What about . . . Aromatherapy?
Introduction
“Herbs and oils are gifts from God. He gave those to us at creation, like it says in Genesis 1:29, ‘I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth.’ Ezekiel 47:12 and Revelation 22:2 also describe leaves of trees as useful for healing. The New Agers and eastern mystics embrace the gifts but reject the Gift Giver. The whole integrative health industry has been hijacked by New Age and Eastern mystics, so it’s hard to sort through a lot of information on aromatherapy without running into New Age applications.” [Samaritan Ministries International]
At the onset, it is important to distinguish between the valid use of aromatic oils in cosmetics, perfumes, and medicines, and holistic aromatherapy as a healing technique. Some products (such as perfumed candles, hand lotion, bath oil, etc.) may be labeled “aromatherapy” but are not significant elements of holistic aromatherapy. The use of aromatic oils in relaxing massage can also be legitimate but needs to be distinguished from their employment by New Age practitioners who attribute their “healing” properties to ‘balancing energy flows’. The oils distilled from plants are not the problem, the problem is with the way they are used and promoted for use. Herbal medicine has been around since the beginning of time, and not only did God create the plants for food, but also for medicine. [“Spiritual Dangers of Essential Oils”]
We need to know the spiritual dangers of essential oils so that we don’t get caught up in something that could involve us in New Age and even witchcraft practices. Not only do those practices oppose the Word of God, they can open you up to dangerous spiritual forces. The fact that books on aromatherapy are found in the occult and New Age section of popular bookstores such as Barnes and Noble and Books a Million should tell you something. More often than not, you will find a section on aromatherapy in books on witchcraft.
Origin/History
“Aromatic oils were widely used in ancient Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, Indian and Roman civilizations for cosmetics, fumigation, embalming, medicines, and religious rituals. Perfumes and medicines were prepared in temples and there was a Greek temple of aromatherapy. Aromatic substances were burned to appease gods and channel divine knowledge. The Greeks ascribed divine origins to aromatic plants. Breathing in wood and resin aromas was believed to drive out demons. In the Middle Ages, incense and aromas were used during rituals.”
Present day aromatherapy can be traced back to the work of Professor and French chemist, R. M .Gattefosse, who first used the term aromatherapie as the title of his 1928 book. Austrian-born chemist Marguerite Maury and British-born Robert Tisserand also popularized the practice of aromatherapy. Tisserand’s essential treatise on the subject explains how the occult properties of plants work upon the mind and emotions:
“Plant and herb essences are like the personality, or spirit, of the plant. The essence is the most ethereal and subtle part of the plant. . . what we are talking about here are vibrations…. The more we develop our intuition the more we will be able to see the order and perfection of the universe. Aromatherapy is based on certain principles which are shared by acupuncture, herbal medicines, and homeopathy. The main principles of our therapy are: life force, yin/yang, and organic foods. The Chinese call the life force Ch’i; the Indians call it Prana; but we aroma therapists call it energy. It is the only power which can produce health within us.” (101: 10-11/ 101:45-47).
“Flower remedies are intended to alter one’s state of consciousness and develop psychic abilities.” (Bach Flower Remedies).
“The dew accumulated on the petals of wild flowers before sunrise was changed dramatically. . .after our careful examination of the occult forces at play we saw how these
could be applied to correct imbalances in the astral and mental auras of man” (54:114 Esoteric Healing, Douglas Baker).
King Tut’s tomb held 50 alabaster jars containing essential oils. It was used as much for spiritual purposes as for medicinal ones. The Egyptians believed the fragrance of the oils would rise to heaven, honor their gods, and carry their wishes and prayers up for consideration. It is used in similar fashion today during many spiritual rites, primarily witchcraft.
Some famous practitioners of aromatherapy over the centuries are:
· Asclepius (800 b.c.)—god of healing in Greek mythology who was supposedly deified after death.
· King of Ur—to please the gods and goddesses
· The Ishmaelites in Bible days
· The Indian practice of Ayurveda (Life Knowledge)
· In Tibetian temples for purification.
· Used for an expression of the animist and cosmic conceptions responding above all to the exigencies of a cult.
· Associated at first with Theophanous and incantations, the oils grew out of the ritual.
· Considered by the Indo-Aryan to be either smoke, wind, or odour.
