make it clear that God said trees and herbs and plants (and the essential oils that are in them) were very good, and He gave them to us for our good. He couldn’t be any clearer.

Now keep in mind, that during Old Testament times, most likely the botanicals were not used as essential oils. It is widely believed the process of distillation was not invented then, although that is now even in dispute. Until recently it was thought that distillation was not invented until around 900 AD, but according to an article on distillation by The Aromatic Plant Project, an expedition to Pakistan in 1975 discovered a terra-cotta distillation apparatus dating to 3000 BC  in the archaeological museum at Taxila.

The first known distillation of plant material, however, is not recorded until much, much later. It is credited to Persian physician, Ibn Cina, who was known in Europe as Avicenna. He lived from 980 to 1037 AD. So in Bible times people would extract the medicinal benefits of plant material in ways other than distillation:

• infusing the resins and plants in a carrier oil (like olive oil)
• by grinding them into a powder
• by eating the fruit/plant to get its healing benefits
• by using the material in a poultice

From these verses we can see the following facts:

1. God commanded the earth to grow grass, herbs, and trees.
2. The earth obeyed God’s command and brought forth those things.
3. God saw that this was good.
4. God gave us every herb and tree for food.
5. God said to use the leaves for medicine.

Getting back to my personal story, at this point I was thoroughly convinced that botanicals are inherently good, and I began my studies in the field of aromatherapy.

But What About …

Do some people use botanicals in ways contrary to how God designed them? Absolutely. Some healing schools believe plants have spirits and treat them accordingly and almost worship the created rather than the Creator. But that does not mean we need to avoid using essential oils for health and wellness. If we applied that faulty logic to every gift God has given us and quit using it because someone is using it in a way that is sinful or contrary to how God created it, then there wouldn’t be much left to use! Consider food, drugs, sex, and so on, all gifts from God, all of which have been abused. The abuse does not make the gift bad.

Since we have established the inherent goodness of botanicals and essential oils, in the next blog post, we’ll look at how they were used in the Bible for sacred use, personal use, commercially, and for gifts.

Let me know what you think. Have you ever had any doubts about using essential oils?

Botanically me,

Join me for Essential Oils in the Bible, Part 2