Last week I went to go to a funeral of a friend. We had been close a long time ago and remained so even though we didn’t see very much of each other. The atmosphere was light and uplifting as funerals can sometimes be, and the overall feeling was one of peace and gratitude. I am pleased I went.
This reminded me of how Frankincense helped me a few years ago at my aunt’s funeral. If you have a particularly difficult or emotional meeting or event coming up, you might want to try something similar.
It had fallen on me to deliver the eulogy and I wasn’t sure how it was going to go. I was happy with what I had written but it was an emotional time for the whole family and I was unsure of my ability to navigate through it intact.
I decided to see how essential oils could help, and perhaps inevitably Frankincense came to mind.
Name: Frankincense
Botanical: Boswellia carterii
Country: Somalia
Cultivation: Wild
Plant part: Dried resin
Production: Steam distillation
Main biochemical compounds: alpha- & beta-Pinene, Limonene, Sabinene, Myrcene
- I needed something to ‘soften the breath’, and this is what Frankincense does. (It is one of the most important oils for asthma in this regard since it increases the quality of ‘prana’).
- Emotionally it is very calming and relaxing
- It has a long history of use in a spiritual setting across many cultures, and for visualisation, opening us to higher vibrations.
I rehearsed what I was going to say in the privacy of my office for several days beforehand, and while I was doing this I held a handkerchief onto which I had shaken (rather a lot of) Frankincense essential oil. When I came to the emotional parts I had a really good inhale from the handkerchief.
The oil had the desired effect in it’s own right, and on top of that, when I came to make the speech in church I had the added benefit of the association of the comfort which the rehearsal had generated.
One slightly amusing aside: I had the bottle in my pocket before the service and I probably overdid the quantity a bit. Somehow I managed to get a tiny amount in one of my eyes which of course watered profusely, so everyone probably thought I was weeping anyway!