· Modern day: Holistic health practitioners, Naturopaths, acupuncturists, chiropractors, massage therapists, and Chinese medical practitioners
Modern Day Use
Prominent aromatherapists believe that essential oils contain vital force, life energy, or universal cosmic energy, which have New Age and Eastern religious and cultural associations. In Practical Aromatherapy, Penny Rich concludes, ‘Essential oils are so complex and magical that no one knows what they are. They have a life force similar to the human spirit.’” They are used one of 3 ways: 1. Sense of smell 2. Through permeable membrane of the skin 3. Ingested.
The use reflects a philosophical and spiritual outlook, “Come, you wise plant and heal this patient for me. I want to understand your 700 secrets” (The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils, Julia Lawless).
“The use of volatile plant extracts, especially, essential oils, are used in treatments designed to promote physical and psychological well-being. Essential oils found in holistic aromatherapy treatments offer many physical, mental, and emotional benefits. They are known to: Boost energy levels, change cognitive states, eliminate headaches, enhance memory, heighten immunity, improve mood, promote healing, provide stress relief, and relieve discomfort” (Aromatherapy for Natural Living, Anne Kennedy).
“The herbs and plants themselves possess no mystical power. As in dowsing rods, crystals, Tarot cards, I Ching sticks, rune dice, or the Ouija board, they merely become a focal point behind which the spirits secure their goals. Books such as: The Occult Properties of Herbs, Vegetarianism and Occultism, and Herbalism Through the Ages (published by the Rosecrucian Society), show that the occult and spirit world have utilized herbs and plants for their own purposes for ages.
Ignorantly using New Age herbal remedies is potentially dangerous and may inadvertently ruin the physical health of people or introduce them to the world of the occult” (Can You Trust Your Doctor?, Weldon & Ankerberg).
Christian Checklist
“Careful distinction needs to be made between the legitimate use of aromatic oils and holistic aromatherapy. First of all, be very careful where you purchase essential oils. Check for buzz words like: grounding, cleansing, balancing, harmony, centering, purifying, Chakras, aligning, regenerating, vibrations, life force, living energy, Ch’I, universal energy, clearing, and meridians. These are all terms based in Taoist, Hindu, and other eastern philosophies and religions. The same terminology is also employed by Wiccans (Witchcraft). Many alternative therapies are associated with New Age ideology and healing, based on the idea that God is a universal force or energy rather than our Christian belief in a personal God and Heavenly Father.” [Samaritan Ministries]
Claims that aromatherapy is effective in the treatment of sicknesses that have spiritual overtones (such as anxiety, depression, fear, and guilt) raise serious questions for Christians. Consider this quote: “Olfaction—the sense of smell—is the only one of the five senses that is directly connected to the limbic system, the part of the brain that controls blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing as well as memory and hormone balance. The other senses (hearing, sight, taste, and touch) are all connected to the thalamus, another region of the brain. The limbic system regulates fear, anger, depression, anxiety, happiness, and sadness and is believed that a scent entering the olfactory bulb has the ability to affect all these emotional responses” (The Science of Scents—Essential Oils and Emotion).
As Christians, should we be comfortable with manipulating emotions, as well as memory, hormones, and heart rate, with essential oils? We must use spiritual discernment when encountering certain applications of explanations of the oils. Questions should be asked of any practitioner regarding everything that will happen during aromatherapy. When massage is involved, ask whether this is purely a physical massage or whether the practitioner is interacting with “life energies” or any other form of spiritual power” (Alternative Medicine: The Christian Handbook).
The philosophy of Aromatherapy is that people can get rid of physical, mental, emotional and even spiritual ills through the judicious use of aromatic essential oils. Aromatherapy administered in a salon will likely involve taking a sample of the patient’s blood to determine through analysis which essentials oils are needed by the individual. The prepared oils are then applied through massage using German soft tissue massage and acupressure points along the spine (The Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine and Self-Help).
In Conclusion
Again, to draw any profitable conclusion, we need to distinguish between marketing
strategies that label products with any fragrance added as “aromatherapy” and the much
more serious and spiritually significant practice of holistic aromatherapy. For many
Christians, the line between what is spiritually safe regarding essential oils and that which is
dangerous is too blurred to risk a chance. For those who adamantly defend their use of
essential oils as a Biblical practice, keep in mind that the steam distillation process
used to make essential oils wasn’t invented until 900 years after Jesus’ death. Essential oils
as we know them were not used in Biblical times.
Safe Harbor Ministries
Pass it on!
