Meditation Tools: Spikenard Essential Oil
Can you name the rare essential oil Mary Magdalene used to anoint the feet of Jesus?
Spikenard. There was an experiment using Spikenard Essential Oil on the James Twyman site, http://www.worldpeacepulse.com/ that I thought sounded interesting, so I ordered a couple bottles to use during my meditations. The directions said to put a drop on your third eye (the spot between your eyes directly between your eyebrows) just before meditating, so I did.
GROSS!
I think I used it about five more days and couldn’t take it anymore. It smelled like extremely dirty gym socks to me. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to use this stuff, but because of the elaborate story from James Twyman’s site, I decided to look into the use of Spikenard a bit deeper. Here’s what I found:
An essential oil is an extract of a plant that is used medicinally. It takes lots of pounds of plant to get an ounce of essential oil, so sometimes these oils can be quite expensive.
Essential oils are added to lotions, used diluted in massage oil, used neat (straight–undiluted), put into capsules and taken internally, used in candles or as drops of pure oil put onto little pieces of felt which is then inserted into a diffuser (a small heater-like thing you can plug into an outlet.) The aroma that is emitted acts on the nervous system and organs of the body to move energy through it for various health and emotional concerns.
Spikenard is one of many essential oils available to us today. Spikenard is sometimes known as Nard and is native to northern India and has been prized for its healing properties and perfume since antiquity. It is closely related to Valerian, a calming herb. (Gads, imagine what the people smelled like back then to have to use something this disgusting to cover it up with!)
Medicinally, spikenard is used in skin care and is warming, drying and acts as a diuretic. Spikenard is useful for heavy menstrual periods, vaginal discharges, kidney and liver problems, inflammation of all kinds and for dispersing accumulated toxins. Because it is an antifungal oil, it may be valuable for Candida infections. Spikenard is also helpful for allergic skin reactions and for all kinds of rashes. It is particularly valuable for mature skin, realigning the physiological balance and some propose that it helps with permanent regeneration.
Spikenard was highly prized in the Middle East and Mediterranean regions thousands of years ago and has been mentioned in the bible in the Song of Solomon and in the Gospel of St. John. I also read (and I beg to differ) that it is a wonderful oil for anybody tense and anxious. Like Frankincense, it helps people to let go of old pain or emotional blocks that are holding them back.
Mary Magdalene’s use of Spikenard to anoint Jesus on the night of the Last Supper suggests that it may also have significance for therapists working with the terminally ill.
Aromatherapists working in hospices might like to include Spikenard among the oils to help people preparing to pass over to the other side.
Helpful Links and References for Spikenard Essential Oil:
- One of my favorite Aroma Therapy Resources is: Aromatherapy: A-Z by Patricia Davis