| by Bruce Berkowsky, NMD, M.H., HMC
Deep Psycho-Spiritual Work
Using Essential Oils: A Pathway to the Higher Self
In the first article of this three-article series: “Traditional Naturopathy: Living In Harmony with the Rhythms of the Natural Universe,” the focus was on health being a product of harmonization with the natural universe. In this second article, health is discussed in terms of harmonization with the rhythms of the spiritual world. The third article: “True Health: Merging the Rhythms of the Natural and Spiritual Worlds” will describe how harmonization with the interrelated natural and spiritual worlds is imperative to complete the circle of true health.
Spiritual PhytoEssencing
Spiritual PhytoEssencing is a synthesis that I created using aspects of aromatherapy, Kabbalah, Chinese and herbal medicines, classical homeopathy, modern physiology, depth psychology, color therapy, gemstone healing, and anthroposophical science. It is an art designed to help overcome separation of daily consciousness from the higher self that lies at the core of emotional and physical disharmony.
The focus of Spiritual PhytoEssencing (phytoessence means essential oil) is to identify the pattern of deep psycho-spiritual themes which have a disharmonizing impact on the soul level. Subsequently, a combination of essential oils that correlates with these themes is formulated to act as a mirror-image of this “central disturbance” and serve as a reorganizing nucleus for the self.
Essential Oils and the Soul
Essential oil is the carrier of the soul of the plant. The founder of anthroposophy, Rudolf Steiner, states: “Matter is most spiritual in the perfume of the plant... When the spirit most closely approaches the physical earth, then we have the perception of fragrance.”
According to Kabbalah, the human soul contains animal-, vegetable- and human-soul components. Thus, each of us has the ability to relate to plant souls on a soul-to-soul level. When the human soul becomes preoccupied with the daily challenges of life, rational consciousness becomes estranged from the higher self and mired in “stuckness.” All chronic diseases have this quality of inertia in common.
The plant soul is not encumbered by ego, so it has the qualities of purity and infinity. Thus, the individualized plant soul combination within the essential oil blend, when proffered to the human soul, is eagerly received and infuses the latter with impetus to move beyond limitation by changing its orientation from the finite to the infinite.
Key to moving the soul in this way is the formulation of an oil blend which accurately reflects an individual’s “soul print.” Just as no two fingerprints are alike, each soul is completely unique. Living within the context of one’s true soul nature requires continuous connection with one’s higher self. Happiness is the key to wellness. No unhappy person can truly be well. In turn, the key to happiness lies in accepting and living in accordance with one’s soul print and having this soul print received by others.
Harmonizing the currents of the psycho-spiritual plane facilitates an altered state characterized by heightened awareness, receptivity, flexibility, objectivity, and the illumination of life-choices. True healing can proceed only in this altered state. The purpose of the art of Spiritual PhytoEssencing is to encourage and sustain this altered state of soul consciousness that serves as mind/body wellness.
Imaginative consciousness is an important element in the art of Spiritual PhytoEssencing. In this discussion, the term imaginative consciousness refers to overcoming limitations of analysis of the material aspects of essential oils performed exclusively by senses and intellect via a complementary perception of the spiritual roots which sustain said material aspects. Like the human soul, the plant soul contains the spiritual roots for all the plant’s material and bioenergetic manifestations. Hence, when using essential oils for soul-spiritual work, all the biophysical and bioenergetic features of the plant are used to develop an understanding of spiritual roots.
The following discussion demonstrates how the soul nature of rose oil can be elaborated using imaginative consciousness. Rose has always been associated with deep, heart-felt, devotional love. To understand how it elicits this type of response in humans, the following examination of rose oil’s relationship to the heart, shen, the Fire element, the liver, hearing, and understanding will prove of value.
Folklore and Rose
 Since ancient times, rose (Rosa damascena) has been classified as an oil of emotional feeling, love, femininity, and transformation. The Romans scattered rose petals on the marriage bed and Roman brides and bridegrooms were crowned with roses, as were images of Venus and Cupid. When Cleopatra invited Mark Antony to her palace, she had the meeting room floor covered with roses because of her belief in the romantic power of the rose scent. Among some American Indian tribes, braves gathered wild roses for the hair of their brides’. Also, the rose was sacred to Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love, beauty, and fertility.
The Heart
Rose oil is a primary oil for the heart’s feeling function. Rose helps to balance thinking and willing. While it is noted as being useful in the treatment of heart palpitations, arrhythmia, and hypertension, it should be considered for these symptoms only when disturbances of the heart’s “feeling” function is a leading case element. Rose oil, considered an asthma remedy, it is most indicated for emotional- and cardiac asthma associated with heart disease.
