Rosemary is very much one of my favorite herbs… how many times have I said that??.. Any way. I will say it again and again… Her uses go on and on. From internal wellness components. As well as spiritual support for the heart and mind. She connects us to our selves, and clears the air around us. There are many ways to work with her, but I have a few favorites I would like to share with you.
The materia medica of Rosemary could be many pages long. I have worked with her, grown this herb and harvested her for over a decade. She comes into my meditation practice regularly. As her smoke medicine is very powerful for that time of peace and quiet. If you are not familiar with her, or maybe have only used Rosemary on your Turkey Dinner… I invite you to dive into this mystical, lovefull mint…
“Down with the rosemary and so,
Down with the baies and mistletoe
Down with the holly, ivie all
Wherewith ye deck the Christmas Hall”
Herrick – An old verse of Christmas time decor
Immune & Circulatory Stimulant
Just smelling this mint family herb is rejuvenating. Immediately evoking an ahhhhhh in my body… This creating an ultimate relax just by rubbing her foliage in my fingers. As you breathe in the camphor like scent you are employing aromatherapy in relaxing your nervous system.
As she is a Lamiaceae family member, the similar actions of our beloved mints are a part of her as well. Not only do these herbs cool, they warm as well. A well known aspect of the mints is that they will effectively cool a warm body, and warm up a cold one. I love her topically for this remedy. She excites the nervous system topically as blood is sent from the core to the extremities.
When used internally she is a favorable herb to encourage a healthy immune system through the winter time. Generally people are more quiet, calm and sedentary as winter encourages us to hibernate. Though this is a wonderful way to work with nature, it is beneficial to have herbs in the body that encourage a healthy circulatory system. By moving physically and with the help of herbals, we are helping our bodies to protect themselves.
Traditionally in French hospitals, Rosemary was burned to clean the air. And though slightly creepy… those ‘beaks’ that you see in traditional plague tents were for a very particular use. The beaks that medieval doctors wore were stuffed full of herbs. Rosemary being a key component of the blend. The herbal beak kept doctors safe from life threatening illnesses that they were treating their patients for.
Rosemary is an ancient herb with a deep and rich history. She was known to harmonize love and affection by strengthening memory. Her herbal actions are diverse. Rosemary is antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, carminative, digestive, warming, diaphoretic, bitter, and thoroughly stimulating to the body’s functioning. Each of these components making her an excellent herbal to employ for Winter Time Wellness.
Ceremony & Meditation
Ancient herbals boast of rosemary’s many uses. Not only was this herb essential for health and survival of the old herbals. These texts document rosemary’s use in ceremonies of the heart. Rosemary was found to be adorning the honored ones, and guests at weddings, funerals, and holidays.
Brides wore garlands of rosemary on their heads to hold space for remembrance of the special day. At funerals, family members held rosemary during the service. Then after, they would place their sprigs on top of the casket as it was lowered into the ground. This act kept their prayers with the person they had lost.
Brides and Grooms were said to remember more clearly, their vows on their wedding day by bringing garlands of rosemary to adorn their homes. This holding space for their love, and remembering the beginning. She was an emblem of fidelity of lovers because of her affect on the memory.
An old saying states that Rosemary ‘Rendered Balance…” and in 1607 was published to ‘…helpeth the brain & strengthening the memore, & is very medicinal for the head…” Though science was not a component of this study, I love to feel these remembrances as herbals knowing from ceremony and tellings of the plants…
Ways of Meditating With Rosemary
Personal meditation ceremonies are also a place to bring rosemary into your life. When in mediation, the smoke of this herb is a regular one that I like to burn. Especially when speaking to my ancestors of this life time and beyond. With her ability to clear the air around me, and connect me to the true aspects of heart. Rosemary brings me closer to those who adorn my life in physical and metaphysical realms. When connecting this way, you light rosemary, her smoke medicine clears our energetic bodies so that the divine can speak to us thoroughly and perfectly.
It was said in the old herbals that Fiaries lived in the rosemary shrubs. They would disguise themselves as snakes, but those who knew the realm could seem them in true form. Snake medicine is powerful. Offering protection during times of great transition. It is all about shedding the old so that newness can come in easily. I feel that when rosemary is brought into meditation time, that she allows this transition to be smooth. Change is never easy, but an ease does indeed come.
Tea Time
With all of the medicinal and spiritual aspects of Rosemary. It only makes sense to add her to your tea time. She clears your mind, encourages a healthy flow of circulation. Along with this, she brings you closer to connecting to your heart and loved ones. Drinking this herb into your body, warms the heart. When you take rosemary into your body, a clarifying component comes with her. Adding to a healthy microbiome, and immune system. Hepatic strengthening aspects are also among her actions. This allows your liver to be supported so that your body has assistance in cleansing.
Ceremonial Bath Honoring the Feminine
Bath time is a special act of self care. It allows you warmth and support of the water. With this time, your body is allowed healing and warming. The heat of your bath encourages a healthy flow of circulation, especially to the lymphatic system. This system is one that needs external encouragement to flow freely. With stimulated circulation the body is able to then flush invaders away and relieve your system of sickness.
