Essential oils have been used for centuries in healing practices and as a tool for meditation and sacred rituals.  The recent popularity of essential oils is due to their effects on calming, grounding, and energizing the body.  Indeed, when used correctly, they are valuable tools for reducing stress, promoting relaxation, and increasing ng focus during meditation practices.

Do you love the calming smell of lavender?  What about the invigorating smell of bergamot or peppermint?  Well, these delightful fragrances come from the aromatic compounds in plants.  Essential oils are extracted from herbs, flowers, leaves, stems, bark, tree resins, and roots.  Indeed, these compounds emit a distinctive smell.  Notably, the oils vary in color and aroma depending on the extraction method (e.g., steam distillation, cold pressing, or solvents).

This article discusses the benefits of essential oils and how to use them to enhance your meditation practice and sacred rituals. Recipe blends for your women’s circle or personal practice are also provided.

Benefits of Using Essential Oils for Meditation and Sacred Rituals

The aromatic properties of essential oils help to lift the positive and spiritual energy in a meditative space.  This provides clarity for meditative practices.  It also creates a peaceful environment for prayers and sacred rituals.  Depending on the intention, various oils can also be used separately or blended together. For example, rose essential oil is known for its calming effects, while jasmine essential oil helps to elevate awareness during meditation.

When used for meditation, prayer, and sacred rituals, essential oils can be powerful tools to:

• Create an atmosphere of peace, balance, and serenity
• Promote relaxation
• Clear mental clutter
• Increase focus
• Elevate feelings of positivity
• Encourage insightfulness
• Reduce negative energy
• Eliminate negative self-talk

By the way, many people use essential oils to treat illnesses and conditions.  Notably,  the U.S. National Center for Complimentary and Integrative Medicine recognizes the use of essential oils as a complementary therapy to treat different illnesses.   

Read: How to Use Aromatherapy in Your Self-Care Practice

How Essential Oils for Meditation and Sacred Rituals Work

Before you begin your meditation or sacred ritual, it is important to create a sacred space. Some women have a dedicated space in their homes. However, that is not always feasible or practical for most of us. Whether it is your kitchen table, porch, bedroom, or your she-shed, take a few minutes to set up a calm, inviting space.

If this is for a women’s circle, then the Circle Guide or Hostess chooses the location and prepares it for the gathering.

Essential oils can be used in many ways for spiritual practices, but the most common way is through aromatherapy.  Interestingly, aromatherapy works primarily through your sense of smell and absorption through the skin and pulse points. 

Choose the Right Oil for the Occasion and Intention

It is important to choose the right essential oils for the occasion or intention. So why is that important? Well, different essential oils have different properties and can evoke different emotions. For example, sage is known for its purification properties. On the other hand, lavender promotes relaxation and inner peace, and peppermint increases focus and concentration.

Some of the ways to use aromatherapy for meditation and sacred rituals include:

• Inhaling a few drops
• Using an essential oil diffuser
• Spraying mists into the air 
• Lighting scented candles
• Burning cleansing herbs

Inhale a Few Drops

Sprinkle a few drops of essential oils on a folded tissue or cotton ball. Then, inhale a few drops slowly and deeply several times before meditating.  If this is for a women’s circle, prepare enough for the group, and place them in an attractive bowl.  They can be prepared ahead of time and stored in a zipped plastic bag.

Use an Essential Oil Diffuser

An essential oil diffuser is a device that disperses essential oils into the air.  An electric diffuser uses water and a few drops of essential oils.  Some automatically shut off after 30 or 60 minutes.   However, others need to be unplugged.  For safety reasons, follow the manufacturer’s instructions.  

A reed diffuser uses short, smooth sticks (reeds or bamboo skewers), which are placed in a glass container.  The essential oils are blended with white rubbing alcohol, a carrier oil, or water. Now, you don’t want to miss this. Use reeds when using carrier oils and bamboo skewers when using distilled water.  The reeds absorb the fragrance and then release it into the air.  A reed diffuser will last several weeks.

If this is for a women’s circle, two or three diffusers may be needed, depending on the size of the space. 

Use Sprays or Mists

Sprays or mists are one of the safest and most versatile ways to use essential oils.  Indeed, people often spray them on soft surfaces such as pillows, cushions, and blankets.  Additionally, they are sprayed in the air as an aura smudge. 

