Hope you are all well.
It’s been cold and wet these last two weeks since I last wrote and that suits my mood.
My mother-in-law died two weeks ago after battling with lung cancer for three years. While we’re glad we got down to visit her a few weeks ago and we knew she was dying for a long time; it’s still really sucks.
Grief is so weird. We’ve all been going through such a range of emotions, riding from weepy to grumpy and then to happy (that we visited and talked with her as much as we did and glad she had a long happy life).
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| My girls on the ends with their cousin and Grandmother last year. |
So, to help cope with the distracted, sad and confused way we’ve all been feeling I went to essential oils for some help.
Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) is the one I was drawn to first. It grows in the ancient graveyards of Europe and it is a holy tree that connects the earth and the sky. It helps with grief and transitions. It smells soothing and earthy – like trees and damp.
Frankincense (Boswellia carterii) is always a favorite when I need some feeling of calm and grounding. It is another powerful oil that has been used in spiritual rituals since ancient times.
I also added some Rose (Rosa damascena), because, it’s Rose. It helps heal the broken heart. It has a connection to the Great Mother Goddess and Mother Mary and helps keep your heart open even when it is filled with sadness.
I have been diffusing these in the house and putting some drops on pillows. So much of grieving is so challenging and unclear-it feels good to have some support from the plant world as we muddle through.
This week a friend also emailed to say her mother is on hospice and she needs some oils for the transition. Lavender (lavender angustifolia) is a wonderful oil to calm both the person dying and the people around them. You can diffuse it, drip a bit on a pillow or massage the person, which is very calming and gets the oils absorbed in the skin and through the nose.
Clary Sage is also a great oil because it helps with pain and helps one feel connected to the spiritual realm. (It is said to have been used in ancient “flying potions” that would put people in an altered state (with other stronger herbs) to help people have divine out-of-body experiences.)
Neroli (Citrus aurantium) is another beautiful oil for the dying. My aromatherapy teacher Kathy Duffy recommends using Neroli (Citrus aurantium).and Frankincense (Boswellia carterii) together in a blend that is very helpful for that agitation that can come at the end of life.
I hope you don’t need these oils anytime soon, but it is nice to know the plants are there to support you when the time comes.
Today we drove up to Vermont to the family graveyard where her ashes will be buried this summer. The violets were blooming. Here is the view from her headstone.
Much love to you and yours.
Email me at crowladyhealing@gmail.com, give me a call (413-325-4529) with any questions.
xoxox
Katherine
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Below are the sources I use for essential oils. (As I’ve written before; the world of multi-level marketing makes buying essential oils very confusing and expensive. These are some great small companies that sell beautiful oils at good prices.)
Appalachian Valley Natural Products
Nature’s Gift
Elizabeth Van Buren
Email me at crowladyhealing@gmail.com, give me a call (413-325-4529) with any questions.
xoxox
Katherine
