essential oils in spiritual practice
A great way to start working with plant energy (especially if you’re not a “green witch”) is to use essential oils in your meditation or spiritual practice. Or heck, they’re awesome just for getting to know a specific plant’s energy and beginning a relationship with that plant’s Spirit.
Essential oils are made from aromatic compounds found in roots, seeds, bark, flowers, resins, and other plant parts. Through a steam distillation or expression process, we get essential oils that can be used aromatically, topically and/or internally, depending on the plant’s properties.
There’s a variety of ways to use oils, but in this post, I just want to cover the basics - using the oils aromatically and topically for mood management and meditation (we’ll cover rituals & spells in a later post). The most common use is aromatherapy. By using a diffuser, or breathing in the aroma right from the bottle, we are able to promote different feelings of calm, grounding, energy, alertness and more.
Through topical use, we are able to use essential oils not only through smell, but also skin absorption. Some essential oils can be applied directly to the skin (“neat”), or mixed with a carrier oil such as fractionated coconut oil (“diluted”), for localized benefits. ALWAYS avoid the face, eyes, inner ears, and broken/cut skin when using topically. Also, be sure to refer to proper dilution ratios, especially when applying essential oils to little ones.
Here are the dilution ratios that I use:
.5% – Infants and Babies under 1 year
1% – Children under 12 years, Pregnant Women & the Elderly
2% – Daily Adult Use
3% – Short-term Use
For one 10ml roller bottle: .5% is 1 drop, 1% is 2 drops, 2% is 4 drops and 3% is 6 drops.
Now let’s get into the oils themselves - here’s my “top 10” list of essential oils, in alphabetical order:
Clary Sage – This oil is heavily herb-scented and I was turned off from it at first. Over time, though, I actually grew pretty fond of this oil and its scent. Clary Sage promotes calm, and when a couple drops are rubbed on the abdomen, it can provide support when cramping. Clary Sage also helps bring balance to the Heart Chakra and is a one of my go-to’s for grounding meditation sessions.
Frankincense – Who doesn’t love Frankincense? This has to be one of my all-time favorite oils, period. It helps promotes grounding and relaxation when used aromatically. It also supports skin appearance, the immune system, the digestive system and nervous system. Frankincense also helps bring balance to the Root Chakra. When I don’t know what oil I want to use during a healing session or meditation, I just grab Frankincense. It’s basically become my all-purpose oil buddy.
Lavender – Lavender is one of the gentlest and most loved essential oils. Lavender promotes relaxation and deep, restful sleep. It can also help reduce anxious and nervous feelings, when diffused. This lovely essential oil can also be used to soothe skin irritations, and also helps bring balance to the Third Eye and Crown Chakras. When doing a lot of dream work, my favorite partner is Lavender.
Lemon – My kiddos LOVE this essential oil and so do I. Lemon has a vibrant and uplifting scent, promoting feelings of wellbeing and vitality. It also purifies the air and supports healthy digestion and detoxification when taken internally. Lemon will help bring balance to the Solar Plexus Chakra. I don’t really use Lemon or other citrus scents for meditation work. Instead, when I want to journal or need clarity during a divination reading, I use Lemon.
Tee Tree (Melaluca) – Tee Tree is an essential oil most commonly used for its benefits for the skin. It can help minor skin irritations and has cleansing and rejuvenating effects on the skin. Like Clary Sage, Melaleuca will also bring balance to the Heart Chakra. I don’t use this lovely plant too often during meditation, but I love using it and the next oil as companions in energetic healing work (like cord cutting and crystal healing).
Oregano – This oil is a pretty powerful herb and its essential oil helps support the digestion, respiratory, and immune systems. Oregano also contains some wonderful antioxidants and, when combined with Lemon, makes for a super-charged cleansing agent. It will also help bring balance to the Heart & Solar Plexus Chakras. Like I mentioned above, Oregano isn’t a meditation partner for me, but I do love to use it in healing work.
Patchouli – This oil has an instant grounding effect for me. It has a very musky/earthy scent and promotes grounding – especially during meditation (Patchouli might be my most used meditation partner!). This oil also assists with wrinkles and blemishes and is said to promote healthy, glowing skin. When I’m having a rough day, this is my go-to oil and will help balance out the Root Chakra.
Peppermint – This essential oil helps open up nasal passages, promotes clear breathing, and assists with nausea and head tension. When combined with Lemon, it makes a powerful duo for my divination work. Aside from smelling marvelous, Peppermint also promotes clarity and alertness, and will balance out the Throat & Third Eye Chakras.
Orange – One of my personal favorite citrus scents, this essential oil is a powerful cleanser and purifier and assists with supporting a healthy immune system. When diffused, Orange has an energizing and uplifting effect, allowing you to tackle the day. If you want a really uplifting morning meditation, diffuse a little Orange! It also helps bring balance to the Sacral Chakra.
Ylang Ylang – This essential oil smells wonderful and when paired with Bergamot makes a heavenly, healthy perfume. Ylang Ylang (for me) is both relaxing and uplifting – promoting feelings of clam and tranquility. For an almost instant stress-reducer, look no further than this flowery scent. I love it for winding-down, end-of-the-day meditations. It also assists with balancing the Crown Chakra.
Those are my current top 10 oils, but honestly they do rotate out often, so I’m sure I’ll be making another post with different oils in about 6 months. :)
As I mentioned above, this post just covers basics and if you want a more in-depth guide that includes my tips, tricks, and recipes for magickal use, check out my “Essential Oils for Magick” eBook in my site shop above.
Have a wonderful day, folks, and for crying out loud PLEASE DO NOT JOIN AN MLM! :)
Brightest Blessings, -Cory
