It was only after I finished my day of sessions yesterday that I realized I used the essential oil of Spikenard (Nardostachys jatamansi) on everyone who requested a calming, sedating essential oil with their session. Aside from using it as a base for a blend, I hardly ever reach for Spikenard due to its heavy, musty & unconventional aroma. But it just felt like the right oil to use yesterday and my clients seemed to agree. When I remembered it was Good Friday I couldn’t get over what a significant oil my intuition led me to!
Spikenard essential oil is distilled from the root and has strong biblical ties along with Frankincense and Myrrh. “Then took Mary a pound of ointment of Spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus.” – John 12:3. I have seen a few books suggesting that she anointed Jesus’ feet while he was on the cross with the hope that it would sedate him and ease his suffering. While I am personally not a follower of any organized religion, I couldn’t help but experience a powerful connection to this oil. After all, I had used the oil on the feet of my clients that day.
Aromatherapist Valerie Ann Worwood illustrates the subtle essence of Spikenard quite poetically in her book The Fragrant Heavens:
“For the sweet depths of devotion. In preparation for the departure of the spirit to the heavens, Spikenard allows us to release our fears of the unknown, to have the courage to step forward. Spikenard helps to reconcile all that has happened to us in this lifetime upon the earth, and to make peace with those who have hurt us. It is a fragrance of forgiveness offered with love, as well as a fragrance that carries with it the bonds of human existence, the chains that bind us to the emotions which we may be fearful of letting go. It’s purpose is to release the past from the shackles of our own making, those that relentlessly bind us to repeating actions that affect our freedom of spirit.“
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