Ritual Anointment | An Ancient Practice

Anointing the body with aromatics – enrapturing the mind and soul with scent – is a powerful and time-honored form of adornment. Engaging the senses transports and transforms us from the mundane to the sacred, from our earth-bound existence to the celestial wisdom of the cosmos. Age-old moss, peat, and smoke rekindle our connection with the earth, summon our recollection of deep woods and verdant spaces. Resins, salt, and linen ripple through the air and draw to mind shifting deserts and coastal sands. Sweeping grasses, curling barks and branches, and the riot of color from waving wildflowers recall warm, rolling plains and crisp, stalwart mountains. Each element of aromatics connects us not only to its ancestral land but also to our own, deeply-rooted pasts, identities, and strengths. Just as we adorn our earth-bound bodies with time-forged stone and star-borne metal, so too do we anoint ourselves with distilled gifts from the earth.

Ancient cultures understood the power of scent not only to root human memory and experience, but to invoke an atmosphere of ritual, to shift emotions, and to heal both the earthly body and cosmic spirit. Ancient oils and incenses were curated, their complex scents built and layered, one upon the next, to ensnare the senses while drawing on ancient elemental powers. Deeply verdant notes – vetiver, sweetgrass, and balm of Gilead – call to our long-lived plant allies. Woody and earthy notes, like frankincense, oud, and Neroli, summon ancient chthonic powers of the earth, while smokey notes and musk hail the shifting winds and the catalytic power of Spirit to inspire, transform, and transcend. Flowers and fruits, resins, and spices constitute the primary alchemical elements from which fragrant oils – those that serve as perfume and/or as sacred anointment – are crafted.

The high-quality components of each concentrated, aromatic oil are rare and valuable. The farther the land from which an element travels, and the longer and more tedious the process of harvesting, extraction, and distillation, the rarer and more valuable the resulting compound. It is perhaps of no surprise, considering this, that the small vessels used for these rarest and most expensive oils are also well-crafted and valuable. These small containers, made from alabaster, terracotta, and later glass, were called aryballoi. Although larger vessels were used for other types of oils, aryballoi held precious, perfumed oils. The strikingly narrow opening minimizes the evaporation of the valuable scent, but when paired with the wide lip of the vessel, allows for a cord or strap to be tied to the vessel and then around the wrist, an object, or even the neck, so that one could keep such a valuable possession on their person, close to the body, and sometimes quite literally at hand. The glass-and-gold altar bottle is a hand-crafted heirloom piece that honors the longstanding, ancient tradition of housing precious oils in exquisite vessels.

Perhaps best known for their desire for and use of prized oils are the peoples of Ancient Egypt. In this sun-drenched land, oils are perfumed and aromatic, but they are also so much more. In the arid climate, the oil itself deeply moisturizes and protects the skin, creating a barrier against the effects of the scorching effects of sun, sand, and arid climate. Many types of oil were documented in Egypt. Some of the most renowned are those used in the process of mummification, to dress, preserve, and anoint the deceased. These priceless oils were used to honor both the dead and the living. The scents of resins – especially frankincense – and herbs were particularly useful for temple rituals, including those that honored long-dead ancestors and the recently deceased. Such oils imbued the wearer with the strength to transcend terminal death, to reach beyond the veil to inspire the living. These oils, used for almost exclusively for anointing, draw on sacred powers of transmutation, regeneration, renewal, and the transformation of life from one phase to another.

Oils were not limited to literal and pharmaceutical physical protection. The elemental powers of plant allies from within the oils could be activated, enhanced, or amplified by pairing the aromatic substance with pigments to create cosmetics. Not all oils were suited for all applications, however, and many of the oils with the strongest fragrances were used only for anointing, while those less concentrated or with gentler scents were sometimes paired with ground mineral-based or organic pigments and applied to the body.  Blushing reds were blended with water, animal fats, and/or oils for lips, and shimmering greens for the eyes. Such colors not only enhance beauty, but distinct colors also invoke and channel different powerful associations, effectively summoning and activating the metaphysical attributes of the minerals within the cosmetics together with those from the oils. Eyeshadow of ground malachite could both protect and fortify its wearer with optical health while also, according to Ancient Egyptians, warding off infections or other illnesses.

Plants themselves – not only the oils extracted from them – have served as medicines from the earliest times. Some of the oldest references to medicinal plants survive from Mesopotamia, translated from cuneiform-impressed clay tablets. More well-known, however, are the medical papyri from Ancient Egypt. While various plants have always been used as medicine, oils distill and concentrate these properties into liquid form. Such concoctions bear greater potency, both in terms of scent and power. The transformation to liquid form also, however, allows for the transportation of these medicines, and their sure efficacy in relatively small doses. These distillations of flower, herb, bark, and resin call on the millennia-old aid of our plant allies to heal illness, to provide support when threatened by weakness.

The oils curated for Catori Life by Christa Obuchowski and Holly Love call forth the spirits of ancient plants around the world and concentrate their unique and potent gifts for sacred anointment. Deeply imbued with prayer and intention, and infused with love and gratitude, ritual oils adorn our earth-bound, star-borne bodies. Whether applied as a daily practice or reserved for distinct rituals, these oils uplift the senses and support our ageless and ancient connection to both the earth and cosmos.

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