Because of the connection to the heart rosemary has a strong spiritual aspect of health. The ceremonial bath time is a perfect place to work with the heart strengthening component of rosemary. Not only for your physical heart, but the one that connects us to the divine feminine via spirit. It was sad in ancient herbals that “where rosemary flourishes the mistress ruled…” Does this not point directly to a happy spiritual heart? As plants are incredibly sensitive to energetics of the gardener. When we have a true and thorough connection to our spirit. We flourish.
Divine Female Energies of Rosemary
In rosemary’s deep history. She is strongly connected to the Virgin Mary, the divine Feminine and Gaia. I find that when I take rosemary, especially in ceremony. Not only am I working directly with the divine. But I am bringing her into my existence. Strengthening my knowing of female with the powerful female figures of divine history. The goddess divine, the Virgin Mary all of these beautiful female figures in spirituality are brought into your conscious being. As well as your physical body. I find that when I bathe in rosemary I’m bathing my physical and spiritual body in the essences of this divine female energy.
Salts, Essential Oils, and Prayer
To work with rosemary in your bath, you can do one of a few things. You can either make a salt to mix into the water. By mixing a cup of Epsom salt with a few drops of Rosemary Essential Oil. Around 10-15 drops per cup. Because rosemary is a warming, hot herb. I find that it is best to mix it with your bath salts instead of dropping the Essential Oil in separately. When the oil is left floating on top of the water, I have slightly burnt my skin… the essential oil is very hot when concentrated this way. So it is best to make this salt ahead of time and add it to the running water. It mixes well and acts as a carrier to the water.
Other ways to work with rosemary in the bath can be putting sprigs of rosemary in the water. I like to do this during the summer when I have my plants outside where she flourishes. You can then taking a few sprigs of rosemary meditate with her in your hand as the water for your bath runs. This brings the divine energy into your spiritual mind and brings them into bath time. When you put the sprigs into your bath this kind of makes it like a rosemary tea where you can saturate yourself in her spiritual medicne. Granted it will be a very diluted and weak tea but again you’ll have the essential oils to soak in and breathe. As well as your prayer energy coming into the bath.
Body Oil of Rosemary
Another way to work with rosemary in your bath is to make a body oil. The oil can be one of your choice however I really love apricot kernal oil. And blending it with jojoba and avacado oils. These are really nice oils for the skin and you can blend those in equal parts. Add the oils to an 8 oz bottle. Then putting 15 to 20 drops of rosemary essential oil. Then mix the oils together in your Vita mix. Blend them well, the blender emulsifies them so that you don’t end up with Essential Oil sitting at the top.
You can then apply your home made body oil to the skin before you get in your bath. This again brings in your meditation, or prayer time before bathing. When working with plants this way you are immediately brought into your meditative space. Which then follows you into your bath. Bringing in the divine female energies your ceremonial bath is soaked in healing spiritual energies.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy can come from many different places. Not just essential oils. I’m a purist type herbalists and essential oils cross the threshold of being slightly less herbal medicine and more pharmaceutical. However I do feel they are useful when working with spirit medicine. Especially when you’re taking them in through breath. Applying essential oils with dilution topically, like we were talking about in the bath. By using these mennstrums and preparations of herbal medicine, they can be very effective.
In accordance to breath. Using aromatherapy for meditative, spiritual I find rosemary to be perfectly suited. She truly is amazing when working with spirit.
As I said before, where the divine feminine the Virgin Mary are present in the herbs you are working with. They empower your energy as a female to be more intact, and vibrant. This will manifest in your physical body as well. With vital health, calm, and fully present.
We as women face so much adversity even in our modern day. Herbs like rosemary is one that is incredibly empowering to the female body, the female mind and bringing us into connection with ourselves, and each other.
Ways to Work With Aromatherapy
When working with aromatherapy in this way. You simply need to breathe the essential oil in. By putting it in your diffuser and having this going during the day, or night. At our home, we burn wood for heat in the winter. I like putting Rosemary essential oil into our our kettle that sits on top of the stove. This makes the entire house smell of rosemary, and it brings her beautifully calming yet invigorating energy into our home. Rosemary is strengthening to the nervous system so that you are brought into a place of calm.
Another way to work with rosemary as aromatherapy is to have a steam. You don’t have to have a steam sauna in your house or go to a public one that doesn’t usually allow oils to be brought in. You can simply enjoy a steam at home. This is perfect for when you are sick, if you are feeling run down, or you’re feeling displaced. Maybe from your path or displaced from you’re community. Any of these things rosemary is going to help bring you back to center.
Your steam at home is simple. Though might require some assistance. Simply boil some water. Taking your rosemary essential oil, or a few sprigs and and add them to a large mixing bowl. Have a towel ready. Using one that is large, a big bath towel is best. Lay it in front of the bowl. When the water is boiling, fill the bowl about half full. Pouring the water ontop of your rosemary. Then lean your face over the bowl and put the bath towel over your head. The idea is to create a little bubble of vapor and sit there. Breathe the steam in deeply. Sit as long as you can, though this position is slightly awkward. and just breathe in that beautiful rosemary scent.
Enjoy my friends!
