The Art of anointing
I have a new love in my life. But this new love is actually something of an ancient memory rooted deeply in my soul. It started as profound things often do: in a moment of despair. A moment of emotional pain that I needed to transmute. I didn’t know where to turn, and in that moment I glanced over at my oils. Cedarwood was the only oil I could see amongst my vast collection. So I opened the bottle and deeply inhaled her fragrance. Grandmother Cedar. Protection, wisdom, strength. I poured a drop into my palm and rubbed my hands together. I breathed deeply for many moments. And then, I felt called to rub the bottoms of my feet, grounding myself, grounding myself like Grandmother Cedar. Several minutes passed. I don’t know how long I sat there holding my feet. But I do know that something had shifted. The emotional pain I’d been feeling subsided. Perhaps not fully gone, but different. My perspective shifted. I felt rooted like the Cedarwood tree herself, and yet expanded.
Shortly after this experience I came across a book titled “Healing Oils of the Bible” by Dr. David Stewart. I would not call myself a Christian (I am not affiliated with any one religion), but I did feel drawn to this book. I read it in my Cedarwood sauna over two days. In reading this book, it occurred to me that in my moment of despair I had anointed myself with the Cedarwood oil, much like people in Biblical times did. At that point I became nothing short of obsessed with anointing. At what point in history did we lose such a beautiful practice? At what point did we stop anointing the feet and heads of the visitors who came into our blessed homes? Ancient people have known for millennia the power of oil anointing; why don’t we, as modern humans?
Since that time, I have delved deeply into the Art of Anointing. I feel it is my work to bring this practice back into popular consciousness. I believe every soul on this planet can benefit from this simple, sacred act. What a blessing to have access to these sacred oils. What a blessing it is to be able to anoint ourselves and our beloveds.
May we bring the art of anointing back into our lives, and may we freely share this beautiful practice with others.