Heart and lung activities are characterized by ceaseless rhythm. Whenever strong feeling is experienced, changes occur in the blood and breath’s subtle interplay. Heart and respiratory rates may increase or become erratic. People often state “My heart skipped a beat,”or “It took my breath away.”
The heart is actually a sense-organ perceiving subtle changes in the make up of the blood. To coldly reflect upon something, you need only the brain. However, to imbue this reflection with interest and devotion, you need the heart’s contribution of feeling, which also imbues willpower with devotion and courage (why courage is associated with the heart). Fear is potentially the outgrowth of heart weakness.
Shen
Shen is one of the “Three Treasures” of Chinese medicine (others: chi and jing). The word shen translates roughly as “spirit.” Whereas movement is indicative of the presence of chi, and growth and renewal of jing, consciousness indicates the presence of shen.
Shen resides in two houses. The higher house correlates with the head where it brings forth clarity of thought and conscious direction of life and the vital processes. Lower residence is the heart where it ensures balanced feelings and clear, honest communication.
Heart shen is essentially thought transformed by feeling. The concept of transformation is a prominent theme of rose oil. Early alchemists used it in attempts to transmute base metals into gold.
Consider rose oil whenever there is disturbed heart shen. Distrubed shen will manifest in several ways: an inability to think clearly and organize thoughts; mood swings; difficulty vocalizing one’s feelings; nervousness; fearfulness, insomnia, and depression.
Fire Element
According to the Five Element Theory of Chinese medicine, the heart is the yin organ of Fire element. Accordingly, when function is balanced, the spirit will flame-up with inspiration. If fire is burning low, individuals will be dispirited or depressed. Loss of fire can develop if one’s emotions aren’t validated. In contrast, when there is excessive heart fire, an individual will laugh excessively, be impulsive and prone to hysteria.
The Five Elements interact in patterns of creation and support, or inhibition and restraint. Wood element exerts a generating effect upon Fire element much like wood fuels a fire.
A deficiency of Wood leads to depletion of heart’s feeling capacity, while its excess may create destructive emotional intensity. Hence, the heart’s integrity as an emotional center is linked to liver health. Rose oil is noted as a remedy for several maladies: depression, apathy, impatience, disappointment, hangover, liver congestion, jaundice, various digestive symptoms such as nausea and diarrhea, all of which may be related to liver dysfunction.
Rose is considered an aphrodisiac oil, especially for the female. A woman’s sexual feelings are more likely to be linked to heart-felt emotions, while a man’s are linked to the baser instinct of “the animal principle.” It’s likely that rose’s aphrodisiac properties derive from support of the emotional heart-center rather than from stimulation of the sexual organs.
While ovaries produce female hormones, the liver regulates their blood levels. The liver conjugates estrogens and progesterone to facilitate their excretion via bile and urine. Therefore, the liver plays an important role in regulation of the sex organ’s blood levels. Rose’s value regarding sexual function, and the female reproductive organs’ other functions, may be related to its association with the liver.
Rose and Hearing
In homeopathy, rose is considered specific for: Hardness of hearing and congestion of the Eustachian tubes (causing deafness; tinnitus: ringing in ears). These hearing symptoms are significant since they’re the only ones prominently noted in homeopathic literature. The tie-in between rose’s hearing symptoms and its heart affinity can be explained by renowned Kabbalist Rabbi Nachman of Breslov: “Hearing depends on the heart... If spoken words do not penetrate the listener’s heart, it is as if they were never heard... In order to truly hear what someone is saying to us—not just their words, but their intention—the heart must be attentive... The hearing process commences with the ears, but must end up with the heart’s understanding what is said.” The feeling of not being truly listened to and understood by one’s romantic partner is a core issue for many people who are drawn to rose oil.
Rose oil is specific for the objective understanding emanating from the higher soul and residing within the heart. A central theme for those having a strong affinity for rose oil is: “If I find true love, everything will be okay.” It’s an essential oil to consider whenever an individual’s psycho-spiritual disharmony is related to emotional yearning for, or disappointment regarding, romantic love. Rose oil is one of the major remedies for emotional denial related to compulsive adherence to a romantic naiveté that leads to lack of objectivity, self-delusion, repeated errors in personal relationships and congestion of heart with mundane ego-level preoccupations that obstruct the attainment of higher soul levels.
Dr. Bruce Berkowsky, registered naturopath, master herbalist and classical homeopath (recipient of 1994 Hahnemann Award) teaches in-depth seminars/teleseminars/ workshops to health care professionals and laypersons. To reach Dr. Berkowsky, fax 360.422.7729 or e-mail:
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. Subscribe to his free monthly Nature’s Therapies On-Line Journal, or learn about Spiritual PhytoEssencing Diploma and Master’s Courses, teleseminar courses, workshop tapes, books, and more, visit: www.NaturalHealthScience.com. |
