In mid-November, Christmas trees arrive at Sunnycrest Greenhouse, where I work part-time. The first truck brings the fir trees — Fraser fir, Concolor fir, and Douglas fir. The trees are heavy. Unloading the truck is hard work. But every year the core staff is reinforced by a contingent of friends who show up to help because they love it. The scent of fir fills the crisp cold air, and we bring it home, clinging to our clothes. Later in the week, a second truck brings the lighter Scotch and white pines, along with tabletop trees, garlands, and wreaths. A third truck carries balsam firs. Stakes are pounded into the ground, and the trees are tied onto the stakes, transforming what was once an expanse of annual and perennial flowers into a small forest.
The atmosphere during Christmas tree season is fun and festive. Some of the friends who arrive to unload the trucks also help to sell the trees on the weekends. Cookies, breads, or coffee cakes can often be found on the break room table. It is a microcosm of the seasonal celebrations we all imagine. Many elements play a role in creating this magical setting, but nearly everyone remarks on the scent of the trees. In The Fragrant Heavens (New World, 1999), Valerie Ann Worwood writes, "The spirit of fir extends around the planet, encircling us in its wide enveloping arms of protection, bringing down the rainbow of heavenly lights that shine upon us.... As we inhale the aroma of the sparkling green needles, we remember deeply the heritage we have shared with the trees, the plants, the animals, the stars, and the heavens. With the clarity of mind and spirit given by this fragrance, we can know we are One."
The scent of pine is similarly uplifting, connecting us with one another as well as with our higher selves and the universe at large. As Worwood says, "We inhale their powerful fragrance, which shoots through our spirit and ends in an inner explosion of understanding. In doing so, we are brought within the large embrace of nature and can inhale its presence, acceptance, and wisdom. Pine teaches that it is love and generosity of spirit that endures...." The aroma of the evergreens may be the intangible ingredient that unites all our human efforts; the result is an experience that nurtures and sustains the spirit, irresistibly drawing both customers and staff back to our "forest" year after year.
We can invoke the same sense of connection to spirit by using herbs in personal rituals or at intimate gatherings. Fragrance travels between heaven and earth, whether wafting as smoke or as vaporized molecules of essential oils heated in a diffuser. In Native American traditions, ceremonial smoke often carries prayers upward into the spiritual realm. During sweat lodge ceremonies, offerings of dried healing herbs are thrown onto the steaming rocks. The intention of this practice can be preserved for more frequent use by tossing small bundles of dried herbs into the fireplace or by adding a log that has been imbued with a drop of essential oil.
Smudging, using the fragrant smoke from bundles of dried herbs to clear negative energy and invite positive energy, is a Native American ritual that is now commonly used by many different kinds of people. Sage is one of the most frequently used herbs for smudging. In this context, sage refers not to cooking sage (Salvia officinalis) but to various species of wild sage or Artemesia. Often white sage (Salvia alpine) is used. Because the main function of sage is to dispel accumulated energy, other herbs are generally used in conjunction with it to hold and invite good energy and spirits. Sweetgrass, juniper, cedar, yarrow, bergamot, lavender, and tansy can be incorporated into a smudge bundle with sage or used separately. The smoke from smudge sticks can be used to purify a space or can be fanned over one’s body for personal purification.
All essential oils have the potential to enhance spiritual growth. Essential oils are powerful concentrations of a plant’s energy and as such, have distinct energetic charges that act on the body’s energy field. Additionally, the unique scent of an oil triggers specific brain responses, and other components in an oil may stimulate or relax the physical body in ways that facilitate our opening to a higher plane of experience. Frankincense (Boswellia carterii), sandalwood (Santalum album) and red cedarwood (Juniperus virginiana) have long been regarded as essential oils that facilitate meditation. All three are relaxing oils. According to Ann Berwick in Aromatherapy: A Holistic Guide (Llewellyn, 1997), frankincense actually slows and deepens the breathing. Like sage, it is cleansing and purifying, but its actions are gentler. Its spiritual actions are twofold, aiding us to let go — not only of negative energy, but of the past that needs to be put to rest and of that which appears important on an earthly plane though it blocks our attainment of a higher perspective. Its second spiritual action is reconnection to faith. Berwick states, "It helps one towards the light, and seems to open the higher chakras." Sandalwood is centering and is particularly helpful in directing our inner sight. Cedarwood brings strength, focus, and concentration.
Worwood names frankincense, neroli (Citrus aurantiaum, C. brigaradai, C. vulgaris), rose (Rosa centifolia, R. damascena), jasmine (Jasminum officinale, J. grandiflorum, J. sambac) and linden blossom (Tilia vulgaris) as essential oils to awaken the higher self. These oils resonate at a high vibrational level, and all speak to the soul of guidance and love beyond measure.
Essential oils can be used in diffusers or added to incense cones or sticks (allow to dry before burning) to incorporate the purifying element of fire. In sprays or in baths they utilize the cleansing element of water. However they are used, they help to define a safe space for the soul to emerge. Their use is a ritual by which we can set our intention to connect with the Spirit of the universe.
Anointing ourselves and others with essential oil blends is another point of connection with ancient spiritual roots. Mariam Massaro at Wise Ways Herbals has created a collection of chakra oils that include tree, flower, and gem essences, as well as herbal extracts and essential oils in a base of jojoba, each designed to support specific areas of the body. "Fragrance alone helps people to calm down and relax," said Massaro, "which is the first step toward spiritual connection." Though we may not yet fully understand all the levels at which herbs sustain our spirits, it is clear, as Massaro noted, that "they enhance our natural ability to access our spiritual centers."
Whatever our personal spiritual beliefs, December is a time when spirit moves to the forefront of our consciousness. As the landscape is laid bare, so too our souls are exposed. We have the opportunity to connect with that which is our essential nature. Beyond the excessive gilding of the holiday season lies the true meaning of the lights that guide us through the darkest days and the deep joy of unity symbolized by evergreen wreaths.
Resources
Wise Ways Herbals, 413-238-4268
DISCLAIMER: Choosing a holistic approach to medicine means choosing personal responsibility for your health care. Herbs for Health offers a doorway through which to enter the realm of herbal healing, an invitation to further investigation on the part of the reader. It is in no way intended as a substitute for advice from a health care practitioner.