If you’re unfamiliar with smudging, it is a ritual of cleansing the energy of a room or object.  Aura smudge sprays are available online and at health food stores.  You can also make your own.  Many believe a smudge spray helps to prepare their energy and mind for meditation.  Sage and palo santo are often used for smudging.

Use Scented Candles

Scented candles help to set the mood of any room.   Rather than choose a candle based on its smell, choose it based on the mood you want to create or change.  For the best experience, burn a candle for 30-60 minutes before the event.  Indeed, this allows the wax to melt properly.  It also provides enough time for the fragrance to disperse and fill the room.  If this is for a women’s circle, create a few groups of candles, and place them strategically around the room.

Plug In a Himalayan Salt Lamp

While not an essential oil, Himalayan salt lamps add to the ambiance of a meditation space or women’s circle. Indeed, they provide a natural glow of fresh, clean air to any space. Using a salt lamp helps to:

• Clean the air
• Increase energy levels
• Improve mood
• Increase focus
• Reduce static electricity
• Neutralize electromagnetic radiation

Best Essential Oils for Meditation and Sacred Rituals

Sacred Rituals and Purification

Many sacred rituals and meditation practices use cleansing and blessing herb bundles, resins, and incense sticks.  For indoor use and small outdoor gatherings, use an abalone shell to burn herb bundles and charcoal tablets in a charcoal burner to burn resins for indoor use and small outdoor gatherings. Use essential oil drops in an aromatherapy diffuser indoors. For large outdoor gatherings, use a fire pit. Essential oils, herbs, and resins used in sacred rituals and outdoor women’s circle gatherings include:

• Frankincense essential oil or frankincense resin (purification)
• Myrrh essential oil or myrrh resin (purification)
• Sage essential oil or sage herb bundles (purification)
• Rosemary essential oil or dried rosemary leaves (new beginnings)
• Thyme essential oil (purification, strength, courage)
• Yerba santa herb bundles (healing)
• Palo Santo smudging sticks (prosperity)
• Cedar essential oil or cedar chips sachets (declutter, protection)
• Cypress essential oil (grounding, calming)
• Dried mugwort dried leaves (dreamy)
• Juniper berry essential oil or dried juniper berries (comfort)
• Sandalwood essential oil or dried sandalwood chips (grounding)
• Goldenrod essential oil (abundance, prosperity)
• Pine needle essential oil (cleansing, protection)
• Lavender essential oil or dried lavender bundles (calming)

Promote Calm, Serenity, Happiness

• Lavender
• Lemongrass
• Bergamot
• Chamomile
• Rose
• Clary Sage
• Neroli
• Lemon
• Yuzu
• Orange
• Ylang Ylang
• Frankincense
• Valerian
• Jatamansi
• Jasmine
• Holy Basil
• Sweet Basil
• Vetiver
• Patchouli
• Geranium
• Lemon Balm
• Marjoram
• Fennel

Maintain Focus, Concentration, and Clarity

• Lavender
• Peppermint
• Spearmint
• Rosemary
• Bergamot
• Ylang-ylang
• Vetiver
• Neroli
• Lemon
• Grapefruit
• Orange
• Lemongrass
• Lemon balm
• Patchouli

Keep It Tight Sisters Recipe Blends

I make my own essential oil blends for my diffuser, but you can buy blends that are already made. However, check to ensure that they include 100% essential oils rather than artificial fragrances. 

Divine Feminine Essential Oil Blend

• 6 drops rose oil
• 6 drops lavender oil
• 4 drops ylang-ylang oil

Grounded Meditation Essential Oil Blend

• 6 drops clary sage oil
• 6 drops bergamot oil
• 2 drops lemongrass oil

Queendom

• 6 drops jasmine oil
• 6 drops neroli oil
• 4 drops orange oil

Now, It’s Your Turn

Well, I hope you feel more educated about incorporating essential oils into your meditation and sacred rituals. Indeed, using essential oils in aromatherapy diffusers, reed diffusers, candles, or potpourri adds a special touch to your space. Furthermore, people often report that using essential oils deepens their spiritual practice. I encourage you to experiment with different essential oils and see which ones resonate with you the most.

Remember always to use essential oils responsibly.

Please note that this information is not meant to contradict advice from your healthcare provider.  I think you will also enjoy the blog posts on the benefits of joining or creating a women’s circle, giving yourself time and love to be your best, prayer points and affirmations to command your morning, adding journal writing to your self-care routine, and box breathing to calm and energize you. 

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