AROMATHERAPY

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What is Subtle Aromatherapy - 2

Traditional knowledge is the basis of which all modern practice is founded and should never be lightly dismissed. For example, where a modern textbook describes an oil as an antidepressant  and we find an old herbal stating that the plant from which it is distilled 'maketh glad the heart' they are saying exactly the same thing in the differing terminology of their respective historical periods.

When we wish to study the most subtle effects of essential oils, we have even less to go on. If the study of the mind is fraught with difficulty, the study of the subtle body  and the soul or, if you prefer, the higher self or human spirituality, is even more so and if you wish to learn about the subtle or spiritual connotations of essential oils and plants you will find little in the existing aromatherapy literature to help.

You will need to explore the whole books  of the various religions, the writing of mystics, alchemists and astrologers, myth and legend, folklore, fairytales, fables and even old wives ' tales  for references to sacred plants, incenses, anointing oils, 'magical' potions and elixirs and herbal talismans.

You will also need to sift through the nonsense and the work of charlatans that can get mixed up in some of these sources, as well as discarding references to essential oils  that we know are hazardous 9rember that earlier usage probably referred to the fresh or dried plant which may be safer to handle). The knowledge of earlier civilizations who are often closer to the earth and its plants in both their mundane and spiritual lives than we moderns.

None of these sources, though, can take the place of personal experience . Experiencing essential oils as an aid to one's own personal growth or spiritual development , or to bring about healing without 'hands ' treatment is the surest way to learn what effects they have. Next best is hearing of the experiences of other aromatherapists who have used oils in these ways in which knowledge of the subtle or spiritual properties of essential oils is spread, since little has been written about them.

Although most training courses in traditional aromatherapy include some work on essential oils and the mind, few teachers offer guidance on subtle uses when training future therapists. Perhaps this is just as well , for I think it is good to have a solid understanding of traditional aromatherapy before experimenting with more esoteric uses of essential oils. 

Of course, it is impossible to draw a clear line betwen traditional aromatherapy and subtle uses of essential oils and some therapists have discovered these uses for themselves by 'accident'. This often happens with both the therapist and the person receiving treatment are spiritually aware, maybe regular meditators, psychic, or attuned to subtle energies in one way or another. A massage session planned to affect the physical body and perhaps the mental and emotional level may then take on another dimension. The client may report seeng colours or light, or feeling a sensation of floating , as though the massge couch had been removed.

These are the experiences most commonly reported , though a small number of people have described past-life recall, out-of-body-states, vivid visual impressions or a mental state akin to deep meditation, such experiences often leave the individual with feelings of deep bliss. In my work and as a recipient of aromatherapy massage. I have either experienced or witnessed all of these. I consider such experiences veery important because they were not anticipated and this refutes the sceptic's claim that 'You only felt that because that is what you expected to feel'.

Such experiences often serve as a starting point from which an individual begins to explore other possibilities in the use of essential oils. They may be guided by drawing analogies with the physical or mental effects of the oils, and such analogies are valuable indications of what an oil may do when used in the more subtle ways.However, as we enter the dawn of a new age , an increasing number of people feel drawn to using essential oils at subtle levels who have not been through the traditional 'apprenticeship' of learning to use essential oils in physical applications first so they do not have that basis from which to start working. Such people include healers, crystal workers, meditators, clairvoyants and others.

They may have had some experience of essential oils being used in a meditation group, at a meeting or workshop or reeading something about them that has aroused their interest and suggested possible areas of affinity with their own field of interest.

Others, who do have the experience of the physical applications of essential oils, feel a need to move on from this base. A greater awareness of our spiritual destiny is awakened in the world, many people practising physical therapies feel drawn to working in a less physical way. They may wish to incorporate  a spiritual or subtle element  into the work they are doing already, or they may eventually want to change their mode of work completely.

To everyone who would like to explore the subtle uses of essential oils, I extend the invitation to share my journey of discovery.

Reference: Subtle Aromatherapy: Patricia Davis

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