Introduction
“Herbs and oils are gifts from God. He gave those to us at creation, like it says in Genesis 1:29, ‘I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth.’ Ezekiel 47:12 and Revelation 22:2 also describe leaves of trees as useful for healing. The New Agers and eastern mystics embrace the gifts but reject the Gift Giver. The whole integrative health industry has been hijacked by New Age and Eastern mystics, so it’s hard to sort through a lot of information on aromatherapy without running into New Age applications.” [Samaritan Ministries International]
At the onset, it is important to distinguish between the valid use of aromatic oils in cosmetics, perfumes, and medicines, and holistic aromatherapy as a healing technique. Some products (such as perfumed candles, hand lotion, bath oil, etc.) may be labeled “aromatherapy” but are not significant elements of holistic aromatherapy. The use of aromatic oils in relaxing massage can also be legitimate but needs to be distinguished from their employment by New Age practitioners who attribute their “healing” properties to ‘balancing energy flows’. The oils distilled from plants are not the problem, the problem is with the way they are used and promoted for use. Herbal medicine has been around since the beginning of time, and not only did God create the plants for food, but also for medicine. [“Spiritual Dangers of Essential Oils”]
We need to know the spiritual dangers of essential oils so that we don’t get caught up in something that could involve us in New Age and even witchcraft practices. Not only do those practices oppose the Word of God, they can open you up to dangerous spiritual forces. The fact that books on aromatherapy are found in the occult and New Age section of popular bookstores such as Barnes and Noble and Books a Million should tell you something. More often than not, you will find a section on aromatherapy in books on witchcraft.
Origin/History
“Aromatic oils were widely used in ancient Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, Indian and Roman civilizations for cosmetics, fumigation, embalming, medicines, and religious rituals. Perfumes and medicines were prepared in temples and there was a Greek temple of aromatherapy. Aromatic substances were burned to appease gods and channel divine knowledge. The Greeks ascribed divine origins to aromatic plants. Breathing in wood and resin aromas was believed to drive out demons. In the Middle Ages, incense and aromas were used during rituals.”
Present day aromatherapy can be traced back to the work of Professor and French chemist, R. M .Gattefosse, who first used the term aromatherapie as the title of his 1928 book. Austrian-born chemist Marguerite Maury and British-born Robert Tisserand also popularized the practice of aromatherapy. Tisserand’s essential treatise on the subject explains how the occult properties of plants work upon the mind and emotions:
“Plant and herb essences are like the personality, or spirit, of the plant. The essence is the most ethereal and subtle part of the plant. . . what we are talking about here are vibrations…. The more we develop our intuition the more we will be able to see the order and perfection of the universe. Aromatherapy is based on certain principles which are shared by acupuncture, herbal medicines, and homeopathy. The main principles of our therapy are: life force, yin/yang, and organic foods. The Chinese call the life force Ch’i; the Indians call it Prana; but we aroma therapists call it energy. It is the only power which can produce health within us.” (101: 10-11/ 101:45-47).
“Flower remedies are intended to alter one’s state of consciousness and develop psychic abilities.” (Bach Flower Remedies).
“The dew accumulated on the petals of wild flowers before sunrise was changed dramatically. . .after our careful examination of the occult forces at play we saw how these
could be applied to correct imbalances in the astral and mental auras of man” (54:114 Esoteric Healing, Douglas Baker).
King Tut’s tomb held 50 alabaster jars containing essential oils. It was used as much for spiritual purposes as for medicinal ones. The Egyptians believed the fragrance of the oils would rise to heaven, honor their gods, and carry their wishes and prayers up for consideration. It is used in similar fashion today during many spiritual rites, primarily witchcraft.
Some famous practitioners of aromatherapy over the centuries are:
· Asclepius (800 b.c.)—god of healing in Greek mythology who was supposedly deified after death.
· King of Ur—to please the gods and goddesses
· The Ishmaelites in Bible days
· The Indian practice of Ayurveda (Life Knowledge)
· In Tibetian temples for purification.
· Used for an expression of the animist and cosmic conceptions responding above all to the exigencies of a cult.
· Associated at first with Theophanous and incantations, the oils grew out of the ritual.
· Considered by the Indo-Aryan to be either smoke, wind, or odour.
