Truly Wise Gifts

For many years, I have heard and loved the story of Christ's birth.  It is a time in history that continues to warm our hearts and inspire Christ-like love during the holidays.  Over the last few years, the part about the wise men bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh has become much richer and more meaningful to me.  I now realize that the frankincense and myrrh were actually more valuable than the gold.  These strangers from afar truly blessed this humble little family.

Here are a few things you may not have known about the oils: 

Frankincense ~ Some people refer to this oil as the King of Oils.  I am sure that it is related to the association with Jesus. It has been known to help with feelings of abandonment, spiritual darkness, and unprotected.  It is associated with a love of our Father in Heaven and feeling his divine love.

Myrrh ~  This oil has often been called the oil of Mother Earth. This oil helps establish trust, feelings of safety, and maternal connections.

I find it interesting that frankincense represents fatherly love and myrrh represents motherly love.  What wonderful gifts to assist this family in feeling connected to each other and God.  Their lives were terribly difficult.  I can imagine these gifts were seen as true blessings at a time when they needed them most.

I found the picture for the above clip at the Market Place. 

Dry Brushing & Essential Oils

Dry brushing is an amazing way to rejuvenate your skin. I found this great demonstration video online and thought I'd share it with you.  She even ends it with an oil blend to apply to your skin.

Frankincense, A Biblical Oil

We are all familiar with the story in the Bible of the wise men bringing a gift of Frankincense and Myrrh to the baby Jesus, but we may not understand the real value of their gift until we begin to understand the power of essential oils. Perhaps the most precious of the ancient oils was Frankincense. Frankincense, Sandalwood, Myrrh, and Cinnamon were considered very valuable cargo along caravan trade routes and were often valued more than gold. The natural aromatic compounds found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers and other parts of plants are fifty to seventy times more potent than herbs. For instance one drop of Peppermint essential oil is more powerful than twenty-eight cups of peppermint tea. Throughout history essential oils have been known for their medicinal and therapeutic benefits.

Frankincense has been proven to be effective when used topically, internally, and aromatically.

1.  Some ways to use it:

• Combine frankincense with Soothing Blend or Marjoram to help reduce muscle, joint, and bone pain. Massage two drops of each with fractionated coconut oil into the large joints like the knee and the shoulder. Half the dose for smaller joints. Reapply as needed.

• Place one to two drops of Frankincense under the tongue 1 to 2x daily for overall health.

• Oil pulling with Frankincense will help reduce gum disease and slow gum recession. Add one drop each of Frankincense and Protective Blend or Melaleuca to 1 to 2 tablespoons of fractionated coconut oil. Swish for 20 minutes, spit into garbage, and brush teeth!

• Minimize the pain of headaches by placing one drop of Frankincense on the pad of the thumb, pressing the oil on the roof of the mouth for several seconds.

• For restless legs, apply two drops of Frankincense with carrier oil to the bottom of each foot and massage.

2.  Frankincense is beneficial for various skin conditions including the lessening of wrinkles and the reduction of age spots.

• Apply Frankincense neat (undiluted) to help uneven skin tone.

• Add a drop of Frankincense to your moisturizer.

• Apply undiluted to acne or breakouts.

• Apply with a little fractionated coconut oil to wounds to reduce scarring.  It is also great for stretch marks while pregnant!

3.  Frankincense helps on a daily basis.

• Apply to the temples for stress relief.

• Apply to the brain stem and neck 2x daily to help lift your mood.

• Add Frankincense along with the respiratory blend and massage on chest and throat respiratory support.

Add Frankincense to any essential oil to enhance that oil's properties.  Think of it as "the kicking it up a notch" essential oil.