In the ancient world, oil was not a luxury, it was a necessity of spirit. Before pharmaceutical cabinets and modern perfumes, before artificial air fresheners and branded wellness blends, there were the temple oils, derived from sacred trees, roots, and resins. These oils anointed the bodies of kings, the foreheads of prophets, the feet of travelers, and the altars of gods. They were medicine, yes, but also mystical transmitters, tools of purification, gateways to the divine.
To understand essential oils only as physical remedies is to miss their original sacred context. In ancient Israel, Egypt, Sumeria, and early Christianity, oils were part of an anointing technology, a spiritual science encoded in rituals, scriptural passages, burial rites, and the body itself. The Hebrew Bible alone mentions aromatic oils over 200 times, weaving them into stories of coronation, healing, worship, and covenant. The oil was the physical conduit of ruach, the breath or Spirit of God.
The Original Blueprint: God’s Anointing Formula
The earliest divine formula for essential oil use appears in Exodus 30:22-25, where God gives Moses specific instructions for the holy anointing oil. This was not just a blend, it was a vibrational key:
“Take the finest spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane (calamus), 500 shekels of cassia, all according to the sanctuary shekel, and a hin of olive oil.”
These were to be blended by a perfumer into a holy anointing oil for use in consecrating everything from the Ark of the Covenant to the priesthood. The fact that fragrance and function were married here speaks volumes and each oil resonated with a purpose: myrrh to ground, cinnamon to energize, cassia to uplift, and calamus to clear. Olive oil, the carrier, was the binder of these spirits, just as the priest was the binder between Heaven and Earth.
No one else was allowed to make or use this formula for personal purposes. It was divine. And the act of applying it was sacred: the crown of the head was the initial point of contact. From there, the oil would run downward, coating the forehead, beard, heart, and garments. This was not just anointing, it was activation.
Oil as the Mark of Kings, Priests, and Prophets
Anointing was the moment a king became king. In 1 Samuel 16:13, the prophet Samuel pours oil on David’s head: “And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.” Oil wasn’t ceremonial alone, it changed reality. The crown chakra, as we’d say today, was touched by a blend aligned with divine will. That oil initiated not just rulership, but spiritual identity.
The priests, too, were anointed and not just once, but continually, as they served in proximity to the Ark, which radiated pure energy and, by tradition, could be lethal to the unprepared. The oil on the body served as a kind of divine buffer, a shield of harmony, allowing the body to step into the holy of holies without being disrupted by high-frequency power.
In Psalm 23, David writes, “Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” Oil was synonymous with blessing, favor, overflow. Without oil, the vessel was dry. With oil, the soul was animated.
Healing the Sick and Raising the Dead
The use of oil for healing is not metaphor, it’s described plainly. In Mark 6:13, the disciples “anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them.” In James 5:14, we’re told, “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders… and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.”
Oil, prayer, and touch were the triad of healing in the early Church. Myrrh was used on wounds; hyssop cleansed the air and lungs; frankincense opened spiritual perception. These were more than plant allies, they were divinely encoded frequencies that could change the vibratory state of the body.
When Mary of Bethany anointed Jesus’ feet with spikenard and wiped them with her hair (John 12:3), she wasn’t merely honoring him, she was preparing him. Spikenard was known for preparing the soul for death, purification, or transformation. Its heavy, earthy scent grounds the spirit while loosening attachments. Mary was not acting irrationally, she was performing a sacred rite.
Scented Cities and Perfumed Prophets
Aromatic oils appear in poetic passages too. In Song of Solomon 4:14, we read a litany of sacred botanicals: “Spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices.” This wasn’t just romance, it was divine fragrance geometry, aligning lovers and temple keepers alike with the scents of Eden.
In Isaiah 1:6, we see the lament: “They have not been mollified with ointment.” In other words, a people that is spiritually broken has not even applied the sacred balm. Later, in Isaiah 61:3, the prophet promises the “oil of joy for mourning” and “the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” Oil was emotional medicine and a way to break energetic heaviness, despair, and grief. It touched body and soul.
The “Balm of Gilead,” referenced in Jeremiah, was likely a prized resin from the Arabian Commiphora family, used for deep healing and anointing. It was so rare that only the spiritually or politically elite had access. But its reputation spread far, so much so that it became a metaphor for healing what was spiritually sick.
Beyond the Bible: Egypt, Arabia, and the Temple Scrolls
The use of sacred oils did not begin nor end with Israel. In ancient Egypt, priests used oils in rituals tied to the stars. Recipes were carved into temple walls and oils blended according to planetary hours and deities. Cedar, myrrh, juniper, and blue lotus were used in embalming, dream induction, and consecration. Each oil corresponded to a gate of the body: the crown for divine messages, the heart for resonance, the soles of the feet for grounding in Ma’at.
In Arabic tradition, the Prophet Muhammad was said to love perfume and encouraged its use in ritual purity. Early Islamic texts mention musk, ambergris, oud, rose, and camphor, not only for cleanliness but for spiritual clarity. Sufi mystics wrote that scent could “pierce the veil between worlds” and was used during dhikr (remembrance) to align with God.
Modern Application: Sacred Sites of the Body
Ancient texts point clearly to specific sites of application, which can be used today with the same spiritual intentionality:
Crown of head: for divine connection (frankincense, cassia)
Forehead (third eye): for insight, protection (spikenard, hyssop)
Heart: for grief, love, and emotional processing (rose, myrrh)
Soles of feet: for grounding, direction, and protection (vetiver, galbanum)
Hands: for sacred action and healing (myrrh, frankincense)
Navel: for life force, vitality (cinnamon, ginger)
Beard (men): for priesthood and identity (cedarwood, cassia)
Every anointing can be done with simple, reverent gestures: placing a drop on the crown before prayer, massaging the feet before rest, or placing a few drops of rose oil on the chest while breathing deeply through grief. These are not luxuries, they are remembrance rituals.
Oil as the Breath of Spirit
Oil is spirit made tangible. It was used to crown kings and prepare bodies for burial, to heal wounds and awaken sight. It is the first medicine of the temple, the first perfume of the soul. In the modern world, where sacredness is often forgotten, anointing with oils is an act of resistance and a remembering of what the body truly is: a vessel of God.
So let the head lack no oil. Let your hands bless, your feet walk in peace, your heart open like a temple door. These oils are not trends. They are tools of transfiguration. To anoint is to mark, to prepare, to bless, and to restore. The ancient ones knew it. Now, so do you.
Sources and Further Readings
-Eisen, Gustavus A. The Sacred Oils of the Bible (1906)
-Budge, E.A. Wallis. The Egyptian Book of the Dead
-Avicenna (Ibn Sina). The Canon of Medicine (11th century)
-Zohar (Kabbalistic Texts)
-Graham, William. Beyond the Written Word: Oral Aspects of Scripture in the History of Religion
-James, E.O. Sacrifice and Sacrament (1962)