· Modern day: Holistic health practitioners, Naturopaths, acupuncturists, chiropractors, massage therapists, and Chinese medical practitioners
Modern Day Use
Prominent aromatherapists believe that essential oils contain vital force, life energy, or universal cosmic energy, which have New Age and Eastern religious and cultural associations. In Practical Aromatherapy, Penny Rich concludes, ‘Essential oils are so complex and magical that no one knows what they are. They have a life force similar to the human spirit.’” They are used one of 3 ways: 1. Sense of smell 2. Through permeable membrane of the skin 3. Ingested.
The use reflects a philosophical and spiritual outlook, “Come, you wise plant and heal this patient for me. I want to understand your 700 secrets” (The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils, Julia Lawless).
“The use of volatile plant extracts, especially, essential oils, are used in treatments designed to promote physical and psychological well-being. Essential oils found in holistic aromatherapy treatments offer many physical, mental, and emotional benefits. They are known to: Boost energy levels, change cognitive states, eliminate headaches, enhance memory, heighten immunity, improve mood, promote healing, provide stress relief, and relieve discomfort” (Aromatherapy for Natural Living, Anne Kennedy).
“The herbs and plants themselves possess no mystical power. As in dowsing rods, crystals, Tarot cards, I Ching sticks, rune dice, or the Ouija board, they merely become a focal point behind which the spirits secure their goals. Books such as: The Occult Properties of Herbs, Vegetarianism and Occultism, and Herbalism Through the Ages (published by the Rosecrucian Society), show that the occult and spirit world have utilized herbs and plants for their own purposes for ages.
Ignorantly using New Age herbal remedies is potentially dangerous and may inadvertently ruin the physical health of people or introduce them to the world of the occult” (Can You Trust Your Doctor?, Weldon & Ankerberg).
Christian Checklist
“Careful distinction needs to be made between the legitimate use of aromatic oils and holistic aromatherapy. First of all, be very careful where you purchase essential oils. Check for buzz words like: grounding, cleansing, balancing, harmony, centering, purifying, Chakras, aligning, regenerating, vibrations, life force, living energy, Ch’I, universal energy, clearing, and meridians. These are all terms based in Taoist, Hindu, and other eastern philosophies and religions. The same terminology is also employed by Wiccans (Witchcraft). Many alternative therapies are associated with New Age ideology and healing, based on the idea that God is a universal force or energy rather than our Christian belief in a personal God and Heavenly Father.” [Samaritan Ministries]
Claims that aromatherapy is effective in the treatment of sicknesses that have spiritual overtones (such as anxiety, depression, fear, and guilt) raise serious questions for Christians. Consider this quote: “Olfaction—the sense of smell—is the only one of the five senses that is directly connected to the limbic system, the part of the brain that controls blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing as well as memory and hormone balance. The other senses (hearing, sight, taste, and touch) are all connected to the thalamus, another region of the brain. The limbic system regulates fear, anger, depression, anxiety, happiness, and sadness and is believed that a scent entering the olfactory bulb has the ability to affect all these emotional responses” (The Science of Scents—Essential Oils and Emotion).
As Christians, should we be comfortable with manipulating emotions, as well as memory, hormones, and heart rate, with essential oils? We must use spiritual discernment when encountering certain applications of explanations of the oils. Questions should be asked of any practitioner regarding everything that will happen during aromatherapy. When massage is involved, ask whether this is purely a physical massage or whether the practitioner is interacting with “life energies” or any other form of spiritual power” (Alternative Medicine: The Christian Handbook).
The philosophy of Aromatherapy is that people can get rid of physical, mental, emotional and even spiritual ills through the judicious use of aromatic essential oils. Aromatherapy administered in a salon will likely involve taking a sample of the patient’s blood to determine through analysis which essentials oils are needed by the individual. The prepared oils are then applied through massage using German soft tissue massage and acupressure points along the spine (The Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine and Self-Help).
In Conclusion
Again, to draw any profitable conclusion, we need to distinguish between marketing
strategies that label products with any fragrance added as “aromatherapy” and the much
more serious and spiritually significant practice of holistic aromatherapy. For many
Christians, the line between what is spiritually safe regarding essential oils and that which is
dangerous is too blurred to risk a chance. For those who adamantly defend their use of
essential oils as a Biblical practice, keep in mind that the steam distillation process
used to make essential oils wasn’t invented until 900 years after Jesus’ death. Essential oils
as we know them were not used in Biblical times.
Safe Harbor Ministries
Pass it on!
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