Aroma and sprituality have been intertwined from before recorded history. It predates Paganism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, the romans, the Greeks, and ancient Egypt. The earliest known expression of religion dates back 100,000 years to the Neandertals.
The cave site of Shanidar located in the Zagros Mountains of Kurdistan in Iraq, shows that burials were most likely performed with some type of ceremony. In Shanidar IV there were flowers that had been introduced into the burial, they may have been chosen for their medicinal qualities. The flowers included:
- Yarrow,
- Cornflower,
- Bachelor’s Button,
- St. Barnaby’s Thistle,
- Ragwort or Groundsel,
- Grape Hyacinth,
- Joint Pine or Woody Horsetail, and
- Hollyhock
So it seems that the knowledge of the properties, if not the oils themselves, of essential oils has a very long history. Essential oils are what give herbs and plants their scent, healing properties, and in some cases can enhance our connection to God, the Creator, or whatever you believe is responsible for the creation of the universe.
Closer to recorded hsitory, through the rituals we see today, we can begin to understand the importance of aroma in spirituality.
Many of the religions today, both large and small, refer to the afterlife as a place filled with incredible aromas – the Polynesians call it Rohutu noanoa (fragrant rohutu), Buddhists will pass to the fragrant mountain known as gandhamadana, with the Greeks it was the Elysium fields (at least for heroes) which was filled with delicious fragrances.
In Ethiopia the Coptic and Orhtodox chrurches burn Fankincense and Myrrh. The Tibetans burn juniper to force the sky door open. Native Americans used, and still use, sage, sweetgrass, cedar, juniper and tobacco in their ceremonies for purification of the mind and body and to provide a link to the world of spirits and the creator. The Catholic branch of Christianity uses incense, during many of its rituals, that include frankincense, cedar, lavender, rose, sandalwood, myrrh and many others.
Each of these aromas were selected long ago because they are capable of stimulating the body/mind/soul in such a way that a connection between man and the divine can be made. This is not the same as what mind altering substances work. The mind altering substances such as LSD and peyote change how the body senses and processes information.
No matter what the religion or belief, a connection can be made, or enhanced between yourself and the divine, by the use of the aromatic compounds found in plants.
Resources
- inhisname.com (incense ingredients)
- nativetech.org (Native American ceremonial herbs)
- The Fragrant Heavens by Valerie Ann Worwood (historical uses of aroma)
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Curt Siters
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