Separating Essential Oils from New Age Spirituality

There are a lot of New Age ideas floating around the essential oil world. If the New Age movement seems to monopolize essential oils, I want to assure you, that is not the case. 

   My wife and I work daily with hundreds of Christians, just like you, who are using, sharing, and writing about essential oils. 

   This blog explains why we are able to use essential oils in good conscience, even if they may seem to be ‘guilty’ by association with New Age ideas and practices.

   Some people have asked if our essential oil provider does anything weird with the oils before they are distributed. We have researched this more than once for concerned customers. You can rest assured that the oils we use are as spiritually clean as the organic food you purchase from the grocery store. 

   Yet, Christians have always practiced caution and have been proactive in their role of sanctifying creation for the glory of God. The sign of the cross made over consumable goods and the invocation of the Holy Name of Jesus not only expels demonic presence but also blesses the food and oil we partake of every day.

   Note: We would never use oils known to be offered to demons. I write this so as not to be a stumbling block for other Christians. As St Paul said, we should not partake of things known to be offered to idols because it may cause scandal to others. Paul also says, “All things are lawful . . . Eat whatever is sold in the market without raising questions . . . If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:23-31)

   I implore you to not throw out the baby with the bath water. We do not grow in Christian virtue by abstaining from things that are good.  I don’t give up eating steak because my neighbor is a Hedonistic-Epicurean. Aristotle said virtue is in the mean – neither in the extreme of abstinence, nor in abusing things that are good. Christians should model for their neighbors how to use essential oils. Oil is a gift from God. Unless your spiritual director has recommended that you abstain completely from using essential oils, I highly recommend them as a regular part of your diet.

   For those who are converts to Christianity and have used essential oils in occult practices; I understand why one would abstain from using them altogether. My wife has thyroid imbalances so she abstains from gluten. This doesn’t make gluten evil. On a spiritual plane, sometimes a person, like an alcoholic, cannot tolerate any exposure to the substance once abused. We need to be aware of such cases in order not to cause scandal. But although it might be better for a few people, in special cases, to abstain altogether from using oils, for the vast majority of Christians, essential oils are a gift from God – they belong to us. 

Essential oils are a beautiful part of our Judeo-Christian heritage and we should use them, like food, with Christian modesty and in accordance with Christian principles.

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