FEATURE
SACRED OILS TO SOOTHE THE SOUL FELICITY WARNER: “Aromatic plants have been used for medicine and ritual for many thousands of years.”
THE ancient Egyptians were extremely skilled in the art of preserving bodies, rubbing a variety of aromatic gums, including Cedar and Myrrh, on them before they were mummified.
Felicity Warner is the founder of The Soul Midwives School, which she began over 20 years ago after sitting with hundreds of people at the end of their lives. She lectures at universities and international conferences, and has written three acclaimed books, “Gentle Dying,” “A Safe Journey Home” and “The Soul Midwives’ Handbook.” In 2017, Felicity was named “End of Life Care Champion” by the National Council for Palliative Care at the House of Lords and won an award as one of the “Daily Mail’s” most “Inspirational Women of the Year.” Her latest venture is another book, “Sacred Oils.” Subtitled “Working with 20 Precious Oils to Heal Spirit and Soul,” it is published by Hay House at £10.99. In this specially commissioned article for PN, Felicity writes about the oils, their uses and history. UPLIFTING and fragrant essential oils are used by many of us to soothe a headache or help us sleep, but who would guess that they are also powerful psychic tools? Oils such as Lavender and Rose can be the keys to developing clairvoyance and sharpening spiritual sight when they are used as sacred oils, which can help to develop psychic abilities and heal “dis-eases” of the spirit and soul. I am a “myrrhophore” – or mistress of the oils – and work with aromatic oils in an ancient craft linking back to pre-biblical times. Myrrhophores belong to an esoteric lineage linking back to ancient Egyptian temple traditions where priests and priestesses were both healers and magicians. Mary Magdalene is said to have been a priestess in this work, displaying her skills and knowledge of the sacred properties of oils when she anointed Jesus with costly and precious Spikenard, which is still
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used today to work with those close to transition. Modern myrrhophores use familiar essential oils such as Sandalwood, Holy Basil and Patchouli to work at the deepest level, expanding consciousness and bringing healing and clairvoyance. My apprenticeship with oils began when I was a teenager living in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. I was introduced to an extraordinary woman, Lys De Grasse, who worked with plants, herbs and essential oils. It turned out that she was also a myrrhophore; no wonder I hadn’t heard of one before, as there are only a handful across the world. Lys lived like a recluse surrounded by books, animals and plants. Having heard that I was extremely sensitive to smell and sound and had healing hands, she invited me to tea.
Over time, Lys showed me how to work with the spirit of a plant by attuning to the energy of oils and learning which ones to use for healing. One of Lys’ mantras was, “It is dangerous to have knowledge without wisdom.” Myrrophore work has never been written down and is always passed from master to student and kept out of sight to deflect from the power it carries. Lys observed that I had a nose like a sniffer dog and a snake-like ability to sense vibration. Two essential talents for becoming a myrrhrophore, this was still not enough to for her to decide to begin teaching me. I had to prove that I was physically robust enough to be a vessel for the high energies I would be working with. This couldn’t be taught, but only discovered through a series of initiations and much challenging practical work.
Once achieved, I began my apprenticeship. I was tested to the limits to see how much energy I could “hold” and if I could discharge it when I was full, as holding high energy for too long can make you ill. This was the beginning of a long and sometimes gruelling time, where I would struggle up a level or so and then be totally blocked for a time whilst I absorbed and grounded the knowledge. Like unravelling an onion, there were layers upon layers of understanding the way the oils worked, as most of them are veiled in hermetic and alchemical-like symbolism. As a soul midwife, the oils are valuable healing tools. Using them with those close to the end of earthly life, through simple touch and meditation, I can help to ease fear and anxiety as well as helping people to understand the great mystery of life and death and the rich journey it presents.
The history of oils The myrrhophore tradition grew from celestial medicine and was practised in the temples of Egypt. The concepts of celestial medicine were based on the ritualistic relationship between the signatures of bodily constitution, ailments and remedies, planetary alignment, medical alchemy and celestial anatomy. Aromatic plants have been used for medicine and ritual for many thousands of years. Traces of plants, seeds and resins have been discovered by archaeologists excavating ancient temples and tombs. Nefertum, the ancient Egyptian god of perfume, was also the god of
healing. This inextricable link between aroma and healing spread through many aspects of their culture. One of the best-known uses of oils in ancient times was in mummification. The ancient Egyptians were extremely skilled in the art of preserving bodies, rubbing a variety of aromatic gums, including Cedar and Myrrh, on them before they were mummified. The resins from these gums were antibacterial and fungicidal, thereby preventing bodies from decaying. Jars of essential oils have been found in the tombs of pharaohs. Modern aromatherapy is very different from working with sacred oils. In contemporary clinical practice, oils are used for their chemical constituents, which govern their antibacterial or antiinflammatory properties. New research shows that essential oils may be the next great step towards fighting infection, as bacteria become ever more resistant to antibiotics. Sacred oils are powerful, energetic beings with huge potential and knowledge to share with us. Wisdom and humility are required to work with them. Each oil has distinct energetic codes to be deciphered before you can gain access to the deeper levels of understanding of how they can be used. The oils work with the aura rather than the physical body. They resonate with the energetic frequencies generated by both physical and emotional imbalance and trauma. Oils have specific resonances with certain conditions. For example, Violet oil, which helps people experiencing deeply held grief, resonates with deep emotion
and trauma in a similar way to how homoeopathic remedies work. Interestingly, the ancient Egyptians believed that the sense of smell and the ability to intuit the effect of smell was the most important sensory ability. They knew that the inhalation or energy absorption of oils can increase one’s frequency by stimulating the pineal gland. This gland is thought to be the seat of the soul and the divine connector to enlightenment within the body. It attracts energy from the highest source. Energy carries light and information, and your nous is activated and expanded by this invisible energy. Throughout history, oils have been used to invoke altered states of consciousness and initiate individuals into various spiritual traditions because: • They are powerful and divine intelligences • They are energy and light manifested in matter • They are sacred tools of consciousness • They have energy signatures that resonate with the human soul and spirit • They can help us to project consciousness for use in healing others • They can prompt visionary experiences and take us back into past lives • They can show us the future • They heal the light body Apart from their healing qualities, the oils help us to see into the future by enhancing clairvoyance. In meditation, they can also connect us to loved ones and link us to other realms of consciousness. They may also give insights into past lives and reveal our soul’s purpose. PSYCHIC NEWS | NOVEMBER 2018
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